Blair is spot on.

[Yorick]

Saw him just say this or words to this effect:

"No matter how passionately someone believes something, nothing, nothing justifies killing thousands of people in New York or anywhere."

The guy is a champion. I reckon Blair is the international leader of the moment. The cornerstone of the Coalition.

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[Yorick]

Great speech Tony,

"Thousands of people were killed in cold blood in the worst terrorist attacks the world has ever seen"

"Never forget how we felt watching the planes fly into the twin towers. Never forget those answering machine messages."

"Never forget how we felt imagining how mothers told children they were about to die.

"Never forget the guts of the firefighters and police in New York who died trying to save others.

"Never forget the menace of bin Laden in his propaganda video. We are a principled nation and this is a principled conflict."

"September 11 is no less appalling today than it was then, on September 11. Our determination is no less resolute than it was on the day military action began. We have a job to do and it is being done and it will be seen through to the end."

"People want results, they want them as fast as possible."

"They realise the formidable challenges posed by any action in Afghanistan. They worry about civilian casualties. They are anxious about the refugee crisis as winter approaches. They wonder what comes after the conflict."

"All these concerns deserve to be answered. No-one who raises doubts is an appeaser or a faint-heart."

"We are a democracy, strong enough to have doubts raised even at a time of war and wise enough to be able to respond to them."

"Those responsible were the al Qaida network reared by Osama bin Laden. That is a fact barely disputed by anyone any more."

"Incidentally, the intelligence evidence, a flow when I first drew attention to it on October 3, is now a flood, confirming guilt."

"a group of people in Afghanistan who are the sworn enemies of everything the civilised world stands for who have killed once on a vast scale and will kill again unless stopped".

"They have one hope: that we are somehow decadent, that we lack the moral fibre or will or courage to take them on; that we might begin but we won't finish; that we will start, then falter; that when the first setbacks occur, we will lose our nerve.

"They are wrong. We won't falter."

"We will not stop until our mission is complete. We will not flinch from doing what is necessary to complete it.

"We will not fail and we will do it all because we believe in our values of justice, tolerance and respect for all regardless of race, religion or creed just as passionately as they believe in a fanatical hatred of Jews, Christians and any Muslims who don't share their perverse view of Islam."

"The means we use will be air power, ground operations as and when necessary, support to the Northern Alliance and other anti-Taliban regime elements and building up a strong political and diplomatic coalition against the present Taliban regime inside and outside Afghanistan."



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[Epona]

Originally posted by Yorick: Saw him just say this or words to this effect: "No matter how passionately someone believes something, nothing, nothing justifies killing thousands of people in New York or anywhere." The guy is a champion. I reckon Blair is the international leader of the moment. The cornerstone of the Coalition.

Well I think this makes him a hypocrite. Substitute the words 'New York' for 'Kabul'...



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Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.

Epona of The Laughing Hyenas
Proud winner of the 'Most Useless Post 250 Has Ever Seen' Award 2001. "I'd just like to thank my friends and family, without whom none of this would have been possible..."

[Yorick]

Originally posted by Epona: Well I think this makes him a hypocrite. Substitute the words 'New York' for 'Kabul'...

Yes I saw that contradiction as well. It doesn't make him a hypocrite, it just makes me a bad quoter. He was talking about nothing justifying the attacks on the WTC.


I decided to leave it unedited though because I couldn't be bothered.

I like the guy. He's articulate, informed, way more egalitarian than the aristos, is unifying the coalition, and has the timerity to take a stand against terrorism despite receiving flak from at home and Syria.

Gutsy and ballsy. History will remember him. Churchill during peacetime and Gorbachev after glasnost, were not terribly popular at home either if I'm not wrong.

What I don't get is the English protestors I saw while I stopped in London earlier today... (if you can call that wierd timeframe today. The last 30 hours of transit felt like one long day).

They were protesting the war.

Why don't they buy a ticket to Kabul and protest there? It takes two sides to have a war, but only one to strike first.

Who is giving the Taliban and Bin Laden the finger for being aggressive?

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[This message has been edited by Yorick (edited 11-02-2001).]

[Ronn_Bman]

Originally posted by Epona: Well I think this makes him a hypocrite

Not in the least.

Those who start war, must expect war. The death of innocents is terrible no matter where they live, but if a government is willing to sacrifice it's civilian population, that government should be removed.

Intentionally targeting civilians is much different than causing accidental civilian deaths through retaliatory action in the course of war. It doesn't lessen the loss, or the grief of those left behind, but war is war.

No nation has ever gone to greater efforts to minimize the civilian casualties of an enemy in history. In spite of this, there are those who still complain that it is unjust. While that may be true to a degree, the civilized world has to be able to defend itself and it's population. There is no way to wage war without cost.

Yorick, you're right, Prime Minister Blair is a "class act" through and through.


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"Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins."

[This message has been edited by Ronn_Bman (edited 11-02-2001).]

[skywalker]

I bet Bush will be more remembered than Blair for "Bring osama bin laden back Dead or Alive", and "We will smoke 'em out of their holes", and "We'll bring the Evildoers to Justice"! These lines are so catchy and are timeless!

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Still The Most Humbly Prideful (?) Member Of The Illuminati!

Mark

[Yorick]

Originally posted by skywalker: I bet Bush will be more remembered than Blair for "Bring osama bin laden back Dead or Alive", and "We will smoke 'em out of their holes", and "We'll bring the Evildoers to Justice"! These lines are so catchy and are timeless!

Perhaps. Right now, Blair is the linchpin though, the man who is building and holding the coalition. Europe needs him to talk to America, and America needs him to talk to Europe.

Do we remember Caeser for saying "veni vidi vici" or because he actually achieved those words as action.


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[Yorick]

Just got the gag Skywalker. The lack of sleep strikes back....

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[skywalker]

Originally posted by Yorick: Just got the gag Skywalker. The lack of sleep strikes back....

I guess it was a joke, but I can't help but admit I was doing my Bushwacking thing there. I've become fairly predictable in that. I do appreciate your covering me by saying it was a gag! Yes, yes! I was just kidding!


Catch some Zzzz's Yorick, sleep well if you can!



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Still The Most Humbly Prideful (?) Member Of The Illuminati!

Mark

[Yorick]

Originally posted by skywalker: I guess it was a joke, but I can't help but admit I was doing my Bushwacking thing there. I've become fairly predictable in that. I do appreciate your covering me by saying it was a gag! Yes, yes! I was just kidding! Catch some Zzzz's Yorick, sleep well if you can!

Thanks Mark. I just shouldn't have watched the news, and worse, the opinions of political observers on lateline. Man, the misinformation and plain stupidness of some people is so frustrating - and 'we' can't write concilliatory, even handed replies to them. We can't reply at all, yet they can and do influence public opinion. Some of these guys were prominent journos.

It comes down to extreme opinion selling. Same with fear. Fear sells, because you need further information to remove the fear.

Someone who knows a little but thinks they know a lot is very very scarey.

Aaaah whatever. Good to be home but I miss New York already.



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