# Embassy Closings **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 4, 2013, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354 "2013-08-04T21:33:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/301 "2013-08-10T19:17:40Z")
So will there be oversight and accountability of this decision by some elected body, like there is in a democracy? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/302 "2013-08-10T20:01:10Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > What’s changed after the embassies reopen? The same traffic drives by every day. Do you think all the terrorists live in Yemen in a building clearly marked “CHAOS” on the roof and all we need to do is blow it up? We could have done that without closing anything. Hopefully we’ve disrupted the threat, or at the very least we know more about it now than we did a week ago. But if an embassy is attacked after it reopened, you ought to be the last person asking why the 0bama Administration didn’t do something to prevent it. > [@](#): > > I think it’s more likely that blowing up the building would incite riots across the Muslim region and that’s why the embassies were closed. I can’t even guess what this means. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/303 "2013-08-10T20:11:59Z")
If we keep the embassies permanently closed - think of all the intelligence we’ll get and all the lives we’ll save! Why didn’t we do this before? No excuse. None! ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/304 "2013-08-10T20:42:49Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > If we keep the embassies permanently closed - think of all the intelligence we’ll get and all the lives we’ll save! Why didn’t we do this before? No excuse. None! After people point out how absurd and poorly thought out your posts are, you’re supposed to come back with _better_ points, not _worse_ ones. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/305 "2013-08-10T21:02:27Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > After people point out how absurd and poorly thought out your posts are, you’re supposed to come back with _better_ points, not _worse_ ones. Or you could rationalize the embassy closings with something less silly than, “we’re getting intel!” and “We’re saving lives!” ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/306 "2013-08-10T21:46:43Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Or you could rationalize the embassy closings with something less silly than, “we’re getting intel!” and “We’re saving lives!” It worked for torture of brown people, drone killings of civilians and entrapment of mentally ill so … :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/307 "2013-08-10T21:58:57Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > After people point out how absurd and poorly thought out your posts are, you’re supposed to come back with _better_ points, not _worse_ ones. That takes too long. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/308 "2013-08-11T00:42:41Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Or you could rationalize the embassy closings with something less silly than, “we’re getting intel!” and “We’re saving lives!” I repeat: if you’re wrong, people die. If I’m wrong, it doesn’t make a difference to anyone or anything. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/309 "2013-08-11T02:02:12Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > That takes too long. Well if you can’t spare the time… ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/310 "2013-08-11T03:29:53Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > I repeat: if you’re wrong, people die. If I’m wrong, it doesn’t make a difference to anyone or anything. Either the embassies must remain closed forever or there can be no possible reason to close any of them for any reason. What don’t you understand about this? _There is no middle ground!_ ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/311 "2013-08-11T03:40:03Z")
> [@newcomer](#): > > Now you’re being obtuse and steering toward disingenuous debate. All the initial reports were suggesting timing of the “big” something, somewhere to coincide with end of Ramadan which is this week. > > And I’ll be damned if I have to cite simple stuff for childish tantrums passing as debate… I know. It was all over the news. Unfortunately, what’s actually reported in the news has no bearing here. Close the embassies or people will die! ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/312 "2013-08-11T04:54:35Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Hopefully we’ve disrupted the threat, or at the very least we know more about it now than we did a week ago. What threat would that be? What embassy was threatened? > [@Ravenman](#): > > But if an embassy is attacked after it reopened, you ought to be the last person asking why the 0bama Administration didn’t do something to prevent it. Well what exactly does a paid vacation day do to add to prevent an attack? Give the employees time to shop for an Ak-47? Do they get per diem for this? > [@Ravenman](#): > > I can’t even guess what this means. It means the embassies were closed in anticipation of all the love and respect we get every time we bomb a Muslim country. ---
**Author:** ![Werekoala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7993a0/32.png) [@Werekoala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Werekoala)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/313 "2013-08-11T07:01:46Z")
Hm, still waiting for the big bada-booms. You think our AQ brethren gave up on their plans because we announced we knew about it and closed the embassies for (a day - a week)? Maybe they didn’t want to show up with a truck bomb to an empty building? That’s still a win, actually, in my book - no attack, nobody died. (no snark or sarcasm there, I genuinely mean it) Did we prevent it, or just delay it? Or was it ever really planned? I guess we’ll never know. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/314 "2013-08-11T16:33:57Z")
The embassy buildings aren’t empty. Closed means not rendering assistance to Americans overseas, which is their job, and not interacting with the host country, also their job. ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/315 "2013-08-11T16:45:25Z")
> [@Werekoala](#): > > Hm, still waiting for the big bada-booms. The only bada-boom will be the one where some mentally challenged, brown-skinned, third-worldy loser gets attention of 300 undercover officers and clicks a button of what he thinks is a bomb with obligatory “public was never in danger” (b/c otherwise, there could be some question). ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/316 "2013-08-11T16:51:14Z")
> [@Werekoala](#): > > Hm, still waiting for the big bada-booms. I think at least 60 people were killed in Iraq yesterday. Just yesterday. Good thing we closed our embassy there. It might have been an atom bomb in comparison! :eek: Did we even close our Iraqi embassies & consulates? I don’t even know. But for fuck’s sake, 60 people were killed in terrorist bombings in Iraq in one day and that’s not enough? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/317 "2013-08-11T17:07:04Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > The embassy buildings aren’t empty. Closed means not rendering assistance to Americans overseas, which is their job, and not interacting with the host country, also their job. Are you also “not doing your job” when your office is closed on snow days? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/318 "2013-08-11T17:13:34Z")
> [@BrokenBriton](#): > > So will there be oversight and accountability of this decision by some elected body, like there is in a democracy? Isn’t the elected body, “the President”? I mean, it’s not just the unelected people at the State Department who are doing this by themselves. They have an elected official overseeing them, able to review and reverse their decisions. And, theoretically, if Congress has a problem with the President’s actions, they could hold hearings. So that’s two elected bodies that have oversight. ---
**Author:** ![Werekoala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7993a0/32.png) [@Werekoala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Werekoala)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/319 "2013-08-11T17:29:29Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I think at least 60 people were killed in Iraq yesterday. Just yesterday. Good thing we closed our embassy there. It might have been an atom bomb in comparison! :eek: > > Did we even close our Iraqi embassies & consulates? I don’t even know. But for fuck’s sake, 60 people were killed in terrorist bombings in Iraq in one day and that’s not enough? I had no idea 60 people were killed in Iraq yesterday, because for some reason Iraq stopped being news sometime around 2009… hm. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354/320 "2013-08-11T17:50:27Z")
> [@Werekoala](#): > > I had no idea 60 people were killed in Iraq yesterday, because for some reason Iraq stopped being news sometime around 2009… hm. [http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202\_162-57597984/iraq-car-bombings-leave-69-dead-amid-eid-al-fitr-celebrations/](http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57597984/iraq-car-bombings-leave-69-dead-amid-eid-al-fitr-celebrations/) 69 dead in what appear to be Al Qaeda attacks. It would have been 70 dead but our awesome NSA spy technology was able to avert one. Ha, ha. Just kidding. Our Al Qaeda intel didn’t stop a single attack. We were completely unaware of all of it, it appears. Or we knew and didn’t say anything because we were waiting for the “big one” someplace. Somewhere. Maybe. Nah. We condemn the attacks though. Isn’t that nice? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embassy-closings/665354.md?page=17)