U.N. to pull staff from Baghdad to evaluate security

[Newsjock]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-10-30-un-iraq_x.htm

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations is temporarily pulling its staff out of Baghdad while it evaluates the security situation, but U.N. workers will remain in northern Iraq, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.

"We have asked our staff in Baghdad to come out temporarily for consultations with a team from headquarters on the future of our operations, in particular security arrangements that we would need to take to operate in Iraq," U.N. spokeswoman Marie Okabe said late Wednesday.

"This decision is not an evacuation and it doesn't affect the north."

Okabe would not say when the staff would leave Baghdad or give other details.

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[cliss]

1. I took a CPR class a few years ago.

The instructor taught us the difference between trying to save one person who was probably doomed to die, or to save someone who stood a decent chance of surviving, if we were ever in an "ethical dilemma" of that nature.

He also cautioned for the rescuer never to risk his own life. This is actually a term in life saving, called "saving the saveable". Meaning, we should not go out in deep water to save someone if we believe we might drown in the process.

Humanitarian organizations need to be mindful of this. They need not, and should not, risk their own lives for the rescue work they do in Iraq.

Why should they pay the ultimate price of their own lives, when the US administration is such a bunch of incompetent amateurs, that they can't even provide for their safety?

They should close up shop and get out until the US can do a better job of protecting them.