BBC Website: "Your Reaction to Margaret Hassan's Murder"

M J Carley bored us all completely to death with wittery prose along
the lines of:

True, but that was at the start-ish of the 'troubles'. The Army learnt
a lot of things over the years...

 

Would sir be talking about a FAE?

 

No you don't. You just have to know the difference between right and
wrong.

 

Well I know what my point was when I said

"Jeez, It's a pity we had to destroy this town in order to save it."

What you two are on about I have no idea. ;-)

 

I wasn't talking about Moonlight Sonata or the state of Coventry
before 1940. The best thing to do with it now would be to demolish
it and start again.

 

Ahhh, the light dawns )

 

I've been following this blog for a while
http://www.kevinsites.net/
Today's entry has an interesting poem by a Vietnam Vet at the end.

These guys are under immense pressure. After several have been injured
by booby trapped bodies of the wounded/dead or suicide cases lying with
the wounded waiting to kill more marines, I don't think I can say it was
wrong move from my place of safety.

 

Wow, that's deep man. Very true though.

Same thing with our soldiers in NI. Used to piss me off when they
were hauled through a murder trial for following orders and
training by opening fire on a speeding car as it crashed through
a checkpoint. Soldiers are human beings, and humans aren't
infallible. These gutsy people are ready to die for us without
question. We can't reasonably ask them to be hesitant when we
send them to kill or be killed.

riccip

 

"I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who
has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity."
- General Dwight D. Eisenhower

What kind of **** would do that, eh?

 

The kind of **** 50 million septics would vote for.

 

Now be honest: a squaddie was convicted of *not* following orders and
opening fire on a car *after* it had gone through the checkpoint and
then faking evidence to make it look as if another soldier had been
hit by the car.

 

tallbloke bored us all completely to death with wittery prose along the
lines of:

Neither do I. I'm just giving examples of bombed out towns and cities.

How's about Berlin?

 

One-hit wonders.

 

*nice*

 

Lee Clegg was convicted of murder and sentenced to life
imprisonment, effectively hung out to dry as a political
prisoner. He served six years before being released after
forensics proved the fatal bullet couldn't have come from his
rifle. The car was riddled with bullets as it drove at the
soldiers but apparently they should have stopped firing at the
precise moment it passed because legally it no longer posed a
threat. In the heat of the moment that's a difficult
determination to make. The Army should send solicitors in flak
jackets.

riccip

 

On a similar theme Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was being
castigated by the UN for putting up a wall that was to keep out suicide
bombers.
After being told by the UN council, a state had the right to defend
itself against an attack from another state but not, for example, from a
suicide bomber, Sharon invited the council to hold the impending
discussions not in Switzerland, as suggested but in any of the rather
nice cafes on the coast of Tel Aviv. He would himself pay for any
expenses incurred and include a pleasant diner after.
Every member of the council declined for every reason but the *real
one*.

 

I watched a program about Sir Jock Slater[1] on his retirement as First
Lord of the Admiralty. He recounted the moment he first met Tony Blair
to discuss the deployment of nuclear subs in the event of war being
declared by Blair on another party or a foreign country declaring war on
us.

At first Blair did not know what he meant. So he had to expand on the
details.

Do I respond with nuclear weapons on your say so?
Or as would be the case if a nuclear attack had taken place and you
would already be dead, do I hand over the authority to the US president
or do you authorise me to launch on my own.

Blair then asked what were the targets or how the targets would be
selected.

He then explained the weaponry and its effect on towns, cities, number
of people killed maimed etc.

At this point he said Blair went *very*white and called for a break
while he took some refreshment.

He concluded that Blair had very little idea of what real the
responsibilities of being PM carried with it, outside of the number ten
road show.

A similar one to doing the English University thing to get out of the
draft, but not inhaling.[1] I'm certain it was Slater but I could be wrong.

 

Perhaps he meant Irving

 

I don't think they had FAE's when Dresden got done..

Phil

 

Of course, with Trident, this is all academic.

Jesus, I was up to speed on shit like that when I was 12.