A moment of remembrance

Today the sad news was released that a British Aid Worker, by the name of Linda Norgrove, was killed by her Afghan captors during the attempt to rescue her. Condolences and tributes to her were offered by the Foreign secretary, General David Petraeus and the aid company she worked for but all these seem so hollow in the face of her dedication and sacrifice. For greater detail on this: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-09/kidnapped-british-aid-worker-killed-by-afghan-captors-during-rescue-effort.html

Regardless of what you think of the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan, it is impossible to have anything but admiration for Linda Norgrove and those like her. They work tirelessly with little or no reward beyond the simple thanks of those they aid. While at the same time they risk torture and death at the hands of common criminals or the mindless fanatics that are the Taliban. Such bravery and dedication is a remarkable thing.

Sadly there has been a large increase in the deaths of humanitarian workers during the 2000's because despite a decrease in wars between states the internal and civil conflicts that have become so common create the kind of senseless chaos that leads to the deaths of people with the best of intentions.

It would be so simple to forget Linda Norgrove and those like her entirely. But today I ask you to give a moment of remembrance for Linda and all her work in aiding a country and a people to rebuild.