The trial for the three American hikers who were arrested near the Iran/Iraqi border and charged as spies is underway. Sarah Shourd, the only woman among the three, was released on bail a couple of months back and will not be returning to Iran to face the charges. I guess she can hope the Iranian government doesn’t hire Dog the Bounty Hunter to come after her.
Joshua Fattal and Shane Bauer are facing a prosecution that could get them the death penalty, though it is being speculated that a ten year prison sentence is more likely.
The three hikers have insisted since the beginning that they were just on a nature hike when they unknowingly crossed the Iraqi border into Iran. Looking at our southern border would lead one to say, so what’s the big deal? But the fact is most countries around the world do take their boundary lines quite seriously.
This does bring up an interesting note in that the United States seems nonchalant when it comes to potential terrorists coming into our country through Mexico, when at the same time the TSA wants to look up the butt of every American, young and old, before they are allowed to get on an airplane, train, or bus.
When looking at the situation of the three American hikers in Iran, I must say I have a couple of questions. Number one, why would anyone decide to go to war-torn Iraq for any purpose of leisure? Number two, if for some bizarre reason one did decide to go hiking in Iraq, would you not take every precaution to make sure you stayed as far away from the “I hate and want to kill Americans” Iranian border?
Incidences of Americans being arrested and charged with spying in foreign countries seems to be happening more often lately, and in every instance the perpetrators put forth the most ridiculous reasons for them being in places they evidently shouldn’t be and/or doing things they shouldn’t be doing. It is my position that if these people take it upon themselves to travel to foreign countries wherein Americans are despised, they do so at their own risk. I don’t think we as a country and a people should be put at the smallest risk or even inconvenience as a result of their wanton actions.
If they are spies, I guess all I can say is thank you for your service and I’ll see you on the other side. I wish our own country would start executing spies again, but I guess as we have become so co-mingled in the international community that we no longer know who is spying on who or for whom, the best we can do is to continue trading one group of spies who have been living lavishly in our country for another group living lavishly in another.
To the two accused going on trial in Iran, as the possibility does exist that you are not spies but just stupid beyond belief, I wish you good luck. And on that note, God bless the rest of us who have the sense to stay in our own country.