UPDATE - CNN story just posted here, with full transcript of statement.
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Still watching the live news conference on CNN and thinking it should be required viewing in every school worldwide -- that is, if we do mean to create and preserve real environments that sustain human life by right instead of might.

"Fighting back was simply not an option."
When one is "not equipped for a fight" and reason fails in the face of unhearing, blinded, singleminded Borg-like purpose with superior numbers and ammunition, then Reason itself becomes an unreasonable response forcibly redefined against your will, becoming not an academic exercise but a raw first-rung survival skill, a matter of figuring out who is fit to survive and what it will take.

"We realized that our efforts to reason with these people were not making any headway. Nor were we able to calm some of the individuals down.
It was at this point that we realized that had we resisted there would have been a major fight, one we could not have won, with consequences that would have had major strategic impact. We made a conscious decision to not engage the Iranians and do as they asked.

And even that kind of Raw Reason falters without intelligence, sound information for making wise decisions, and being allowed untwisted, unmanipulated communication within one's one group of fellows and with the real world. Reason stripped, blindfolded and shoved up against the wall to hear the sound of guns being cocked.

Oh, and who ALWAYS bears the brunt in any patriarchal power play? Why, the woman of course!

"It was mainly psychological and emotional . . ."

"Isolation was a major part of this . . ."

What was the worst moment?

"There was a lot of trickery and mind games being played . . ."

"We were always fed and watered, but unfortunately it was just the fact that it was 'shh, shh, you're not allowed to speak.' "

Perhaps the worst of all then?

"We were absolutely starved for information . . ."

More about the mind games?

"They gave people privileges. . . secret rumors about George Bush . . . so we didn't know what was happening."

"She was separated from us as soon as we arrived. . .she was told shortly afterward that we had all returned without her. . . for four days thought she was all alone. . .like all of us, she has been exploited."

Do you think any concessions were made?

"Not that we're aware of . . .not at all."

What are your thoughts today about being told (your release) was a gift?

"As far as I'm concerned the whole thing was a complete media stunt . . .I'm not their biggest fan." General laughter from audience of reporters.

Could you be a little more specific?

"Aboslutely no speaking, we were blindfolded for the first week. . .It was very much a stunt for Iranian propaganda."

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In the aftermath, one of the sailors said that at least, "We now know a bit more about their intent."

LISTEN UP Thinking Parents and freedom fighters everywhere. What do *I* believe? That school board members and scientists, reasonable Rs and Ds, the whole creative class and especially the hard-working non-political, non-ideological, non-intellectual, good-neighbor regular family folks (with or without succeeding in "school") have always been, and remain, the most commonsensical and most moral majority in America. And here's some sound information we can use right here at home:

When people show you who they are, especially in an ideological battle for survival of the fittest, believe them.