I suppose that you are thinking that the title is merely rhetorical, but one cannot “fiddle while Rome burns,” unless one has a fiddle. Moreover, the bigger Rome is, presumably the bigger the fiddle needs to be.
As we all are aware the situation in Israel is a mess, and there is a myriad of U.S. citizens who are presently trapped in Israel. Common sense would say that the quicker these individuals are extricated from the danger, the better. I suppose that it is reasonable to ask if our President has a plan which will deal with this issue, as there are an estimated 20,000 U.S. citizens in Israel, according to the U.S. State Department. Supposedly the Biden administration is still working on arrangements to get Americans out of Israel.
A U.S. State Department email to Americans trapped in Israel states that the government will transport U.S. citizens out of the country, but not back home, and rescuees will need to pay for travel expenses:
“We are writing to update you on U.S. government assistance to depart Israel. We plan to offer transit options beginning on Friday, October 13, but it will take some period of time to schedule everyone seeking to depart. If you choose to take this departure assistance, transportation will be by air to Athens or Frankfurt, or sea from Haifa to Cyprus. You will not be able to choose your destination – we will assign you to the next available flight or ship. You will be asked to sign an agreement to repay the U.S. government prior to departure. You should be prepared to arrange your own lodging and onward travel from Greece, Germany or Cyprus to your final destination.”
Can you hear the fiddling? To me it is getting louder!
Meanwhile from BlazeNews:
“Just days after signing an executive order to rescue Americans trapped in Israel following the Hamas surprise attack last weekend, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis welcomed 270 U.S. citizens back home to the United States.
On Thursday, 10/12/23, DeSantis signed an executive order to enable the state of Florida to “carry out logistical, rescue and evacuation operations to keep its residents safe” and provide resources to the Florida Division of Emergency Management to bring Americans back home.
Around 7:45 p.m. Sunday, 10/15/23, an airliner touched down at Tampa International Airport in Florida. The plane transported American passengers from Israel to the United States. The plane contained 270 Americans – including 91 children, plus four dogs. The rescued Americans were not only from Florida, but from all over the country, including New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.”
Hmmm!
I guess Ron DeSantis doesn’t know how to fiddle, and like an effective leader, the transportation from Israel to Tampa was free!
10/16/23