I have been so angry at the lack of intelligence and overwhelming ignorance of the "Three American Hikers" that were arrested for "illegal entry into Iran" over a year ago.The lone female, Sarah Shourd, is up for release as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seeks to celebrate the end of Ramadan. What was going to be a release of prisoner on the part of Iran has now turned into a $500,000 bail quest. The U.S. State Department is refusing to fund the bail amount claiming that they don't fund the release of American foreign prisoners.
Having lived abroad and traveled to many countries in the world, it blows my mind that these three Americans were so negligent with their own safety. This story, along with Lisa Ling's sisters story, has generated an even deeper resentment for etho and egocentric Americans. I have never in my whole life read a statement so incredibly ignorant than the following;
"There is no Lonely Planet Iraqi Kurdistan, and Ahmed Awa was not on the map we'd printed out. "
This was written by the fourth traveler who was smart enough to not go on the hike that day. Of course, I had to bust out Google Earth to really see how far away they were from the border. The border was only a 3 hour hike away. I can do that easily with my 9 pound Yorkie. Meaning- THE BORDER IS CLOSE AND YOU MIGHT CROSS IT IF YOU DON'T HAVE A MAP!!!!
I have absolutely NOOOOOO sympathy for these three prisoners. I risk my own Karma by saying this, but, the U.S. should let them sit in that prison. Why should we tie up diplomatic energy trying to release these idiots? If it were me, I would accept my fate, realize that I had made a fatal error and live with my sentence. (I would be Claire Danes in Brokedown Palace)
Time and time again I see Americans loping around the planet like they own the place. They assume that our laws apply to them wherever they go. They assume the U.S. government will come to their rescue. When I am abroad, I respect the laws, I respect the culture and I respect the fact that I am subject to whatever foreign governments want to do to me, whether corrupt or not. ($50 cash to travel through Slovakia on a train where I already had a ticket) and then in the same day; ($50 cash to travel through Slovenia on a train where I already had a ticket).
Since I found out that only 19% of Americans have passports I have been appalled- really, that few? Now I think- GOOD! The majority of Americans are too ignorant to travel abroad anyway.
