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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Three Cheers for the Ayatollahs!
2011-08-21
I think that the time has come to send messages of greetings and felicitations to the heads of Iran for their arresting three American "hikers" and convicting two of them over the weekend for "espionage." The convictions seem to be empirical proof that God has a sense of humor.

Why? Because all three are long-time activists in the "BDS" Boycott-Israel and Cheer Palestinian Terrorism "solidarity" movements. There are numerous sources for this claim, a few attached below.

The details of the arrest, from the blog of the third arrestee (Sarah Shourd, who was released on half a million dollar bail, showing that some jihadis are sitting on very large endowment funds from mommy and daddy) are here:

'On July 31, 2009, three Americans, Sarah Shourd (32), Shane Bauer (28) and Joshua Fattal (28), were detained by Iranian border guards while allegedly hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan. Iran claims the three crossed into Iranian territory, but the three Americans claim they were kidnapped from within Iraq. Sarah Shourd was released on $500,000 bail by Iran on September 14, 2010, on humanitarian grounds due to her declining health. The trial of the three hikers began on 6 February 2011; Sarah Shourd will not

'In June 2010, an article in The Nation alleged that two villagers said the hikers were accosted by Iranian authorities while they were on the Iraqi side of the border. The three, anti-war, social justice and Palestinian solidarity activists, had been living and active in the Middle East, and were on holiday in Iraqi Kurdistan, an autonomous of Iraq free from the sectarian struggle that dominates much of Iraq. They had been advised of the suitability of the region for a holiday by friends who had been there and through Internet research; and were recommended the Ahmed Awa waterfall, a popular Kurdish tourist destination, by a number of local people whilst they were in Sulaymaniyah. After visiting the waterfall, they continued walking within what they believed to be Iraqi Kurdistan, up to and including the time they were detained by Iranian border guards. According to the BBC, they were not "publicly charged" with a crime by Iran; but according to the New York Times, they have been held on espionage charges since their arrest.'

The Nation is supporting them? That sure convinces me they are guilty!
Posted by:tipper

#6  Well, Sarah Shourd is not exactly St. Pancake, but here is a little blurb from FREE THE HIKERS website that has some interesting tidbits.

ABOUT SARAH SHOURD

Sarah Shourd, 32, has been living with Shane in Damascus, where she teaches English and is learning Arabic. She previously taught as part of the Iraqi Student Project, a program which gives Iraqi students living in Damascus the skills to continue their education in US schools. She was on a break from her teaching responsibilities for a week, and she and Shane decided to take a hiking trip with their friends Josh and Shon. Sarah has written articles on travel and social issues reflecting her time in Syria, Ethiopia, Yemen and Mexico. Sarah, who has an older brother and sister, was born in Oak Park, Illinois and grew up in Los Angeles, California. She attended UC Berkeley in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she lived after graduating until moving to Damascus with Shane.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2011-08-21 14:10  

#5  They might also have been double agents. It would make sense for the CIA to have people working in various dingbat movements, as has been done by the FBI domestically for decades now.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418   2011-08-21 12:32  

#4  ...I have a suspicion that they were there to try and uncover/find some horrifying BushCheneyHaliburtonCIA scandal and figured the sheer righteousness of their cause would protect them.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2011-08-21 12:23  

#3  Agree with moose, the liberated.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2011-08-21 10:28  

#2  I still think they are really spies. But the question remains, working for whom?
Posted by: Anonymoose   2011-08-21 09:51  

#1  " all three are long-time activists in the "BDS"
Boycott-Israel and Cheer Palestinian Terrorism "solidarity" movements."

And they now get to meet real islam in an Iranian Prison. Ever see that Turkish Prison movie, "Midnight Express"? Yeah, Ya Allah and all their colorful customs.

Eight years in a Moslem Prison....yeah.
Hello, Sailor.
Posted by: de Medici   2011-08-21 09:41  

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