The damn thing could have been written by the MooLahs, a democrat in congress, or a kook on KoS/DU
Posted on 03/30/2007 6:02:27 AM PDT by propertius
I start to wonder whether it might not be time for us to get as nasty with other countries as they do with us.
As we wait anxiously to see what will happen to our 15 hostages - for that is what they are - in Teheran, we should feel undiluted rage at the behaviour of other countries and institutions towards us.
Mind you, when those third parties witness the drivelling weakness of the Foreign Office over the last week, and in particular the pathetic show put up by our Foreign Secretary - who must surely be just about the worst in our history - who can blame them?
There is no doubt the 15 were in international waters when captured, or that they were undertaking a United Nations mission in pursuit of upholding UN resolutions. Yet the best the UN itself can do is pass a weak-kneed resolution describing its “grave concern”, rather than a tougher one calling upon all nations to “deplore” Iran’s behaviour.
This is all the fault of Russia, to whom Mr Blair routinely cosies up, and whom the civilised world invites to its annual G8 summit meetings. Russia seems to think it isn’t worth “deploring” the kidnap of our sailors, so we had better start to show Russia what we think of it: by uninviting it from the G8 this year, and every year until it learns some manners.
When not busy ordering the murders of his opponents, Vladimir Putin seems to enjoy hobnobbing with the leaders of civilised countries, so such a sanction would hurt.
We don’t have the means to engage in gunboat diplomacy with Iran, and any special forces operation would be fraught with risks both for the hostages and their rescuers.
For the moment, ever-stricter sanctions on Iran seems the only answer. America is resolute about this. So too, oddly, is the world’s greatest sanction-busting nation, France. So the scope for tightening the economic ratchet on Iran, and the means to do so, look healthy.
However, we should be under no illusions about the effectiveness of such weapons.
Saddam Hussein, after all, was put under sanctions for years. Real hardship was caused to his people, but almost none at all to him and his ruling clique.
President Ahmadinejad of Iran has already threatened Britain about our involvement of “third parties” - that is, the UN - in the present dispute, showing his utter contempt for that organisation.
He would treat sanctions with similar disdain, happily cutting off the noses of his own people to spite their faces. And all the time, the threat he and his inherent instability pose to us all would never cease growing.
Whatever the immediate outcome of this crisis, Britain has some hard decisions to make. Is it worthwhile, any longer, to work through the United Nations?
So long as a morally warped nation like Putin’s Russia calls the shots in the Security Council, no.
We can make debating points about how odd it is that Putin deplores Islamic nutters when they attack his forces but is relaxed about them attacking ours, but in the end there is no point in bothering.
The UN showed itself to be weak with Saddam Hussein. It is no better now.
If we are going to continue to try to be a player in the Middle East, then we have to throw in our lot with the Americans, for no-one else makes the blindest bit of difference there.
The capricious, and indeed downright wicked, behaviour of the Iranians towards our sailors confirms one other thing: that the civilised world cannot let the Ahmadinejad regime develop nuclear weapons.
It is not just his oft-repeated enthusiasm for wiping Israel off the face of the earth that should worry us: it is what this madman might decide he wants to do to anyone else within range.
This is no time for our clueless Government to be mothballing the Navy and cutting down the other services. For, at some stage, Iran’s lethal contempt for the rule of international law is going to mean war.
I wouldn't bet a lot on that proposition. Kipling said something about watching out when the Brits start to get polite.....well, they're being polite with the Iranians right now.
And my old man once noticed that the British always seem to come out on top. They'll lose ships, men, and battles, and lurch from mishap to mishap, but when the smoke clears, whaddayaknow, they manage to find a way to win. Never bet against them.
They don't have the means to conquer and occupy the country, but if they've been moving stuff since this started they definitely have the capability as we say around here to "F&ck up their Christmas".
A true covert action would involve:
-psyops convincing jihadist that the real war is in Chechnya and in the peripheral Russian provinces.
-sending captured Russian/Iranian arms in Iraq to Chechnya
The best covert actions involve having our enemies fight our enemies. Truely Russia is an enemy.
I have no doubt that the British could win against Iran if they wanted to. The big question is "if". IMO, letting their military personal be taken prisoner in the first place is a major show of weakness.
Yea right,
Britain: OK NOW IM REALLY MAD (huff huff) YOU'RE GONNA GET A GOOD BUGGERING NOW.
Iran: (Punches Britian in the mid section)
Britian: oooof, RIGHT, NOW YOU'VE DONE IT.
Iran: (Kicks Britian in the schin)
Britian: I'M REALLY, REALLY ANGRY. CONDISER YOURSELF OFFICALLY WARNED.
Iran: OK, we give up.
Britian: Wow, really?
Iran: Sure, why not. But you will have to make some concesions.
Britian: Really, OK, sounds good to me.
Iran: Great, then we're agreed, it was all your fault and you will have to grovel at my feet and then you can have your soldiers back after we torture them a bit more.
Britian: DONE. Great, now lets shake hands and be best mates.
Iran: Sure, (fingers crossed behind back). Can we come over for a sleep in this weekend.
Britain: I feel much better now that I stood up for myself.
By the way, this entire converstaion applies to many other scenarios. Just substitute your favorite dictator or the UN for Iran and replace Britian with the US. And there you have it.
hostage bookmark.
YEAH!!! Get the Limeys fired-up. It's about time someone else took the heat besides us Yanks.
Somebody over there dig up a backbone?
Must have found it in Scotland.
Yeah, the Muslims are showing strength since they have taken over Britain. This is exactly why we have to weed the fifth column out of the US.
The UK will never take real action
"War will not happen with Iran. THis will go on for weeks perhaps months. THe brits will pay some kind of ransom and then they'll be released. Iran will come out the winner in this and the Brits will come out the losers. The UK will never take real action so the US will never have a chance to back them up."
Don't count on it. You don't move two carrier battlefleets to a reason and conduct wargames 5 miles off a hostile nations coast for nothing. We are going to destroy their nuke program and probably their air, force and navy while we are at it.
"Well at least one Brit has a pair still."
I believe actually that most Brits still have a pair like we do at home. Unfortunately, the left on both sides of the pond now command government decision making including it's anti-war stance. This sentiment is promoted throughout the press globally, alerting our enemies we are weak and the time to make their moves is now. It also riles up the left political base so they are much more vocal in blogs and other Internet press. All of these on the left scream how our insensitive policies have caused the Middle East to hate us, support Iran whom promises nuclear destruction of Israel and the West and encourages hostile superpowers like Russia to veto everything we do to change things.
"No we don't! Bush is just as pussified as Blair! You honestestly think he posesses any guts to take on Iran? Please! He's allowed the Democraps and his lame duck status to politically cripple him as commander in chief. This is what you get when electing someone that is more concerned about getting along than doing whats right!"
Agreed he was pussified up until three months ago when he authorized the troop surge before the change in Congress, so they couldn't stop him. Bush also will attack Iran using air and naval power that is within his power and again, Congress can do nothing.
"Hell, I have this fantasy: here are some English fellows working on a Vulcan bomber much like the Confederate Air Force does our earlier planes. How borrowing a working example for old times sake for a strike with a swarm of Tornados?"
For heavens sake...do you even have a clue to how far the brits have gutted their military?
Here are some details:
In total there are 91 commissioned ships in the navy, of which 2 are aircraft carriers, 3 are large amphibious vessels, 25 are major fleet escorts (17 frigates and 8 destroyers) and 13 are nuclear-powered submarines (9 SSNs and 4 SSBNs).
The Naval Service had 38,710 regular personnel as of November 2006.
The Army has a total strength of about 101,800 personnel.
The navy retired it’s naval air wing (sea harriers) last year and has no ship based ability to provide air protection to its units.
They no longer have a swarm or tornadoes, just a few score.
The Brits need us to help them get their folk back.
It is in Ruusia's best interest to keep this situation like it is right now, it makes oil prices higher thus making them more money, maybe even billions of dollars more.
Regardless of what the Deleted One thinks, many, many Americans are with the Brits and will see anything done to aid these sailors or other British troops. I wish Tony Blair would say the word regarding the crazy Iranian mullahs, i.e., It's Hammer Time. We and GWB owe him and the British people our support.
The Iranian terror/theocracy regime needed to go in 1979, but better late than never.
I like your half full approach compared to my half empty.
Ive never wanted to be wrong more in my life. I really hope your are right but based on our history of eating Iranian pooh for almost 30 yrs I doubt things are different now.
The longer this goes on the more England will see that they are being forced into war. England took a lot from Hitler before going to war. As for resources--all they need to blocade Iran's coast is one sub and a few torpedoes.
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