Royal Marines executed injured man

Re 290

CD. Nothing in that with which I would disagree. In addition, we pay them so we are entitled to hold them to account.

But, comment, if it is about military matters must be informed

Snapper, how can you call a Taliban a ‘combatant’? My understanding of a ‘combatant’ is that they wear a uniform. Do they wear a uniform? No. Have they signed the Geneva Convention? No, why haven’t they signed? They wouldn’t and they can’t as they are not a military force, they are not representing a lawful government.

Re 287

CD. How on earth did you come to that conclusion ? As the moderators know, I am always banging on about the virtue of free speech. I do not wish to silence anyone. All I wish for is, that if for example, contibutors do not have any experience of the subject they would admit it and simply offer uninformed opinion.

I’m probably making myself a hostage to fortune but, I cannot recall a single instance when I’ve operated my mouth without the backup of at least some elementary knowledge of the subject.

RE 288

Here it is as plainly as I can put it. One person who says that you are right/wrong doesn’t carry the same weight as ten.

“At what point…. ” My conscience, possibly weighing for the greater good.

RE 282

Paul 178 is like me writing about military matters and how we conduct ourselves with respect to the requirements of our country AND our individual consciences as applied to military matters at the time.

If I had in the middle of military action to make a decision that had implications for my conscience, one possible answer would be for me to consider the welfare of the greater number. To do the greater good and the lesser evil. In situations that require a lightning response, the luxury of considered thinking might not be available.

I’d quite like to see how some of the ‘useful idiots that mouth off on this forum would conduct themselves in a stressful military action. I think that some of us would be surprised.

You lot really are in a class of your own.

Back to the subject I’m glad I was never led by an NCO that thought it okay to execute a combatant.

Re 281

Don’t keep missing the point. When it comes to military matters, in particular, those affecting or dealing with No. 40 Cdo., I along with three or four others on this forum know what we’re about. Try and grasp that point.

Re 218

I can make only an educated guess. Due to natural turnover and retirement of staff, No. 3 Commando Brigade and perhaps the entire Marine Corps has become seriously infected with the risk averse, welfare culture, equal opportunites and prizes for all social policies that have now taken the place of traditional military virtues.

Kiss Mummy goodnight – there’s a good boy !

Talk about a thread with legs.

TBH, I have never agreed with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. However I will continue to support the guys and gals still in Afghanistan.

Marine A has rightly been found guilty, far too much evidence against him. Why he made the mistake of not making sure the helment cams were not turned off is beyond me.

Re 210

Another unremarkable example of confused thinking.

If the nation is at war – international war, and not just a war that is localised and confined and that was formerly called ‘colonial’, perhaps we are all at at risk. But, with Afghanistan and Iraq it is a nonsense and an exaggeration to write “we are all at risk”.

“An Al Queda bomb in London ?” To prevent that is why we are fighting in distant lands? Really? It couldn’t be because of American pressure and their belief that a British presence gives if not physical weight -they would hardly need our contribution – but moral substance to the Allied cause ?

Wasn’t it T. Blair Esq. that gave rise to the canard that we are fighting in the Middle East to prevent fighting on the streets of London ? How could anyone fall for that? They did, didn’t they Charlie ?

Re 206

I appreciate your concern. Temporarily missing performing house sitting and cat sitting duties. The cat in question is a lissom black tom cat that answers – when he feels like it – to the name of Harry. He has some unusual qualities and usually knows what I’m thinking. Like many felines he is good at contempt and bored resignation, Characteristics he displayed in abundance when I sketched in the outline of this debate and the personalities of the useful idiots comprising the opposition.

Nice to know you’ve found a soul mate who is on your wavelength,after all you know what he’s thinking because he knows what you’re thinking,no wonder he was bored with debating with the useless idiot 🙂

“Discuss and act as judge, jury and executioner – the British People?” I am incredulous…

Perhaps the point I was trying to make would be better expressed as:

“The fact of the matter is that British Forces serve in the name of the British People and at the behest of the democratically elected British Government; we, every one of us, have an absolute right to comment on, discuss and give our personal opinion on any action of anybody serving in the British Forces, past or present, who serve in our name.”

But I take your point about the level of education, intelligence and knowledge of the ‘average’ British person! 😉

Re 206

I appreciate your concern. Temporarily missing performing house sitting and cat sitting duties. The cat in question is a lissom black tom cat that answers – when he feels like it – to the name of Harry. He has some unusual qualities and usually knows what I’m thinking. Like many felines he is good at contempt and bored resignation, Characteristics he displayed in abundance when I sketched in the outline of this debate and the personalities of the useful idiots comprising the opposition.

Re 183

Of all the infantile tosh ! “You spoke to a squaddie..” So now you’re an expert The next time I see a swallow, I’ll know that it is summertime.

Don’t ask for a translation.

Dear John,

Yes i spoke to a squaddie who served,and because he doesn’t agree with you, you don’t think HE is good enough for an opinion either?? my my we are a right little dictator full of self pretentious importance.
You never did answer my question did you or do you just skip through the bits you don’t want to read.

A question for you to answer –At what point would you think that your ex colleagues have gone too far? ,what would it take for them to do BEFORE you said “i don’t agree with that” ?

Perhaps ‘judge, jury and executioner’ was the wrong choice of words; it was not aimed at the defendants in the court case that is the subject of this thread.

It was aimed at those on this forum, your good self included, that wish to take away the right that a British subject has to free speech; they may be wrong in what they say but that doesn’t mean you, or anybody else, has the right to silence them.

I apologise for the confusion.

Re 184

Of all the most gormless comments, that clearly takes the biscuit.

“Discuss and act as judge, jury and executioner – the British People?” I am incredulous. Most of them can’t properly read or write. So juries are not being discharged at huge expense because jurors cannot understand the evidence? That’s another fairy tale is it ?

The reason why Military Tribunals or Courts Martial are convened and staffed by Military Personnel is because it would be unfair to the accused to submit to adjudication by civilians because THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE MILITARY.

And here’s me thinking that CD sometimes writes something sensible. I’m certainly wrong on that score.

Re 183

Of all the infantile tosh ! “You spoke to a squaddie..” So now you’re an expert The next time I see a swallow, I’ll know that it is summertime.

Don’t ask for a translation.

Re 180

It’s you that doesn’t get it. I agree entirely that we shouldn’t have gone to Afghanistan or Iraq in the first place. Regime change is not well accomplished by foreign military intervention – I have never argued that point.

If you’ve never been a miner, then you don’t know what it is like to be a miner or, a carpenter or, a drug smuggler, or, a rocket scientist or, a particle physicist or, an Olympic athlete or, a deep sea diver or, a parachutist or a member of an amphibious landing force – are you getting the picture yet?

Notwithstanding that, there some on this forum who’ve seen fit to vent their spleen against a section of our Armed Forces having never themselves stood closer to an explosion than lighting a banger on Guy Fawkes Night. That makes them not only ignorant but stupid. What’s new !

I have never argued the merits of the case in question. I wrote in an earlier contribution that this was a matter for the Military Tribunal. My argument has always been with the ‘qualifications’ of those who can see only one side of the situation and are not prepared to accept that active military service life is very different from that comfortable armchair that most of these ‘warriors’ inhabit and while they may have an opinion, it is only an opinion and not based on any fact.

Re 280

Sadly it is clear you care little for any opinion other than your own. “Wilful misrepresentation”? In what way? Your dismissal of and rudeness towards members who disagree with your point of view is clear.

You should have phrased your response to Kev’s comments unambiguously. How was I to know you were directing those remarks towards the “other know nothing nincompoops popping their heads above the parapet”.

“You should have known that”. No, John, you should have made your response clearer.

Being British to me is supporting my country right or wrong…

Right or wrong, seriously?

So silencing those with different political views to the government, then? Maybe those of a different race? Maybe you would make them wear a distinctive badge so they could be identified? Maybe you’d confiscate their property? Maybe you would round-them-up and put them in a special prison; let us call it a ‘concentration-centre’?

But they’d still be a problem, wouldn’t they? If only there was some sort of ‘ultimate-solution’? :rolleyes:

Is that the sort of support for your country, ‘right or wrong’, that you had in mind?