This story just keeps getting curiouser and curiouser.News Telegraph reports that the three ‘Christian’ peace niks that were rescued by British, U.S.A. and Canadian forces have refused to cooperate any further with allied intelligence units sent to debrief them. 

Much to the chagrin of others who are hoping their own loved ones can also be rescued. 

Neither the men nor the Canadian group that sent them to Iraq have thanked the people who saved them in any of their public statements. 

One of them, Norman Kember, 74, a retired physics professor, of Pinner, north-west London, was in Kuwait last night and was expected to return to Britain today. He is understood to have given some helpful information. 

He provided details of the semi-rural area north-west of Baghdad where he was held and confirmed that his captors were criminals, rather than insurgents. Their motive was believed to be money. 

The two Canadians kidnapped with Mr Kember – Harmeet Sooden, 32, and Jim Loney, 41 – were said to have been co-operative at first but less so on arriving at the British embassy in Baghdad after being given the opportunity to wash, eat and rest. 

Previous hostages have been questioned on everything from what shoes their kidnappers wore to the number of mobile phones they had. The pacifist Christian Peacemaker Teams with which the men were visiting Iraq is opposed to the coalition’s presence and has accused it of illegally detaining thousands of Iraqis.

An Edinburgh teacher who is scheduled to go to Iraq with the CPT this summer stated: 

“We make clear that if we are kidnapped we do not want there to be force or any form of violence used to release us.”

It seems that now that they are rescued the three who have been held hostage for the past 4 months still feel that way. NOW THAT THEY ARE RESCUED. 

I did note that the British hostage said briefly on TV this afternoon that he had to process his thoughts on all this. He indicated that he needed to understand if his actions had been fool-hearty. So I’m thinking there might be some hope for him, maybe. 

He also provided some assistance to the intelligence unit by providing them with some information about their captors and the circumstances of their abduction. More information than the other two offered. 

The Christian Peacekeeping Team organization has publicly blamed the coalition troops for the kidnapping and refuse to acknowledge they were rescued. They continue to say they were ‘released’ or ‘freed’. 

When told how angry the coalition was feeling, Claire Evans, a spokesman for the CPTs in America, said: “We are extremely grateful to everybody who had a role leading to the men’s release.”

Britian’s Tony Blair’s reaction: 

Tony Blair, in Brussels for an EU summit, said: “I’d like to say how pleased I am that he was released and pay tribute to the extraordinary courage, dedication and commitment of the British, American, Iraqi, Canadian and other forces that were involved.” 

Gen Sir Mike Jackson, the chief of the defence staff, told Channel 4 News: “I am slightly saddened that there does not seem to have been a note of gratitude for the soldiers who risked their lives to save those lives.” 

Asked if he meant that Mr Kember had not said thank you, he said: “I hope he has and I have missed it.”

50 Soldiers from the 1Bn the Parachute Regiment, the Royal Marines, American and Canadian special forces rescued the men from their captors. 

In their statements the rescued men are blaming the Soldiers for their captivity. They are also celebrating that they are once again free to be with their families, to bath, shave, eat what they wish, and say what they want to say. 

They don’t seem to see how illogical and unreasonable this reaction is. 

Gentlemen, it’s a simple matter of cause and effect. You were in a war zone trying to teach ‘peace’ to un-peaceful people. You had no way to protect yourselves and refused the assistance of those who could and would protect you. 

That is what caused you to be in the situation you were in. 

You were rescued by 50 brave men with big guns. Those men were able to find you because they had detained one of your captors who gave up the intell. The very thing you are protesting. 

The men with big guns saved you and the effect of that is that you can once again bad-mouth them and your countries. You can do this while you are bathing and shaving and breathing the air of free men. 

The effect of you not helping those who helped you, is that there might be others who will not be rescued. 

Your ‘peace’ activities have been expensive in lives, time and money. You have not created any peace. You have gotten in the way. 

And now that you will not cooperate with the Soldiers, you might very well be causing more death and destruction. 

Do everybody a favor. Go back to Canada and have your little coffee clatches and bad-mouth the troops to your hearts content. Just quit interferring with the people who can actually do something to bring about peace. 

That would be those brave men with the big guns you so despise. 

God Bless Our Troops
       

Previous posts: Christian Peacekeeping Team Finally Thanks the Troops - sorta;  Christian Peace Niks Rescued by British and U.S. Troops; Peace Activists Kidnapped in War Zone

Other’s posting on this insanity: Jawa Report; Conservative Culture; Freedom Folks; Release the Hounds

Linked to: Stop the ACLU; The Median Sib; Adam’s Blog, Third World Country, TMH Bacon Bits, Stuck on Stupid, Rhymes With Right, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, Michelle Malkin, Code Red for our Troops, Atlas Shrugs, The Wide Awake Cafe, The Liberal Wrong, Jenee, Free Constitution, The Real Ugly American