singersmith

I never did. Of the four of them, three were super cool kids who were psyched to be hanging out with foreigners. They were actually having a struggle between being good kidnappers and being good hosts.

Even in the middle of it, I completely understood their position. The hard part was the reality that they had to die. It is pretty black and white as soon as people start hitting the ground dead.

Actually, I am into metal detecting but it has only netted maybe $1000 loose change and one gold ring.

I was a professional climber working for The North Face. They sponsored this trip. I also had a job in the RD&D department (I'm called Singer because I sew and build things). Afterward, we sold the story for a book and movie. Cheap countries made more sense.

First of all, thank you for you kind tone even though you're skeptical. People are people; if you treat them with kindness you'll usually get it in return. Oakland is way scarier than most places I've been and 4 people were robbed at gunpoint in the Mission last week. The idea that everybody hates us is an absolute myth. The Quran teaches that travelers are a gift from God and that it is their duty as good Muslims to take care of you. The hospitality is off the charts in many Islamic countries; you can't stop people from giving you everything. Also, they all have governments that they hate too and they don't tend to associate people with their government like we do. 15 years ago, I could never have imagined how much worse things would have gotten; it is really heartbreaking.

Obligatory double gold edit: Thanks! I just want to add that people don't normally do things to harm other people, they do things to help themselves. Here is one of the relevant verses (22:46)

"Do they not travel through the land, so that their hearts (and minds) may thus learn wisdom and their ears may thus learn to hear? Truly it is not their eyes that are blind, but their hearts which are in their breasts."

Firefight, if i recall, when they went to kill a goat for us. And Adbul attacked a soldier taking a dump and got shot.

Yes. I did not.