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07/18/2006: "Ungrateful Bastards"
It seems at times that the whole world hates America. Looking around at Americans, sometimes I can understand why. We are, as a group, greedy, lazy, self-centered, self-righteous, intolerant and shallow. Frankly, most Americans care more about Ashlee Simpson's new nose job than about the starving people of Darfur. But that's who we are and that's how it is, and I'm not going to change that.
I do get frustrated, though, when a group of Americans goes out of their way to demonstrate to the world just how ugly the Ugly American can be. Case in point: Our folks in Lebanon.
Right now, Lebanon is being turned into a little slice of Hell. I'm not going to go into why that is, as that's a whole 'nother issue that isn't germain to this topic. But the bombing is creating panic among the many foreigners living in Beirut and the surrounding cities, and they all want to get the hell out. Everyone's government is working to get their people out of the country and over to Cyprus. But it seems it's only the Americans that are complaining about it.
There are a lot of Americans living in Lebanon - one report I saw quoted a figure of 25,000. Some are there at the behest of the American Government as diplomats and their families, but most are their by their own choice. They've gone to Lebanon to study, or to work, or to be with their extended families, but it was a voluntary decision - and that is key.
The Federal Government has an obligation to protect its citizens, which is why we go to war and clamor about building fences around the borders. But if you choose to go abroad, it is unreasonable to assume that you will receive the same level of protection. Yes, Uncle Sam has always been willing to lose ten Marines to save one civilian, but as an American living outside America you cannot automatically expect that someone will come to your rescue. You need to be responsible for your own safety.
Don't tell that to the folks in Lebanon. They're too busy complaining that the rescue isn't coming fast enough or that they can't take enough luggage with them. My favorite is the indignation they show when they find out that once in Cyprus, they have to pay their own way home.
"They were not getting enough communication out to those who need help. They need a lot more communication and a lot more help to them," evacuee Renee Codsi, a Lebanese-American, said.
The U.S. Embassy in Beirut tried to calm impatient Americans, saying everyone who wanted to will get out, just not all at once. U.S Ambassador Jeffrey D. Feltman said more than 300 will leave Lebanon Tuesday — but not all via U.S. transportation — and 1,000 more on Wednesday. But the government help isn't free.
"Yes, we are the only ones being charged to evacuate," said Codsi. "So I want to send the bill to the Israeli government and have them pay for it."
My take? Leave the ungrateful bastards in Beirut. They chose to seek fortune and fame outside America, and the risks that go with it. Ending up in a war zone is just one of those risks.
