miked10270

Yeah John in the FIELDS around town "FIELDS" weren't mentioned. It's (technically) easier to operate a gun in a built-up area than rockets because of the nature of the propellant and the backblast. As such, the rockets are the ones which NEED an open space to launch from, not the field guns! Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

A sad and depressing read. Funny how this kind of journalism isn't published in the USA anymore. No-News is Good-News? The breakdown of Iraq and it's descent into civil war as a direct consequence ot Saddam Hussein being overthrown by external forces was predicted back in 1990, during the first Gulf-War, and conveniently forgotten during the build up to the second Gulf-War. Put it down to greed and political panic about domestic issues. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Wow, we got to Godwin's Law pretty quickly on this one... Godwin's Law applies specifically to the original Nazi's, NOT Neo-Nazis. And... Given that the nature of this forum specifically invites historical comparison, the Acne-Ridden application of Godwin's law (You mentioned the Nazis so you lose) can hardly apply here. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Meanwhile to pretend to show both sides they print the opinion of yet another Communist. The difference is only this guy is not in support of slaughter of 100's of thousands that oppose his stupid ideas. Bruno, Have you considered how "Totalitarian" your views on Cuba and the media coverage of it are? You seem to act in exactly the way you accuse and complain about Castro & his regime of acting! Determined to shout down and deny any viewpoint other than your own extreme one! Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

A couple of interesting views... By Cubans who SPEND TIME IN CUBA! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4789052.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4789080.stm Reasoned argument. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Is that because they're no longer being (or feeling) persecuted now? They're now more "comfortable" and see things getting better? It's people who find themselve in extreme situations who embrace extremism. The best, and probably only, counter to extremism and the "terrorism" it generates is people who feel safe & comfortable. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

That's what's known as: "Being hoist by your own Petard!" Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Noice..... I took it as a personal account of somebody who has actually been to Cuba and who doesn't have this enormous personal bias. How many times have you been to Cuba, Mr. Expert? And... How many times has the "Canadian Who Knows The Real Cuba" been there? The "Letter" is pure diatribe with NOTHING in it to back up the accusations it levels. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

It's not simple sadism. It's accepting the right of Iraq to govern and examine what's happening in THEIR country. We trust Iraq to try Saddam Hussein... But not American Soldiers for a relatively minor crime? Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

So basically you sympathize and agree with Iraqi resistance killing US soldiers in Iraq? bsbd! Yuri. ? The argument is that if WarpedSkydiver claims the right to "Self-Appointed-Vengeance", then he must accept others having the same right. As such, Iraqi insurgents kidnapping & killing US Soldiers as "retribution" for crimes committed by US Soldiers is in some way fair & just. In effect, a return to frontier Feud and Lynch-Mob law where two wrongs do somehow make a right. Edited to add: And also hardly relevant to the question of how & where these soldiers should be tried & possibly punished. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

... should I face American Justice for a crime committed against Americans IN AMERICA? That would all depend on the rule of law and extradition treaties. The whole point of extradition treaties is for an accused person to be brought back to the country (& justice) where the crime was committed. Take the most recent high-profile example: The (alleged) NatWest insider Trading on Enron; While those involved were British & actually acted in Britain, they have broken American Law and have thus been taken to America (Houston, isn't it?) to face trial under American Law. What's being proposed with these soldiers is in fact the exact opposite of extradition! The first thing someone wants to do when faced with prosecution in a foreign land is to "Get Home"! Usually because they believe they'd face worse punishment where they are - there's nothing like a few thousand miles of distance to take the "immediacy" out of a crime & open doors to "combat-Stress", & "Temporary-Insanity" pleas. "Cruel & Unusual Punishment" is the common excuse, but Fear-of-Abandonment &,being Left-Among-Strangers is a big factor. It's like a child wanting to "Go-Home" when upset or scared, a craving for some degree of familiarity. Had this been a civilian or in almost any other country, then The American State Department would leave them there without a second's hesitation. Why should it be different because of the job an accused person does? Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

My reasons for being against The Death-Penalty are well enough known. Suppose you find out these soldiers were in fact innocent AFTER they've been killed!!? Suppose (purely hypothetically) that while Iwas in America, I raped a 14-year-old child and killed her and her family!! Should I then be tried & convicted in Britain? Should I serve my sentence in Britain? Should I be released on parole in accordance with British Law? Or should I face American Justice for a crime committed against Americans IN AMERICA? If you think about it, the answer in principle is well established. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

NOPE! IF the military enquiry finds there is sufficient evidence, then "Those Involved" should be delivered to an Iraqi court and the US Military should co-operate in the trial. If convicted, then those involved should serve their sentences in Iraq rather than being absorbed into the American Penal System with the possibility of Parole. The thing which will rankle with Iraqis is that the perpetrators of this (alleged) crime get to "go home". The attendant analysis will no doubt point out their relative comfort in jail and the minimum term they COULD serve! Life Imprisonment, without parole, in the country the crime was committed in, seems the most appropriate punishment... And sentence most likely to send the appropriate messages to all parties. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/cruelty/nt.html First hit off Google. Mike. Edited: To make sure no-one feels left out: http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/BOM/cr/long.html Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

GOOD answer on the Jewish Faith & Violence. I must admit I didn't find it myself. As to whether we're friends here... The things we disagree with surely shouldn't affect that. Let's face it; We certainly enjoy each others' company and dialogue. Otherwise we wouldn't be here.

That's strange. My "Shaun" was a victim of a materialistic Capitalist society and a criminal justice system which is patently controlled by greedy shopkeepers who retain the fruits of society for their own profit. That's why he's been imprisoned and is denied the means of communicating his plight to the outside world. They've even shaved his head ready for the Electric Chair! Mike Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Methinks that's one trial that won't go well for the accused. It's certainly one that'd be worth watching (if only for the comedic defence)! Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Hi Darius, The Jewish philosophy on violence has little relevance to The State of Israel just as the Christian Philosophy on violence has to America. As for the Muslim reaction to 9/11, I know that Muslims I spoke to at the time & subsequently expressed shock, anger & grief at what happened. They viewed OBL & Al-Quaeda as another extremist terrorist & didn't like what had been done - IT was actually the first time I heard the term: "Not in my name" being commonly used. But "American-Flag-Burning" makes better TV, which is exactly where Americans saw Muslims dancing in the streets. Did anyone in America see any flag-burning & dancing by Muslims in their home towns? What you then see is the American prediliction for "Demonizing & De-Humanising" their percvieved enemy as a group, race, or other bloc. It makes for a nice, simplistic mentality if you don't have to consider an enemy as human - just like you. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

One... ONE!!! local freelance photographer has been found to be submitting manipulated images - so he's been exposed & sacked. Trying to extrapolate this into ALL the news coverage of this conflict seems more like attacking the news agencies in an effort to deny the truth of what's happening there. The "White-Hat / Black-Hat" syndrome has been engendered by Hollywood & other fictional media over the years. Some people really want one side to be the right-thinking, right-doing heroes - just like Captain Kirk & Starfleet... Leaving the other side to be the Evil-Slinking-Villains who only deserve eradication... Preferably within 118 minutes. This nicely sidesteps the truth, viz: A bunch of inadequate, self-appointed-avengers who think that lashing out and harming the "other-side" will somehow end this conflict while conveniently ignoring the fact that they are all simply fuelling it. There are NO "good-guys" in the current Israeli-Lebanon conflict. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

I doubt if photojournalists, etc... are at any more risk than the general population. I really don't see: "Canon Telephoto Lens at 10 O'Clock... selecting GBU-61." as likely pilot (even Israeli Pilot) commentary. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

"free" If you want to say 'socialized', then ok. But the illusion of 'free' is just plain wrong. Was it Nils Bohr who said: "You can be either precise or concise"? I took it as meaning "Free" (at the point of use). The classic Socialist: "From each according to his abilities - To each according to his needs". With, of course, the attendant prblems of ANY socialist country... BRAIN-DRAIN! For example, the sole compelling reason for building The Berlin Wall wasn't folk leaving The DDR for ideological reasons (although it was a good excuse), it was for Economic reasons. Having got the free (no cost to them at the time) education & qualifications, folk would then move to countries where these qualifications would pay better. It's why (for example) the UK, despite having Dentists qualifying at a phenomenal rate, simultaneously has a shortage of Dentists! Train and qualify for free... Then emigrate to where the money is! This leads to the question of which Cubans would want to leave. Anyone want to bet against it being Doctors, Dentists, Pharmacists, Engineers, & other professionals... The ones who would make more money and enjoy a better lifestyle in another country? Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

No, unless a tissue or fluid sample of the perpetrator is part of the evidence- example, the perp's blood or skin under the vicitim's fingernails after being scratched out in a struggle, semen, hair follicles, saliva, etc. If none of that is part of the available evidence, DNA probably won't do much to either assure or prevent a conviction. Absolutely. Further to that, we can't always trust forensic scientists giving their evidence not to be "Helping-The-Police" as one such scientist in England famously did on several high profile terrorist cases in the 1970's & 1980's. Had there been a death penalty in England at the time, the "Birmingham-Six" and "Guildford-Four" would certainly have been executed rather than being released as innocent. IF you want more on the infallibility of forensic evidence, then google "Shirley McKie" and follow the whole sick tale of "Forensic-Infallibility". And that's the whole problem with execution. If someone's imprisoned for life, then they can be released if later proved innocent (it DOES happen). You can't bring the executed back to life. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

I also used to do a little snapping - back in the pre-digital age. No photoshop! no tweaking! You had to get it right on the film! Just me, my trusty F-1's & some rolls of Fuji 50! Talking, even to "pro's", using digital, they all seem to take the "Fix-it-in-photoshop" attitude nowadays, forgetting the time when this couldn't be done. My own feeling is that the standard of photography & in-camera technique has gone down, with folk relying on editing software to "save" an unacceptable or mediocre image. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

I concur the photo caption was misleading. These are obviously decoy flares dropped by the f-16. However, don't these split or multiple eject? Having seen video of F-16's flying strikes nothing looks untoward with the pic itself, only the caption (supplied by the photographer) is technically wrong. Having said that, the pic, even shot through a 300mm telephoto, shows a pretty close aircraft - so yeah... It was an F-16 conducting a strike. I'm puzzled that the original stories are being used to discredit Reuters! It was Reuters who released the original story! In effect, Reuters have cleaned up their own house, and publicly stated their actions. It's hardly grounds to attack Reuters for dishonesty when they're being so transparently honest. The whole story is about Reuters sacking a photographer for being dishonest and thus not adhering to Reuters' standards. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

Hi Michele, I'm afraid that my money is on Cuba following the China Model rather than the Russia / East-European model. While I wouldn't give Raul Castro more than a few years in power (to be followed by their Foreign Minister Ruiz after a power struggle with Economy Minister Garcia), I don't see Cuba becoming a multi-party democracy. Nor do I see The Cuban Communist Party losing power. What I would expect to see after Raul Castro's brief period of power is a change in The Cuban Economy, with a limited free enterprise being allowed & even encouraged, but rest assured that, like China, this will remain under the very firm control of government & any foreign investment will remain strictly limited to partnerships between foreign investors and the Cuban Government itself. As I've said elsewhere, there remains too much bad history between America & Cuba for things to change significantly. In the meantime, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/5236164.stm makes some interesting reading. Mike. Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable. Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.