The embassy is closed to Americans

Atlantans in Paris: Tension, fear, silence in the streets, and a very long walk


Will and Rebecca Bogle couldn’t find a cab. Their server at the restaurant had said the explosions were about 10 minutes away. Rebecca is six months pregnant, and they had no way back to the hotel.

Bogle’s cell signal was fading in and out. The couple from Macon, in Paris to celebrate Will’s 37th birthday, decided to make the two-mile walk to the U.S. Embassy, there to seek shelter and wait out the horror in the city.

Emergency vehicles screamed down the street as they walked. The couple didn’t know precisely what had happened or whether it was still happening. They finally made it to the embassy, safe at last on American soil.

The embassy wouldn’t let them in.

The American who met him at the gate said he was sorry, but Bogle and his wife couldn’t come in to shelter there. He recommended walking to a hotel.

“I was pretty disheartened that we weren’t allowed to get in, and my wife is six months pregnant, and we had to walk so long,” Bogle said. He also thought, “If you’re going to close, be closed when it is sunny outside and nobody needs you.”

The State Department responded to inquiries from the AJC by email on Sunday morning. Here's the response, sent by embassy spokesman Alexander Daniels:

"On Friday evening, November 13th, the U.S. Embassy in Paris went into a heightened security posture as soon as we got word of the terrorist attacks. It is standard procedure at our embassy, and all U.S. Embassies worldwide, to not offer shelter to American citizens in times of security threats precisely because the embassies themselves could easily be prime targets. We do everything we can to help American citizens when they ask for assistance; our dedicated consular officials have handled more than 3,000 inquiries from American citizens since the attacks at all hours of the day or night."

Skeptical wrote:

Atlantans in Paris: Tension, fear, silence in the streets, and a very long walk


Will and Rebecca Bogle couldn’t find a cab. Their server at the restaurant had said the explosions were about 10 minutes away. Rebecca is six months pregnant, and they had no way back to the hotel.

Bogle’s cell signal was fading in and out. The couple from Macon, in Paris to celebrate Will’s 37th birthday, decided to make the two-mile walk to the U.S. Embassy, there to seek shelter and wait out the horror in the city.

Emergency vehicles screamed down the street as they walked. The couple didn’t know precisely what had happened or whether it was still happening. They finally made it to the embassy, safe at last on American soil.

The embassy wouldn’t let them in.

The American who met him at the gate said he was sorry, but Bogle and his wife couldn’t come in to shelter there. He recommended walking to a hotel.

“I was pretty disheartened that we weren’t allowed to get in, and my wife is six months pregnant, and we had to walk so long,” Bogle said. He also thought, “If you’re going to close, be closed when it is sunny outside and nobody needs you.”

The State Department responded to inquiries from the AJC by email on Sunday morning. Here's the response, sent by embassy spokesman Alexander Daniels:

"On Friday evening, November 13th, the U.S. Embassy in Paris went into a heightened security posture as soon as we got word of the terrorist attacks. It is standard procedure at our embassy, and all U.S. Embassies worldwide, to not offer shelter to American citizens in times of security threats precisely because the embassies themselves could easily be prime targets. We do everything we can to help American citizens when they ask for assistance; our dedicated consular officials have handled more than 3,000 inquiries from American citizens since the attacks at all hours of the day or night."

http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local/atlantans-in-paris-tension-fear-silence-and-a-very/npNQm/

What are your thoughts?

Dr. Jones wrote:

Skeptical wrote:

Atlantans in Paris: Tension, fear, silence in the streets, and a very long walk


Will and Rebecca Bogle couldn’t find a cab. Their server at the restaurant had said the explosions were about 10 minutes away. Rebecca is six months pregnant, and they had no way back to the hotel.

Bogle’s cell signal was fading in and out. The couple from Macon, in Paris to celebrate Will’s 37th birthday, decided to make the two-mile walk to the U.S. Embassy, there to seek shelter and wait out the horror in the city.

Emergency vehicles screamed down the street as they walked. The couple didn’t know precisely what had happened or whether it was still happening. They finally made it to the embassy, safe at last on American soil.

The embassy wouldn’t let them in.

The American who met him at the gate said he was sorry, but Bogle and his wife couldn’t come in to shelter there. He recommended walking to a hotel.

“I was pretty disheartened that we weren’t allowed to get in, and my wife is six months pregnant, and we had to walk so long,” Bogle said. He also thought, “If you’re going to close, be closed when it is sunny outside and nobody needs you.”

The State Department responded to inquiries from the AJC by email on Sunday morning. Here's the response, sent by embassy spokesman Alexander Daniels:

"On Friday evening, November 13th, the U.S. Embassy in Paris went into a heightened security posture as soon as we got word of the terrorist attacks. It is standard procedure at our embassy, and all U.S. Embassies worldwide, to not offer shelter to American citizens in times of security threats precisely because the embassies themselves could easily be prime targets. We do everything we can to help American citizens when they ask for assistance; our dedicated consular officials have handled more than 3,000 inquiries from American citizens since the attacks at all hours of the day or night."

http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local/atlantans-in-paris-tension-fear-silence-and-a-very/npNQm/

What are your thoughts?

I'm sure the Benghazi witch hunt played a role in this decision.  Congratulations you guys,  you've compromised our entire embassy system.  How does that saying go?  Once bitten, twice shy?