First Canadian evacuees arrive in Cyprus

[CHIMO]

BEIRUT OTTAWA and LARNACA, CYPRUS — The first boatload of Canadian evacuees from Lebanon has arrived in Cyprus.

Canada's first attempt to get its citizens out of Lebanon collapsed into chaos Wednesday as thousands were forced to spend the night in a makeshift shelter at the Beirut port after six of seven ships chartered for the evacuation were stopped at an Israeli naval blockade.

The Lebanese-flagged Blue Dawn did leave Beirut Wednesday night, but only after what diplomatic sources said was an intervention by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office to get a guarantee of safe passage from the Israelis.

Mr. Harper brokered a separate deal with Israeli officials to remove Canadians from Hezbollah-controlled southern Lebanon, CTV reported Wednesday night, as the Prime Minister flew to Cyprus to meet the first load of evacuees from Beirut.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060720.wevacuate20/BNStory/International/home

Incompetents. Stevie didn't know that a blockade is an action of war. Just total incompetents with a total belief that his principles will get him through. Reminds me of Katrina.
The article has quite a bit more.

[CHIMO]

1. PMO wanted crisis kept under wraps, sources say

LARNACA, CYPRUS, BEIRUT and OTTAWA — Micromanagement by the Prime Minister's Office and a lack of resources in Lebanon contributed to the confusion and anguish at Beirut's port Wednesday as Canadians trying to flee Israeli bombardments watched boats chartered by other nations sail away, leaving them behind.

But federal sources say there was an edict handed down by Sandra Buckler, the Prime Minister's communications director, dictating that the situation was to be kept under wraps.

Aside from shortage of staff, the Canadians involved in the operation say they were hampered by another difficulty: the Prime Minister's centralized command and communications policies — frustrations that were expressed both in the Middle East and in Ottawa.

All decisions had to be made and approved by Ottawa. And, with six time zones between the locations, decisions were often painfully slow.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060720.wticktock20/BNStory/National/home

[Spazito]

2. Wow, I knew it was a friggin mess but, Geez, it is even worse than

I thought! Dontcha just "love" this little tidbit:

"Suddenly, last night, they were told the Prime Minister would be visiting and that Canadians — any Canadians — would have to be brought to the port of Larnaca, Cyprus. They made an urgent request to the British government, which had been taking Britons on large naval vessels with military escorts to the western city of Limassol, to allow 120 Canadians to board one of the ships so that there would be some available to greet the Prime Minister and ride home on his Airbus jet."

The bile I feel just keeps getting more and more bitter tasting and the overwhelming temptation to simply post expletives with Harper's name interspersed is almost beyond control.


I can't find words strong enough to describe what I am feeling at this moment.

[ClusterFreak]

3. I say give in to temptation!!!

Let the expletives fly!;)

[Spazito]

4. LOL, as tempting as it is, if I started to let fly, I don't think

there is enough bandwidth to handle it!

[daleo]

5. The poodle comes through for the steve

It so touching.

"Quick, find me someone to rescue before my photographer runs out of film."