Ye abvoiusly uze teh same spelung bouk that Hellaid uzed too uze too , Hoppy Barfday Garny .

If Adam reads this , I’m only kidding mate , you have been a good boy recently – keep it up.

Happy Birthday GeeDee , are you going to post your age or are you just sticking at 21 ????? , I can see you now with a Stihl saw cutting that car up so you can cram the engine into some flimsy wee fibreglass hull !

Originally posted by Jonesy
Agreed. Domin you make an excellent point.

My only hope to add to that is, now people are starting to feel more “engaged” with the events going on all around them, that they also develop the patience and objectivity crucial to making an informed decision on an issue. Increased awareness of a situation is going to be counter-productive if people react to it with mindless, knee-jerk, outbursts or unconstructive critcisms.

Its asking a lot of the general public to avoid the simplistic or unemotional response, especially with a mass-media that will be looking to stoke that up to sell its publications, but considered response and informed decision are the places we need to be getting people to so that “Western Democracy”, and the current political morass many nations have so demonstrably been submerged in of late, can evolve into something we can all be a lot happier with.

I agree Domin , there has been a good debate so far with a lot of excellent info from both points of view without it disintegrating into a slanging match.
You too Steve , your posts are always interesting and highly informative.

That’a a good point Domin , maybe we take everything for granted these days , It is good to see a proper debate and so far none of it has deteriorated into childish slanging matches . The whole point of democracy is the right to state your opinion as you see fit without fear of retribution.

Good one !!! , one of the greatest innovators and engineers of all time .

Originally posted by GarryB
Yes… such a threat that his immediate neighbours have done nothing on their own initiative to remove him… or even speak out against him…

Putting him in the same class as hitler is like fearing that the cubans might invade and take over the whole of the US.

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The only immediate neighbour who has tried to defeat Iraq was Iran , 1,600,000 dead on each side led to a mutual ceasefire and left Iraqs economy wrecked , Iraq has six bordering neighbours five of which are actually backing the Coalition’s goal to remove Saddam , the other is playing stalemate until they are guaranteed more WB Loans and US financial / humanitarian aid.
Fidel Castro has less than 1% of the total no of German troops as of the 3rd of Sept 1939 and spends less than 3% of his GNP on his military forces . Even he realises the futility of even being actively hostile against the USA , so has never attacked the USA – so any comparison against a dictator who tried to invade most of mainland Europe is nonsense.
Saddam on the other hand has tried to invade 2 of his neighbouring countries , Iran and Kuwait , has been smuggling oil out regardless of any sanctions , not to raise money for his hospitals , schools etc , but trading for military items and products he can use to manufacture Chemical weapons with , he actively sponsors and harbours terrorists , gives money to the families of suicide bombers in Israel . Saddam is a Cancer in the Arabic world , time to cut him out of the picture.

Well put TTP , anyone who has any doubts about the action in Iraq should sit down and watch the events of 9/11 again , and use Google to look up ” Biological and Chemical Warfare ” . Saddam has had 12 years to comply with any requests to disarm his forces of any WMD , had he complied he would probably have been left in power and their would be no need for the Military intervention there is now. This is a country which actively sponsors terrorism , a regime which readily used chemical weapons against a section of it’s own population !!! , he has been bluffing for too long , this is the right time for direct intervention.

As Saddam is now firing off missiles he denied having do we have any doubt he has chemical weapons too ?? , and he WILL attempt to use them , and as I have said on ther Forums it’s back to the US and the Commonwealth to stand up and be counted when it matters.
The French were beaten by us in 1805 , the Russians in 1812 , by us in 1815 , the Germans in 1914 , the Germans in 1940 and the Indo-Chinese in 1950 and the Algerians in the 60’s. The Belgians have been beaten twice by the Germans and once by the Congolese – not a bad record considering Belgium has only existed for approx 150 years. The Germans have lanched two wars in the last century only to be humiliated twice. The USA and UK have had an ever increasing presence in the Gulf area for the past 12 years , Saddam has had ample chance to comply to regulations and if he did so there is every chance there would be no fighting now , he chose the other option , to lie , cheat and hide his WMD stocks.
There are now more than 20 countries actively involved in this war , did mainland Europe really think we needed their help or backing , delusions of grandeur !!, not with their past record.
God bless all the US and Commonwealth forces who are currently out there , and thanks to the Spanish who had the balls to stand up and send medical aid .