If anything it makes us more jaded. I remember when that Nick Berg guy was beheaded. Now that was exciting. Now it's just passe. I think there is a huge cultural difference going on. In Arab culture, kidnapping and holding for ransom is just how things are done, right? In fact, until those Fox reporters were held for however long it was, it was quite common for foreign journalists to get kidnapped in Palestine (I forget details... it was Gaza, right?) and they'd basically get held a few hours or a day or so, get treated pretty well, and get traded in for something (like baseball cards... heh.) I recall one kidnap tradeoff resulting in jobs for the kidnappers and the kidnapper's families. We in the western world just don't get it and they're probably frustrated as hell by our ignorance of the proper etiquette in how to deal with ransom.
I know I don't need any Kleenex. These 'contractors' are mere thugs and mercenaries operating often against the law for profit. Good Riddance.
