The Laughing Wolf

Sarah’s Saga Continues

It is with an odd mixture of sadness and elation that I sit down to write this post. There is pride and joy in reporting that Sarah Saga has indeed returned to the United States. The country from which she was kidnapped, and bound over to an existence which few can imagine. One of abuse, forced marriage, and rape; yet, she never lost hope and somehow and someway the spark of courage stayed lit and burst into flame as soon as it could.

It was this flame that led her to flee, knowing that certain death awaited her if she failed. It was courage of the highest order that led her to place her faith in a country that she had not seen since she was five, even though that country was represented the State Department that at the least abandoned her to her fate, and had failed in its duty to so many other women.

It is with incredible sadness that I write that she was forced to leave without her two children. Her work now is to secure their release, and their freedom, and you can click here to read some of her words. Please do, as they are some of the most inspiring I have heard in some time. Our work is to examine what has happened, find ways to prevent these travesties from ever happening again, and to force those who are legally and morally responsible for her plight and the plight of other women and children to accept their responsibilities.

A number of congresscritters are highly upset with the State Department, as they well should be. While the idea has not made it to print where I have seen it, I both hope and call for Congressional investigations of not merely these incidents but others that reflect poorly on State.

I had hopes that when Colin Powell took over that he had been given the same instructions as several other agency heads: clean house. It is painfully obvious that the house has not been cleaned at Foggy Bottom, and that such is long overdue. There are ways to do this despite civil service protections, and if it means abolishing the department and starting over, well, that need not be such a bad thing.

Another point to consider is that diplomatic immunity and respect for laws is both a necessary thing and a concept that requires reciprocity. The House of Saud has made it clear that they do not respect our laws, with child custody being just the tip of that iceberg. If our laws are to be flaunted, there is no reason that we should respect theirs.

I would say that this point has escaped the attention of the lace panty brigade, but I think they understand it very well. The fact is, they don’t care because they are too busy playing a game that mere plebians could not possibly understand. Indeed, mere messy citizens all to often complicate the game and that simply cannot be allowed. After all, the game is what is important, not little things like law or national interest.

The Saudi’s do not respect our laws. They have contributed to terrorism on many levels, and the lines about contributing to humanitarian efforts and not terrorism do not hold up to examination. I will say that I do not think they lie on a technical basis, but it is also clear that they have studied at the Bill Clinton school of “define is” to create terms and phrases that just barely avoid the issue.

The winds are blowing colder towards Saudi Arabia right now, and that is a good thing. For a good crisp wind is needed to clean things out. Congress, and the President, need to send a similar wind down Foggy Bottom way as well, so that the much needed cleaning can take place there as well.

Meantime, despite State, the rest of us can find ways to help Sarah and the others who were not as lucky as she. We can pitch in and help in a variety of ways, from donations to political pressure. If that political pressure includes messages to our elected representatives and leaders to clean house, that is fine too.

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