vortexring

Via a size 10 up the arses of the politicians?

That poem made me think of 'Tommy Atkins' - one of my favourites, mainly because of some updated and more apt verses I came across (in bold) to be added to the original: I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer, The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here." The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die, I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I: O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away"; But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play, The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play, O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play. I went into a theatre as sober as could be, They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me; They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls, But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls! For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside"; But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide, The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide, O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide. Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap; An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit. Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?" But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll, The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll, O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll. We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too, But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you; An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints, Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints; While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind", But it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind, There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind, O it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind. You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all: We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational. Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace. For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!" But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot; An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please; An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees! I went into a gastro pub to get meself a meal, This pay as you dine you see it ain't no real good deal. The quality is pretty pish, and quantities are dire, Whoever got rid of t'Catering Corps, has left us in the mire: O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy is well paid"; But nobodies getting shot at Westminster, they're just getting laid- There ain't no band begins to play, my boys, which means we have less medics, And boys get harmed in Snatches and still there are few credits. I were sent into a war as lairy as could be, Wi' no proper role or kit, and nobody backing me; They sent me to Afghanistan or into South Iraq, But there weren't ever near enough of us, to get 'em back on track!! For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy get on wi? it"; But there's "No more money in the pot," when the fan is hit by s***- The fan is hit by s***, my boys, the fan is hit by s***, It's "Carry on and do your best?, when the fan is hit by s***. Those lads that you depend on, and fund them on the cheap, You treat 'em all like s*** and bugger the mission creep; Don't worry that they live in slums, and will do yet for years, Why should we treat 'em any different, why care about their fears, Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy 'ow's yer life?" Well life is crap he says, according to the wife- Life is crap he says, she's gone home to mum, I've said goodbye t'wife , O life it's crap he says, when JPA fucks up your life. No one likes us, what do you care, when we're back in camp, Trying to * your daughters, drinking, and swinging on a lamp; But we save your arse so many times, and do your dirty deeds, But all you do is cut the money, and it's our family that bleeds: While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy plug that dyke," But it's "Please to fill those sandbags, sir," when there's flooding and the like- And fight those fires, my boys, you cannot go on strike, Do some other fuckers dirty work, covered in the dung and shite, When foot and mouth, or other mess becomes the country's plight. You talk of cuts, reorganisations, savings and the like; But it's getting to the point where we'll all be on our bike. Sort out the quarters and the compensation, and prove it to our face, Give us our own hospital, your treatment of our wounded is an absolute disgrace. For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "the best little Army that there be!" But the Covenant is nearly busted; Labour's done that to us don't you see? An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' platitudes to appease; But Tommy, he ain't blind - you bet that Tommy sees! Unfortunately I don't actually know who wrote these updated versus - I wonder what Kipling would've thought of them? 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

Came across this report on suicide in the Ivan army: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7425694.stm It says: 'The BBC's Russia analyst, Steven Eke, says dedovshchina - literally, rule of the elders, a culturally specific, often very violent, form of bullying, is cited as the most frequent trigger for young soldiers taking their own lives.' The bullying within the Russian Army is beyond belief. It does make me wonder though, when the piece concludes with: 'He suggested that Russia use the experience of the US in Iraq and Afghanistan to help their troops deal with the psychological trauma of combat'. This then leads me onto: 'US army suicides hit record high' http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7859797.stm And this: 'British Military Suicides in the Falklands and Iraq' http://warandhealth.com/british-military-suicides-in-the-falklands-and-iraq/ Grim reading indeed. 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

What if they fail the class? Have poor attendance? How on earth do you think mandatory birth control should be policed? 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

He's already given away too much! He's easily traceable on-line and because he's told us he has caches of food and water, when 2012 comes he doesn't want you coming to his house and conking him on the head to get it. He's probably going to have to change his name now and move. Really, something like a witless protection program that will safeguard his identity, source and methods. Oh, and he's going to have to move the caches of water and food. Those damn zombies in Texas are certainly going to be able to sniff those out. http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=28947955 PMSL!!! Oh bugger! Sorry Rwieder! Let's keep it secure & covert through PM mate. 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

Well, why bring the subject up then? Go on, FFS, just a couple!

Yes indeed. I'm intrigued by you saying: 'The question is, should we be proactive or reactive? Is an ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure ...' What is your solution? 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

What, you got jokes? Let's see how funny you think it is when more peoplw lose their jobs and get desperate for food, money or anything else you have that they want. The time will come soon enough. I only wished i could disclose all the measures i've taken, but i cant / won"t. When my father was still alive and i was 10 - 13 years old, he and i would go to the deer lease with NOTHING but his truck and gas money. We lived off what we killed, my Dad called it "Camp Meat" I learned a lot and i'm glad i did, i have passed these traditions to my sons as well. It would be beneficial to everyone here to have a "Plan" Where was it I read; 'We're only 4 meals away from anarchy.'? Maybe you do have a point. Go on, at least disclose a couple of your measures. 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

That's what's really scary. 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

But if we let nature takes its course these children would starve to death. No - it's quite natural for the majority of parents to care for their children. 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

Having a lot of children should not be presumed to be "stupid". Everyone has their own idea of how many is too many. Just because your chosen number is lower than that of others, does not make them stupid. My father was the youngest of ten children. Does that make my grandma "stupid"? I think not. If you don't want 10 children, that's your free choice to make. But you shouldn't call people names who choose differently from yourself. Ben Franklin was born the 15th of 17 children. John F. Kennedy was one of 9 children. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has 9 children. Queen Victoria had 9 children. Thank gosh someone wasn't around to tell those parents that they couldn't have any more children! You should consider mortality rates during the times of some of your examples. 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

That's a honorable goal, but they're going about it wrong with face masks and a machete. Just patrol openly in pairs, and offer escort service to women who call-in and ask for it. What? edit: You don't really believe these chav's are honourable do you? Do you believe they'd apprehend a possible rapist and take him to the police station? They'd in fact take great delight in smashing his face and body to pieces, because he deserved it, right? 'Oops, wrong guy. . .' 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

Here's a good article from The Economist titled 'Britain's armed forces: Losing their way?' Edit: Here's a comment left by an Economist reader: 'The reality is that the Labour government has treated the Armed Forces very cynically, firstly with Tony Blair using it to grandstand on the world stage and pursue his own place in history (driven by his deluded religious convictions) and now by Gordon Brown - who as Chancellor could barely conceal his contempt for our forces and who would like nothing more than to see them broken and humiliated on a foreign field. Labour, a party of effete self-congratulatory urban hypocrites has a deep rooted hatred of the Armed Forces that stems from their deeply ingrained class consciousness and their (misplaced) perception of the forces as institutions preserving older orders and attitudes. The next (Conservative) government must urgently find a way to both achieve the military components of current overseas missions and to also rest, reconstitute and rebuild the Armed Forces, institutions that the vast majority of the British people hold in the highest esteem, value dearly and rightly recognise their immense importance to our nation and its security. The price of peace is eternal vigilance and this warrior nation must never let hard won lessons of history be forgotten. He who wishes peace must prepare for war and that means we must always be prepared to commit significant proportions of GDP to defence. This will require a substantial increase in spending during the next decade if we our to repair the damage done by a deeply cynical and dishonest Labour government.' And another from a squaddie: 'I think it's a decent article. Years of over commitment, under funding and poor defence reviews have taken their toll. A certain retired CGS who had a face lift and the Labour government are certainly at fault; the CGS for not standing his ground when it came to defence cuts and the Labour government for slowly chipping away at our resources and commiting forces with scant regard to sustainability. If a major indicent other than Telic had kicked off in early 2003 we would have been screwed. When the Conservatives get in they need to remedy the situation immediately. Increase funding for starters. They need to take a leaf out of the Americans book when it comes to supporting the troops and making the Armed Forces a great career option because of the benefits that come with it. I was speaking to an American last night and he said that because he was wounded in action (and thus awarded the Purple Heart) in most of the major states his children will go to university for free! Then you have the GI Bill for education. No tax on ops.' A hard hitting article, bringing up issues worthy of discussion! (hopefully) 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

That little misplaced attempt at humour could have gone down very badly indeed; and I don't mean with his Mrs. What were the resultant jokes? 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

I think the explanation is fairly simple. Some people want Islamic radicals and combatants tortured. If a few(?) innocents get in the way, tough luck, and to hell with the consequences. Educated or uneducated. The remainder? Perhaps through ignorance. Which you're trying to address. And that is good. 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

Well; 'How do we, as a human race, determine what's important?' Perhaps it depends on what exact power you mean? "Lets start with a closer look at what 'power' is. Power is typically thought of has having a certain attribute which gives one person more influence over another. This attribute could be intelligence or experience, it could be job title, or perhaps money. According to most social psychologists, there are five types of power: coercive, reward, legitimate, expert, and referent." http://allpsych.com/psychology101/obedience_power.html Although illegitimate use of power is where I think your issue lies. "Power activates a person's behavioral approach system and underlies our motivation to act, while powerlessness activates our behavioral inhibition system to restrict action and risk-taking," said Galinsky. "But, in illegitimate power scenarios, the powerless are more likely to act without direction in an attempt to change the situation, and the powerful may inhibit their actions for fear of losing their undeserved seat at the top." http://esciencenews.com/articles/2008/06/16/when.powerless.rise What does that make you think of? Simply, having power can make it easier to get what you want. Individuals in the human race know what's important for themselves. I'd imagine we've a vaguely similiar idea of what is important for the human race - but I reckon too many are thinking more on what's important for ourselves. 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

Well, no wonder. It's like saying all families of the people killed on 9/11 will receive £12000. . . including the families of the hijackers. 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

I have! Amazing? What's your opinion? What's your opinion on our acidification of the oceans? Similiar to that of ancient peoples beliefs in fuckin' witches ya mong?

Unfortunately I think I've found your poll flawed; who's going to admit to partisanship in your poll Marg? Who's going to admit to not bothering their arses to download the rather large files? Reading them. Making some kind of collation. Making a worthy vote. ? 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

It seems we should give more consideration of carbon dioxide as an ocean pollutant: http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0921-oceans.html http://courses.ma.org/sciences/dowen/StudentWork/Global_Warming/Ocean_Acid2.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_acidification The implications are shocking. Bump - read what really matters fuckers, as in, what's above ya' 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

It seems we should give more consideration of carbon dioxide as an ocean pollutant: http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0921-oceans.html http://courses.ma.org/sciences/dowen/StudentWork/Global_Warming/Ocean_Acid2.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_acidification The implications are shocking. 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

Gled ta' hear it soldier. Now, is thet ah jellee do-nut Private Pyle. . . 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

Other question for you - I've been reading recently of moves to put iron fillings into the oceans to encourage plankton blooms which would absorb CO2 back into the oceans when the plankton dies - your opinion? Wouldn't increased levels of carbon within the oceans through these means increase oceanic acidification - which as I understand, is very bad? 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

Amazing - what kind of tyres were they Bill? Standard or Eco-friendly long lasting types? My last set - Michelin Pilot SPORT PS2's - lasted only 12000miles - but their performance was outstanding otherwise. 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

Have you started scoffing a binbag full of Oreo's whilst guzzling Gatorade? Gad-dEm! 'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'