Some of the people who were evacuated from Lebanon complained about how the evacuation was carried out. Some other people have said that they should stop bitching and be grateful. Whatever did happen, I don't blame them for complaining. Why? Well, as I see it, there were two possibilities:
1. The conditions of the evacuation were unreasonable, even taking into account the fact that they were evacuating people from a war zone.
2. The conditions of the evacuation were reasonable in light of the fact that they were evacuating people from a war zone, but were still difficult.
(In this case, it's not possible for the conditions to be both reasonable and not difficult, or people would not be complaining.)
If the conditions were unreasonable, their complaining is obviously justified.
If the conditions were reasonable but difficult, these people have just spent several days in life-or-death uncertainty, with insufficient food, water, and hygiene, being herded around like cattle, having no privacy, feeling like their fate could be destroyed by a minor administrative error, and all the while a few very loud people in Canada are saying they don't deserve to be evacuated because their going to Lebanon is proof of their disloyalty. They're tired, hungry, thirsty, smelly, sweaty, frightened, uncertain, and nauseous, and they doubtless feel they have lost some of their dignity on the way. Then someone sticks a camera or a microphone or a tape recorder in their face and asks how they feel. Of course some people are going to complain! I'm sure almost anyone would be a bit edgy in that situation! No one who has ever road raged or raised their voice to a friend or family member or snapped at a food service worker because their burger wasn't coming fast enough has a right to call the evacuees ungrateful just because they complained about difficult conditions. Let's give them some room to have a hot shower, a good meal, a good night's sleep, a bit of alone time, and watch some of what's going on in Lebanon on TV before asking them to give their final opinion.
Some of the evacuees complained that there was no air conditioning and no medical care on the ships. Someone else (in either the Star's or the Globe's letters to the editor - the letter-writer may have represented the ship company but I'm not sure) said that they are luxury cruise ships, citing the fact that they have a disco and a night club or something similar. However, all the night clubs in the world don't make up for lack of air conditioning or medical care!
Therefore, I propose that to be declared "luxury", a venue must meet the following conditions:
1. Heating and air conditioning must be available to make the venue a comfortable temperature.
2. The venue must be entirely free of vermin. The scope of the word "vermin" is to be defined but the fussiest user.
3. Indoor plumbing, including any toiletries the users need, must be available.
4. A reasonable variety of food and drink, as well as medical, transportation, and maintenance services, must be available within a reasonable timeframe and with a single phone call.
I don't care if the whole thing is made of diamond-encrusted platinum, if there's no air conditioning in the summer it doesn't count as luxury. If the a/c is broken, it doesn't get to be luxury until it gets fixed.
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