Jewish World Review March 27, 2006 / 27 Adar, 5766

Rescued peacemakers should show a little gratitude

By Tucker Carlson

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | There was good news out of Iraq. US and British forces rescued three Western hostages from captivity outside Baghdad. The three men were Christian peace activists, two of them from Canada, the other from Great Britain. They'd been held for close to 100 days. A fourth man, an American, was murdered by insurgents before he could be rescued.

There's no spinning this: It is great news, both for the men and their families, and for the governments that saved them. But that's not how the newly-released hostages see it. The group the men, who work for Christian Peacemakers, released a statement today celebrating their release. It thanked the Iraqi people, as well as quote "Muslim brothers and sisters" around the world. And yet, in more than 700 words, there was not a single word of thanks — not one — for the American soldiers who carried out the rescue.

Instead the statement attacked the US government for its policies in Iraq. It also pledged love and prayers for the kidnappers.

The Peacemakers say it's their Christian duty to pray for their persecutors, and doubtless it is. But that doesn't mean they can't pray for their rescuers too. And for the many thousands of young Americans who've been killed and maimed in Iraq, mostly blown to pieces by bombs. There wasn't a word about them, either.

The statement summed up the hostage's mindset this way. Quote: "They knew that their only protection was in the power of the love of G-d and of their Iraqi and international co-workers."

It's a nice sentiment. But in this case, it wasn't G-d or the international community who saved these guys. It was the United States Army, with help from the Brits. The peacemakers ought to remember that. And be grateful for it.