Blacklisted / G8 protestors and performers remain detained in Italy

"The US is conspicuous by its absence in the list of nations that have protested to the Italian government over ... the behavior of the Italian police in their handling of the protests in Genoa," Susanna Thomas' father, Rick Thomas, writes on the family's Web site. Backed by their fellow Quakers, Thomas' parents have contacted Italian officials and two US senators in an effort to secure their daughter's release. So far they've encountered only blank, bureaucratic walls.
"We're doing all we can," a spokesperson for the US Consulate in Milan insisted in the New York Times. Which translates to: not much, you Quaker freaks. What did you expect? George W. Bush to appear on the news every night, calling the Italian government on the carpet for its heinous treatment of US and European citizens? He's too busy gutting Alaska and scolding homeless Palestinians to worry about the human rights of a few juggling, black-bra-wearing peaceniks who probably didn't vote Republican, anyway.
Pop-Quiz Question: If it were a military spy plane being held hostage in Genoa, instead of four young pacifists, would the US government then feel the need get involved? The question, of course, is rhetorical; we all know the answer. Home of the brave, indeed.