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South Africa and Italy Had a Plan, but the U.S. Didn't?

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posted on Jul, 15 2006 @ 09:34 PM
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No link as of yet, just watching Greta Van Sustern on FOX News interviewing an American trapped in a Lebanese hotel. She said the South African and Italian governments evacuated their citizens from the country a few days ago, yet the Americans are still trapped there?

What a disgrace!


edit:

Apparently we have around 25,000 American citizens living in or visiting Lebanon with no way nor any plan to get them out yet.

Again a disgrace! Is this another New Orleans where the gov't just sits on its ass and does nothing while our citizens are suffering?

[edit on 7/15/2006 by djohnsto77]



posted on Jul, 15 2006 @ 10:17 PM
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25,000 people is a whole lot more than a dozen or so....


and...

www.cnn.com...

U.S. plans 'air bridge' out of Lebanon, officials say
Americans urged to register with State Department

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Americans could be evacuated from Lebanon using an "air bridge" of fast-moving aircraft, U.S. military officials said Saturday.

Pentagon and U.S. State Department officials are working on contingency plans to get about 25,000 people out of Lebanon to escape Israel's military campaign, launched after two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped by Hezbollah guerrillas.

An "air bridge" is the term for planes that would move in swiftly and ferry people out in quick succession.

Planners are focusing on flying people from the Lebanese capital of Beirut to the island of Cyprus, officials said. (Watch what options the Pentagon has for the trapped Americans -- 1:59)

But the U.S. military is also looking at other options for any evacuation, considering whether it is possible to dock ships or land aircraft in Beirut, given the large number of Hezbollah militants there.

The Israeli bombing of the Beirut International Airport rendered it unusable, and has complicated planning.



posted on Jul, 15 2006 @ 11:49 PM
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Well I have to say I'm just starting to get pissed off at our gov't...I mean we're spending tons of our tax dollars on nothing, yet when our citizens are in trouble, it seems we always come up short. I don't mean to blame the Republicans who are in power (I'm quite Republican myself) but just the way things work generally in Washington no matter who's in power.



posted on Jul, 16 2006 @ 12:21 PM
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Originally posted by djohnsto77
Well I have to say I'm just starting to get pissed off at our gov't...I mean we're spending tons of our tax dollars on nothing, yet when our citizens are in trouble, it seems we always come up short. I don't mean to blame the Republicans who are in power (I'm quite Republican myself) but just the way things work generally in Washington no matter who's in power.


DJ,

Easy Man. Evac for 25k is one heck of an op. The Iwo Jima and the 24th MEU is now in position. Get ready of the evac op to start in 24-48 hours. Once the op is done, expect the IDF to start their ground offensive. Just my prediction!
I agree we could have been faster; we can always do better, but the US Govt was not sure if this situation warranted a full blow evac op. Plus with the IDF hitting all the power and telecom systems, I am sure it has been hell trying to contact the US expats.



posted on Jul, 16 2006 @ 01:08 PM
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Originally posted by Imperium Americana
Easy Man. Evac for 25k is one heck of an op.


I agree with you there, and I'm not expecting our nation to be able to transport a la Star Trek our citizens from problem areas on a moment's notice, but this has been going on for days and it still seems we have no plan for rescuing innocent American citizens from the area nor any official diplomatic or military plan to stop the violence.

[edit on 7/16/2006 by djohnsto77]



posted on Jul, 16 2006 @ 02:19 PM
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Originally posted by djohnsto77

I agree with you there, and I'm not expecting our nation to be able to transport a la Star Trek our citizens from problem areas on a moment's notice, but this has been going on for days and it still seems we have no plan from rescuing innocent American citizens from the area nor any official diplomatic or military plan to stop the violence.


No we have a plan it just takes time. For example how would you propose getting people out. The IDF took out the airport runways. The only way it is going to happen is via a LHD. Almost every embassy has procedures for expat evac. I would bet, out of all embassies, Beirut has had one for 30 years. But like I said; if the IDF had not take out the runways you would probably have had an evac ops begun already.
I have no sources, just suspicion, but I would bet the IDF are waiting for us to get our people out before they up the ante. I can just see the beard and turban crowd grabbing a few Americans as leverage. Of course if it came down to it the IDF would move either way. What make me nervous is when the LHD group shows up of shore of Beirut. We know that silkworms are in play. I hope the support assets can handle the anti- cruise missile job. Here is a press release on the Iwo Jima from July 7, 2006.


The ESG includes approximately 6,000 Sailors and Marines aboard seven vessels. In addition to Iwo Jima, the strike group includes the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), amphibious transport dock USS Nashville (LPD 13), dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island ('___' 41), attack submarine USS Albuquerque (706) and guided-missile destroyers USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) and USS Cole (DDG 67). The 24th MEU (Special Operations Capable) embarked aboard the ships, is composed of its command element, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines; Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 365 (Reinforced), and the MEU Service Support Group 24.

Iwo Jima Press Release


Also I wonder how the IDF is going to take having a US/UK (HMS Illustrious will be on station by the end of the week).BTW I looked up info on US evac op on Google new. To put this into perspective, the UK will not be able to do anything until the end of the week, the Canadians are still going over their plans & Russia said it will take another 3 days to get started. Mean while the US staging teams are already there and the first helo has already left. I would say we are doing great.


[edit on 16-7-2006 by Imperium Americana]



posted on Jul, 16 2006 @ 03:31 PM
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Is not just Americans that are trapped alot of foreign nationals are trapped and It is just now the US and European and other country leaders are taken action to evacuate their citizens, It will be a jont operation between European countries and the US, Evacuating them from the beach. Since israel took out Llebanons International Airport.

Most British nationals have been told to lay low until the order goes out for them to evacuate, how nice, I would hate to be there right now. Should see the ball rolling in the next 48 hours.



posted on Jul, 16 2006 @ 06:22 PM
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djohnsto77, I have to say one thing to you.

You are a complainer, and a whiner.

See, you are whining about how slow it is taking for the evac of 25,000 Americans. Now, had the decision been taken on the day the airport was bombed, and all 25,000 Americans were sailed out of the country, and the next day Hezbollah gave back the two Israeli soldiers (ending the fighting)..... YOU would be the first one lining up to complain about the idiocy of the administration for spending millions on an evac when one wasn't needed.


Unbunch your panties Sally, the timing is right. You never hit the panic button right away.



posted on Jul, 17 2006 @ 09:59 PM
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Out!


American Evacuees to Leave Lebanon Tuesday on Cruise Ship

BEIRUT, Lebanon — By air and increasingly by sea, a massive evacuation of Americans to take them out of harm's way in Lebanon was under way Monday.

An estimated 25,000 Americans are there. Some 15,000 have registered with the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, but not all evidently are trying to get out. "Our planning assumptions are on the order of thousands," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. "You don't actually know how many people are going to want to leave until you actually start the larger-scale operations."

The operation began slowly. By late Monday only 64 were known to have departed.

U.S. government officials, basing their estimates on similar situations in the past, say the range of Americans lining up to leave could vary from 10 percent of all those in the country all the way up to 100 percent.

Most other countries have a far less difficult evacuation task since there far fewer of their people in Lebanon. Convoys of buses have been used effectively.


So much for your theory that there was no plan (or that an operation like this is easy/quick to execute)....




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