Talk:James Loney (peace activist)

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[edit] Criticisms

I've pulled the criticisms for the moment. Two points about that:

First, Since there is an article on the CPTers who were hostages as a whole, criticisms that are of them collectively ought to go there, not at the James Loney page.

Secondly, this is not a dumping-ground for random criticisms of Loney. A few quotes are sufficient to portray the manner in which he was received after returning to Canada. But some of them must be retained, particularly the "going from one prison to another" quote, though it would be nice if one coulf find a link other than to littlegreenfootballs.

James Loney and the other surviving activists have been criticized for their lack of gratitude for the soldiers who risked their lives to rescue them. The Commander of British forces at the time, General Sir Michael Jackson, said he was "saddened that there didn't seem to have been a note of gratitude for the soldiers who risked their lives to save those lives".[[1]] British newspapers have suggested that the lack of gratitude is uncharacteristic for Christians.
They and other peace campaigners have been criticized for ignoring advice not to go to Baghdad, and then having to be rescued by military personnel who are diverted from other work in Iraq. [[2]]
They have also refused to testify against their captors, saying they hope they are not punished and suggesting that they would like the captors to become useful members of Iraqi society. When asked if this was naive, the group compared themselves to Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Jesus. [[3]]
Loney wrote an article for the Toronto Star in which he referred to his rescue as going "from one tomb to another". [[4]]
Upon his release he was criticized by major news organizations in Canada:
From the National Post: In an editorial, it criticized Mr. Loney's Christian Peacemakers Team for being "either callous or woefully naive in their willingness to risk the lives of aid workers."
From columnist Margaret Wente in the Globe: "Just as Lenin and Stalin had their useful idiots — Westerners who strenuously defended Russia and denounced the West — so did Saddam, and so does Hamas."
From columnist Rex Murphy (a CBC colleague and friend): "It would have been an even more gratifying moment if it had been coloured by a more ready acknowledgement of the rescuers, and an equal willingness ... to name the real villains of this sad episode."

--Saforrest 18:05, 30 April 2007 (UTC)