Gee Arthur, I didn’t know you were that leftist 😀

Ofcourse, I also think it’s true.

Let’s see if the Iraqi’s will still be celebrating once that criminal Chalabi has taken over power.

TTP, some interesting points you have.

Well, the difference between the US and the EU is that the EU is a welfare “state”. In Belgium, the gov’t does anything to protect its citizens. If someone is poor in Belgium, that is because either way he is too lazy to do something, or because he refuses to accept something. But, and this is where many Americans make mistakes, the state doesn’t GIVE money. The state helps people to find a steady job, keeps them healty, but will never give money so you can buy booze and drugs from it. In fact, the gov’t stopped giving cash money to the poor and now these people recieve food, clothes and cheques instead.

We pay a lot of taxes in Belgium, 55 % of the income goes to the state. But this means that everyone has the chance to go to college, without having to serve in the army for example.

I do think our gov’t should put more money in defence. But as a neutral state, the majority of the population does not think this is necessairy. And actually I can’t give any arguments to defend why we should have a bigger military here. Belgium choses to stay neutral in any conflict (sometimes we have to pay a high toll), which means we can spend more money in other things like healthcare.

TTP

Did I ever say I would like to see Americans get killed? What kind of monster do you think I am. I’m a student history, I live near the graveyards where British and American soldiers are burried. I think Belgians already had their portion of violence.

I never said US was evil. During the cold war, the US was the best ally we could have. As I already said, I’m no socialist, I wouldn’t survive one day with a communist regime, BUT the current US administration differs a lot from the previous ones.

Today I read in my ‘rightwing’ newspaper (De Standaard) that the British secretary of defence thinks more “pre-emptive” strikes will follow in the future. Where will this lead to? What’s the use of international right if the “coalition” will do whatever THEY think is necessairy to defend themselves. Now who will stop India from invading Pakistan etc? Ethiopia from Eritrea? Germany from France ?

GarryB, I also went protesting, but once the war started, I don’t think it was still useful to continue. I’d hoped the war to be over ASAP.

As for PII. Like Frank said, we have lots of catholic schools here, but no socialist ones.

TTP, if you still think that I am leftist, than I invite you to come to Belgium and check out who the real leftists are. I can guarantee you I’m noy.

PII ofcourse – who lacks the minimum amount of required braincells to understand this – likes to use this argument because his intellectual weakness doesn’t allow him to say anything else. I suggest you don’t ignore him, just read his posts, have a few laughs, turn of your computer, have a drink, and then start posting, like most people here do!

I never said they wanted to kill journalists, they just wanted to scare them off. But americans and aiming 🙁

They should raise the taxes on cigarettes. I like the system in the UK, pity so many Britons come to buy their stickies here in Belgium.

COOL. I can use this for my project!

I don’t know much on historical aviation or the Lancaster in particular, but does anyone have an idea when Lancasters (date) were performing bombing raids on the city of Magdebourg (Near Berlin). Did these bombings already start in 1943 or in 1944.

The dambusting missions date from may 1943. But did the Lancaster already operate before? I’m not talking about test ops, I mean real bombing raids.

Also, does anyone have a blueprint of the Lancaster? It could be very useful.

The crew of the Lancester always had documents in their flightsuit. I read in my book (Mémoires d’un uncendiaire, Louis Germain) that these documents were often letters meant for the family of the pilot. Is this information correct?

And last, does anyone have a list of the grades in the RAF. The rank of Air Commodore, does it still exist? Forgive my ignorance.