Contemptible
From Jill Carroll today, now that she is out of Iraq:
Protected by the U.S. military and far from the country where she had been held hostage, Jill Carroll strongly disavowed statements she had made during captivity in Iraq and shortly after her release, saying Saturday she had been repeatedly threatened.
In a video, recorded before she was freed and posted by her captors on an Islamist Web site, Carroll spoke out against the U.S. military presence. But in a statement Saturday, she said the recording was made under threat. Her editor has said three men were pointing guns at her at the time.
"During my last night in captivity, my captors forced me to participate in a propaganda video. They told me I would be released if I cooperated. I was living in a threatening environment, under their control, and wanted to go home alive. So I agreed," she said in a statement read by her editor in Boston.
"Things that I was forced to say while captive are now being taken by some as an accurate reflection of my personal views. They are not."
There’s more:
In the statement, Carroll also disavowed an interview she gave to the party shortly after her release. She said the party had promised her the interview would not be aired "and broke their word."
"At any rate, fearing retribution from my captors, I did not speak freely. Out of fear, I said I wasn’t threatened. In fact, I was threatened many times," she said. "Also, at least two false statements about me have been widely aired: One — that I refused to travel and cooperate with the U.S. military, and two — that I refused to discuss my captivity with U.S. officials. Again, neither statement is true."
Have any of her right-wing detractors who were so quick to point fingers want to acknowledge they were wrong? It appears only Jonah Goldberg so far, and to his credit, he was expressing skepticism from the start.
As for the cretins joining in the chorus of hate, I doubt if there is anyone among you who wouldn’t shout Allahu Akbar if it meant you would be released from the grip of people who were terrorizing you and threatened to kill you.
Debbie Schlussel, you’re the most contemptible of them all.
April 2nd, 2006 at 5:41 pm
“Things that I was forced to say while captive are now being taken by some as an accurate reflection of my personal views. They are not.”
Yeah, they were holding me back — I’d have been a lot more anti-American than that but they wanted me to tone it down a bit.
At least that’s what I’d have to say if it was me. That part about Iraqis having a right to defend their country aghainst the US was a bit lame. They should have said Iraqis have a a right and a duty to defend their country and probably add that all people of good morals have a duty to condemn the American occupation.
But then in effect this woman has gone from one hostage situation to another hasn’t she?
April 2nd, 2006 at 7:31 pm
I’ve decided to refer to her as “Debbie Sprinkles” because her stage show includes a tour of a complete asshole.