U.S. Citizens Detained in Haiti (NYT Readers Approve)

As I spend my second day in a row of enforced idleness at home (and contemplate a third day, since the Federal government will be closed again tomorrow, Wednesday, February 10), I've been following the news from Haiti about the ten U.S. citizens who are being held pending charges in connection with the attempted removal of Haitian children to the Dominican Republic.

The New York Times had as much information as any source I found today (Americans Jailed in Haiti Plead for Help From U.S.), and its story focused on the purported lack of effective assistance from the U.S. government.

[Laura Silsby, the leader of the group of Americans] said that no one, including American officials and the group’s original lawyer, had informed them of the status of their case. The only thing they have been told, she said, was that the judge would hear each of their stories and if they were consistent, they would be released.

“I’m not sure if anyone from the government is doing anything for us,” she said.

Well, I'm sure that someone from the U.S. government is doing something for them, since they are U.S. citizens in need of protective services abroad, however, we won't hear about it from official spokesmen since the details of their cases are privileged information.

On the other hand, to judge from the 800+ reader comments that have been posted to the NYT story as of 7 PM tonight, any assistance rendered to the ten detainees would be too much. There is not much sympathy out there for the Haiti Ten!