miked10270

Sorry! 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.

1. Iran is NOT an Arab State. 2. Islamic States DO NOT say: "we must kill all Jews". They say: "The State of Israel must cease to exist." The State. Not the People. Actually, there are some Jews who agree that the State of Israel must cease to exist. 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.

As the first official co-recipient of the Mike's official give-a-fuck award, I can now head off to work a happy man. Err... JOINT First. You should really give credit to your co-winner... Something like "I couldn't have done it without the help of..." Mike. Edited to add: Perhaps we can now get back to the latest from Loony-Central Tel-Aviv. 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.

Skydivr. Skydekker. (& others) Do you want to contribute constructively to the discussion? Or do you just want to spat at each other, in which case perhaps you should you follow THIS LINK 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.

Here being Yugoslavia, Mark? Just because it didn't work, that doesn't mean there wasn't a bloody good going attempt at it. There's still Jews alive in Poland, Germany, Etc... today. Anyway: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5219360.stm Israel drops leaflets telling people to get out of their homes. Israel targets convoys of refugees. Anyone who hasn't risked being killed while abandoning their homes & lives is now a terrorist? Pretty strange logic. About as strange as Israel saying the world supports them because no call for immediate ceasefire came out of Rome. By the same logic, "The World" supported the Serbs in Yugoslavia & Pol-Pot in Cambodia. And yeah.. I'm sorry to say that the result of this WILL be ethnic cleansing by any definition. The only people alive there will be Serbs Israelis. 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.

And the really nice thing is that you can now hyperlink to them in eMails! http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=68725; http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=68726; 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.

Yes... It's a sad reflection on the training & ability of the Israeli Artillery who were originally tasked with destroying it! They REALLY should have got a laser designator onto the building in less than 6 hours, so that the IAF could bomb it accurately, but perhaps there just wasn't one nearby. I'm sure that this will all be dealt with in the course of The Israeli Internal Enquiry. In the meantime, problems with Hezb'Allah troops winning against Israelis... Inaccurate bombing & shelling... This is clearly not the Israeli Defense() Force of 1967 or 1973! Very unprofessional, and perhaps resting on the laurels of old glories for far too long? 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.

Israel, being an American Client-State, trains it's troops on the American Model. As such, they are as unbeatable as the American Military (albeit on a smaller scale) in conventional warfare. Hezb'Allah are training on the Vietnamese model - as used by the mix of Viet-Minh & NVA. This has also been used to effect in Somalia & Iraq, and arguable dates back to the Allied landings at Normandy and the subsequent breakout where there was close co-operation between regular & resistance forces. Over time, it can stymie the American Model which (like the old Wehrmacht model) presumes a formal warfare between identifiable armies. As such, Israel may occupy ground. HOLDING the ground will be an entirely different matter. 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'm pretty sure that Israel is using export F-16s. I believe that they cannot designate their own targets for laser guided weapons and that this designation is done by ground troops pointing a laser designator at the target and the plane only having to drop the bomb in the general area for the guidance package to pick up the laser. So the IAF are simply dropping ordnace "fairly close" for ground troops to guide in. Taking a wider view... America appears to be further promoting world peace, by coalescing the world into "The US" & "The United Countries of the Rest of the World". The "UCRW" even has it's own flag... Same as America's, only on fire! Mike. PS: Just to cover counter-argument #1: "Das "Vereinigte Länder des Restes der Welt" hat es sogar soll Markierungsfahne besitzen... Selben wie Amerika, aber auf Feuer!" 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.

Given the nature of so much of SC, where people say they're thinking when they're actually re-arranging their prejudices. Mike. Posted for a giggle only. I wouldn't go so far as to use them in a post. 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 fixed post on the top of a hill. Painted white. Nothing around it. Location known to IDF (per BBC TV News)? Israel's guarantee of safety to UN observation posts? The 6 hours of artillery bombardment, which was directed & corrected? The 10 calls? Plus radio calls from the post to local IDF forces, which were acknowledged? Israel's repeated promises to cease firing on the post? It runs in my mind that the target would have to be marked by laser to guide the bomb, and Israel's current strike planes can't do that themselves... So the target marker / FAC? I'd really call that well beyond reasonable doubt... Really beyond any doubt at all. But if you would prefer to wait for the Israeli investigation... Mike. PS: I'll bet here & now that Israel's own investigation will put the blame on a single (rogue) soldier probably a junior officer, who later got killed. Very sorry. Deep regrets. PPS: Edited to add: Apparently 10 other FIXED UN Observationposts have come under Israeli attack (according to America's ABC News), none as successfully yet. 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.

The UN Observation post was a two storey structure, painted white, with "UN" painted on all sides and the roof. Israel shelled it for 6 Hours through no less than 10 UN calls for them to cease firing on it. After each call Israel said it would cease fire. The post was then bombed by laser-guided bomb & destroyed and a UN rescue attempt was also fired on. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5217176.stm Looks pretty deliberate to me. 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.

If it helps, there is information that the Israelis are starting to fight fair! Apparently Israel has killed 5 of it's own infantry and shot down one of it's own Apache Attack Helicopters! 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.

If the Lebanese & Palestinians laid down their arms, their homes & way of life would be crushed by Israel. If Israel laid down their arms, their homes & way of life would be crushed by "The Arabs". Each side sees itself as defending their homes and way of life. each side goes about it in the ways that give them the best guarantee of victory. Bear in mind that when Palestine was partitioned and the state of Israel created, Israel's FIRST action was to evict the non-Jews. No compensation. "Fuck-Off with what you can carry... NOW!!" Then, when Israel invaded & occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip, etc... Which became known as The Occupied Territories", they again evicted non-Jews. Again without compensation. So... If "the Arabs" lay down their arms, what can they reasonably expect? Will Israel adhere to international pressure for justice? Israel has a history & tradition of doing exactly the opposite as long as Israel wins. Hence the need for BOTH sides to lay down arms... by force if necessary. Israel & Palestine are ripe for "Regime-Change" & disarmament, with the formation of a new nation NOT based on religion. A "Palestinian Defence Force" capable of defense, not offense. Of course, this means the "Annihilation of Israel". Not the people, the state. 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 go with "Hezb'Allah" (The voice / party of God). Some go with a phonetic spelling. Some go with a derogatory term like "Pussies", conveniently forgetting that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter and thus showing their bias. In the meantime, Hezb'Allah remains largely intact, chiefly to Israel only killing it's members at the same rate as the general population. Mike. 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.

Since Hezb'Allah & Hamas know they can't line up tanks on a battlefield, they fight as best and as effectively they can. It's called "Asymmetric Warfare". America had it in Vietnam. Britain had it in Northern Ireland. The Coalition has it in Iraq & Afghanistan... And Israel has it in Lebanon & Palestine. What sets Israel apart is it's current response and rules of engagement, which falls far short of American & British Rules of Engagement in such a situation. Israel commonly carries out acts which would (properly) result in war-crimes charges in any other western military. 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.

Sure thing, buddy! http://www.cedarland.org/501.html Thanks Trent. Good source.

The Austrian? The Canadian? The Chinaman? The Finn? That'd be a pretty amazing coalition against Israel! 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.

How unique! Here in the U.S., no news agency ever questions or complains about the government. Yeah... Then there's BBC Light Entertainment, the most fearsome of which (to the Government or overblown ego) being: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_I_Got_News_For_You If BBC News doesn't get the idiot politician or public figure, then rest assured that these guys will. Mike. PS: Best one had to be when Roy Hattersley MP (a Government minister & senior Labour Politician at the time) kept cancelling his appearance, having no doubt realised what was going to be said about the Government, was replaced with a Tub of Lard! The Tub of Lard won. 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.

Yeah... Unfortunately it's not possible for the UN to put peacekeepers in with a mandate to ENFORCE the peace fairly & impartially with the automatic US veto of this type of mandate. For example: A 40Km wide "DMZ" - 20 Km into Israel & 20Km into Lebanon with authority to operate beyond the DMZ if the local UN commander deems it neccessary. Surely that's fair? But such a resolution & mandate would never get past the US Veto. The presently proposed "security-zone" is entirely in Lebanon. As such, it's seen as enforcing Israel's peace, while the proposed peacekeeping force have little combat & counter-insurgency reputation or experience; and, being drawn from largely Muslim countries can easily be accused of bias by Israel should it wish to mount it's own military operations. Hence, the current UN plan won't enforce the peace. What IS needed is a FoRCE with a mandate to ensure that if any weapons are going to be fired, then it'll be overwhelmingly the UN force's weapons rather than Israel's or the "Freedom-Fighter's". 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 think that the real advantage enjoyed by the BBC is in the way it's funded. It's not tied to satisfying either commercial sponsors or government (thanks to it's original constitution which no British Government has dared interfere with). Over the years, it's developed the rather neat tactic that when the Government complains about the BBC's coverage, the BBC then reports the Government complaint as a news story! Hence, as long as the BBC remains honest and as unbiased as it's best efforts allow, it is unassailable.

What's embarrassing, I think, is that through yet another failure of the UN, Hezbolla hasn't been disarmed/dismantled. What have these guys been doing? Sitting by and watching these bastards re-arm? Israel shells fixed UN observation post, attacks rescue team, and finally bombs the post killing four obvious neutrals. An obvious sustained attack over a significant time period by THREE different assets, so "mistake" or "friendly-fire" just won't work. Can you SERIOUSLY defend this? Just how DESPERATE are you for Israel to be right in all it does? Israel kills UN troops, therefore it's the dead UN troops' fault!!? The only criticism I have of the UN is that the UN Forces don't have the same mandate they had in Korea. This isn't the first time Israel has attacked & overrrun UN peacekeeping forces, thus showing utter disregard for international opinion and relying on America's veto in The UN Security Council. Like it or not, Israel is acting like a Rogue-State! For example, Iraqis under Saddam Hussein never went as far as shelling & bombing UN Observers! Also, it's not the first time Israel has acted this way towards UN peacekeepers if they were in the way of an Israeli objective. There were similar incidents in Lebanon in the past, which was why Syria was mandated for Lebanese security. As for the "Mini-Katyushas" pictured by Trent, can I ask WHERE the pics came from? I understand that Hezb'Allah used BM-21 & Fajr-3 rockets in their attacks. Those are very definitely truck mounted - need to be for the range to reach Israel from Tyre (which Israel is bombing). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katyusha (bottom of article) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BM-21 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fajr-3 Hence Israel's requirement for a buffer zone to protect them from the Fajr-3. 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.

What can I say? I read the Beeb online regularly and that's certainly not how I see it. It's forced me to consider my own personal bias in this matter. I saw the Beeb as unbiased. Therefore, my own bias is probably as pro-Israeli as the Beeb. Fair enough, I am quite pro-Israeli in that I can understand the justification for some of their actions and agree with same. Historically, Israel has been in the right far more than it has been in the wrong. This time in Lebanon though... 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.

Yeah... Having shelled the FIXED UN Observation post & bunker 14 times, then shelled the rescue party trying to reach the post, Israel bombs it! So... Hardly an isolated mistake? THEN... Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz had said a "security zone" in southern Lebanon would be maintained "under the control of our forces if there is not a multinational force". Well... There wouldn't be a multinational force to cover the "security area" if Israel is shelling & bombing & killing them, would there? Hence my concern about a Turkish/Egyption peacekeeping force. I doubt they'd manage to keep the area secure, and would quickly lose credibility to the Israelis (not that they'd have much in the first place). I still think that South Africans would be the optimum choice - Ideally with a mandate to shoot-right-the-fuck-back at anyone attacking them. 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 the strange thing. The report claims exactly the opposite, and then goes into the reasons why. BBC reporters & journalists agree and also explain why. In effect, although I would have thought the BBC was unbiased, they themselves admit to a pro-Israeli bias in their reporting! That shook me since the Beeb is so commonly quoted here as an irrefutable source. 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.