Hostages

I don't know why we allow aid workers into war zones.  I know that sounds cold, but there it is.  We know war zones are dangerous.  We know odds are they'll be kidnapped by terrorists.  If you don't want to be a hostage and/or gruesomely beheaded, don't go to the places where that's likely to happen.  If you do choose to go anyway, don't have the audacity to assume your government should pay terrorists to get you back.  It's your own fault you're a hostage.

I know I sound Republican, but it's one of the only things they make sense on.  When you pay the ransom, all you're doing is encouraging more hostage taking and funding terrorism.  Can we admit that funding terrorism is not in anyone's best interest?  And let's be honest.  While ISIS may say they'll give their hostages back if you give them money, you have ZERO reason to believe they won't kill them anyway.  ISIS kills people everyday. It's what they do.  If you find yourself a hostage of ISIS, make peace with God and get ready to die.  That's the only thing you CAN do.

Go ahead.  Call me hateful.  Say if it were me or my loved ones I'd feel different.  If it were my loved ones, I'd hurt.  I'd mourn, but I still know my loved ones are going to die.  I won't expect or demand a rescue mission.  And if I was ever a hostage, I wouldn't expect it either.

Maybe aid workers should be issued cyanide caps?

I know what you're saying now.  We can't in good conscience not help people in need just because it's dangerous.  That's why we'll keep having hostages.  There's nothing wrong with wanting to save the world and I commend those who take risks to do that.

But we still have to be practical.  The ONLY way to stop terrorists taking foreign hostages is to either REMOVE the opportunity by removing foreigners from the scene all together or to make it NOT BENEFICIAL to take hostages by not paying ransom.   It's no use boo hooing or raising a fuss if hostages are taken, because they knew what they were walking into and should be prepared for the consequences.

I pity hostages, but I refuse to reward hostage takers.  We should know better by now that paying ransoms SOLVES NOTHING.  And if you're going into a war zone, you should be prepared to accept the consequences even the ones where bad things may happen to you.  And that's the real end of the debate.