Melissa Fung: Canadians Held Hostage to Kidnapping?

It’s a tragedy that Melissa Fung, the CBC reporter, was kidnapped in Afghanistan nearly a month ago on October 12, 2008 .

It’s a blessing and testament to the tight security and actions taken to save her life and ensure that no harm came to her.

And I’m bothered by the nagging questions in my mind concerning the circumstances because I should just be happy that another innocent Canadian will be coming home from this mess alive.

But I still can’t shake my questions.  What’s the historical precedent for this kind of a situation?  Have we always approached these scenarios with the same kind of secrecy?

If Ms. Fung’s kidnapping was made more public would the Canadian outrage have been a little more intense during the Canadian election, which occurred just two days after her kidnapping?

Would her misfortune also have spelled the misfortune for the Conservatives, because Canadians may have collectively seriously put in question the miserable failure of the mission in Afghanistan?

Post your comments below.  I’ll repeat:  I’m bothered by the circumstances, but I’m open to your views on the subject.