Support your troops

This contribution is being posted from an air base in the Kuwait dessert on day six of the war. I am a British Forces member and attended Calder High School not too many years ago. The schools anti war demonstration sounded like a heated and intense afternoon. It looks to me though that a lot of people have jumped on the anti-war band wagon as this seems like moral thing to do. This may be so in the short term. Who wants to see lots of our own and other coalition troops killed in action, not to mention the innocent repressed civilians of Iraq? Nobody. But consider this, Saddam has already been firing scud missiles at our and other neighbouring bases. These weapons are deemed to have been scraped in the Iraqi weapons report before this conflict started. There are still thousands of litres of chemical and biological agents that the West knows Iraq has produced because Iraq has admitted it. Iraq insists these stock piles have been destroyed but has failed to provide any evidence. Saddam is more slippery than a can of worms. Left to his own ideals it is only a matter of time until he gets some sort of nuclear capability making him even more dangerous than he already is. This man does not care about anything but him self and needs taking out. This War is not all about oil. I believe that what we are doing out here is the right thing for a more peaceful world in the future. Burying your head in the sand and pretending its all going to be OK is not the answer. Saddam was given more than enough chances to disarm peacefully. HE chose not to. Please support your troops in out here in the Gulf.

Be assured Stu, that the majority of people in the UK support you in what you are doing. Get the job done and come home safe.

According to today's Guardian, 90% of the Spannish and 99% of the French are against the war. We know that Germany and most of world opinion are also against it.

This is an illegal invasion of a foreign country. It does not have the support of the world community, and it certainly does not have the support of the people living in the Calder Valley.

Those participating in this invasion are war criminals. My advice to our troops is to refuse to take part and demand to be sent home. You don't want to have to take responsibility for the killing of more innocent children and other civilians in market places. Remember, after Nuremberg, the excuse of "I was obeying orders" doesn't work.

There are lots of people who accept this war is necessary and a lot who don't. Countrywide, the majority are in favour at this time. World opinion at the moment could be summed up as wait and see. If the liberation is successful, countries will be queueing up to get 'onside' with the liberators. If it is not, it will be a case of 'make hay while the sun shines' for terrorists on the western democracies.

As an ordinary citizen in the Calder Valley, it is hard to see the truth, I do not have access to all the facts, but quoting just a couple will not make it any easier to see where justice lies.

Perhaps when the Iraqi people are free to speak their minds, as the lady in the audience on BBC's Question Time did two days ago, they will let us know.

Time will tell.

Stu- In every moment we are thinking of you and your colleagues, and your families, who are facing such danger in Iraq. I wish there was a more concrete way of showing support.

Please know, and share with others, that we all hope and pray for your safety and that soon you can all come home to the loving arms of your families.

And Matt, these brave young men and women are **not** criminals. You are entitled to your opinion, but don't put such a burden on them. They are doing the best they can to do what they believe, and their leaders believe, is right for the people of Iraq and for the rest of the world. You have the right to your opinion: they have a right to theirs.

Matt, there are parts of the world in which you would be imprisioned and punished for voicing the kind of dissent you were free to post here. You were free from threat and could say whatever you wished- Thats what these brave men and women are fighting to preserve.

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Posted by Phil Mac,
Monday, March 31, 2003



In response to Matts suggestion that British troops, turn round and go back home. Then lets ask Saddam Hussain and the Imperial guard to lay down their arms, and stop the torture of peace-minded Iraqi citizens. And then maybe the Lebanaseand the Syrians, could follow suit. And hey ho, let's ask the North Koreans to do the same. This will never happen, so "Good Luck" to our troops out there in the Middle East.

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