Damn! Damn! Damn!

(and the punch bowl crashes to the floor)

I guess I was being slightly naive to believe that they would release this woman unharmed. I hate to say that I feel worse about her because she is a woman but that is part of it. But the main thing that I really have an issue with is that this woman was not a mercenary or a contractor for KBR trying to make a mint in a short period of time. She was a humanitarian worker who'd spent the better part of her life trying to make things better for the people of Iraq. I know I posted early on that I thought/hoped/recommended that the kidnappers trade her in for someone else. I felt that another American might make their point more poingnant. I cannot see the point in capturing, torturing and killing this woman. I just can't.

"Hassan was believed to be the first foreign female hostage killed in Iraq's wave of kidnappings. More than 170 foreigners have been abducted this year, and at least 34 killed. One woman -- a Polish-Iraqi citizen -- remains captive.

Hassan's family in London said the longtime director of CARE in Iraq was likely the victim, and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said analysis of the video showed Hassan has 'probably been murdered, although we cannot conclude this with complete certainty.'
CARE said it was in mourning for the 59-year-old Briton, a veteran humanitarian worker known around the Mideast for her concern for Iraqis -- particularly during the years of U.N. sanctions, whose effects on children she vocally denounced.

'To kidnap and kill anyone is inexcusable,' Straw said. 'But it is repugnant to commit such a crime against a woman who has spent most of her life working for the good of the people of Iraq.' "

I don't know which "terrorist" group committed this crime but this was NOT a smart move.