Stupid American Tourists & the State Dept That Loves Them

I was just LOL while reading this... best part for me was “Oh, look, Amber. Check out those charming headscarves. How quaint. Ditto for that ornate beheading knife, which I’m sure is only used on sheep.” Fact is if it’s outside of your job or family situation to be there people need to be aware and take personal responsibility when traveling to places where they is potential for them to be in danger due to social, ethnic, religious, or criminal unrest in that country.

Buddhism is not a religion. I've traveled most of the world. Although areas are dangerous, "(I would not go backpacking in a war zone) But the fact is neither north Korea or Yemen are open war zones. I really think you are just a big pussy, who likely never get the chance to live a life of adventure. Stop bitching.

seriously though, the fact that since it was lisa ling's sister and she works for al gore's network made it so bill fucking clinton got on a plane and went into north korea to secure her release is nauseating. you knew damn well what you were doing laura. your incessant whining is a bunch of bullshit. there's political prisoners locked up all over the world who actually abide by and respect written law that are locked up for their beliefs. laura ling should be fucking ashamed of herself and the fact that she's cashing in on her story w/ tear filled interviews makes me sick.

I think MizPiz is spot on: There isn't a bit of difference between attention seeking right-winger women (Schlussel, Coulter, Paulin, Rand-Posers) and stand-up comedians who toss up crude sexual jokes purely for their shock value.
Think Ann Coulter telling a young student muslim in Canada to ride a camel. And this women Schlussel daring to to rant about and criticize people who have been kidnapped, and more shockingly about someone who risked their life to be a reporter. Not everyone believes in the two-shaded world of good guys and bad guys that people like this women portray in their blogs in order to be effective and captivating for readers who are completely immature (see curtisreed's "dinga-lings" comment) because she knows they are only looking for some material to vindicate their own pathetic views on the world. And for those of you who think this is funny: you're only getting as stupid as this women already is. Comedians can only shock up until a point when people finally just walk away because it isn't funny or intelligible and it is really really sad and they get to become the one who is blogged and ranted about or banned and petitioned because of their ignorance and lies aimed at corrupting and misleading an audience in flagrant disregard of people's sensitivities and disadvantages that make them easy to manipulate.

okay Glen Beck, stop putting your posts up with psuedo names. was there any substance there or did i just read a 3 paragraph diatribe of name calling and despise of people who are trying to extend diplomacy. if we don't meet and learn about other cultures we will never understand them. so anyways Glen, have fun with the hate mongering i prefer to go B.M. instead of talking about this more.

I love how all of crystalman's posts get put into Comedy. You can tell his opinion is just regurgitated rhetoric he heard someplace else, because he never responds to people who have done their homework and have the facts. So yeah, Comedy makes sense.
How can you present controversial information and then refuse to debate the topic- especially on a website that not only facilitates but thrives on debate.
Just goes to show how some people develop extremely distorted world-views. They never question anything or reflect on their own thoughts.

Added to comedy because it's just some right-wing attention whore bitching about liberals that are getting more attention than her.

Debbie Schlussel makes money off of hate and lies. For her to criticize real journalists is laughable.

consider the source here. This woman actually touts here endorsement by Sarah Palin, the politician so stupid that even her runningmate called her a moron.

however i am pretty sure she was busy sneaking around the border.

haha well you got a point but you know, i wanna go hiking in Iran too!!

God forbid anyone go and see these "enemy countries" for themselves.

It's kind of sad, but these are people blinded by their naivety and kind nature. I know, cause I used to date someone like this. When you grow up isolated and anti-establishment, this is what can likely end up happening to you if you venture out into the world, cause no one has ever explained it to you or warned you about it, and you don't believe what you see on TV.

So are you ever gonna post news in the news section? We get it your a racist asshole who hates liberals... please stop with the annoying opinion posts already!

I have gone where Angel’s fear to tread. I’m crazy that way, and I am 5 foot 10 inches tall and have 44 DDD’s! I stand out, literally! LOL. BUT, even I am not STUPID enough to go to places like Yemen. Lets hope those guys don’t reproduce. The gene pool deserves a break. As for reporters, in most cases I have never seen such a group of courageous individuals, who risk their live to bring us the story. I am very proud of them.

and laura ling didnt go into north korea she was in the demilitarized zone. dumbass.

i'd like to see how this guy would feel if it were him imprisoned...wether he would be like "hey its my fault i got kidnapped so i deserve to be tortured and rot here" or if he would be crying like a little bitch for the U.S to come save him.

This is retarded

Yes you should be watching more Oprah to get their perspective. Dumb article to cover thouroughly dumbo size idiots.

Ok the Lings weren't tourists. Picture changed.

It may not be a good idea to go to Yemen, but it's inexcusable to legitimize people calling for the death of anyone.

Also, JEWS?! 9/11?! COINCIDENCE?! I THINK NOT!!!

This isn't the first time that Vanguard went to Yemen... I think it would have been smarter to send the Navy SEALs again, but that's just me, and hey, it's ALOT more interesting when someone almost dies!

You need a serious reality check. 1) They didn't GO to North Korea, they went to China, and were standing on a frozen river that created the border between the two countries when Laura Ling and Euna Lee were captured. 2) "Spoiled, whiny women" is definitely NOT the words to describe Laura and Euna. They were not allowed to communicate with the outside world, let alone each other, so they certainly did no complaining, they were just scared that they would not see their families and friends for 12 years (Their time sentenced to a North Korean labor camp). 3) Laura and Euna, working for Current's Vanguard show, were trying to shed light on a very serious issue about how North Korean defectors (mainly women) are targeted and exploited when they escape from North Korea to China. No one "told her to go there" against her will. 4) "Dumbass Jew"? "imbecile-owitz"? Anti-semitism, much?

it's seriously fucked up to use their picture to represent "stupid tourists." the hikers and everyone else are separate from laura's work!

no respectable Current member posts this shit and how the hell does it make it in to the top 10? i don't even like that this is here on the site.

did you at all listen to every bit of her story when she told it? do you realize that it was never her and euna's intention? did you at all notice the parts about their guide who led them over there? and have you even seen any of the other dangerous or extremely courageous work that she and the whole Vanguard team does to bring us crucial awareness to a lot of really intense, unknown issues!!

i don't think they were using any kind of "we're American" bullshit, they know North Korea and they just wanted to be freed.

they weren't attempting to bring us knowledge about North Korea, if she wasn't captured you would know all about her story. just people trying to escape to a better environment into china by crossing a river (sound familiar?), only the circumstances are way harsher than any other region on earth!

this is nothing but wrong when you have a person from Current that you're trying to place in the same category as ignorant tourists on their own journey, whereas Laura was doing her job! a diffcult job, but risky and necessary.

You's STILL trollin.

I disagree with you almost all of the time Crystalman... but I do agree on this subject.
It's such a waste when we have to spend American diplomacy or possibly the lives of armed forces to save people like this.
I don't appreciate the author's assumption that they are "Muslims, themselves, or really, really delusional left-wingers" but I cant expect to see a post from you where the partisan rantings don't bubble to the surface...
Laura and Lisa Ling are another matter. Controversial reporting should never be discouraged. They risked their lives to bring you knowledge.

word up.

LOL! Good post and my sentiments exactly. Anyone stupid or naive enough to go to any of these countries of their own free will shouldn't expect help getting out. And they always whine "But we're Americans" like THAT'S suppose to make whatever they do alright. Idiots. I hope the folks who continually bash the evil USA read the books.

Romancing the terrorists. . . oh what fun.
It is absolutely amazing to me that damned near all progressives simply are unable to comprehend totalitarianism and the hatred which all such regimes have toward those of a free society. - - they. just. don't. get. it.