Six Degrees of Separation

I thought of asking Jill Carroll if any of her captors, or their cronies, had shown her any kindness during her 82 days of captivity. On 8 May, The Christian Science Monitor invited its readers to put questions to Jill. Unfortunately, this invitation seems to have been online for a mere 24 hours — I only came across it a day or so after the deadline.

Yet the link seemed to work still, so I filed my question under “What do you want to ask Jill Carroll?” I’ve had no response and it doesn’t seem as though anything’s been added to the update blog since. In fact, the Monitor has gone very quiet on Ms Carroll.

So who else do we know of who was vulnerable in the presence of enemies? Norman Kember? Surely there aren’t that many links between me and someone who knows him? Norman Kember’s gone very quiet too, though it’s not hard to see why both Jill Carroll and Norman Kember have every reason to seek refuge from further inquisition.

And how do I find an Iraqi who can testify to a humane gesture from an American soldier?

Will the people who constitute the six degrees of separation between me and any of these, please step forward?