Commendable though this is why are we not also remembering the thousands of Iraqis who have been slaughtered by Bush and Bliar? Are we so jingoistic that the deaths of foreigners do not matter?
I took part in a peace/ remembrance vigil last night near Luton War Memorial to call out the names of the 100 dead UK soldiers. We were careful to remind the public that we also remembered the 2500 dead US soldiers and the countless (and uncounted) Iraqi men women and children who have perished in this needless war.
As peace campaigners we mourn the death of anyone killed by war - a war which a Luton ex-Army person said was a waste of lives just so that Blair could punch above his weight!
By highlighting the deaths of UK soldiers the peace movement is seen to be sensitive towards their families and friends who mourn their passing. We are geniunely sorry that so many men, women and children have lost their lives in an illegal war.
By reminding politicians of the deaths of our soldiers we are putting more pressure on them to change their stance on the Iraq War, because their constituents are more aggrieved about the deaths of UK soldiers than they are about Iraqi people. This is wrong, of course, because each person killed is of equal worth.
I would like to see someone collect as many names of Iraqi people killed in this useless war so that we can read their names out in public - probably take several hours or day I should think.
QUOTE By highlighting the deaths of UK soldiers the peace movement is seen to be sensitive towards their families and friends who mourn their passing. UNQUOTE
QUESTION- does the peace movement publically mourn the passing of that British muslim that travelled to Israel and died fighting for the Palestinaian cause, leaving his family to be sickeningly raided and prosecuted by Blair and his Goons? Or does your MAGIC principle ONLY apply to Blair's volunteer thugs who travel to muslim countries to rape, torture, and murder. If the family of Omar Sharif are prosecuted in the UK for their support of his acts, SO SHOULD EVERY FAMILY OF EVERY BRITISH SOLDIER SERVING OR CONNECTED WITH THE AGGRESSIVE WAR IN IRAQ.
QUOTE This is wrong, of course, because each person killed is of equal worth. UNQUOTE
QUESTION- is the life of a concentration guard of equal worth to the thousands of people he gasses to death? Is the life of a WW2 firestorm bomber of equal worth to the thousands of fleeing civilians he burns to death? Is the life of a rapist of equal worth to the rape victim? Is the life of a murderer of equal worth to the victim?
EVERY NATION ON EARTH HAS A SYSTEM OF JUSTICE BASED ON THE FACT THAT THE ANSWER TO EACH OF THESE QUESTIONS IS *********NO*********.
A 'peace movement' that states that those that DESTROY PEACE should be honoured. Hmmm, I'm against rape, so I had better find some rapists to honour, hadn't I.
A 'soldier' fighting with the forces engaged in an AGGRESSIVE WAR is merely a super criminal, ie., a criminal with a perpetual 'get out of prison free card' given to him/her by the Warlord-in-Chief.
The simple truth about the last few days is that it has been Blair, and his New Reich agents leading the REMEMBERANCE OF THE FALLEN HEROES. There is no mystery as to the purpose of nation-wide ceremonies to anyone who is familiar with wartime military history from ANY period of mass human butchery. From ancient Sparta, to the tribes of deepest Africa, dead 'warriors' are honoured for one reason, and one reason only- to produce a NEW GENERATION of 'warriors' dedicated to SLAUGHTER in the name of the 'state'.
- a wildfire of anti-muslim slander in the Mass Media of the West - a clear statement by the West that the penalty for Iran daring to arm itself with weapons like those held in extraordinary quantity by the West is GENOCIDE. - a CULT OF THE FALLEN HERO actively created in the homeland of BLAIR
MY, MY- these are certainly all hopeful signs- hopeful, that is if you are hoping for the Earth to be burnt to a cinder!
I agree with most of what Twilight said. Yes, the armed forces who kill, mutilate, rape and dishonour Muslim people in Iraq are nothing worse than criminals, because all agents of the state who kill are the enemies of the people.
But what I was trying to say is that the soldiers' wives and children, mothers and fathers etc mourn their dead relative or partner and we shoud respect that as much as I mourn the deaths of the victims of the Third Reich slaughterhouse and uncounted people who have perished due to bombing in WW2, Vietnam, East Timor, Japan, Iraq etc.
I am not advocating people should respect the prison guards, the SS or Bomber Harris and his crew - they are the scum of the State, but are the relatives and children of these people also guilty of atrocities?
If the opposers of war want the general public to get on the side of opposing this war then we have to try to "speak their language". Communicate with everyone who is troubled and disgusted by this war whatever level they are on - this way we have a better chance of ending the bloody conflict.
The "them and Us" stance adopted by people like Twilight has rendered the peace movement almost irrelevant because the majority of the public see us as uncaring people. They believe that our condemnation of killing is a political stance and that we don't really mean it because it all politics - more like its all bollocks.
The peace movement should distance itself from politics because it is a mind fuck. Bruce Kent recently said that the peace movement is its own worst enemy because it appears to come across as uncaring.
He's right (not because he's Bruce Kent) but because that is how the majority of people see us!
I don't agree with Twilight about "honoring fallen heroes". However Stop the War Coalition were asking groups to also read out the names of some of the Iraqi dead. Was this done at Nottingham? If it wasn't then why not? - and if so then this is badly reported.
We are reminded that 100 dead british soldiers are more important than 100,000 dead Iraqis. This means that 1 brit=1000 iraqis. Or 1 Iraqi = 1/1000 of a brit.
Well done anti war movement your mathematics skills are brilliant.
Ever wonder how many Iraqis those british soldiers killed before they themselves died? Na dont bother mentioning that.
Comments
Hide the following 8 comments
Commendable
02.02.2006 07:43
Me
Useful Comment but...?
02.02.2006 09:00
As peace campaigners we mourn the death of anyone killed by war - a war which a Luton ex-Army person said was a waste of lives just so that Blair could punch above his weight!
By highlighting the deaths of UK soldiers the peace movement is seen to be sensitive towards their families and friends who mourn their passing. We are geniunely sorry that so many men, women and children have lost their lives in an illegal war.
By reminding politicians of the deaths of our soldiers we are putting more pressure on them to change their stance on the Iraq War, because their constituents are more aggrieved about the deaths of UK soldiers than they are about Iraqi people. This is wrong, of course, because each person killed is of equal worth.
I would like to see someone collect as many names of Iraqi people killed in this useless war
so that we can read their names out in public - probably take several hours or day I should think.
One Love
Peter Wakeham
Luton Against War
Peter Wakeham, LUTON AGAINST WAR
comendible but sick
02.02.2006 11:37
thats crap who cares about the brits who uphold the neo liberals and their policies of war mongering who started the war.
==
How Hitler must be laughing in Hell
02.02.2006 12:48
By highlighting the deaths of UK soldiers the peace movement is seen to be sensitive towards their families and friends who mourn their passing.
UNQUOTE
QUESTION- does the peace movement publically mourn the passing of that British muslim that travelled to Israel and died fighting for the Palestinaian cause, leaving his family to be sickeningly raided and prosecuted by Blair and his Goons? Or does your MAGIC principle ONLY apply to Blair's volunteer thugs who travel to muslim countries to rape, torture, and murder. If the family of Omar Sharif are prosecuted in the UK for their support of his acts, SO SHOULD EVERY FAMILY OF EVERY BRITISH SOLDIER SERVING OR CONNECTED WITH THE AGGRESSIVE WAR IN IRAQ.
QUOTE
This is wrong, of course, because each person killed is of equal worth.
UNQUOTE
QUESTION- is the life of a concentration guard of equal worth to the thousands of people he gasses to death? Is the life of a WW2 firestorm bomber of equal worth to the thousands of fleeing civilians he burns to death? Is the life of a rapist of equal worth to the rape victim? Is the life of a murderer of equal worth to the victim?
EVERY NATION ON EARTH HAS A SYSTEM OF JUSTICE BASED ON THE FACT THAT THE ANSWER TO EACH OF THESE QUESTIONS IS *********NO*********.
A 'peace movement' that states that those that DESTROY PEACE should be honoured. Hmmm, I'm against rape, so I had better find some rapists to honour, hadn't I.
A 'soldier' fighting with the forces engaged in an AGGRESSIVE WAR is merely a super criminal, ie., a criminal with a perpetual 'get out of prison free card' given to him/her by the Warlord-in-Chief.
The simple truth about the last few days is that it has been Blair, and his New Reich agents leading the REMEMBERANCE OF THE FALLEN HEROES. There is no mystery as to the purpose of nation-wide ceremonies to anyone who is familiar with wartime military history from ANY period of mass human butchery. From ancient Sparta, to the tribes of deepest Africa, dead 'warriors' are honoured for one reason, and one reason only- to produce a NEW GENERATION of 'warriors' dedicated to SLAUGHTER in the name of the 'state'.
- a wildfire of anti-muslim slander in the Mass Media of the West
- a clear statement by the West that the penalty for Iran daring to arm itself with weapons like those held in extraordinary quantity by the West is GENOCIDE.
- a CULT OF THE FALLEN HERO actively created in the homeland of BLAIR
MY, MY- these are certainly all hopeful signs- hopeful, that is if you are hoping for the Earth to be burnt to a cinder!
twilight
Advice to Twilight
02.02.2006 15:19
The Unknown Worrier
Thank you to Twilight
02.02.2006 16:13
But what I was trying to say is that the soldiers' wives and children, mothers and fathers etc
mourn their dead relative or partner and we shoud respect that as much as I mourn the deaths of the victims of the Third Reich slaughterhouse and uncounted people who have perished due to bombing in WW2, Vietnam, East Timor, Japan, Iraq etc.
I am not advocating people should respect the prison guards, the SS or Bomber Harris and his crew - they are the scum of the State, but are the relatives and children of these people also guilty of atrocities?
If the opposers of war want the general public to get on the side of opposing this war then we have to try to "speak their language". Communicate with everyone who is troubled and disgusted by this war whatever level they are on - this way we have a better chance of ending the bloody conflict.
The "them and Us" stance adopted by people like Twilight has rendered the peace movement almost irrelevant because the majority of the public see us as uncaring people.
They believe that our condemnation of killing is a political stance and that we don't really mean it because it all politics - more like its all bollocks.
The peace movement should distance itself from politics because it is a mind fuck.
Bruce Kent recently said that the peace movement is its own worst enemy because it appears to come across as uncaring.
He's right (not because he's Bruce Kent) but because that is how the majority of people see us!
One Love
Peter Wakeham LUTON AGAINST WAR
Iraqi Dead?
03.02.2006 00:33
Brian B
Everytime something like this happens
05.02.2006 16:38
Well done anti war movement your mathematics skills are brilliant.
Ever wonder how many Iraqis those british soldiers killed before they themselves died? Na dont bother mentioning that.
...