Ask Marilyn - response to reader about not paying terrorism ransoms

Readers of the popular Parade Magazine don't expect the genious "Ask Marilyn" column to provide important humanitarian advice. Usually, the genius responses are answers to readers questions related to complicated existential issues.  

But, on Sunday, March 22, 2015, Marilyn's answer was about the lives of American hostages, who are at risk of execution unless a ransom is paid to save them from a horribly violent death.  

Many of the barbaric executions were conducted on videos, attributed to the English speaking hangman given the name Jihadi John.  He's obviously a British man, identified by his accent, who is thought to be the person seen in several videos produced by the Islamic extremist group ISIL, showing the beheadings of a number of captives in 2014 and 2015. 

An "Ask Marilyn" reader, who signed the query, "M.V. New York", wrote, "Can you tell me what's so wrong with the U.S. paying ransoms for hostages held by terrorists? Even a price in the millions is paltry compared to our government's vast financial resources, and it's obviously morally right to use a micro-percentage of it to save American lives."

Marilyn responded, "This is an example of how an action that may be morally right may also be unwise to actually perform.  First, paying ransoms to liberate hostages puts a price tag on every American, thus encouraging terrorists to take more hostages.  Second, which may be even worse, is that ransom payments help fund the various activities of the terrorist organisations, thus making them stronger and helping them grow and succeed in their mission.  This is why hostage trading is usually  preferable."

"Ask Marilyn" has affirmed the correct international hostages policy, meaning absolutely no ransoms. Marilyn Savant is a qualified genius. Her advise on this somber subject is a must read for all, especially for the evil hostage taking terrorists.  

In other words, executions of innocents won't bring terrorists any advantage. (By the way, Jihadi John is a dead man walking. As a matter of fact, I can't imagine anyone in the history of humankind who would even consider paying a single piece of black coal to ransom Jihadi John's life.)  

Thank you Marilyn Savant for explaining the obvious.