One of the downsides of being a rational conservative is that when young people discover the joy of political activism, and are told by irresponsible elders that they can change the world by dedicating themselves to the same pursuits that failed in the previous several generations, you have to step up and be the wet blanket. The dasher of utopian dreams. The cosmic killjoy. This earns you both the ire of the predatory grey ponytail seeking to recruit his ideological progeny and the youth who is shocked, offended, hurt and distraught that you’re not taking him or her seriously — It’s so unfair!
Such was the case a few years ago when I was teaching at a Catholic high school, and time was given in one of our otherwise so productive faculty meetings to hear from students who had solved the problem of human trafficking in Africa. Apparently, it didn’t cost very much to ransom a young girl who had been taken as a slave, and since we were living in Marin, one of the wealthiest counties in the United States, we had the resources to ransom many, many girls. There was much gushing from the academics in the audience about these young ladies who cared so much about social justice, and were so determined to put their Christian faith into action. I knew I should just let the moment pass, but my own over-developed Christian conscience forced me to speak, and thereby embrace the concept of career suicide.
“It seems to me,” I said, “that by ransoming these girls, you would be making kidnapping a profitable activity. You would be putting money in the hands of criminals, and giving them both the encouragement and the means to continue kidnapping. You’d wind up increasing human trafficking, rather than reducing it.”
You’d have thought at that moment we were studying the acoustical properties of falling pins. After much discomfort, it was unanimously agreed that we would give time in our classes to the young ladies, who would solicit donations to send overseas to Somali warlords, in hopes they would release their innocent captives and repudiate 1,500 years of jihadi practice regarding infidel women. I’m sure it worked out just fine. We never got a status report from any of the ransomed girls.
I was put in mind of this Tuesday when Israel ransomed Gilad Shalit, a soldier held captive by Hezbollah, by exchanging 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, convicted of numerous acts of terror. While it may be hoped that such a magnanimous trade will spark gratitude and prompt a new round of peace talks, I can’t escape the thought that Israel just made kidnapping a very profitable activity.
Ronald Reagan in 1986 at the height of the "arms for hostages" scandal
The United States had a serious problem with jihadi kidnapping in the 1980’s. Several diplomats, who in civilized countries would have been sacrosanct, were snatched by terrorists and held until ransoms would be paid. Pres. Reagan, who under different circumstances was unwavering in his principles regarding confrontations with evil, could not bear the thought of men serving him being tortured around the clock. The Reagan Administration’s efforts to free those captives meandered into moral and legal gray areas that led to a scandal that threatened to eviscerate the most successful presidency of the 20th century.
I don’t fault Israel for making the deal. It’s hard to allow one of your citizens to be tortured when you have the means to stop it. But given statistics regarding jihadi recidivism, Bibi can expect 650 of those released prisoners to come back braced in C4 cumber buns.
The Talmud says, “whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.” Then a thousand and one worlds were saved today. Now what will happen when those worlds collide?
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Great article Kevin. I can sympathize with your experiences in Marin. I was raised there and later lived in Novato as a married adult. The bleeding hearts were more than I could take and had to move to Sacramento. The liberalism has completely overtaken rational thought in CA in general and now I live in Texas. Should have fled CA years ago, I highly recomend it!