The United States Was Right Not To Have Paid A Ransom For Journalist, James Foley

The United States Was Right Not To Have Paid A Ransom For Journalist, James Foley….

I am happy that, at this juncture, that I am not a famous blogger… so that this particular writing will not be seen or brought to the attention of the grieving parents of the murdered journalist, James Foley. I say this because it has been reported that the terror group, ISIS, wanted millions for Mr. Foley’s release, and, I wholeheartedly believe that no country, including these United States, should be rewarding terrorists for their craven tactics….

In case that many of you do not know, the kidnapping of mostly Western journalists and their regular, average citizens is how many terrorist organizations make a bloodletting living. Countries like France and other European countries - except Great Britain and the United States - pay handsomely for their captured citizens and, apparently, when the same Midas ransom was asked for Mr. Foley, America refused. Instead, our Special Forces attempted a rescue of Mr. Foley and others earlier this year - but it was obviously unsuccessful.

My position of not rewarding Terror groups like ISIS for its barbarous kidnappings is why I am happy that Mr. Foley’s parents will not be seeing/reading this blog; were I to posit this stance in their presence, I dare say that it would be cruel… notwithstanding the practical aspects of the policy, whose main gold is to be a deterrent against more kidnappings.

There are similar scenarios that we may face in our lives akin to not negotiating or paying ransom to terrorists, even at the cost of innocent lives; and though, as parents, we may be selfish, outside the confines our own filial interests, we can still objectively see the merit of a policy of not negotiating or paying ransom for kidnappings. There are currently policies in place to shoot down airlines, if said airlines are threats to the general public at large. Now, we know among those making the airlines’ threats will be innocents citizens, yet the policy is in place to protect the majority of citizens. What parents or loved-ones want to hear the reason for such a policy when their respective family members are onboard on an airline marked for certain destruction?

At the moment and subjectively, the Foleys may not understand why the ransom was not paid for their beloved son - but deep down they know, objectively, the reason for America’s posture on this issue. Like a soldier, Mr. Foley knew that his job came with risks; and, as a matter of fact, I once saw Mr. Foley, on The O’reilley Factor, opining on the issue of the danger… he and his colleagues faced as journalists in the war theatres.

Working in tandem with our policy of not paying ransom for those kidnapped by terrorists is America’s vigorous prosecution of those terror groups that engage in this behavior. In that same vengeful, deterrent vein, notwithstanding my disdain for Putin, I read where he buries those Chechen Muslims, the latter who engaged in terror-tactics and sought a glorious paradise, in swine. One of my Indian colleagues told me that when Pakistani Muslim terrorists attacked a Mumbai hotel on 11/26, only one was captured alive. During the interrogation, he told the police that his trainers had promised that if they carried these attacks out, they would be martyrs/heroes and that their skin would shine like the moon. The police then later took the terrorist to the morgue to show his fallen comrades. Upon showing their mutilated faces, the police then asked, “so, tell us, are their faces and skin glowing like the moon?”