I just heard that the Filipino hostage Delacruz was released by the terrorists to the United Arab Emirates embassy. Good news!

In a way... this isn't altogether good news.

I understand what you're saying. But I am glad the man was released alive.

I too am relieved the man was released unharmed.

I also mourn for the next family whos loved one is kidnapped and beheaded because the kidnappers are now emboldened.

Emboldened? Not sure how you worked that out. After all, "not giving in to terrorism" hasn't really worked out too well either - hostages are still being taken, and are still beng beheaded. In fact, as far as I'm aware, only American hostages have so far been murdered, and America hasn't been giving the terrorists anything except rhetoric and increased temperatures and (above all) attention.

Oops! Maybe that's what they were really after all along?

"Not giving in to terrorism" means not changing your routine from what you would have done had there been none. Any response, be it fear or anger, is better for the terrorist cause than none. The British were on the back foot for years with the Northern Irish terror campaigns there and on the mainland. It was only when government and security reactions became muted (i.e. mostly covert, not overt - not that there were no reactions) that the activity became contained to the point where peaceful resolution looked possible.

Large scale & overt military or police actions only wound up the situation, recruiting more terrorists and scaring the public (i.e. creating fear and confusion - the main object of terrorism).

Israel will never free itself from terror until it finds another way to react to it that does not involves missiles and helicopter gunships. The wall might have been a good place to start, had they not used it as a conveneient excuse for a land grab.

When someone threatens to kill someone close, threatening them back is the most obvious option. But if nobody backs down, there WILL be a fight. Perhaps if we read more Sun Tsu and less Old Testament to resolve our conflicts, we will have fewer of them in the first place?

Rambled a bit there. Basically I'm just trying to say "if you don't support any kind of negotiation, and naked agression isn't working either, what options do you have left?"

Umm no, there was the Korean that was beheaded. According this man there maybe more. All he knew was that they spoke English but wasn't sure if they were American and he claims an Iraqi was beheaded. Not sure if it is true or not..

I am happy that this man is able to return to his family alive. It was my understanding that they were planning on withdrawing soon too. As to whether this will have an adverse reaction on the future of hostages is uncertain. I can only hope that it won't.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/07/21/...main/index.html

Read this story to see what "Emboldened" looks like.... Well, I guess it wasn't so bad...I mean it only took them what...2 days before the next attempt?

You can't seriously expect me to believe that the terrorist's success at this type of "negotiation" won't create an atmosphere where more of this type of thing happens.




Completely agree with you here. If there was no huge uproar everytime something like this happens, it would stop happening. But of course the media in its ever frenzied pursuit of ratings serves up the public with this disgusting and gruesome type of news and passes it off as "important". I'm sure its important to the families involved, but no more so than the non-news that a car accident killed another person leaving his family devastated.

If I was one of the people unfortunate enough to be kidnapped and executed by these scumbags, I would hope that my death was not used to further the cause of the people who did it to me. I imagine most of the victims would echo this. I wonder if our so called "responsible" news people understand this? Doubtful...or at the very least, they just don't care.

Just like Don Henley sang....

"Kick em when they're up....Kick em when they're down...Give us Dirty Laundry".