Poll: Should payouts be made to save lives?

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  1. #1

    The cost of life - Is it right to pay ransoms?

    After reading over this article on the BBC News website, I was left curious as to what other people's opinions may be on the subject. The article looks over both past and recent kidnappings of westerners by Islamist Militant groups and what payments have been made in exchange for the safe return of the hostage(s), or not in some cases.

    As most people probably know by now, the US & UK (and others) have a no-concession, no-payment policy when it comes to paying ransom. However, there has been one publicly acknowledged situation of demands being met, the Swiss Government authorized reimbursing the cost of freeing two of their citizens from Mali, although it is still not known where the money was sent.

    How do you all feel about ransom demands? Should the Government pay them for their safe release or not?

    Personally, and I'm sure some of you may disagree with me, I would say that they shouldn't be paid. In doing so, it gives these groups an incentive to kidnap more westerners, and other nationals from around the world with the expectation of receiving payment for their release. This in turn is only going to fund their terrorism campaigns further. Of course I'm not saying I have no sympathy for those involved, or their friends and family.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-29409361 (For anyone else interested)

  2. #2
    Definitely not. If you pay once you will be expected to pay again and with these guys the price will always change. If I asked for 10 million and you paid 10 million I am going to ask for another 5 million just because I can.

    On the other hand if I'm kidnapped pls pay for my release.

  3. #3
    Titan vindicatorx's Avatar
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    If you pay once you have opened yourself up to every dirt bag trying to make quick money. I would not pay a ransom.

  4. #4
    Meh, if I may be idealistic and unrealistic... a decent human's life is worth more than any money, so pay the ransom and get the person back, then kill the cunts who demanded it.

    Like I said, not realistic, but it'd be nice.
    Quote Originally Posted by Dextroden View Post
    You are a carbon copy of what you long so hard to fight in the streets. An extremist. Someone so desperate for strife to prove you are the ubermensch, err, Real American.

    Alt lite. Sounds like you're having an alt fright. Unable to sleep at alt night. Maybe you should relax and fly an alt kite. Go down to the diner for an alt bite. You shouldn't be treating people with alt spite. Eventually, everything will be alt right.

  5. #5
    Deleted
    No. It would encourage more people to do it.

    It's obviously easy to say that with any emotional investment in the matter, but still, I don't think ransoms should be paid.

  6. #6
    Deleted
    No, it encourages them to do it again and encourages others to do the same while on top of that you're basically giving them weapons and equipment to cause further loss of life just for one persons life.

  7. #7
    Deleted
    Everybodies official stance is to not pay ransoms.

    Yet ransoms are paid all the time, it's a significant source of income for quite a lot of groups worldwide. Paying ransom is typically also cheaper and less risky then any kind of resque operation. Every group that uses ransom for income also returns the victims, as it's bad bussiness not to.

    same for "not negotiating with x".

    haha you can even get kidnap and ransom insurance, thats new to me http://www.economist.com/blogs/schum...nsom-insurance

    seems kidnapping is a $500m a year industry.
    Last edited by mmoc982b0e8df8; 2014-10-08 at 06:10 AM.

  8. #8
    You lose more lives paying randoms. So you shouldn't pay them.

    If someone I knew and cared about was kidnapped, I'd try to get as much money as I could do pay the ransom.

    On that note, even North Korea does something along those lines, it charges stupid Americans that go over there to decades of hard labor, then waits for the US to send an Ambassador to negotiate their release.

    And on a final note, paying ransoms encourages risky behavior. If no one ever had a ransom paid, you could bet that Journalists in the middle east would be traveling with at least a well armed group.
    Last edited by Hiricine; 2014-10-08 at 07:11 AM.

  9. #9
    Titan Yunru's Avatar
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    If you pay a ransom....put a bomb into a suitcase. That was you gona kill some off the kidnapers. (kidnaped person is usualy dead anyway)
    Don't sweat the details!!!

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Descense View Post
    If you pay a ransom....put a bomb into a suitcase. That was you gona kill some off the kidnapers. (kidnaped person is usualy dead anyway)
    That makes no sense:
    -If you want money, and you kill the hostages, you will probably not get repeat business. So kiling is averse to your objective.
    -If you don't want money, but instead want to make a political claim or something else, asking for money will lessen the point you are trying to make.

  11. #11
    definitely should not pay ransoms ever for any reason without question, unless its for me, should pay my ransom.
    "I was a normal baby for 30 seconds, then ninjas stole my mamma" - Deadpool
    "so what do we do?" "well jack, you stand there and say 'gee rocket raccoon I'm so glad you brought that Unfeasibly large cannon with you..' and i go like this BRAKKA BRAKKA BRAKKA" - Rocket Raccoon

    FC: 3437-3046-3552

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Immitis View Post
    definitely should not pay ransoms ever for any reason without question, unless its for me, should pay my ransom.
    I think that's how most people feel if it were themselves in that situation ^^

  13. #13
    Void Lord Elegiac's Avatar
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    No. It only encourages others to the like deed.
    Quote Originally Posted by Marjane Satrapi
    The world is not divided between East and West. You are American, I am Iranian, we don't know each other, but we talk and understand each other perfectly. The difference between you and your government is much bigger than the difference between you and me. And the difference between me and my government is much bigger than the difference between me and you. And our governments are very much the same.

  14. #14
    bah its weirder than that i think, there is no yes or no...

  15. #15
    Elemental Lord Tekkommo's Avatar
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    You're only encouraging it if you pay.

  16. #16
    Merely a Setback Kaleredar's Avatar
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    Who says you get the hostage back?

    Giving, in this situation, terrorists money only allows them to... you guessed it, fund kidnapping more people, in addition to outright KILLING more people.
    “Do not lose time on daily trivialities. Do not dwell on petty detail. For all of these things melt away and drift apart within the obscure traffic of time. Live well and live broadly. You are alive and living now. Now is the envy of all of the dead.” ~ Emily3, World of Tomorrow
    Quote Originally Posted by Wells View Post
    Kaleredar is right...
    Words to live by.

  17. #17
    Deleted
    Unless you have been in that situation you really are not qualified to judge if it is right or wrong. Trust me on that one!

  18. #18
    Deleted
    Yeah, it is totally a good idea to increase amounts of hostages by paying ransoms... therefore increasing amount of the lives lost to botched capture/rescue attempts.

    On the other hand, it would be nice to get part of the taxes I paid back by having my girlfriend claim I am her hostage.

  19. #19
    France was paying 20 to 60 million dollars ransom for each hostage!

    I was thinking of kidnapping a Frenchman. There's a lot that go to Death Valley in California hoping for a really hot temperature like 130F. Kidnap one, put him in the trunk of your car, put him in an abandoned mineshaft somewhere, notify the French embassy, get your sack of cash.
    .

    "This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. We will do what damage we can."

    -- Capt. Copeland

  20. #20
    If I had the money and kept the person's head in place, then I would. The government can shove w.e they like up theirs.

    Basically, until I run out of money....of course, with my whole $30 dollars, I aint keeping an ant farm alive for more than 12 hours.

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