Peace and politics

Today three Canadian peace activists from Christian Peacemakers were rescued in Iraq in a military action completed by coalition forces. They had been held hostage for some three months, and a fourth (an American) had been killed by their captors. The reason they were in Iraq in the first place was to protest the presence of American forces there. Here is their official press release about the rescue.

Please note that nowhere do they express gratitude toward their rescuers; indeed, they use language that suggests their captors let them go out of the goodness of their hearts. The statement doesn't even acknowledge the military action. The soldiers who went after them were putting their own lives at risk, and followed up by giving the captives all the medical attention they needed. So what was the military's response to the lack of appreciation shown — throw them back to the terrorists? No, I'm sure that thought never crossed their minds. I don't know if these folks really are Christians, and I'm not about to make that judgment, but I will say this is about the sorriest display of puny ingratitude I've ever seen.