Blimey, I see this discussion went on till the early hours, over a few glasses/beers, I hope.
Well B & S, now you have your answer
Things we are not allowed to talk about on this forum
Just to rake up some ashes:
Spokesman Anjem Choudary said: "We are having a procession, it's in Wootton Bassett but it's not about the people there and it's not against them personally - rather it's to highlight the real cost of war in Afghanistan.
"The sad reality of the situation is that if I were to hold it somewhere else it would not have the media attention that it has now.
"If I am to balance between the sensitivity of having it in Wootton Bassett and the possibility of continuing the quagmire and cycle of death in Afghanistan, then quite honestly I'm going to balance in favour of the latter."
Seems like a pretty reasonable argument to me.
Whereas:
The home secretary has said he will back any request from police or local government to ban an Islamic group marching through Wootton Bassett.
Yeah, right we invade other sovereign countries to support their right to free speech, then we ban it at home
Incidentally, which life is worth the greater grieving? The professional soldier who signs up knowing the risk of being killed, on these occasions whilst invading another country, in the name of....errr....exactly....err...do we really know
Or the terrorist/freedom-fighter/resistance-fighter/saboteur killed defending, fighting or seeking revenge for what they consider to be an act of violence against their people? (I use all of the those terms to encapsulate the "subjective" view of those people) Don't give me an argument of "if you're defending your country against invaision, why are you not fighting the soldiers?" We wasted many decades teaching our enemies how to fight and that includes taking the war to the enemy. We can't take the moral high ground now. I digress.
Or the innocent civilian killed through no fault of their own, considered to be just collateral damage?
This is what the march was about! And having written that and understanding the reason for the march, well, If I was a protesting type of person, a) I would have joined in the anti-war marches and b) I would have been seriously considering joining this march.
It is not against our soldiers. It is about, as the man said, the true cost of war.
Yes there have been civilian casualties on both sides. Why, oh, why will our politicians not learn that violence breeds violence.
And to mention another issue: How can our politicians reasonably argue that corporal punishment is wrong in the home, then dish it out internationally? Some twisted thinking there, me thinks!
And another issue; the aftermath of war, not just the hatred and prejudice but also and especially landmines that continue to kill and maim for decades after the end of the war
