The Minnesota Star Tribune posted an article on Saturday about the three hikers who have been held prisoner in Iran since July 31. Originally, Shane Bauer, 27, his girlfriend, Sarah Shourd, 31, and their friend Joshua Fattal, 27, were detained and put in jail for allegedly crossing an unmarked border. Since then, the three have been accused of spying and placed in Tehran's Evin Prison.
According to the article:
"Iranian officials initially said the hikers were detained after allegedly crossing an unmarked border. In the months since, several reports, including a BBC story April 9, have surfaced saying that the Iranian government had "credible evidence" that the hikers had links to U.S. intelligence agencies."
Does anyone truly believe that? Middle Eastern dictatorships have a track record of holding hostages for political purposes. I suspect these young people are being held hostage as a result of Iran's continuing its nuclear program and the United States objecting to that continuation. I also think that some of the problem here is a President whose actions have made him appear weak in the eyes of many of our enemies. When America has a President who appears to be weak, the enemies of democracy and freedom engage in mischief. We may have to wait until 2012 to get these hostages back--just as we had to wait for Jimmy Carter to leave office and Ronald Reagan to step in during the last Iranian hostage situation.
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