I hate that: you've been keepin' the home fires burning, paying the rent, filling the hummingbird feeder, etc., and all of a sudden after six years of doing who knows WHAT (likely including a lot of plain old sitting around, while the rest of us have to go to WORK), da bitch just walks right in, all la-de-da, and not even a goddamned peck on the cheek. I mean, sure, she's been held captive under horrific conditions by sadistic nutjobs but, Cheeses, not even a fucking post card? Too much trouble to find a 27-cent stamp, huh? Well, excuuuuuuse me.

Right. And John McCain's five years of torture had no effect on his marriage. What kind of a world is CNN living in?

Sacha, get off your feminist rant.  I doubt the implication of this was that her husband had suffered more than she.  Only, that her reaction to him would be counter-intuitive, or at least counter the fairy tale in our heads about what such a reunion would "normally" be like.

Perhaps, if you want to get Freudian, she unconsciously or consciously feels that he failed her in the archetypal male role.  That is, he did not rescue her.

Or, maybe she just didn't like him that much before the kidnapping.

In any event, your reaction to the discussion point is hypersensitive and ridiculous.  It does not seem that this was the entire focus of the interview.

Sacha, your satiric intent didn't come through to me. It just sounded like you were annoyed.  No doubt the fault of this reader.  

Sacha, yeah, it is Channy's fault, no question. I have no idea where the feminist angle came in. I frankly don't want to know the private affairs of their long sought reunion. It is not my business, nor anyone else's.

Channy could be right about the other points, but as I said, I have no desire to intrude on their lives by speculating.

What is tragic here is CNN's turning the Betancourt ordeal into a tabloid-like story.  Leave it up to CNN to do this.  If I were you Sacha, I wouldn't defend your editorial to Chan.  In addition to trvializing the Betancourt ordeal into a marital-gossip matter, the mini story posted comes across as blaming her for being "cold" to her hubby.  If we were talking about a US male soldier doing this to his wife, the mental health experts would be flooding the airwaves with PTSD stuff.  No wait a minute.... the marital issues of a US male hostage wouldn't even be discussed.   Chan, you have the slightest idea of what feminist rant really is.  

OK, ladies, I'll confess to reading Sacha's piece quickly.  When I miss irony or satiric intent, I'm always annoyed with myself because I'm generally considered by those who know me to be on the droll side.

Inasmuch as my brain was in gear on this one, it seemed that Sacha was complaining that the Larry King interview was "all about him," rather than focusing on Betancourt's six year ordeal.

Obviously, if that had truly been the case, it would have been outrageous.  But, though I did not see the interview, I couldn't imagine that this could possible have been so.  

Inferring that Sacha had taken umbrage where none was justified, I characterized her doing so as a "rant".  Perhaps a bit hyperbolic.  But, not an unheard of transgression on my part.

NOW am I sensitive enough?

chan.  you're much more than sensitive: you're smart, witty n cool.  good combo.

How sweet of you, TammyA.  Those are much more tender words than usually heard on these mean streets.

Not that I'm ever very nice.

it occurs to me that another notorious kidnapping also ended a romance:  Patty Hearst never returned to her fiancé, who I believe had the unfortunate last name, Weed.

Sacha, the more I think about this, why did you write so flippantly about the unfortunate Juan Carlos.  

Is this not a tragedy for him, as well?  to wait six years for his wife to be freed.  To have, according to the CNN story you linked, worked assidiously all this time to secure her freedom.  And then, to find he has lost her?

Of course her suffering was beyond comprehension.  But, we must assume that his was, too.

It is bizarre how the media-- by which I suppose we mean actual people-- pick favorites in such situations.  One to be mourned, one to be scorned.

channy, who are you calling a ladie?

Did I say lady?  I meant laddie.

rcc