Why I No Longer Feel Comfortable Wearing a Poppy

[Geckos48]

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/madeleine-fry/poppy-day_b_4169581.html

very eloquently put. Exactly how I feel about the whole debacle.

November 11th should be for those who selflessly gave their lives in the World Wars, not those who chose to fight dubious campaigns abroad.

I'm still not biting, especially when the OP is about as eloquent as a frog!

I am struggling to understand the ability to be 'anti-war' but 'pro-soldiers'

its like being anti car bombs but pro terrorists.

it doesnt make any sense to me at all.

And as for the "we make guns" argument, so do half the world. At the end of the day its only the concept of assured mutual destruction that has stopped humanity from destroying itself. Remove one countries big gones and that's that safety net down the shitter. Yes it might have been better never to have made them but hell we did and now we have to live with the consequences.

I dont think we do have to live with the consequences. We managed to spread the idea of 'war and guns' throughout the world, how about we share the thoughts of 'peace and prosperity'

Put it this way, if you told a young british man to go and strap a bomb to his chest in the name of God, he wouldnt do it because he has a life worth living

but in countries torn apart by war where there is nothing but the cruelty of Capitalism, people are prepared to do that, because the economics of that country make it an 'option'

we need to sort out world trade, share the wealth and stop the fighting each other.

Gecko what exactly do you think our Armed Forces do now?

The author of the article I linked to is a historian with a PhD who teaches at Oxford. He specialises in political history and used to be a Marxist. But I'm sure you do know much more about Karl Marx...

Also the armed forces do play a big role in anti terrorism in the UK. It's just in the background so you don't hear about it.

Again I think you are missing the point that other posters have made up thread. Soldiers do more than just kill and maim. They undertake a great deal of peacekeeping too.

Also you have absolutely no guarantee that a young British man wouldn't commit an act of extremism.

You seem very naiive.

I think our armed forces get involved in wars when they dont need to and make the majority of the world fear and hate us.

I think that is the majority of what they do.

For the third time I shake my head wondering at my stupidity at getting involved in such a bonkers thread!
I dare say it will still be lumbering along tomorrow. I might look back to see if you have answered my question about Stalin and Karl Marx.
When we get to being told how wonderful Gaddafi and Saddam were I think it is time to leave!

if they didn't kill and maim, they wouldnt have to peacekeep.

We are in no position to peacekeep. We have proven that time after time after time.

We are just about to prove it again in Afghanistan.

the majority of the world fear and hate us

I think the majority of the world see us as a small island with little significance!

I did answer your question about Stalin and Marx.

I asked you to read the Communist Manifesto.

The information is there for you to look at about Gaddafi and Saddam. Have a little read.

How much of the world have you seen Stalin

Just popped back to see if sense had prevailed.

OP who in the Armed Services is making these decisions to invade?

Also in the just all pull together plan how long do you think it would take to organize that level of response?

'We' did not manage to spread the idea of 'war and guns'!

The first war ever recorded occurred around about 2700 BC. It happened in the Middle East, but tribes and cities had been fighting each other for years and years before that.

LOL!

Satin (freudian slip)

I think our armed forces get involved in wars when they dont need to and make the majority of the world fear and hate us.

Of course they do! DH just goes into work on a Monday morning and says to his boss, "I'm off to X, just feel like getting involved in a war! Tally Ho!"

...and about as knowledgeable on world history and affairs as one too!

Don't bite people. OP is going to argue until the thread hits 1000 about things she/he clearly has no idea about.

I'll say it again, operational tours are a tiny part of what the forces do. far from the the 'majority' you claim it to be. As I said upthread my DH had done 3 tours of Afghan which is much more than most of his peers and that's still only 10% of his career so far. As we're pulling out next year that % is going to go down. Operational tours are not the majority of what they do, and even on operational tours the majority of what they do is not fight.

Also you realise we're not 'at war' with any country?

It might be 10% of what your husband does, but its a bloody sight more than that for the people whose lives we ruin abroad.

So gecko would be happy if her boy[do you have kids?] joined the army but never went abroad and stood idly by waiting to step in to fix domestic affairs. .

What will you do if your kids do make that choice?

Well he's a mechanic, I don't think people get that upset about him fixing land rovers.

But that's besides the point. You said it's the majority of what our forces do. I was just pointing out that was factually incorrect.

Geckos48 I'd like to live in the world where everyone is nice to each other and no one needs weapons. Do you think that everyone apart from you loves war and wants more of it? Unfortunately that world doesn't exist so we have to muddle on with this one.

Suppose that tomorrow all the western countries destroyed all their weapons what do you think would happen next?

How do we make the rest stop fighting? There are plenty of conflicts in the middle east that are nothing to do with us. If we see one country trying to wipe out another totally is it better for peace to let them do it and get it over with or should we interfere?

Btw people used to have wars before we invented missiles and guns. The people who died from being hit with clubs were just as dead.

What about for the people whose lives are made better Gecko? Like the poster way back who thanked LtEve?

MrsGSR is right btw, Operational duties is not the majority of what our Armed Forces do. But don't let facts get in the way of your rant will you? I mean, you haven't all day so why start now?

Gecko wont be bothered by an emergency zombie attack in this country.

She'll take her nearest and dearest and resist all offers of help from the military cos she hates .those who kill. and run for the hills. Happy for the help then as long as they never bombed abroad .

.