Pretty hard to come to a fair conclusion with so many facts missing. Not much more information in the source story either. The only other facts being that she is a nurse practioner, or basically a Dr. rathr than a nurse and that the judge was supposed to rule on Friday and it was postponed to Wed. There are witnesses supporting her in that the coins were given to her as a gift. Wonder if there is a posted source of info in the airports and hotels in this country regarding any and all rules regading goods that can/can't be taken from this country?? Think this judge has nothing to gain by continuing to detain this woman in a country that's foreign to her and where her story appears to be believable!

Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

A nurse practitioner is NOT a Dr. And what on earth does that have to do with anything?

Snakefist...are you kidding? Of course you know all the laws of the city, state, and country you live in. There's a reason there are lawyers...no one can know all the laws...it takes specialists with staffs and access to volumes of law text to have even a reasonable grasp. Then to top that off, it takes several layers (levels) of courts to rule on the mistakes and misjudgements made by lower courts (you'd think lawyers and judges would get it right the first time).

So your statement lacks a certain crediability...you know?

i can't stand it when americans go overseas to do well to others in humanitarian efforts only to be s**t on by them ... accused of kidnapping children or in this case, stealing coins ??? Come on...

Sounds like poor judgment on her part at best. Accepting gifts other than trivial items is not medical ethics, and most educated people aware at least aware of the existence of antiquities laws. Someone travelling on a humanitarian mission would, one would expect, have received some basic orientation and information about what you can take out of the country with you and what you can't. All she would have had to do would to verify it was ok for her to accept the items and then leave with them.

The story does not give us a monetary value of the coins. A "gift" is one thing - a "token of appreciation" is something else entirely. For an example - have you ever been a hospital patient and bought candy, pizza or sent flowers to the staff??? These particular "gifts" are tokens of appreciation. I can see where the coins would be a token type of a gift since they would be something that this woman could keep as a reminder of her time in Macedonia.

skrewdworld and bornskeptik - Agreed!!! ☺

srmcmahon....You have something there..also if are on a humanitarian mission......why in the hell did you not donate them to the cause you were involved?

I would think that an educated person would be aware of antiquities laws recognize that these coins might be an issue. And while I understand that she has witnesses backing up her story, I am finding it somewhat difficult to accept that someone would just give her, as a token of appreciation, coins of such value and historical significance that they would result in this woman being arrested. There is just something here that is not adding up. How well does she know these witnesses??? Could they be going along with her story to try and protect her??? Did this person who supposedly gave her the coins as a token not know what they were - I find that doubtful. There is just something here that does not make sense. I can not see someone giving away coins that are apparently very significant and valuable as a simple token of appreciation. I have a suspicion that there is far more going on here than what we are getting in this story and I am not sure we will ever know the whole truth of this matter.

Meridian is in Mississippi not Alabama.

Typo on the writer's part. stc1993 is correct. Meridian is in Mississippi. However, MeridianVILLE, is in north Alabama, just above Huntsville.

RT

Ok when you kill someone tell the judge you didn't know it was against the law.

Snakefist, some things are common sense. murder and rape are bad, everyone knows that. but coin laws? not really. also how do you know if a coin is of value or significance or even illegal/stolen without being a coin expert? that'd be like saying "come on, everyone knows insurance laws". not to mention the fact that there are COUNTLESS laws and new ones being created everyday.

Friday to Wednesday postponement, Judge is waiting for the check to clear from the State Department. Do you really think that those detained overseas are released because some former president, movie star or member of the clergy intercedes in their behalf, NO it's just about the money.

The maxim "ignorance of the law is no excuse" is not strictly true - some crimes require a "specific intent" which does require the intent to do something wrong, which presupposes knowledge of the prohibition.

The real problem is with current rules on exporting antiquities, which are a mess - indecipherable, constantly changing, and arbitrarily enforced, particularly in places like Greece and Macedonia, where enforcement is sometimes nothing more than a way of slapping at the country's critics.

RB

How true. Just follow the money. You could read 50% of the articles on MSNBC and make a post that says "Follow the Money" and you would be right.

Motive sems important here. It would be nice if they told us if it was 5 coins or 500.

Lots of countries have restrictions on taking local currency and coins out of the country. Angola, Algeria, Turkmenistan, even Hungary up to the mid 1990s. it doesn't mention if these were gold coins which is likely the case since I took normal currency coins out of Macedonia last year. For gold, each country will have different restrictions.

I thought that was commn knowledge.

I agree JS, every educated person knows the laws of antiquities. Could you be more arrogant. You're probably right, and she should be beheaded for her ignorance of such laws....not

"Sounds like an honest mistake to me"

Herein lies the problem with modern journalism. If you read articles that actually cite details, its not just a little old lady with some spare change...its 256 gold coins over 3000 years old. Still think it was just an honest mistake by a little old missionary? She knew what she was doing, and the Macedonians do too. They are spending a lot of resources and using kid gloves with her because she is an American, they would not do this if it was a few quarters from the 1980's. She was clearly involved in a major smuggling ring and thought her cover was enough so that customs would not check her out.

Oh, please, kid gloves?? Do you know anything about Europe?? The Euros are chomping at the bit to arrest any American they possibly can! And when they do, they hardly use "kid gloves". I don't think you're aware of how intense the hatred is over there.

Any American who travels to a country like Macedonia is crazy and is asking for trouble.

AmericanMan-1101630;

What the H are you talking about? "The Euros are chomping at the bit to arrest any American they possibly can". I lived in Europe for several years & found the people very friendly as well as the police. I have many friends there & in fact my wife is from Europe. She has lived here since 1972, but when ever we return we are always welcomed whether in her native country or in any of the many others we visit from time to time.

I suspect that you are just anouther closeminded fool that thinks America is the only place in the world worth being. You are wrong & you are an uneducated idiot. I love America, but I would hate to be so limited in my thinking of other peoples.

AmericanMan-1101630

Why do you feel compelled to respond to articles when you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about? I've been to Europe more than 20 times in the last decade, and to Macedonia in particular, most recently a year ago. No one is looking to arrest Americans; indeed, with the exception of Serbia, every European country I've visited have been extremely welcoming to Americans. Macedonians are good, hard-working, decent and welcoming people, of a storied history (which I am sure you know nothing about) they have every right to protect. It's amazing to me that idiots who have never traveled 100 miles from their birthplace get an internet connection and suddenly think themselves foreign policy consultants.

Americanman-1101630, if you ever left your Alabama trailer and visited another country (and no, Georgia doesn't count, Jethro) you might find the world is bigger and more wonderful than your minister has led you to believe.

That being said, ignorant red-neck jerks are not well received anywhere so perhaps it's better if you just stayed home and continued tithing.

Let me respond to the question,"Do you know anything about Europe?" in terms you might understand. Yes I do.

American (what part?) I hope that answer is not to complicated to comprehend

Mjolnir, Actually Georgia is a country. Been there too.

Vietnam Era

Geez....Take a Pill

American man: Euros are not chomping at the bit. Why would you even make a comment like that? Get a clue. I'm there every month and you are way off base.

Mjolnir - LOL! In the 30 years I served in this country's military (something I doubt you've ever spent a day doing), I spent more than enough time in Europe. So too did my father, uncles, and both grandfathers. Even my wife and daughter served in the military in Europe, no doubt they've got more balls than you when it comes to defending that continent. If it wasn't for people like us, Europeans would either be Heiling Hitler or calling each other 'Comrade'. Of course, I'm sure you think Europe would be much better off in either of those two cases.

By the way, I have been to Georgia.... Tblisi, Georgia that is....

richard

they'll disregard witness testimony?

If you are a police officer and you stopped someone. With something illegal in their possession. And all their friends said, oh she/he was given those. I'm sure you would say. Oh, ok, you can go. NOT!

Richard are you sure you are not talking about the USA? My God, people we have move prisoners in this country then any where else in the world............We have a gigantic private industry depending on prisoners for their bottom line.....

Richard - that is so true. Just look at the Amanda Knox case in Italy as a perfect example. The Italians were thrilled to have an American college student in jail, they couldn't have cared less about the evidence or whether she was actually guilty.

Americans area target because for the most part they don't make any attempt to understand the rules of other countries. Being an ignorant american doesn't excuse you.

vw123 - No, Americans are a target simply because Euros HATE America. I've been to Europe, I've experienced how intense the hatred is there. I wouldn't recommend any American travelling to Europe, unless it's to England or Ireland.

There are a lot of rules that it's impossible to know about. I lived in an Eastern European country for 2 years, spent many months ahead of time learning customs, culture and language and there was still no way for me to know all of the rules and laws. For that matter, having been born in America, there are laws that I didn't know existed. But I guess if I don't know every rule and every law I must just be an idiot, right?

American-Man: I've spent the better part of my adult life living in Europe - currently in my 4th country. I have traveled through 27 European countries in all, from Norway to Italy and from Portugal to Ukraine. I have never once encountered this "intense hatred" of which you speak. I must just be too ignorant.

Douglas, watch foxnews.

They are very clear that the world hates Americans, also that Christians and the Wealthy are very persecuted here as well.

Europe is a third world socialist hell hole, Hitler was an atheist liberal and the blacks are oppressing everyone in the US from their palatial ghettos paid for by tax dollars stolen from hard working rich white folk.

True facts. Fox news says so.

Hillary, thankyou for the update. Much like Douglas, I have worked on 5 continents and did notice a change in attitude towards Americans in general at the turn of the century.

Pre-GWB I never encountered problems clearing customs.

During Bush's reign I noticed several subtle changes in regulations. I was nearly always searched at JFK and abroad. I was arrested in Kazakhstan, detained at Atlanta Hartsfield and eyed with suspicion. Oddly enough, I was treated with respect and civility in China and Syria.

I considered myself as a guest in their countries. Arrogance will get you nowhere quickly.

When Romania overthrew ceausescu they were the happiest, poor people I ever had the good fortune to encounter. When we left Bucharest it was winter. Two fellow Americans and I pulled up to the airport. they were carrying back a load, I, 1 small suitcase. They sluffed off an old man in a threadbare coat with vulgarites and degrading epithets who wanted to help them. I felt so bad, I asked him to take my small suitcase. I fronted him $20 and he told me he could not change a 20. I told him keep it.

We followed my "friends" into the airport. they joined a chek in line of about 20 people. I followed them. My porter said"no, come: so we skirted that line. He said something to the checker and we proceeded to the next line that was 40 to 50 people long. Here again , when I started to join that line, the porter said "no, come". This was getting better by the minute. The final check in only had 4 waiting in line, but once again, he spoke to a customs man and we bypassed the baggage check. The porter pointed to the waiting room and said "thank you, finish." I figured he was going to split the 20 with 3 or 4 others, so I shook his hand and slipped him another $20. I thought he was going to cry.

My friends showed up 1hr 20 mins later just bitching and moaning. I told them the old man they badmouthed really knew his stuff and I walked through the airport in about 3 mins for $5.

Anyone can get a ticket for trashing up the Spanish Steps in Rome. Germans, Brits, anyone. As well they should.

On the edge: They do treat me very well when I travel to China. Fast and efficient. I think they're happy to have tourists.

Eugene: The problem is she was not unjustly targeted. Wither she got the coins as a gift, or in fact was trying to steal them, is a mote fact. Most Countries in Europe and the Middle East have what are called antiquities laws. They are in place to help preserve the historical artifacts that have been both legally and illegally plundered from their countries. Just because you did not know the law was in place, does not mean you can not be tried for them. As the man says Ignorance of the law is no excuse. I hope this is a big misunderstanding, but if it is not, heavy fines and jail time can follow antiquities violations.

Eugene - Agreed. Most European countries would have either gone bankrupt by now, or been taken over by Communism if it weren't for the U.S. I've said for years that it's long past time that America should cut off all the financial and aid we give to these countries and withdraw from NATO, too. I'd like to see what would happen if the Euros were forced to fend for themselves for a change.

I cannot believe the callousness of all these so called Americans who rant on about how a person is supposed to know about which countries allow their coins to be taken out and which do not. I have traveled extensively and have brought coins home from every where no hassle. This woman volunteers her time to help sick children around the world and some of you scum, and that is the politest term I have for you, are suggesting she is a smuggler?? Have any of you ever helped any children any time any where , other than your own. As for Tony From Macedonia, please return there. You and your anti American views are not welcome here.

As for the concept that ignorance of the law is no excuse, it is dated and not even used here in America.

Yes there are certain laws we are expected to know but in reality even in America, there are hundreds of thousand of rules and regulations and it is impossible to know them all. If there actually was a law prohibiting taking certain coins out of the country then why did not the Macedonian who gave these coins to her not know that law?? or why if those coins are antique artifacts belonging to the Nation, did that person even possess them??

I say send Candi home with apologies or the State department should put up a travel Ban to the entire nation. And forget about letting it join NATO or any more foreign aid.

john - Exactly. Americans are always trying to help these countries, and this is the thanks we get?

I was in France not long after 9/11 and I'll never forget all the French who said that America deserved those attacks. My grandfather who fought in Normandy would be rolling in his grave....

but I will never travel out of this country

You are doing yourself a big disservice. Macedonia is a wonderful country to visit. Lake Ohrid is one of the nicest spots in Europe. Your attitude seems normal though... I've been to 80 countries and almost never see Americans abroad.

In today's world climate Americans abroad have some pretty valid reasons NOT to travel and seem to be taking a risk in alot of places outside the US.

Jennifer, I would not bet on it. I spent over 9 years in Turkey(A country with very strict Antiquities laws) and most Turkish Police Officers did not know, much less the citizens of the Country. Remember many of these smaller Country's have really only been out of the Soviet influence for about 50 years. many of their citizens are still learning what they can and can not do. While in Greese I was given a gift by a regional Police Chief. I checked before leaveing and found out that while it was ok for him to own, I was forbidden not only to take it out of the Country, but possess it. He meant no harm, but there was a seperate law Enforcement arm from the Greek National Police that dealt in Antiquties theft.

You are doing the rest of the world a favor then Jennifer by not leaving the safety net of American shores.

richcecil--and you, unlike this woman, did the sensible thing, which was to check on the rules.

word is coming out from other websites that it wasnt just a few coins....it was hundreds of gold coins over 3000 years old. This lady is not just an innocent missionary, that appears to be just the cover she was using to smuggle millions of dollars worth of antiquities.

Hundreds? Are you kidding me? In a carry on? Know your facts and stop spreading propaganda! And she has gone on numerous medical missions all over the world to HELP those that do not receive proper medical care. Don't dare tarnish something done with love. She received 3 coins and did not know they had any significant value. People travel all the time and bring home coins as a souvenir!

In today's world climate Americans abroad have some pretty valid reasons NOT to travel and seem to be taking a risk in alot of places outside the US.

Really? In the last 5 years I have been in Iran, Sudan, Yemen and dozens of other countries in Africa, the MIddle East and Eastern Europe. I am a blond, blue-eyed, blue-jean-wearing American and have never had any trouble. Americans need to stop believing the scare-propaganda on TV and go see the world for themselves.

You are sick and twisted. He might apologize but damn it, Hillary will write the check! lmao

Why quote one of the Ten Commandments? We don't know that she did steal anything!!

Guess you've never been to the Balkans.

It doesn't say if they were minted for this specific country or not. They may have been historical relics. And, "Yes," people from Alabama most definately can be terrorists.

KountryKing, the Republic might only be 2 decades old, but the Macedonian culture dates all the way back to 500 B.C. so it all depends on what point in history the coins come from whether they are valuable or not.

Yeah Dude...and those coins might have been the few coins they had left...you know...like she was making off with the only coins left that worked in the machines at the laundry-mat. Whoa....

Seriously...this is news? I can see the next big breaking story "Americans held at border for bringing in three bottles of Tequila. State Departments await verdict and possible release of Billy Bob and his girlfriend Sheila May"

word is coming out from other websites that it wasnt just a few coins....it was hundreds of gold coins over 3000 years old. This lady is not just an innocent missionary, that appears to be just the cover she was using to smuggle millions of dollars worth of antiquities.

Yep, we are heading down that road, we are not there yet, but FATCA is the starting point. It is called Capital controls, and it is coming.

Lets see:

No Debt

No Deficit

Smaller Military Budget

No Hunger

Better Roads

Better Bridges

Fewer Political Adds

No Poverty

Naaaah.....Lets take care of the world, to H with our own people.

Tony,

I am from Macedonia originally, and now live in the States. I can tell you that every person in my family including me, is first of all multilingual, and our literacy rate is, among my generation, nearly 100 percent. Second, the Balkans like the Middle East, all have Antiquity Laws. Macedonia became independent again not too long ago after it was forcefully annexed to former Jugoslavia during WWII, but it was hundreds of years ago one of the biggest empires. My former country has been looted from so many sides and this is the exact reason why these new laws have been put in place. To preserve what is left over from history and I can tell you right now, considering that I know that my own family owns coins like that, we DO NOT give them as gifts! So, before you make a statement like that, sit down and start reading up on the history and culture of another country before you make a statement the way you did. Americans are overall very rude and condescending when traveling abroad with no respect most of the time for local culture. How would you feel if someone from another country (regardless what the reason is for them to come to the States) comes here and takes something away what you consider national treasure? Macedonians don't hate Americans, we just don't appreciate foreigners bad-ass behavior laced with ignorance and arrogance. Also, what if the person who gave her supposedly these coins as gifts, is a criminal, trying to sneak them out of the country illegally, to be sold later on on the black market. And you all wonder why the rest of the world thinks we are stupid and brainless ( as Americans ). Yes, its called FYROM, but it is Macedonia, it always has been.

No, it is NOT Macedonia, and it certainly has NOT always been. Do not re-wright history.

Anthony, or Tony :)

Are you a history major? What makes you an expert? Or perhaps you are a Greek who of course considering the current political climate between those two countries would make a statement like that. This region has always been called Macedonia, regardless of who the conquering rulers were. Please, give me your proof here that I am wrong.

EP Duddette - So, if you dislike Americans so much, why are you here? Why don't you go back to the beloved country of Macedonia?

It never ceases to amaze me at how Euros talk about how terrible Americans are and how America is the world's worst country. However, when you get the chance, you don't hesitate to move to America!!

Americans are rude and condescending? You obviously have never worked in the tourism industry and dealt with Europeans! Of course, you probably don't realize how rude and condescending Euros are because you're one of them - just like a fish doesn't notice the water it swims in.

AmericanMan, you are absolutely right, Euros, as you call them, are so rude. I wonder how you behaved yourself being there. Americans are rude and condescending when they go to another country, and since when do I hate Americans? Did I state that anywhere in my post? No, I did not. And I am not taking any sides either. You are the one making those unfounded statements, I was merely stating a fact of a person going to another country and committing a crime and now its expected to just let her go because she is an American citizen and the need to bomb this country. Are YOU biased? I think so. BTW, I have my pair of combat boots too, and the reason I have them is because I do believe that the US is a country of freedom if you work hard and honest that you can accomplish things to make your dreams come true without being a burden to society. I never said the US is the worst country, you are the one who made that statment. I have seen more countries in my life than you, and there are many nightmares of human plight, poverty and oppression than you can imagine.

Of course, if you feel arguing with me about politics, go ahead. I will enjoy it.

EP Dudette - And when I say that Euros are rude and condescending when they travel in America, that is simply a statement of fact. I live in Florida, where we have a huge tourism industry, with Disney World, the beaches, the Everglades, etc. Everyone I know who works in the tourism industry here despises European tourists. They're extremely boorish, rude, arrogant and CONSTANTLY talk about how America is such a terrible country (yet that doesn't stop them from coming here).

Every month or so, the local news has a story of a European being arrested here in Florida, and they always act as if they're above the law. My favorite stories are when a Euro is arrested for stripping naked at one of the beaches - they think they should be immune to public nudity laws just because the Euros allow nudity at their beaches. Not too long ago we had a case of a French guy punching a police officer in the face. The French government acted like they couldn't believe he was arrested - as if that were acceptable behavior in France. And just this summer, an Italian guy was arrested at Disney World for openly beating his children. He acted like this was perfectly acceptable in Italy and couldn't image how child abuse would be a crime in America.

When things like that happen in Florida, NO ONE is surprised when it turns out to be a European tourist. I once went to a restaurant and saw a Frenchman loudly complaining and calling his waiter by the N-word, because the waiter happened to be black. The manager came out and asked the guy to leave and the whole restaurant erupted in applause. Of course, the Frenchman walked out, muttering under his breath about how Americans are such terrible people...

And, the European arrogance and rudeness is just as common when Americans go to Europe. I went to France once and cut my trip short because of constant harrassment. A friend of mine once went to Paris and someone threw a water bottle at him, hitting in the head, and requiring stitches. Another friend's son was beaten up in Vienna Austria just because he was an American. The police did absolutely nothing, saying that Americans deserve to get beaten. I know others who have been spat on and harrassed while traveling in Germany and Italy.

And, I would definitely NOT recommend traveling in Europe if you're a woman - the amount breast groping and rear-end pinching that goes on is unbelievable. The Euros are only one step above the Muslims when it comes to respect for women...

So, you say Americans are rude and condescending, but I can only wonder - how do you behave yourself around Americans? Do you harrass American tourists? Do you tell Americans that America is a terrible country and that they are terrible people? I have the feeling that these "rude and condescending" Americans are only behaving that way because you are rude and condescending to them. Americans have a culture that expects people to be polite and well-mannered. In my experience, Euros don't have this. Rudeness is a part of European culture. That's why you don't see your fellow Euros as being rude - just as a fish doesn't notice the water it swims in.

Let's bomb those Macedonian bastards back into the Pre-Ionian age. We'll teach them to mess with our Nurses! Those Farging Iceholes! Bigivey is right (or maybe left) we can't let this insult to America stand, it won't stand, nor will we stand for it. Okay, maybe I'll get up a little, you know like a half-bow, not really stand up all the way, just kinda of a nod.

What the heck are you people talking about? We must have some of the most stupid of people in this nation. You mean to tell me that a freakin' nurse who tried to take illegal currency outside of a foreign country, warrants bringing up the President, military, Romney? Get a damn life. This is not important. I'm tired of our citizens going to foreign lands, doing something stupid and then expecting the President to send the Marine Corps. to rescue them from the mishaps. If someone travels to a different land, they shall first educate themselves on that nation's laws and regulations. Our Constitution is the law of OUR land, not the law of the planet. (Let's bomb those Macedonians, messing with our nurses...etc.) What the heck is this dude talking about? She's not been kidnaped; she's being held legally by a foreign country's court system. You people need to get a grip!

I wouldn't trust anything reported by the Italians. Given the intense hatred Italy holds for America, they're going to spin the story to make it sound like she's an axe-murderer.

I think AmericanMan is using different names on this blog...oh, this is funny on his part....sigh....he might not really register on either side of the Bell curve, considering his statements. So, you don't trust anyone....Yes, I am mocking you. Go ahead, start your insults towards me. If you do, you are proving to me my previous post about the curve. And Joe Slav, ignore AmericanMan, he just does not have it him to make an objective observation on a case without getting emotional like this by throwing reverse hatred as others.

Sorry, but my statements are based on FACTS, something I think Europeans have trouble understanding since they tend to value emotions over logic.

When Joe Slav talks about the "Italian media", I can only wonder, is this the same Italian media that portrayed Amanda Knox as a bloodthirsty murderer just because she was American? The level of venom and anti-American hatred was on full display during that case. It should leave no doubt in anyone's mind that the Italian media is going to do whatever they can to portray this woman as a heinous criminal.

As for the "Bell Curve", the very fact that you would mention such a thing is a demonstration of your latent racism. I love it when Euros act as if they're all "enlightened" yet make such blatantly racist statements.