I posted this over at MetaFilter, and figured I should probably share on my blog.
The US State Department is reminding its citizens that it does not provide free transportation. It looks like it might be about $300 for the evacuation. If you can’t pay at the time, you can sign a promissory note and pay interest. It looks like other countries are not charging (or, if they are, they’re not saying so quite like the US is).
Why is the government charging to evacuate its citizens from a sudden hostile zone?
At the State Department, McCormack said the cost of a massive evacuation was beyond U.S. resources. He said evacuated Americans would be asked to pay commercial rates, and if they did not have the money to promise to pay in the future.
“Everybody who wishes to leave will be able to leave,” he promised.
The U.S. Embassy advised Americans to carry a valid passport, a birth certificate and marriage or other civil documents. Each traveler is limited to one suitcase weighing up to 30 pounds. Pets will not be allowed to travel.
Saving its citizens comes second to the almost $300 billion we’ve spent in Iraq or the overall US Debt. Cue “God Bless America…”
I think the question is not “Why is the government charging to evacuate its citizens from a sudden hostile zone?”; but, “why would someone travel to a hostile zone?”.
Lebanon has generally been anti-American, but, not “teetering on the brink of all-out war.” That came out of nowhere, basically. It’s not right to blame people who are there because they were going to school or visiting family or burying a loved one. It’s not like this was Iraq before the US invasion, where everyone and their brother knew it was coming.
Tom G.: I won’t say anything about hostile or not, but I don’t think it was particularly unsafe until Israel decided otherwise.
as to the charges, well, other governments aren’t charging and yet we’re the nation that is known for its fierce protection of its citizens. apparently not here.
My Fellow American,
Ya’ll forgat that the embassies, consulates, etc. there or every where exist to facilitate “American interests”. A private citizen is not an “interest” They leave out the adjective “business” when they say “interest”. Just get sick, have something ugly happen like
a loved one die while on a trip somewhere or get into an unforseen legal snafu with a host country. You’ll find out just how far away dear Ole Glory seems in an emergency.
In a way I can understand the charge and $300.00 is not alot of money compared to flying elsewhere believe me I just got back from vacation. Who told anyone to go to Beirut in the 1st place. It was the people’s choice right.
Native American: Please check your facts. According to the US Department of State Website, the State Department “assists when a child has been abducted from the U.S., helps if a U.S. citizen dies overseas, assists when an American citizen is arrested abroad, and evacuates people from dangerous situations abroad.” Thanks for playing.
Sheila: They’re not talking about flying away on vacation. They’re talking about removing its citizens from a dangerous and unexpected war zone (which was started by our ally using equipment we sold and/or gave them, mind you). It’s also not like these people went to Lebanon hoping to get caught in the middle of an armed conflict. Lebanon was relatively stable country with a rapidly growing tourism sector. You’ll also find, going through some of the news sites where they are talking to people on the ground in Lebanon that they are there for school, visiting family, and the like.
I think if you were a tourist you should pay your way out. No one told you to go to a dangerous part of the world for a vacation or pleasure trip. If you work for the government, then the government is responsible for the cost. If you work for a private company, then the company is responsible.
Charles: Lebanon was not a trouble spot on the edge of bubbling over. They were not Iran. They were as stable as Egypt or Saudi Arabia. There was no known plans for Israel to start attacking them. It wasn’t like, as I said above, Iraq leading into the US invasion. Look at this comment on MetaFilter.
I am sorry to disagree here, but Lebanon has been a “hot spot” that has been “on the edge of bubbling over” for quite some time. Perhaps so long that our easily distracted American minds have stopped paying close attention due to other “pressing” concerns. But that has not made it any less of a risky endevour.
Just read the State Department’s Consular Information Sheet on Lebanon from January of this year(http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_948.html) It states two very important little tidbits. The first being that, “Since 1973, Lebanon has been in a state of war with Israel” and the second being “Since February 2005, there have been 15 separate bombings in Lebanon, resulting in ten dead and 121 wounded.” Now bearing in mind again that the report was published in January that means that at that point there was more than a bombing a month. Not exactly your typical nice quiet place.
Does this make it “right” to charge these people for evacuation? I don’t know, personally I am still undecided on the issue, but you certainly can not argue that they should because it was not known to be a hot spot. It certainly was, some just may have forgotten how much of a hot spot it is.