American Soldiers

[muffers]

I don't know if you are aware in the UK of the missing two American Soldiers being found. I have certainly seen nothing in leading newspapers and nothing much in the mainstream press. They did announce that they had been found dead but I did not hear anything more about it. I find it very strange that the press and politicians will spout long and hard about the treatment of Iraq prisoners and perhaps treatment of some people in Iraq towns. Most of which is only rumour but is on the front of most newspapers in yet I have hardly heard it mentioned about the awful condition these two young men where found in. I cannot write it down its just to awful what they did to them. But hard to find anyone who is angry about it or who is reporting it.

[anacortesdamp]

I think that the US authorities have decided against announcing any details until full autopsies (post-mortem exminations) have been performed. Anything on the TV news is from information released by the Iraqi Information Ministry.

The anger will swell up as soon as official details are released.

I think the media are so anxious to show the Iraqis as bloodthirsty madmen, they'll report anything that comes their way. Unfortunately, the Western media don't understand the animosity between the various factions in Iraq, many of which go back centuries. The whole of that region is suffering from the creation of Arab nations by Western governments which had no knowledge of tribal rivalries, ethnic differences or inter-tribal boundaries.

Many of the Middle-Eastern "nations" have no national heritage, pride or commonality of either experience or beliefs. They were long-term enemies who were thrown together in a Western-driven boundary/"country" building exercise.

Same thing happened in Africa, and although the Islamic fundamentalist nutters aren't there (yet), there's a lot of tribally-based animosity in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, etc.

Frank

[noel]

It's war Avril.Just two more poor souls in a pointless task. My heart goes out to their family.I can't ever find myself agreeing with David or yourself about this war, David quoted about the USA "having the balls to invade". More like "the crass stupidity". It seems to me somethings eg proverbial hornets' nests, are usually best left alone. Messing with Arabs and their ways of life is something to be avoided in my humble pacifist view. Westerners have had their heads sawn off with blunt knives by these animals. How much lower can you get as a supposed human being? Too late now, the fuse has been lit.

[Lynne]

I have read quite a lot about this on Google news, more especially in the extracts from overseas papers, very little in the daily English papers which seem to publish only what they think people want to read -mainly trivia.The details of the nature of their deaths were so distressing to say the least and my heart goes out to all those who have loved family members involved in trying to restore order in these tragic places.
I always remember the scene from the film 'Lawrence of Arabia' where Lawrence tried and failed miserably to keep order in a meeting of different tribes and factions.
Just what is the solution!

[rocketmanjohn]

If pacifism had ruled the day then there would be a lot less trouble in the middle east, there would'nt be any Israel, no Jews left. Europe would be under the jackboot, probably Britain as well. Just when will pacifists understand that the likes of Sadam Hussein who commit mass murder and genocide need to be stopped. Should the West sit back and let it happen? of course not. Have the pacifists no conscience? Can they just sit back and let it happen?
Every service man/ woman realises the risks when they join up. Yes, it's awful when someone is killed but if they arent prepared to take the risk then they should'nt be in the forces.
Burying one's head in the sand does'nt make the problem go away, it encourages it.
John

[Lynne]

Have just been reading about the arrests in America of a group on charges of planning to commit terrorist acts in Chicago amid other places.
I hope the do- gooders don't re-act as they did here in the 'Forest Gate' incident and scream foul at those who were acting on what they saw as sound information to check out the allegations, and question possible suspects on behalf of the security of us all.
Maybe sometimes the information is unfounded but it has to be checked.
The intelligence agents risking detection by infiltrating these cells show great courage.

[noel]

I think the Forest Gate incident would have been just that Lynne, just another incident. But to employ over 250 armed police to break open a door and arrest 2 "allegedly" innocent people ... I still believe there is no smoke without fire... shooting one of them in the process and he a devout Muslim, well it goes back to the stereotype police puppet on Spitting Image where the police are anti-anything not white.
In response to John's comments he clearly believes America has every right to do whatever it wants, trample over the rest of the world because of course America never does any wrong nor does it worry what effects it's actions may have. I don't accept that. What you have to consider before invading a country such as Iraq is will it make things better or worse. Clearly the invasion has gone disastrously wrong, this was a wrong decision, things are far worse now than they ever were. And over 2000 American soldiers , 110 British soldiers, hundreds of thousands of innocents have died in the process. That is not a pacifist view it is a common sense view but sadly the 2 most powerful politicians of the western world don't appear to have an ounce of common sense between them. I'd love to be a fly on the wall when Dubya enters the Pearly Gates.

[Alan Marsden]

Wherever there's a catastrophy in the world you see sacks of food, medical personell ,all manner of help courtesy of the USA being provided .
I've yet to see anything of value with Palestinian Authority,or any other Arabic state's insignia being so offered ! .
What group is it that attacks passenger aircraft with missiles, civilians even of their own faith, encourages their youth to suicide bombing, decapitates, flies aircraft into buildings, and are affronted by a childish cartoon , how many of these hell hole countries allow a reasonable amount of freedom to their own citizens and what sort of people could treat their own daughters as inferiors ? Why is it that after releasing them from decades of subservience many of these people are not overjoyed by their new freedom to the extent that they turn in the terrorists destroying their infrastucture ?

Even after all of the above ,the terrorist acts, the attrocoties proudly exhibited by these perverted sub human cut throats , good people in our midst are more concerned about a few killers locked up in Guantanamo than they are about capturing and containing the inhuman vermin that perpetrate such acts. Why is it that these people are not protesting outside the mosques and embassies of the nations supporting such terrorists rather than constantly ridiculing the people who are endevouring to confront terrorist acts, would it not be more logical to support the people who are trying to protect us ? Why would they endeviour to demoralise our service people who are on the front lines?

Yes of course mistakes have been made, they're being made all the time in every sphere of life, lets accept, learn and improve !

I'm astounded that people have such short memories, some people who initially supported confronting terrorism have apparently forgotten what attrocoties have occurred and that the driving force is a cult whose intent is our domination !

What is it that can induce a person in our hemisphere to even contemplate risking the security of his family and country to the whims of the present leaders of Iran and North Korea ?
Surely its surely not the respect for the 'sanctity of human life' as displayed by those leaders ?

[William R]

Now then Alan, you`re letting go again! Whilst I agree with what you are saying, People today indeed have very short memories, the atrocities we witness daily do not have the impact on them as much as what is Rooney doing? Where is Coleen shopping next? Where are all the WAGS spending their time and money. Looking around we see a nation of flag waving "supporters" who most likely do not know where the troubled places are, but are only interested in having a "good time", and behaving like the brain-dead, and are easy targets for the evil which abounds.

Since when did our National Anthem become a theme tune to be sung at football venues, or our National flag become a background for slogans and Club names. An elderly lady I spoke to recently said the only thing she had not seen with the Cross of St. George on it, were rolls of toilet paper, but she thought that would be only a matter of time.

No, the approach of "worse to come" does not excite interest now. Only when it lands in their own back yard, will the flag wavers and easily led, wake up and say to those in charge, "Why did you let this happen?" Then it will be too late.

I know that I will be criticised for my views, but I am entitled, like you, to my opinion, a right that has so far not been taken from us. Keeping reminding people of terrible state of the world today, will not gain us many friends, but I do not look ahead to the day when I can say "I told you so".

[David]

Here, here to both Alan and William's posts.
You have to remember that Noel watches North End, so he hasn't seen a good fight in many years. [][][8D] [}][}]
The devil made me do that Noel []