I"m reading news reports that says there are nearly 40,000 Canadians in Lebanon. 40,000? That"s the size of Prince Albert on a good day. It"s gonna need a big solution to solve that size of a problem.
I guess my question is what"s going on in Lebanon that 40,000 Canadians are there?
Does it have great beaches or outdoor sidewalk cafes? Fine fashion or amazing vistas? Why are there 40,000 Canadians visiting Lebanon?
UPDATE: Sorry, now it"s 50,000 Canadians needing a fast boat ride out of Lebanon.
50,000. The mind boggles.
I was making a comment the other day about the number of Canadians killed there. I was reminded that there are large numbers of Lebanese Canadians, not to say that they don't count, but it helps to make sense of the large numbers.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering the same thing while watching the news tonight and I was sure they said 27,000... 50,000? Now I'm completely boggled too. I wonder how many Canadians are in ... Figi? Cause that's where I'd go. Yup. Figi.
ReplyDeleteI like the prairie picture up there by the way... I can almost hear the mosquitos buzzing.
ReplyDeleteI heard that the majority of the 50,000 Canadians in Lebanon aren't vacationers, but are people who live full-time in Lebanon but have dual citizenship. Many of them haven't visited Canada for many years. Many countries are charging their expatriates a nominal fee for safe passage out of Lebanon (e.g. I heard that the U.S. charges 200 US$ for passage to a nearby safe country) whereas Canada is offering free passage all the way back to Canada. Now may not be the time for the debate, but when this humanitarian crisis is over, I think some questions should be asked about what the expectations should be for dual citizens who chose to live full-time in countries that elect terrorist governments (Hezbollah does not recognize Israel's right to exist).
ReplyDeleteAs follow-up to my previous post ... Hezbollah's political arm doesn't form a full majority government, only part of their coalition government.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I think that the G8 statement on the Middle East was pretty reasonable http://en.g8russia.ru/docs/21.html
Apparently the pope has endorsed the G8 statement, adding that all he would add is the need for prayer.
"I think some questions should be asked about what the expectations should be for dual citizens who chose to live full-time in countries that elect terrorist governments (Hezbollah does not recognize Israel"s right to exist)."
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing, Phil. If these were Canadian residents stranded there, I could see an expensive exodus. But as someone who plans to do work overseas in the future, I think it's the responsibility of the person to get themselves out if the country they choose to permanently reside in has political issues. I can't imagine expecting the government of my birth to bail me out because I chose to live in a country without a democtaric goverment.
I look at how long it took the US to take action when Martin & Gracia Burnham, missionaries on vacation who were kidnapped, and this seems wildly unfair.
My other beef is with those evacuees who have had the gall to complain about the conditions on the boat. YOU'RE OUT....thank God for that dirty boat because it took you out of hell on earth. I bet it beats being in the centre of Ramallah by a long shot.
i guess i have a different perspective, i think that when i'm put into the terrifying position of being fearful of dying due to a missile fired from miles away by someone who can't see me, i might react poorly. i may not be grateful immediatly and i may not react in the way that us western folks who have never seen the barrel of a gun pointed at us expect everybody to react to the "help" being sent us. these people need food. they need water. they need compassion. they don't need our judgement, or our insensitivity to a situation that we are all likely to never find ourselves in. i have to admit to being a little more than taken aback at the comments on this blog considering this is a "christian" blog.
ReplyDeleteI think my curiosity was about why so many Canadians were there. I hadn't known that. Perhaps some of the frustration communicated here is from the expectation of quality of life we have come to enjoy. We as westerners have come to expect a certain quality of life that, when we don't get, we are not used to.
ReplyDeleteI think if i were to choose to live in a potential warzone, I would have thought through that fact and already have made some tough decisions.
Having said that, i do think we need to care for the hurting and lost, with water and food and meds etc.
I don't think the comments said that we shouldn't help, but they were more asking the question how much is expected of us as Canadians towards those Canadians who choose to live outside Canada.
And, don't be too taken back by the comments on the blog. It's not really a "Christian" blog.
I mean, I am a disciple of Jesus, and I suspect some of the readers and commenters are too. But that's not an assumption I'm prepared to make.
Based on a comment or two, you can't always tell that.
peace.
touche`! very diplomatic. my comment was most in response to the comment "the gall of people to complain..."
ReplyDeleteyou are right i should not have made the "christian" assumption.
"i think that when i"m put into the terrifying position of being fearful of dying due to a missile fired from miles away by someone who can"t see me, i might react poorly".
ReplyDeleteNo question. But I guess I can't imagine pointing my blame at those trying to help evacuate me. I wouldn't care if I had to canoe out myself if it meant leaving, but as you said, I've never been there. Hope I never will be, too. :)
"these people need food. they need water. they need compassion".
Absolutely. But my understanding of the situation, was that had they waited to get the boat stocked with supplies, they would leave Canadians in harm's way for an additional period of time. The goverment, while obviously flawed, at least made an attempt to free them. If it was less than first class, so be it.
I'm not saying that the logistics were handled well or couldn't be improved on, but it seems better than leaving them to fend for themselves in a bomb-ridden country.
"i have to admit to being a little more than taken aback at the comments on this blog considering this is a “christian”? blog."
Please don't question the authenticity of my faith based on a differing opinion.
"I don"t think the comments said that we shouldn"t help, but they were more asking the question how much is expected of us as Canadians towards those Canadians who choose to live outside Canada"
You said it, Randall, and apparently more clearly than I. Thank you. :)
One of the self discovery things I am doing here this week is finding out that i am indeed "diplomatic."
ReplyDeleteWhich sometimes is a good thing, and sometimes it isn't.
:)