genuinely worried (middle east now)

[Noodleman]

Im very worried about our troops to be honest, nobody else. Its these poor ba**ards that have to go out their risking their lives for something they probably dont believe in. If they refuse to do it? Jailed for treason...

 

I hate our government..

 

While I see your point its a risk that you have to be aware may happen to you when signing up for the army. If you dont like that risk don't sign up. Its not like Britain has conscription these days thankfully.

[Platty]

Ive been doing some work on this at work and its pretty bad. The problems in that area will never go away.

 

I also have a mate who has just joined the army and might get posted to afghanistan next year as the regiment he is joining are out there at the moment

[Guest Ford Prefect]

Ive been doing some work on this at work and its pretty bad. The problems in that area will never go away.

 

I also have a mate who has just joined the army and might get posted to afghanistan next year as the regiment he is joining are out there at the moment

 

 

the son of a guy i work with has been posted out to afganistan recently, up in the north west near the pakistan border. part of his national service as required here in norway. my useless waste of space step brother should be doing the same but he got off due to the fact that his hearing is shot. still say they should have taken him tho. even if its just for the taliban to shoot at........

[Arragaun]

Do you have to do the national service as well Ford?

[mario114]

greatest freudian slip on the forums ever!!!

I was to lazy to spell check it so I tried to spell it Phonetically (Don't ask...)

[The Bard]

Just Kill Em All, you know?

[Guest Ford Prefect]

Do you have to do the national service as well Ford?

 

 

nope, i'm an immigrant and past the call up age any way. like i'm gonna fight for a country that isn't mine any way.........

[Blackfox]

israel = state founded by terrorists. FACT

 

neither side is an angel.

 

Truth, ny gramps had to do national service out there peacekeeping after WW2. Jewish terrorists killed many troops and innocent people for the sake of their Motherland.

 

As for Isreal, fuck it. I can't see the blind ignorence why either side is fightning over a strip of desert. Isreal has no right to take over land and claim that the Torah enables them to live there. If a Muslim came to your house with a passge in the Koran saying that your house was his (over simplified 0 true) you;d tell him to fuck right off.

 

As for full blown war, its a possibility which I fear. The UK would be sucked into a religious war. Our boys (and girls) would be killed so that the Middle East can be further torn up.

 

The whole place is fucked, War will fuck it more - especialyl one we cant win.

[LazyBoy]

To all those worrying about a North Korean threat - I don't think we need be worried as much as the press would have you be. Why?

 

China

 

North Korea is in a state of havok at the moment. It can't feed or house its people, and its economy is non-existant. Hell, the rocket that they fired the other day, the one that everyone was panicking about, didn't go off correctly. Check this weeks issue of the economist, the cartoon sums up North Korea very nicely.

 

Infact North Korea is only really surviving at the moment because of Chinese donations (I don't need to tell you that China can afford it). Now this is all good and well, upholding the whole 'communist buddies' thing whilst North Korea are playing nice, but if they offend the west (the backbone of the Chinese economy), then the chinese will leave North Korea to collapse like the drunk girl at a party.

 

Now granted, the Chinese hate the Japanese (see Japanese war atrocities WW2 in China), but they won't let N.K. attack them, because yet again the west won't have it.

 

What is happening in the middle east is dreadful. I wish I could help - I feel so useless.

[Guest Ford Prefect]

well it appears that a 5th day of air strikes and bombardment has begun.

 

also in the news is that HMS Illustrious and HMS Bulwark are being sent out to Lebanon and have been told to "make ready for operations". looks like our lads are going in. HMS Illustrious is a royal navy aircraft carrier and HMS Bulwark is carrying 500 royal marines and landing craft. it would appear their mission is going to be to evacuate british nationals from the area. whether they will evacuate other foreign nationals too remains to be seen.

 

i pitty any one fool enough to attack our lads, on either side......

[Fierce_LiNk]

Here's the latest:

 

At least 10 Lebanese have died in an Israeli attack on their vehicles in the south of the country, sources say.

 

Reports suggest they were crossing a bridge when the missiles hit. Seventeen people died elsewhere in Lebanon on the sixth day of Israeli bombardment.

 

In Israel, two people were hurt in a new rocket attack on the city of Haifa, where eight people died on Sunday.

 

UN chief Kofi Annan and UK PM Tony Blair have called for an international force to be sent to Lebanon.

 

The force could "stop the bombardment coming over into Israel and therefore gives Israel a reason to stop its attacks on Hezbollah", Mr Blair said.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5188420.stm

[Dan_Dare]

and you can tell Hezbollah would go fucking ape on any UN troops.......but at least the Isralies would stop killing civilians, which is all they seem to be doing with these airstrikes of thiers.

[gaggle64]

I'm worried about any kind of international intervention, but until someone comes up with something better, UN intervention could be the only way. The open killing of civillians needs to stop, and hopefully bith sides will recognise an intervening multi-lateral force as a chance to open negotiations. I doubt either side would be prepared to attack UN troops. I'll wager the British carrier group isn't just there purely for rescuing British and foreign nationals.

[Dan_Dare]

thing is, the lebanon govt will let the UN in no problem but millitant groups will try and wage some kind of war on them. it's gonig to be messy if we get involved.

[Guest Ford Prefect]

the last time the UN was sent out there in force the israelis just shelled over their heads. now they've got fighter jets too so unless we threaten to use force to stop them i cant see them backing down.

 

 

when you've walked the red sea walking over the UN would be easy unless we make it hard/painful for them.

[mario114]

well it appears that a 5th day of air strikes and bombardment has begun.

 

also in the news is that HMS Illustrious and HMS Bulwark are being sent out to Lebanon and have been told to "make ready for operations". looks like our lads are going in. HMS Illustrious is a royal navy aircraft carrier and HMS Bulwark is carrying 500 royal marines and landing craft. it would appear their mission is going to be to evacuate british nationals from the area. whether they will evacuate other foreign nationals too remains to be seen.

 

i pitty any one fool enough to attack our lads, on either side......

 

We have also sent 4 other ships to the area along with transport helecopters. The opperation to get Brits out will probaly happen on thur/fri.

[Guest Ford Prefect]

if they could redo the last operational flight of the Vulcan bomber but over israel/lebanon it would be cool and might quiet them down abit.

 

 

for those of you who don't know, in 1982 during the fawklands war a vulcan nuclear bomber was fueled up, armed and sent off, had to be refueled midflight over the atlantic. flew low over the argentinian capital, bombay doors open as a little "message" to the leaders there. "we can still reach you tossers! now behave before we get really pissed off!"

[Haver]

If you're interested, the BBC's Stu Hughes is blogging and photoblogging and podcasting from Beirut a humanistic, behind-the-scenes account of the conflict you really can't get from the telly.

 

http://www.stuhughes.co.uk/

 

Also, if you're after the bigger picture, Slate has some great articles on their site today:

 

Is "Arab Democracy" Worth All This Chaos? - http://www.slate.com/id/2145892/nav/1/

 

The Nuances of Democracy - http://www.slate.com/id/2145895/nav/tap1/

 

Get Condi on a Plane - http://www.slate.com/id/2145894/nav/tap1/

[mariosmentor]

if they could redo the last operational flight of the Vulcan bomber but over israel/lebanon it would be cool and might quiet them down abit.

 

 

for those of you who don't know, in 1982 during the fawklands war a vulcan nuclear bomber was fueled up, armed and sent off, had to be refueled midflight over the atlantic. flew low over the argentinian capital, bombay doors open as a little "message" to the leaders there. "we can still reach you tossers! now behave before we get really pissed off!"

 

So the world should be controlled with fear? The deterrant these countries should have is that the "big boys" will blow them out of the sky? Thats how terrorists are created in the first place and while we're talking about terrorists in this forum i'm gettin the idea thats there's some sort of terrorist epidemic. People here are acting as if terrorism is a new thing, they've been here for ages and there will always be here as long as their is power and conflict which when narrowed down is one of the main properties in human exsistence. You cannot imagine a world without conflict it is insane to believe that after this war there will never be another, it can be delayed but never avoided.

If anyone was going to send a nuke I do believe it would be in the middle east because the western countries rely too much on their reputations to get involved until nessecarry or benificial which I suppose is a good thing or you probably would have countries trying to gain empires still if they didn't have to answer to their people.

However, if their was a nuclear attack it would be fair to assume the beginning of the end of the world or MAD(mutually assured destruction) because nearly every country in the world has nuclear weapons and nearly every country in the world has a target (george bush was stupid enough to actually reveal his) the positive in this? No country is going to let off a nuke just for the hell of it, only if they have nothing left, near destruction and I don't think that situation is going to arise from Israel and Lebanon taking pot shots at each others civillians with the world watching.(and will never happen with the west because we're all quite safe from invasion with our buffer states that make up the most of europe)

One last bitching point, why is it when Israel and Lebanon bomb civillians the headlines are quite severe "STOP THE KILLING" "TRAGEDY" "MURDER" whereas the americans bombed civillains and even schools in baghdad and nobody seems to give a shit? Not saying it isn't a tragedy but its a real pain when one countries actions appear justified and morally correct and anothers isn't depending on east or west.

In the end everyone has their reasons for war, and in the end they are always wrong but still, war must go on.

I just hope Britian doesn't pull a Gulf of Tonkin on us.

[mike-zim]

ok to Ford i am glad you have calmed down because your early posts seem rather panniced and devoid of any emmotional control. attacking others on the forum is not the way to go about getting your concerns accross.

 

my view is stay the hell out of it. if i am safe and my family are safe then i don't really give a toss what some idiots in the middle east do. if they want to keep killing each other its their business. if they cant see sense that is not my problem.

 

flame me if you will but the more they do this the less of them there are to attack us.

[Guest Ford Prefect]

So the world should be controlled with fear? The deterrant these countries should have is that the "big boys" will blow them out of the sky? Thats how terrorists are created in the first place and while we're talking about terrorists in this forum i'm gettin the idea thats there's some sort of terrorist epidemic. People here are acting as if terrorism is a new thing, they've been here for ages and there will always be here as long as their is power and conflict which when narrowed down is one of the main properties in human exsistence. You cannot imagine a world without conflict it is insane to believe that after this war there will never be another, it can be delayed but never avoided.

If anyone was going to send a nuke I do believe it would be in the middle east because the western countries rely too much on their reputations to get involved until nessecarry or benificial which I suppose is a good thing or you probably would have countries trying to gain empires still if they didn't have to answer to their people.

However, if their was a nuclear attack it would be fair to assume the beginning of the end of the world or MAD(mutually assured destruction) because nearly every country in the world has nuclear weapons and nearly every country in the world has a target (george bush was stupid enough to actually reveal his) the positive in this? No country is going to let off a nuke just for the hell of it, only if they have nothing left, near destruction and I don't think that situation is going to arise from Israel and Lebanon taking pot shots at each others civillians with the world watching.(and will never happen with the west because we're all quite safe from invasion with our buffer states that make up the most of europe)

One last bitching point, why is it when Israel and Lebanon bomb civillians the headlines are quite severe "STOP THE KILLING" "TRAGEDY" "MURDER" whereas the americans bombed civillains and even schools in baghdad and nobody seems to give a shit? Not saying it isn't a tragedy but its a real pain when one countries actions appear justified and morally correct and anothers isn't depending on east or west.

In the end everyone has their reasons for war, and in the end they are always wrong but still, war must go on.

I just hope Britian doesn't pull a Gulf of Tonkin on us.

 

 

first tip, use more paragraphs, its off putting reading thru a big wadge of text like that.

 

any way, you seem to have lost the point of that comment any way, its not made in full seriousness. i just guess my time away from these boards of the last few months coupled with newbies joining in my absense means people have forgotten how i work.

 

at any rate, i for one along with alot of the rest of the world am sick of israels bullying tactics and bullshit. saw in the paper here today, pictures of little israeli girls stood near the big guns writing stuff on the shells about to be fired into lebanon at innocents. frankly they have just brought this huge bashing they're getting from the longer range rockets now upton themselves and they deserve abit of their own medicine.

 

bullying tactics are the only thing they understand, if they were told to shut the hell up or tomohawks will rain down on jerusalem, i bet they would.

 

 

still waiting to see what happens with the royal navy down there in this evacuation. that could prove quite something if it involves them claiming a beachhead and evacuating the civilians. like i said before, i pity anyone who tries anything against our troops or ships, whatever side it is.

 

 

 

ok to Ford i am glad you have calmed down because your early posts seem rather panniced and devoid of any emmotional control. attacking others on the forum is not the way to go about getting your concerns accross.

 

my view is stay the hell out of it. if i am safe and my family are safe then i don't really give a toss what some idiots in the middle east do. if they want to keep killing each other its their business. if they cant see sense that is not my problem.

 

flame me if you will but the more they do this the less of them there are to attack us.

 

 

devoid of emotional control? wtf you on about? anyways, the "attacking" wasn't made in this thread, that was in response to other idiots in other areas of the forums.

 

the "i'm alright jack" attitude serves no one, do nothing and the problem simply grows till it effects you any way.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Mass rescue for Lebanon Britons

 

Thousands of British nationals are being evacuated from Lebanon in a massive air and sea operation.

 

Around 1,300 British evacuees have set sail from Beirut to Cyprus aboard the Royal Navy's HMS Bulwark.

 

Some who have been trapped in the southern port of Tyre, which has been hit by Israeli air-strikes, are being evacuated on a UN-chartered ferry.

 

A further 700 people were evacuated on HMS York earlier on Thursday, the Ministry of Defence said.

 

HMS Illustrious as well as RAF Chinook helicopters, are also helping to take Britons to safety.

 

The huge commando assault ship HMS Bulwark took hundreds of British evacuees on board at the port in Beirut.

 

Elderly and frail people boarded the ship first and passports were checked.

 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5197584.stm

 

Clearly an attempt to get British people out of there. Definitely not a sign that things will be getting better anytime soon.

[Guest Ford Prefect]

well the US marines were in there the other day, the french have already been in, going on what i've seen in the papers up here most norwegians have already been evacuated or are in a process of being.

 

everyone who's got the ability to get out is doing because that place is going no where but down. its time the UN said enough of this fucking talking and actually put something physical between israel and lebanon. make a no fly zone an an area where no military weapons are allowed, any who stray into the area are given a warning and then destroyed if they do not respond.

[mario_jr]

well the US marines were in there the other day, the french have already been in, going on what i've seen in the papers up here most norwegians have already been evacuated or are in a process of being.

 

everyone who's got the ability to get out is doing because that place is going no where but down. its time the UN said enough of this fucking talking and actually put something physical between israel and lebanon. make a no fly zone an an area where no military weapons are allowed, any who stray into the area are given a warning and then destroyed if they do not respond.

 

Or kick everyone the F*ck out of there. If they can't live in peace there then none of them should live there.

Like two kids fighting over the last piece of candy, if you can't share then you can't have any.

[Guest Ford Prefect]

Or kick everyone the F*ck out of there. If they can't live in peace there then none of them should live there.

Like two kids fighting over the last piece of candy, if you can't share then you can't have any.

 

 

yeah but then they tried that with the jews 2000 years ago :P it eventually lead to them spreading all over. hitler getting pissed off and killing 6 million of them. personally i don't think there should be a jewish state at all, let them live there yes. they have a right, but no more a right than any of the palastinians they bulldozed out in the first place.

 

there were jews living down there, in peace for a long time before israel was founded. they can get along with folks. just seem not to want to.