1 Hm. I think this post is a clue as to why he's the only one that's been identified.

2 Kember participated in some sort of "witness for peace" protest in Kosovo. I would imagine this is more of the same. Not exactly what I consider an "aid worker".

3 Oh, and just to add to the irony, Kember's address in Pinner is "21 Cuckoo Hill Road".

4 I was thinking more along the lines of "don't hurt him, he's on YOUR side!" Well, I'll hope for his safe release anyway, on the off chance he gets tried for treason. And because I'm just a nice fuckin guy.

5 What a shmuck! Seventy tears old! Old enough to remember the Nazis and he still thinks this way. What the hell is he doing there? Maybe if he tells them he is a pacifist, they won't kill him (heh, heh, yeah,...riiiggghhht). When are these people gonna learn? You don't deal with animals, you kill them, and don't stop til theres nothing but teeth and ass scattered across the desert.

6 What a shmuck! Seventy years old! Old enough to remember the Nazis and he still thinks this way. What the hell is he doing there? Maybe if he tells them he is a pacifist, they won't kill him (heh, heh, yeah,...riiiggghhht). When are these people gonna learn? You don't deal with animals, you kill them, and don't stop til theres nothing but teeth and ass scattered across the desert.

7 All your Iraqi base belong to us.

8 It's interesting that in the War Resisters Int's statement, the emphasis is on how the populace can stop it's government from going to war against the terrorists. In true pacifist spirit, absolutely nothing is said about what should be done about the terrorists who, starting with 9/11, have shown their great desire to find non-violent solutions to their problems. The bulleted points could have just been summarised into one sentence for simplicity: Consequently War Resisters International urges citizens and government to declare their unconditional surrender. The terrorists in Iraq have never shown any unwillingness to not target those that oppose the war, but yet the likes of War Resisters Int. never lose any respect for them. Probably, that's because it would mean that those who view terrorists as evil scum would be correct - and that can't ever happen. Hopefully he and his three companions will be released. I think that it will be because a large ransom has been paid. When that happens we'll hear the praises about how well they were treated and what great conversationalists they were.

9 While Prof Kember is an idiot of the first kind, how do we know that terrorists kidnapped him? I missed that linkage someplace.Three groups appear to be kidnapping in Iraq: criminals, terrorists, and people who are dressing up like Iraqi policemen(and they may be one of the first two kinds ...or not).

10 Any bets that the kidnapping was voluntary, to provide a channel for funds to the terrorists?

11 Hopefully this will be a slight reminder that fanatics will not decipher between an anti-war westerner or a pro-war westerner. They do not concern themselves with our individual views or beliefs. In their eyes, we are all evil. There is no grey area with those types.

12 Aid worker my arse. He's a demented Leftwing troublemaker and I hope he gets shot during the rescue.

13 If this is real, the irony is so delicious, it simply has to be fattening. Robert may have a point though, as I suspected was the case with that Italian communist whore who managed to raise some cool cash for her "kidnappers", but we shall see.

14 Agent Brown says All Your Kuwaiti Base Belong to Us.

15 If someone wants to refuse medical treatment on moral or religious grounds that is usually respected in 'civilized' countries, right? Therefore this ought to be seen in the same light. If these four believe there are things worth dying for but nothing is worth killing for then out of respect we ought to let them be. If they really need help don't send Delta Force. Send Ramsey Clark! I hear he is in the neighborhood...

16 There are 4th & 5th options, Rusty, and while they may seem bloody unlikely or even foolish by your measure, I think the context of this debate behooves you to at least mention them: Option 4: A mutually acceptable deal is struck that both groups can agree to without sacrificing their beliefs or worldview (i.e. a 'ransom fee' donated to the Red Crescent, the release of prisoners known to be innocent, a box of chocolates for local imam's grandmother, whatever). Option 5: Kember and his group are right and the foursome walk away unharmed and unransomed on the basis of either (a) a personal rapport developed with their kidnappers; (b) moral pressure within the Muslim world, based presumably on grassroots support from local organizations they've been working with in Iraq; or (c) some unforeseen and unforeseeable 'miracle' that somehow has the same net effect. If Option 1 (Ransom) occurs, I suspect good Mr. Kember and his associates will feel rather guilt-ridden for the rest of their days and it will cause them to seriously question their beliefs. At least they'll be alive to do so. The Iraqi resistance will be wealthier for their survival. If Option 2 (Armed Rescue) occurs, you can bet your ass that Kember & co. will make a big stink about it that will benefit no one. Soldiers will put their lives at risk for little gratitude or benefit and the centrist peace movement in Iraq (which is vital for the country's future stability and a viable American exit strategy, might I add) will be further undermined and radicalized. If Option 3 (Death) occurs, they're dead. Game over. Some say the Iraqi resistance wins because it plays well to their fellow extremists. Some say the Americans win because it galvanizes support back at home. Some say Kember and his buddies win b/c they become martyrs and posterboys for the peace movement. Meh, death is death, I say, and not a desirable outcome on that basis alone. However unlikely or utopian they may seem, I think Options 4 (Mutually Acceptable Terms) and 5 (Ideological Success) provide the most favorable outcomes. The insurgency doesn't get their cash or PR coup, the US doesn't place its soldiers into undue harm, and wonder of wonders, nobody dies. Better yet, it establishes a precedent that, little by little, can work to de-radicalize the situation in Iraq and bring it to some semblance of viable, manageable, sustainable normalcy. The only trick is the damned utopian unlikelihood of it all. Even so, history has shown that even the unlikely, in rare episodes, is possible - Martin Luther King and Mahatma Ghandi are two of the better known examples of this but, for the sake of those four men being held somewhere in the depths of Baghdad, thank God they're not the only ones. Presumably, they're better educated on that front than we are. So we can mock and whine and feel superior all we want but the fact of the matter is that, for various reasons, be they humane or selfish or otherwise, it's important that we actually look for constructive solutions and find ways to get these four men out of their predicament safely, soundly, and in a manner that's in keeping with their requests. As crazy as they may seem, I think men like Kember are the key to a viable future Iraq. Sorry - sentiments like those typically expressed in the Jawa Report threads simply aren't going to get us there.

17 I vote for option two. With as many terrorist insurgent deaths as possible. You're too trusting, Rob. Remember your Twain; some people are no use above the ground and serve better under it, encouraging the watermelons. As for these people being the future of Iraq, utter nonsense. Iraq (and the world) doesn't need folks so self-deluded that they can't understand even the most basic principles of human nature. These sort of people NEVER lead, and exist as parasites on civlization. Kember and his cohorts have accomplished nothing other than to endanger themselves and Coalition troops serving in Iraq.

18 Mr Kember is a naive man, maybe even a fool, but it is misguided to blame him for being a pacifist, more so for opposing the unlawful invasion of Iraq which has led to the deaths of thousands of good American soldiers and will lead to many more. Where he went wrong was to be a Christian. Christians are by their nature simpletons - they believe that their God will protect them from evil. Mr Kember is now walking through the valley of the shadow of death, and there is no holy ghost to look after him. If he is executed, he will have done his bit to end the war as the message is reinforced that there are no safe areas in Iraq and the West has no friends there. Time for Bush to get the f*ck out of Iraq. Ask Henry Kissinger. He knows.