Although my family is usually very supportive of my travels they have gotten more concerned as I get more adventurous. My brother warned me to take a gun to China and told me he would never speak to me again if I went to Lebanon. I never planned on going to Lebanon but I understand where he’s coming from, having watched too many Chuck Norris movies as a child.
Over dinner last night my mom and brother agreed that I was going to be kidnapped on my upcoming trip. I suggested they see the bright side–they could write a book about it and make a lot of money. My brother said that he wouldn’t write a book, that he would hire a team of ex-Army SEALs and come after me. I suggested that such an operation could cost over one million dollars. He thinks that he could get each team member for about twenty thousand but a helicopter could be pricey. I hope all of my loyal readers will chip in for the helicopter if the time comes!
5 responses to “Target”
i’ll put in $5. 😉
but seriously, do they realize how dangerous it is in *our own* country? how many people get murdered every year in the USA? it would be interesting to view a statistical comparison of murders/kidnappings in our country versus middle east countries.
Vlad, I know! I wasn’t even going to go to the Middle East. Okay, well, Jordan, I guess that counts. They’re worried about countries that end in ‘stan!
Surprisingly, the US might not be the worst: http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/cri_mur_cap
What’s his deal with Lebanon?
To best understand my brother’s issues with Lebanon I present the plot summary from Delta Force (1986) staring Chuck Norris:
A 707 aircraft jetliner on its way from Athens to Rome and then to New York City is hijacked by Palestinian terrorists. The terrorists demand that the pilot take them to Beirut. The terrorists kill passengers until their demands are met. What the terrorists don’t realize is that an elite team of commandoes led by Major McCoy (Norris) and by Colonel Alexander (Marvin) as been called into service to eliminate all terrorists on the jetliner and who’s involved in the hijacking and try to retake the plane before the terrorists kill all the hostages.