Prince Harry actually fighting!

[Guest The Architect]

grobnar it's NIGHTSHAPE tard.

 

@\NightandtheShape/@ it's Gromnir, not grobnar.

 

If you're going to call someone a tard for not getting your username right, at least get theirs right as well. That way, *you* won't make an ass of yourself. Too bad you did.

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

grobnar it's NIGHTSHAPE tard.

 

@\NightandtheShape/@ it's Gromnir, not grobnar.

 

If you're going to call someone a tard for not getting your username right, at least get theirs right as well. That way, *you* won't make an ass of yourself. Too bad you did.

 

Sarcasam, it's wasted on forums...

Edited March 1, 2008 by @\NightandtheShape/@

[Walsingham]

Dude, why does that guy have a chick bursting from his abdomen?

 

Well, you see it's like this. When a man and an abdominal parasite love each other very much...

[Krookie]

No nick, they're dancing. ballroom dancing

[Azarkon]

In some sense, this sort of thing is why the children of important politicians should not serve on the frontlines. If they are discovered, it is almost certain that they will become major military targets & threaten the lives of their fellow soldiers. Imagine if the Taliban had used Bush's daughters (yes, I'm aware that Bush is a bad example) as a bargaining chip. If he did not negotiate, he shall certainly be responsible for the deaths of his own children. If he did, he would've sold out his country. Not a decision anyone should be forced to make, even Bush.

 

I understand Harry's display of courage, and people's (at least, Britons') desire to take pride in his actions, but I'm reluctant to cheer on such potentially disastrous acts, in general. No doubt the fact that the British royalty has limited political power helps Harry's case, but even so, he is important enough that he would've been a target if the insurgents knew who he was, and there is no reason to believe why the insurgents couldn't find out, in today's information-heavy world, when US reporters did.

 

There are better ways to use a prince's status, talent, and influence than fight on the frontlines. No doubt Harry was concerned with the reputation of his family and wanted to show that the British royalty isn't a coven of spineless faux-celebrities. Still, one wonders why he had to take up the mantle of soldiership in order to prove that, despite the very real political vulnerabilities he brings. Is there no other way to display one's courage and will to do good? If so, what does that say about civilization's need for war?

Edited March 1, 2008 by Azarkon

[Krookie]

Has anyone thought about what it must be like for his Commanding Officer? Everytime he orders his squad to do something he's has to be thinking that he could be the one to get the Prince of England killed.

[Walsingham]

Interesting points Azarkon. Particularly your last about what this says about our society. I think one more thing to consider is how little control our Royals have over even the smallest part of their lives. It may seem odd, but Harry was probably at his happiest and certainly at his most free, bedded into his sangar getting shot at.

[Walsingham]

Charles, Prince of Wales:

 

"We owe an enormous amount to those families of servicemen who endure so much and support their loved ones with such understanding. It makes a huge difference," he said.

 

"I also feel very strongly that we don't often appreciate what the people in the armed forces are doing, putting up with the most impossible conditions, very often in hazardous circumstances in heat or freezing cold, being shot at or rocketed at and goodness knows what else."

 

He said all armed service personnel were owed "an enormous debt of gratitude for performing their duty".

 

Finally Prince Charles said: "I've been incredibly proud of Harry and I promise you, equally proud of all the dedicated service given by all our armed forces."

[Humodour]

...heck if I`m not mistaken twas a US medium that broke the Harry story

 

Not really. All The Drudge Report does is cherrypick already published articles from other publications, and put links to them in his websight. Apparently he linked to an Australian magazine, that broke the news blackout, which was then picked up by a German newspaper. The Drudge Report merely linked to their story.

 

****ing New Idea. God I hate that magazine.

[Guest The Architect]

grobnar it's NIGHTSHAPE tard.

 

@\NightandtheShape/@ it's Gromnir, not grobnar.

 

If you're going to call someone a tard for not getting your username right, at least get theirs right as well. That way, *you* won't make an ass of yourself. Too bad you did.

 

Sarcasam, it's wasted on forums...

 

I don't get what you were being sarcastic about.

[Walsingham]

I think we should campaign to get the Bush daughters driving logistics like that soldier who got kidnapped in Iraq. Lindy something.

 

EDIT: I just read that article about New Idea. I simply can't fathom what they thought they were doing. On the one hand, obviously their core readership are probably too stupid to care or even understand HOW the story put lives at risk. On the other hand what in God's name made them think their readers would care enough to justify running the story!? Surely they'd have been more happy reading about Jennifer Aniston's latest salad or something? Godawful bastards.

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

grobnar it's NIGHTSHAPE tard.

 

@\NightandtheShape/@ it's Gromnir, not grobnar.

 

If you're going to call someone a tard for not getting your username right, at least get theirs right as well. That way, *you* won't make an ass of yourself. Too bad you did.

 

Sarcasam, it's wasted on forums...

 

I don't get what you were being sarcastic about.

 

Does this really warrent discussion? Can't we just leave it at I purposely refered to Gromnir as Grobnar... It's not an easy concept to convey in text and I admit I did a damn poor job, I should have perhaps written it thus:

 

Grobnar it's Nightshape, tard!

[Sand]

Well, I do have a measure of respect for the prince. A lot more than I do for President Bush and his brood.

[SteveThaiBinh]

I'm not happy that someone who wishes to serve his country is prevented from doing so, but I'm also not happy with the press conspiring with the state to keep secrets. I think it might be okay just this once, but I wouldn't want it to become a habit.

[Jorian Drake]

What differance does it make if the Talibananas know theres a prince or two in Afghanistan? It's not like they printed his GPS coordinates

they would regroup more people to there to find him then start a massive suicide mission where they wouldn't care if 1-2 hundreds of them die if they manage to kill the english boy aswell, to kill a royal heir would be a huge gain for them in prestige (in th eyes of many)

[~Di]

I'm not happy that someone who wishes to serve his country is prevented from doing so, but I'm also not happy with the press conspiring with the state to keep secrets. I think it might be okay just this once, but I wouldn't want it to become a habit.

 

In war time, the press kinda does have to conspire with the state to keep secrets. Allowing journalists to broadcast troop movements and positions, along with the announcement that a major offensive is planned for such-and-such date at such-and-such time simply cannot be permitted, for obvious reasons. The people's right to know ends where national security begins. It's always been that way, even with "free speech" countries in the west.

[SteveThaiBinh]

One of the saving graces of this press-state agreement was that it was clearly time-limited, and had Harry served his full tour of duty and finished, then the press would have been free to report - not his exact location or unit strength, of course, but the fact that he was there and the various issues that raises.

 

More generally, we're always being told that this is 'a new kind of war', and to an extent that is true, so we can't automatically transfer any of the assumptions or practices from previous wars over to this, not without considerable caution. I think it's already the case that the politicians in the US and UK have sought to appeals to national security to stifle press investigation of their handling of wars and their aftermaths for their own political convenience rather than any genuine security reason, and as a result both Afghanistan and Iraq are worse today than they might have been.

[Hildegard]

Anybody check out those British Royal Marines in Norway?

Edited March 4, 2008 by Hildegard

[Xard]

Somehow I think I should just tell Hildegard **** off even without finding out what he was referring to here <_<