I’ve seen a few posts in the blogosphere of folks upset that the United States is planning to evacuate US citizens out of Lebanon, to Cyprus, but complaining that folks would be expected to pick up the tab for their own travel from there.
Why the hell would my tax dollars be used to pay for their evacuation? Sure, get them out of the warzone. But there’s no reason they can’t pay for their own flight back from Cyprus, or get a government travel loan if needed. Unless the US Government forced them to go over there against their will, the US Government has no obligation to get them back out. Lebanon isn’t what is known as a safe and stable destination, and I’m pretty sure the state department warnings would agree. If one chooses to live/vacation in a terrorism-prone area, don’t cry to me to bail you out if the rockets and bombs start falling.
