Where are the Consequences?

Freed reporter Steve Centanni made it an early point in his first public comments. He stated he hoped he and Olaf Wiig's kidnapping ordeal would not dissuade other reporters from continuing to venture into Gaza to "tell the story of the Palestinians".

"I hope that this never scares a single journalist away from coming to Gaza to cover the story because the Palestinian people are very beautiful and kind hearted," Centanni told reporters. "The world needs to know more about them. Don't be discouraged."

These sentiments have been parroted numerous times since by Fox News reporters as they covered the release of these two. They are always followed by accolades about the "professionalism" and admirable dedication to their efforts to get the story at whatever costs.

No doubt it is a brave thing to say. What could be braver?

Would it perhaps require more courage to declare the absolute barbarity of the act of these terrorists? In essence, the Free World was again held hostage alongside of these two men. We prayed for them and their families. We watched each kernel of news with anticipation and hope. We remotely lived the uncertainty of what would be the eventual destiny of these captured men. They were held longer than others before them. There was more time that elapsed
before the inevitable video was released of yet two more of our hostages held against their will and means. There were demands of terrorist prisoner releases, deemed 'equivalent' in the minds of the captors, with deadlines that came and went. More uncertainty followed... would they kill or torture them? Would they release them ever? Who were these "new" animals who claimed membership in a never before heard of group of "freedom fighters" called the Holy Jihad Brigades?

Ultimately and thank God, they were "released". On Sunday morning, Fox News reporter Kelly Wright even made the brief mistake of stating it as a "rescue". It certainly was nothing of the kind. We did not know where they were or who was holding them. And we were evidently powerless to find out.

Wiig's wife, Anita McNaught, thanked Palestinian officials. This after she previously sat days before, on camera, with wives and relatives of terrorist prisoners and stated her "sympathies" for their plight.

Does this spectacle seem contradictory and bother anyone but me?

More from the Fox News article:

"Before the journalists' release, a new video was released, showing Wiig and Centanni dressed in beige Arab-style robes. Wiig, of New Zealand, delivered an anti-Western speech, his face expressionless and his tone halting. The kidnappers claimed both men had converted to Islam."

Haniyeh also confirmed the kidnappers were from Gaza, squashing speculation that Al Qaeda had directed the abduction. "The kidnappers have no link to Al Qaeda or any other organization or faction," Haniyeh said. "Al Qaeda as an organization does not exist in the Gaza Strip."

So Palestinian Prime Minister Haniyeh "confirmed" that there was no Al Qaeda connection and that's it? It is absolute and unchallenged because he says so?

It remained unclear whether the kidnappers had ties to Hamas or the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent offshoot of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement. A third group, the Popular Resistance Committees, claimed Sunday it had helped mediate the release of the journalists.

Would that be the same Hamas that was alleged to have coordinated with Hezbollah in their near simultaneous attacks and kidnappings on Israel just a few weeks back? The same Hamas that also reportedly received its' directions and timings from Iran to remove attention from their escalating nuclear program? Iran has no ties, connections or relations with Al Qaeda?

This has been nothing but beneficial for the armed thugs in the Palestinian territories. It got them publicity and undeserved whining about a conflict that they themselves have created and continue to perpetuate. We sit around now and extol our gratitude ...our prayers have been answered for the release of Centanni and Wiig.

We are grateful. It is the answer to our prayers.

But let's at the very least be honest! It has been nothing more than a massive pro-terrorism propaganda lesson for those of like minds amongst the enemy.

Consequences? There have been none for the terrorists. We bear them all. Even after the fact, our cowering and effective appeasement continues. And in doing so, reinforced by calls to continue to "report" the "Palestinian side", we relegate ourselves to further repeats of the episode. Shouldn't there be some basic standards of conduct to maintain our continuation of subjecting our reporters to these potential dangers? Why do they get a blank slate while we the civilized are forever held to the highest standards?

If it was a movie, now would be the time for the fade out to terrorist smirks and laughter...


*UPDATE*

Brit Hume at Fox News is so good at calling reality... reality! How old fashioned! Many thanks to Ms. Underestimated for transcribing his words for all of us to treasure.

(PS: Juan Williams remains an insufferable apologist and stubborn idiot.)

Yes, and what an appealing faith these thugs must believe Islam is, that conversions have to be effected at the point of a gun. And what of the argument that all of the ills and troubles that beset the Palestinian people, that lead them to terrorism, are the cause of what they endlessly refer to as the illegal Israeli occupation.

Consider the latest rounds of trouble in Gaza and Lebanon, two places from which Israel has withdrawn.

It has been noted that not for one day after the Israeli pullout from Gaza did the rocket attacks that came from Gaza ever stop. We’re not dealing here with something that is susceptible to a political resolution of the kind of which the State Department and many a president has dreamed.

We’re dealing here with a lawless enemy whose goal far transcends any side-by-side, two-state solution. That isn’t going to do it. We’re dealing with a terrorist, gangland-style enemy, which I think it’s fair to conclude, and this episode only further illustrates it, must be defeated [emphasis mine].