[Grey Wolf]

I just read this on the Letters to the Editor page in my local newspaper:

To the Editor:
It is unfortunate that the Bush administration has criticized the Israeli government for its quite legitimate missile strike against the Hamas leader.
In attacking and killing the murderous thug who has been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent Israelies, Ariel Sharon is only following the 'strike-first' policy outlined by George Bush himself. It is certainly regrettable that the thug's children and other family members were killed, but whose fault is that? For along time, the cowardly Palestinian terrorist have made a practice of carrying our their dirty deeds, then returning to hide among their adoring civilian population.
Well, Sharon has put them on notice that this game is up. If the Palestinians want to avoid innocent casualties, they need to stop harboring terrorists. In fact, Bush should take a cue from Sharon. This is exactly the type of bold action against terrorists that Americans are hoping for.
Of course, the over-stuffed buffoons at the United Nations will join the other Euro-wimps in condemning any such action, but so what? I don't know anyone who feels that Kofi Annans's gaggle of unelected U.N. bureaucrats should have any influence on U.S. action to protect itself.
As for the French, Dutch, Belgians, etc., someone desperately needs to remind these ungrateful and short-sighted losers that they would still be reporting to Berlin today, had we not intervened 60 years ago. I especially cannot believe the utter gall of the cowardly French. What a pitiful excuse for a nation! They spent the 20th century getting their sorry tail kicked all around the globe and then crying out for help from us. The graveyards of France are filled with thousands of Americans who died fighting their fight. Now they have the audacity to criticize our foreign policy.
Just as the British were the only European nation to actually fight against Hitler (the French army tripped over itself runnign away from Paris), it looks like they will be the only ones who will join our fight against terrorism. And that's just fine. To heck with the rest of them!
Michael Lydon

This is the kind of xenophobic, uninformed, over-bearing blowhard that makes me mad. I hate to think how many people listened to him and agreed with him. I feel dirty after just copying the words.....

[Bobboau]

the corect and inteligent type

[Tiara]

As for the French, Dutch, Belgians, etc., someone desperately needs to remind these ungrateful and short-sighted losers that they would still be reporting to Berlin today, had we not intervened 60 years ago. I especially cannot believe the utter gall of the cowardly French. What a pitiful excuse for a nation!

NOW i'm getting angry. He acts like its our fault that the Germany of that time (Note : I have no intention of blaming the Germany of today) attacked us.

As for the attack on the terrorist. I'm sure there were other ways to just attack that house. It is not the childrens fault he uses them as a shield. I feel this is also a terrorist attack on the children. Why not have a sniper in fornt of his house. I'm sure infiltrants can get there. It has been proven that terrorists can cause havok in the heart of America so a government can also kill this guy "more efficient" than it has done now. Cause now it just did it the easy way. Like "Bomb the place with children and all... that takes care of it." I really dislike this kind of attitude.

[Stryke 9]

Time and time again
Nations rise and fall
And only the stupid twits
Will make it to see them all.

He's the sort that woulda loved Hitler, were he German at the proper time. And it's true- idjits are the ones who shout the loudest, and make themselves heard, in history

[Pera]

Originally posted by Tiara


NOW i'm getting angry. He acts like its our fault that the Germany of that time (Note : I have no intention of blaming the Germany of today) attacked us.

He also acts like it was the US who saved them. Soviet Union anyone? So without the US you would actually be reporting to moscow

[Nico]

Mmh, maybe we should tell this dumbass that w/o France, there would be no USA? Short sighted he says? bah, I won't heat up for some stupid redneck.

[Tiara]

Even better... Without Holland America might look very different (Think new Amsterdam).

[Nico]

Originally posted by Tiara
Even better... Without Holland America might look very different (Think new Amsterdam).

well, w/o our weapons, they've had been crushed by the englishs, and the independance would have been short lived

[vyper]

While the writer in question obviously did not have the finesse nessceery ( is with my spelling today?) to convey his arguments, and as such looked a complete and utter twat, there is some validity to his point.

As I said in the thread about the missile strike, whether Sharon or Arafat want to admit it - they are at war. The Palestinians blow up Israeli territory and citizens, the Israelis counterstrike and unfortunately innocents get hurt. Thats pretty much war.

Since ww2 has already been brought up let me point something out: Dresden. Allied bombing raids levelled that city so no wall was above 3 feet high. Don't tell me there weren't civilian casualties then?! (Hitler wouldn't let them evacuate because it would cause a national disgrace or something). My point is that we are hardly in a position to declare the Israelis "bad" since we ourselves have done much worse. Let us look at Ireland - ever heard of the "Black & Tans"? Elite soldiers picked to carry out operations in Ireland killing leading political and violent separatists. Brutal, lethal and in the end unfortunately uneffective in stopping decades of bloodshed.

We in the west pride ourselves on our freedom and often say we are willing to die to defend it. However, in the tradition of our own civilization we are also willing to kill to defend it. The Israelis are doing no different.

On the matter of Europe - its historical fact that most European nations have Britain and the US (both equally) to thank for thier freedom from the Third Reich.

It is also a fact that the EU is currently trying to form a super-state, and this is what is sparking such national anger in the UK - we pride ourselves on our independence and freedom and of our past fights to stay that way - and now we see our own politicians cooperating in destroying all that our grandfathers fought for. This is why many people resent Europe right now.

And an important point: Yes Pera, the USSR was a major factor in winning ww2. Which the US's presence was more important to Britain, the USSR held a good proportion of the German army at the Eastern front - therefore giving the Allies in the west an advantage in numbers. (Split Hitlers forces). We must also not forget the casualties they took in that effort.

Tiara - you ask why not send in a sniper? Snipers can get caught. Missiles can't. Its cold hearted but here's the truth: Why risk one of your own men when you can kill your target without risking any of your own people's lives? Even as a Brit I've said it before: If its a choice between two hundred of my soldiers or two hundred of the enemy's civilians then I'm afraid the civilians are dead already.

IT COMES DOWN TO THIS:
COUNTRIES & THIER GOVERNMENTS  EXIST TO PROTECT THIER POPULATION.

[Top Gun]

So General De Gaulle (sp?) never existed? Aside from the fact that it was more than two generations ago so it wasn't our fault and France was fairly agressive at that time ( Clemenceau (sp) The Tiger), the leftism only came in the sixties. Not that one should expect any sense from the supporter of a war criminal (Proven in Beirut).



I love reading thorough the letters colum on my local paper, it reminds me how intelligent I am

[Dark_4ce]

Well... Uhh... Without Finland, you wouldn't have Mobile phones!

[Crazy_Ivan80]

the only decent thing this Michael Lindon can do is put his head in his arse and kick himself into the Sun.

He personifies everything everyone dislikes about the US and gives all the good people (an absolute majority I'm sure) living there a bad name.

And he doesn't know about history either.

[vyper]

Originally posted by Crazy_Ivan80
the only decent thing this Michael Lindon can do is put his head in his arse and kick himself into the Sun.

He personifies everything everyone dislikes about the US and gives all the good people (an absolute majority I'm sure) living there a bad name.

And he doesn't know about history either.

Now that could be a tad challenging

[Nico]

lol

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Originally posted by vyper


Now that could be a tad challenging

Since the guy thinks he's so great he should be able to do it.

[Top Gun]

Was there an e-mail address supplied with the letter (my paper norally only prints e-mail letters)? So we can invite him over here and see what lies behind the mind of a moron.

[LtNarol]

Originally posted by Tiara
NOW i'm getting angry. He acts like its our fault that the Germany of that time (Note : I have no intention of blaming the Germany of today) attacked us.

Technically this is true as it was France and Brittian's (of that time of course) excessive stepping down from Hitler that resulted in WWII.  They created the unreasonable-asking-for-trouble Versalies (sp) Treaty which severely damaged Germany after the first world war and angered its citizens; this added with the depression gave Hitler the perfect opportunity to rise to power, and he did.  The treaty was made out of hatred and anger and was meant for revenge, not peace; and thus the peace didn't last.  Wilson warned the Euros that if they went with this treaty they'd be back there fighting the same war not far down the road but of course, no one listened.

When he first started breaching the Versalies Treaty, first by remilitarizing (yes, this was not allowed by the Treaty of Versalies), then by occupying the Rhineland (the bufferzone between France and Germany set in German soil), and finally even when he openly attacked nearby countries; the French and British did NOTHING.  Apeasment, "let him have it, he'll stop."  They did this until Hitler finally invaded Poland; had they stepped in when he first started breaching the treaty or not created that thing, WWII probably could have been avoided.

(the rest is in response to other posts)

1. Had it not been for US intervention in Europe in World War II, France and Britain would be German provinces today.  France was overrun and Germany was leaving Brittain for the time; he was literally sweaping over Europe; he could have taken the rest of Europe, then headed on the Asia, and return for the Brittish. It wasn't until after the US joined in that the tide swung in favor of the Allies.

2. This attack was meant to send a message, harbor terrorists and you become an acceptable colateral casualty; and I for one fully agree.  These people should know better by now and the reason why scum like this man head for civilian populations is two-fold.  First, they act as a kind of shield for him as the government will have a hard time taking him down without killing bystanders so the government would hesitate.  Second, if they do kill him and bystanders as well, this creates trouble for the government.  This is exactly what those bastards are after, don't give it to them.  As for why not use a sniper, in case you don't know, snipers are few and need to be specially trained, which takes time; there are more terrorists out there than there are snipers so putting a sniper in there and risking one isnt worth it; especially as there may be other hostiles in the area.  What Israel did was correct in my opinion and this letter (despite its harsh wording and insulting manner) expresses my views rather well.

[an0n]

1) Britain did everything it could to avert war but Hitler was intent on conquering the globe. He attacked Poland and Britain declared war.
2) America didn't even join the war until they were directly attacked. They didn't care that millions of Jews were being slaughtered.
3) It was only Britains wanting to not slaughter civillians that made the war so long. If they had so wished they could have blanketed the skies with Window and levelled every single Germany city within a month or two. And they'd have been killing a few million Germans to ensure that they never again posed a threat to the some 6 billion peoples world wide.
4) If France had totally fallen and was beyond help, Britain would have withdrawn from the war and used it's VASTLY superior navy to butcher and German attempts at invasion. And without the need to further defend France, their supply lines would be only open to ground attacks which they were more than capable of defending against. The only threat would have come from the air, but with the entire British navy patrolling the waters packed with AA guns they'd have had no chance.
5) If Britain had fallen, America would have been completely fine.......For about 6 years, then they'd have been massacred by the largest army, navy and airforce ever formed. Then they'd have launched thousands of nukes and destroyed the Earth.

[Nico]

Lt Narol, her... It's Versailles please

[LtNarol]

1. No, they didnt because they let Hitler attack nearby nations and only intervened after Poland was invaded.  Being harsher at the first sign would have detered Hitler.
2 The US was attacked by Japan, and did not have to enter the war in Europe; instead the US could have focused on the Pacific.
3. never heard of window, so I cant respond to that one.
4. You're forgetting the German U-boats and superior airforce, all the British had going for them was a determined (but vastly outnumbered) RAF and radar.
5. Not the case, Hitler would have gotten the the bombs at the first sign of becoming a problem for the US.