The Military says that Forces personnel should not wear uniform in towns after they had been verbally abused by members of the public. What did they expect ? The public (largely) see them as war criminals.

The public made it abundantly clear that they did not support the illegal invasion of Iraq - and have been proved right.

The Military have also been keen to "publicize" the return home parades - but many of these have been highly suspicious, and stage-managed !

The story is fed that "hundreds" turn out to cheer the returning soldiers, but TV images are usually closely-cut so that it appears that there are crowds - who were there shopping anyway ! - but the numbers are much smaller than claimed.

In one highly suspicious "photo shot" recently shown on TV, all the members of the "crowd" had identical "flags" to wave (how many people carry a miniture flag when out shopping?)

Thought for the Day - In nine months' time the illegal invasion of Iraq will have lasted LONGER than WW2 !

I must admit to finding it frightening that the fact that virtually EVERYONE seems to regard the "brave lads", "noble profession" opinion logical appears so over whelming that any other point of view is ridiculed as mad.

Jeremy Vine on R2 yesterday, normally fairly level headed, was clearly unable to understand any other position.
Gordon Brown (rapidly becoming King of Platitudes) spoke the words as though they were biblical.
The Sun today clearly cannot see any other position.

Yet it seems to me, whilst shouting abuse is never polite and always bad manners, to regard people who kill for a living as saints is odd.

Whether or not you feel the followers of Blair and Bush are honourable or the Osama Bin Laden supporters have God on their side, killing people to make a point seems to me an animal way to behave.

Palestinian suicide bombers, Israeli soldiers, IRA murderers, serial killers - none of them deserve respect.

Or am I mad?

JK2006 wrote:

Yet it seems to me, whilst shouting abuse is never polite and always bad manners, to regard people who kill for a living as saints is odd.

It's a bit of a dilemma ... whilest we should support our troops when they are in action, should you still do so when it conflicts with your conscience?

The people who were against the illegal invasion (and who have been proved right) - should they now abandon their principles, becuase our soldiers are doing now exactly what we didn't want them to do in the first place?

I have some sympathy for the soldiers (who will say that they are only following orders) but if you put yourself in a position where you abandon any decision / responsibility then you only have yourself to blame?

I actually have a major problem with the "only obeying orders" philosophy.

That's what the Nazis said.

That's what murderers of hookers say "God told me to do it".

How small a move is it to say "that's what elected representatives told me to do".

I acknowledge there may be a valid reason (Kill Hitler and stop holocaust) but even then they need serious consideration.