Norman Kember-honourable and brave or a bit of a pompous arse??

[moondog]

I'm plumping for the latter.....

no he didn't, thank god.

KB did though didn't he - the one your called 'an arse of a man'

Since when were you a bleeding heart liberal JT???
(Three cheers for Maggie an' all that...)

I bet KB wept for Iraqis..when he wasn't working out what his blood money could buy him back home.

I am multi-faceted

(hip, hip hooray, hooray, hooray!)

moondog - you're sad. Good night.

How is 'peace activist' a tautology Moondog?

I assume that the modus operandi of someone like Kember would have been to meet with ordinary people and assure them that not all British people are in favour of the war, or something along those lines. I don't think it's a waste of time - just having the courage to be in Iraq as an unarmed civilian will have helped spread the message that there are people in Britain who care about ordinary Iraqis and what they are going through.
Agree with whoever it was who said below that the real arseholes here are the kidnappers.

Sobernow - good point - I expect you are right.

on a happier note my swollen glands are going down

I agree with kathy 1972 and sobernow.

Hmmm...meeting 'ordinary people' was he.
How noble,how giving how........unbelievably patronising.
Apply the idea to our putative Iraqi peace activist. How would he meet 'ordinary people' d'you think??
Knocking on doors?

The arrogance underpinnig this is that the opinion of a white 'Western' man is something that the average Iraqi gives too hoots about.

Neo imperialism at its worst.

Moondog - well, your putative Iraqi peace activist would not find it too difficult to meet people via, for instance, a Quaker meeting or through British peace campaigners. Talks could be organised for church or student groups - there would be lots of ways to go about it and I imagine it is already happening - there probably are Iraqi peace activists here already.

Kathy,people in the ME feel so shat upon
by the West,that (quire rightly imo) an elderly Physics lecturer talking about Christianity,probably wouldn't be very welcome in your average Baghdad mosque.

But what do you suggest that people with strong pacifist and christian convictions like him do? There are plenty of people in Baghdad in various groups who did welcome him, muslims who condemned his kidnap and spoke up for him and appealed on his behalf.

These groups don't just go out like Victorian missionaries and impose their activism on the locals - they have very good networks with local activists who welcome them and are glad they are there, and also tell them when to bog off if they are putting local lives in danger (as has happened with some groups in some countries but the details escape me).

I think they'd be better of staying at home and spreading their message.
Cal,I can't believe that you of all people don't find his actions pompous in the extreme.

Furthermore,you would be very surprised indeed to discover that there are many people behaving exactly like missionaries in far flung corners of the world. Know I've banged on about it before,but I've seen them.

When we lived in Russia,was friendly with a group there with the Peace Corps (honourable organisation.)
God it was funny sitting in one particalar girl's flat in what was Nizhny Novgorod's equivalent of Slaone Square,banging on about the message she was spreading and the privations she was experiencing.

These people just don't have a clue how far removed their belief constructs are from that of those they purport to help.

pompous.

wonder what those soldiers who were probably ordered to go on that FUBAR mission feel right about now?

Well I wouldn't go to the barricades on it - I'm in two minds really, i don't know whether he's one of those victorian missionary types or not. News reports were very specific that his group works with local groups and would leave if they were asked to by the local organisations they work with.

I'd rather they left at the request of the locals, than because the British government is embarrassed by them, though. Apparantly his group is now considering whether they should be working there.

FUBAR..
Que??

i think it means effed up beyond all repair?

f*cked up beyond all recognition, moon.

Thanks!
Knew it had to be coarse...

pompous ,ungrateful and bet guys who rescued him would love to be home with their loved ones tonight.

I don't know why people keep calling him ungrateful. He's made it quite clear he's grateful, I think that was just a media thing of presenting anyone who disagrees with the Iraq war and doesn't blindly support "our boys" as a bad lot.