I once heard someone say that English is the easiest language to learn but the hardest to master. I'm very dubious about the first part of that truism but I fully concur with the second. Even somone who dedicates years of their life to learning English will find themselves constantly befuddled by the fact that grammatically, English doesn't have rules, it has tendenci
I've been reading a lot of stuff like this recently comparing Abu Ghraib to the killings in Fallujah or the murder of Nick Berg. What's the point? They're all wrong. The fact that US soldiers are getting killed doesn't justify what went on in Abu Ghraib (I assume my use of the past tense is correct here). Likewise the torture in Abu Ghraib doesn't justify beheading someone. Why are these issues conflated? No-one is arguing, at least
Whether this was the result of "poor leadership" or something much more sinister, time will tell. The fact that it holds "the most wanted" is immaterial. I agree with you about the "vermin" aspect, it's significant that there are instances of prisoners being treated like dogs and donkeys, they are being viewed as subhuman by the people who do this.
Superbaby, Some European countries have compulsory national service for everyone at the age of 18. I know that Germany provides a civilian alternative to those who don't wish to join the military. I think it's a different model to the US/UK. Germany has a small standing army but I suppose that most German males have some basic military training. The US/UK have larger armies but the general population as a whole has never been in unif
I have a friend from Yorkshire who's never been to Scotland, even though it's only 100 miles up the road from where he grew up. He's a keen traveller, he's been to South America and lives in East Asia, yet never once has he gone to the Highlands, or Glasgow, or Edinburgh. When he told me this, my jaw dropped. It just seemed so strange at the time to meet an Englishman
I think you have a point Larry, but one shouldn't be shocked that these things take place. Perhaps too many people have seen sanitised versions of war for too long. What really is a surprise to me is that people actually took these pictures in the first place. Clearly the soldiers involved are loving it, grinning for the cameras. That's truly bizzare. If I were torturing someone, I certainly wouldn't want cameras there. Is this arrogance of U
Paul, I've avoided mentioning my own background up to now so as I could develop a reputation free of these pre-conceptions. However this limits me because I want to write some stuff about "my people".
Ha ha! That's a secret. I'm considering "coming out" soon. Once you say your religious background, people have a whole set of conceptions about you so I wanted to delay that for as long as possible.
Shades, sorry I don't agree with your attitude, though fair play to you for calling it hypocritical. Personally, you can say what you like about my country. Criticism is either valid or invalid. If you have something to say about Ireland, it might be insightful or it might be some crap about leprechauns and pints of Guinness. But just because you're not Irish doesn't mean you can't comment. But it does mean that your comments may be ill
On their long journey from armed struggle to slight constitutionalism, Sinn Fein (SF) have repeatedly been challenged by journalists and other political parties to condemn continuing IRA violence, including punishment beatings and attacks on political opponents. In nearly every case, when presented with fresh evidence of IRA violence, the party's spokespeople refuse t
Miki, I said explicitly "it's not OK". What I am saying is that I'm not shocked. People get murdered every day all around the world. Is that OK? No. Is it a shock? No. Also, I don't think comments on the attractiveness or otherwise of female American soldiers is relevant. They could be the most beautiful women in the world and it still wouldn't make what they did one bit more acceptable.
"Shocked" is very much the word of the moment. Last week's exposure of US torture in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq has caused shock all around the world that such treatment should be meted out by the Americans. Bush is shocked, Blair is shocked, the US army is shocked, the Arab world is shocked. Well, they shouldn't be. There are many emotions which one
I find I have an ingrained deference to authority. It's a terible thing for a leftie to admit but, generally, I do what I'm told. If a man in a uniform tells me to do something, I do it. I may seethe at the injustice of the order but years of experience have taught me that following that order is the path of least resistance. So if someone with a cap and a badge says:
Don, interesting idea you've got - why not write a blog on it? I'm no philosophy expert but I do sense a sort of rolling back of the Enlightenment at the present time, a return to irrational modes of thought. As an old-fashioned believer in "modernity" I don't like this kind of thing.
Larry, thanks for your thoughts, don't agree with everything you say but it's interesting as ever to get your perspective. I'd like to respond by saying that I don't have a problem with the word "evil" as a description. I have a problem when it's used to explain actions. I don't think it's sufficient. You mentioned Hitler. Undoubtedly the man was evil and his actions were evil but for me this isn't analysis. Why did the German people
If there's one word I'd like to see removed from political discourse, it's "evil". I'm sick of hearing the e-word all the time, tired of reading it evrywhere. These days, it is most commonly used in reference to enemies of America - Saddam is evil, Bin Laden is evil etc etc My problem is not that the use of the word is innacurate. The aforementioned gentlemen
Thanks all. Mason, I don't subscribe so much to the "wisdom comes with age" so much as "experience is the name we give to our mistakes". Another good truism I remember is: "the man who makes a mistake and doesn't learn from it, is making another mistake." Very, very true.
I was born in 1979. For some of you reading this, that makes me old enough to be, well, your big brother. In fact for two of you reading this I am your big brother. But most of you probably think that twenty-four is young, maybe even obscenely young. "Twenty-four! I wish I was twenty-four again, then I'd never have..." you may be thinking. Don't worry, I think
I've just moved to South Korea. As with every other time that I've left Ireland, I'm struck by how frequently people ask me my religion when they find out where I'm from. "Are you a Catholic or a Protestant?" is often one of the first things which a new acquaintance says to me. No matter how often I'm asked this question, the enquiry always jars. In Northern
Anthony, we've been over and over this. It's getting nowhere and I'd rather start writing about other stuff again. You've had your say and I've had mine. This will be the last comment on this blog, if you, or anyone else, makes further comments then I'll delete them. You might not think that's fair, but this has to end sometime. I have a strong personal dislike for your methods so I'm offering you a sort of "Non-Aggression Pact" if you will.
"Anthony merely called my work uninspired, or in a metaphorical sense, the well beaten path." So this sentence: "You may have even paraphrased a few things..." is supposed to be metaphorical?
Anthony, I have acknowledged that you didn't use the word "plaigarism" several times. "I OG san, conveniently added that word into Anthony's statement." I did not add the word "plaigarism" to any quote of yours.
OK Anthony, do you stand by all these comments?: "All this bilge and drivel you posted is just regurgitated rhetoric which can be found at a loony left site like DUh. All the same bullets organized and presented in a different way" First of all what is "DUh"? Any reasonable person reading this comment would agree that you have questioned the originality of my writing and, by extension, my honesty. You are careful not to use the word "
Yes, the UK pumps in a lot of money and we don't like them much either. Big difference is that the British have a lot more "baggage" than the EU. I think that poverty and sectarianism feed off each other. I'm not arguing that NI shouldn't get the money, I'm saying that we should be more grateful for waht we get. But there's very little positivity about the EU in NI.
There can be no other part of the European Union (EU) which has benefited as much from the organisation as Northern Ireland (NI). Over the past thirty years, the Union has poured billions of pounds into community and infrastructure projects in the North, creating thousands of jobs. Through the "Peace 1" and "Peace 2" investment programmes, it has supported t
JoeUser Forums