Michael Gaynor
The Jill Carroll is free mystery
By Michael Gaynor
The Christian Science Monitor and Jill Carroll, one of their reporters based in Iraq, reportedly are thrilled by her release. But, she should not be serving as a propagandist for terrorists (unless, of course, she's trying to get admitted to Yale University) and The Christian Science Monitor should not issue a humanitarian terrorists of the year award to her alleged abductors.
The Christian Science Monitor professed to me thrilled that Jill Carroll is free. But, about this, there is still much mystery. After nearly three months, Jill Carroll suddenly was freed by her abductors. Astonishingly, she proceeded to go out of her way to praise them. Are the terrorists getting better at manipulating America's mainstream media? Have the terrorists realized that beheadings steel American resolve and reasoned that releasing Jill Carroll and having her say that she was "treated very well" will induce more Americans to favor premature withdrawal of American forces in Iraq? Will the mainstream media question the bonafides of the abduction (her translator was killed in the ambush during which she was abducted) or investigate whether Jill Carroll is a victim of the Stockholm syndrome (remember Patty Hearst and the Symbionese Liberation Army?)?
Watch the latest Jill Carroll videotape and listen carefully after Jill Carroll says that she was "treated very well." She added: "and it's important people know that?"
What "people"? Why is it important that "people" know that?
The same Jill Carroll who had previously appeared on videotape, tearful and seemingly anguished and terrified, to beg for her life, immediately reported after her release that she had been in a "very good, small, safe place" with "nice furniture" and "plenty of food," given clothing, permitted to shower and go to the bathroom as she pleased, allowed to watch television (once) and given a newspaper (once), and never hit or threatened with hitting.
What considerate kidnappers!
Terrorists are murderers and blackmailers. They use improvised explosive devices that indiscriminately kill men, women and children who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. They kidnap people in order to videotape beheadings and to receive ransoms to finance their terrorist activities. They are not good, but a bit confused, people. If abducted (as the mainstream media assumes and appears to be the case), Jill Carroll obviously was abducted to serve as blackmail leverage. Why is she saying that she does not know why she was abducted?
© Michael Gaynor
The Christian Science Monitor and Jill Carroll, one of their reporters based in Iraq, reportedly are thrilled by her release. But, she should not be serving as a propagandist for terrorists (unless, of course, she's trying to get admitted to Yale University) and The Christian Science Monitor should not issue a humanitarian terrorists of the year award to her alleged abductors.
The Christian Science Monitor professed to me thrilled that Jill Carroll is free. But, about this, there is still much mystery. After nearly three months, Jill Carroll suddenly was freed by her abductors. Astonishingly, she proceeded to go out of her way to praise them. Are the terrorists getting better at manipulating America's mainstream media? Have the terrorists realized that beheadings steel American resolve and reasoned that releasing Jill Carroll and having her say that she was "treated very well" will induce more Americans to favor premature withdrawal of American forces in Iraq? Will the mainstream media question the bonafides of the abduction (her translator was killed in the ambush during which she was abducted) or investigate whether Jill Carroll is a victim of the Stockholm syndrome (remember Patty Hearst and the Symbionese Liberation Army?)?
Watch the latest Jill Carroll videotape and listen carefully after Jill Carroll says that she was "treated very well." She added: "and it's important people know that?"
What "people"? Why is it important that "people" know that?
The same Jill Carroll who had previously appeared on videotape, tearful and seemingly anguished and terrified, to beg for her life, immediately reported after her release that she had been in a "very good, small, safe place" with "nice furniture" and "plenty of food," given clothing, permitted to shower and go to the bathroom as she pleased, allowed to watch television (once) and given a newspaper (once), and never hit or threatened with hitting.
What considerate kidnappers!
Terrorists are murderers and blackmailers. They use improvised explosive devices that indiscriminately kill men, women and children who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. They kidnap people in order to videotape beheadings and to receive ransoms to finance their terrorist activities. They are not good, but a bit confused, people. If abducted (as the mainstream media assumes and appears to be the case), Jill Carroll obviously was abducted to serve as blackmail leverage. Why is she saying that she does not know why she was abducted?
© Michael Gaynor
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
