Bad news for one of my custom cabinentmakers

[juliatevis]

From CNN yesterday, contact has been made and they are alive and well. http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/30/world/...iref=allsearch

[drcollie]

John was just finishing up the table when this occurred, and of course he's been thrown off the track by all this. He told me that he still will get it done shortly as he needs something to occupy his mind, and should be ready before too long. Appreciate your patience on all this and understanding. Since he works solo, when something of this nature occurs there is no one to cover his work for him.....

[lishaana]

Thanks for the update! We are in no hurry... there are more pressing issues for him to deal with at this time. So glad they were able to make contact with his daughter...

[drcollie]

I spoke to John today and there is good and bad news about his daughter. Good news is she has been on the phone 3x as part of the negotiation for her release. The bad news is there is in-fighting over her in the tribe about what to do with them and two tribesmen were killed in a gunfight. Apparently there are some in the tribe that demand the two hostages be set free because they were trying to help Somalians with the mine-clearing issue, but others in the sect want to hold them for ransom. Any time bullets start flying, that's bad news.

Nancy, John says he is continuing to work on your table in bits and pieces (he's on the phone a lot with State Dept and FBI) and should have it near the end of the month to deliver. He REALLY appreciates your understanding and is just twisted in knots over this whole ordeal.

[drcollie]

Nancy, sorry - we're not going to have your table ready this month. John left for Kenya today with his two other adult kids in an effort to get his daughter back. He's planning on being gone at least 10 days. Thanks for your patience and if its any consolation John told me its going to be built twice as good as anything Baker would have made for you, with better wood and construction. Had this whole kidnapping thing for ransom not occurred, you would have had it before Thanksgiving. Hopefully he can get his daughter back on this trip and things can get back to normal....

[lishaana]

No problem! We weren't planning on hosting Thanksgiving this year anyway. We're praying John can get his daughter back on this trip. I couldn't imagine how he's feeling right now.

nancy

[organic_smallhome]

Trying to keep up on the progress of this story. Here's the latest I was able to find. If the Somalian elders and citizens can effectively influence the kidnappers, I think there is significant reason for hope.

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/d...f-aid-workers/

[drcollie]

It's a shaky issue. Tribal Elders want them set free and the Pirates want money. The worst possible scenario is that they be handed over to a political group because of the infighting. If Al-Qaeda gets hold of them, it won't be good.

[Dr_jitsu]

What kind of dumb****s...sorry, but these guys need to be selected out of the gene pool, kidnap the daughter of a table maker? How much money do they think they will get? And someone who came for humanitarian work at that.

Don't get me wrong, I am sympathetic to the horrible living conditions and long lasting effects of civil war, but kidnapping someone who is trying to help people, and someone who isn't rich makes me hope a Seal team gets these ****s.

[Dr_jitsu]

It's a shaky issue. Tribal Elders want them set free and the Pirates want money. The worst possible scenario is that they be handed over to a political group because of the infighting. If Al-Qaeda gets hold of them, it won't be good.

Unfortunately Al-Qaeda has been gaining a foothold there for some time now.