Glenn Greenwald (Salon.com): What media coverage omits about U.S. hikers released by Iran

[The Brave Little Toaster Oven]

As I understand it, they were hiking in Iraq close to the border and went across it without realizing they did so. I haven't read where they intended to go to Iran at all.

I know, that's why I'm saying that it probably had something to do with how they were treated

[Dan T.]

Sorry, but I can't share this same pointlessly hard-nosed opinion as some of you guys. These hikers weren't spies, they weren't smuggling drugs. They were young students inside a friendly Kurdistan region, and they were subject to harsh conditions after their arrest and sham trial. I have no idea why you guys would essentially blame the victims in this case, when the Iranian regime was responsible for their incarceration and treatment.

Perhaps they strayed too close to the Iranian border, but you guys are essentially expressing permissiveness for Iran's behavior.

That's another thing that's weird about the whole thing. They weren't "young students." Two of the "hikers" were 29, and the other one was 30.

[luckydevil]

Then he would be double damned?

I prefer to believe he became aware of the ramifications of doing so.....get ya neo-con on.

Or just maybe, he was never much a civil libertarian to begin with. His selection of Biden should have made that clear.

[Baculus]

Using others peoples bad actions when justifying your own is really weak. Whether it's us doing to it or Iran. I am no fan of Gitmo or the whole rendition thing by a long shot. The worst thing Cheney/Bush did IMO is to make what we always did anyway a matter of public record. Plausible deniability, i.e. your integrity, is something you don't get back once it's gone no matter how righteous you become. I know that's a bit ironic, however, I don't believe they made it policy with honesty as their motive, they just wanted to do it so much that it couldn't be hidden

Doesn't that prove the point of the detainees?

You're confusing assigning fault with not having any empathy. They are not mutually exclusive. I feel sorry for the people that had to go through a rough time, it's their own fault however. I'd feel sorry for anyone who cut their hand off just the same. The punishment for being stupid is not necessarily fair or commensurate with the level of stupidity.

No one ever said, or at least I didn't, that the hikers were devoid of fault. But that doesn't mean I am going to agree with the opinions expressed here that lack empathy while ignoring the role of Iran in their seizure.

---------- Post added September-30th-2011 at 05:56 AM ----------

That's another thing that's weird about the whole thing. They weren't "young students." Two of the "hikers" were 29, and the other one was 30.

Well, the "student" part wasn't accurate, since two of them have worked as educators and one is a journalist. I remember them being described as "students" at one point, but they aren't.