This week it was very easy to find good news, which revived my faith in humanity a tad, since last week I could find nothing awe-inspiring. The good news revolves around the Free the Hikers story I posted about last weekend. Remember my angst at the politics of the situation? Well, the politics was over-ruled (mostly) today, as the hikers finally came home! Officially released on the 21st from Evin Prison in Iran, Fattal and Bauer were flown to Muscrat, Oman where they were greeted by family and Sarah Shourd, the other hiker and Bauer’s fiancé. The hikers showed great appreciation and the entire situation was finally turned right. Sure, the bail had to be paid, a whopping $1 million, but honestly, no situation of foreign affairs between the United States and Iran will ever be cheap in this lifetime.
There are some people who are bit pissed about the bail situation. The biggest question is: where did this money to bail the hikers out of jail come from? Oman seems to be a big contributor, or at least the bill was paid through them, but how much of this gigantic sum came from the U.S. taxpayers’ wallet. It is a bit stupid to go hiking through Iraq on the Iran border, honestly, especially if the border isn’t clearly defined. Not that their stupidity justifies the prison sentence, which when described sounds horrid. I am just saying that $1.5 million for the three hikers is a lot of money to give to a country we aren’t particularly friends with. Nevertheless, I am glad the hikers could come home and see their families. The wedding between Shourd and Bauer is sure to be emotional and fantastic, so I will be sure to cover that later.
Sincerely Sydney
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