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zedeyejoe

Listed below are comments made by zedeyejoe between Wednesday, 11th February 2009 and Tuesday, 17th November 2009.

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Afghanistan ifs and maybes 10:51pm on 17 Nov 2009 "All we see is a succession of coffins being brought home through RAF Lyneham but we are not told how many Taliban are being killed - perhaps the British public need a morale booster so that we know we are slowly wiping out the Taliban."

Sorry but how many of them being killed does not matter, there are always more to replace them. Body count as a measure of success is pointless.

What the British public need to bolster their morale is a laid out path to success and visible mile-stones down that path. Less mines being laid, UN workers being able to get out and do their jobs, Afghans taking over control of more the country and holding it.

In the meantime, support the troops regardless of if you support the war.
Afghanistan ifs and maybes 4:25pm on 17 Nov 2009 "What he calls "a winning political strategy" would have three elements:"

Spot on except for one thing, al-Qaeda don't fight, they are a support organisation for those who want to. Sort of like a TUC for Islamic terrorists. If people don't get that they don't know what they are talking about.

Strong regional governors, excellent. A central government of Afghanistan maybe decades away.

Once foreign troops (thats us, folks) are out of Afghanistan, there is far less reason for the locals to fight and indeed Pakistanis and other Arab fighters who go looking for trouble in Afghanistan may regret it.

The Afghans have a corrupt police force to deal with but that can be sorted and indeed a decent Afghan army built - just a shame that the Afghans have just been re-equipped with US equipment which is probably the wrong tools for the job.

Add in a controlled buy of the Afghan poppy crop and I think we are in business for a solution.
The PM Glass Box. 08:25am on 18 Oct 2009 Sorry just noticed my incorrect spelling of Mair.
The PM Glass Box. 08:10am on 18 Oct 2009 I would just like to add my disquiet at Eddie Myers interview with the lady who had lost her son in Afghanistan. It was bad enough that he asked if her anger at Tony Blair was because she had lost her son but to push the point was crass in the extreme. Personally I am against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, something we got involved with because thats what the USA wanted to do, not what the UK would have done. But I support the troops, because they have a very tough job to do. With friends having served in Iraq and currently serving in Afghanistan, I would regret their deaths but the fact they died would not change my attitude to our government. I would like to hear an apology from Eddie Myer for what I hope he would see as a mistake.
Putting Afghanistan in the driving seat 2:16pm on 29 Sep 2009 What I find fascinating is that despite being world leaders, these people come across as real everyday people. How frustrating it must be, despite being the worlds greatest military power, to be defeated by an enemy armed with little more than small-arms. And with so little learned from the lessons of history.
It's the economy, clever. 6:09pm on 24 Aug 2009 Get real, that is if you base your 'economy' on guessing on the difference in 'value' of currencies or future prices, then you deserve to fail. Add value to goods by making stuff and supplying real needs.
Or are we really the descendants of Golgafrinchans?
Dissenting voices on torture covered up? 09:07am on 22 Apr 2009 Yes I can imagine that disenting opinions were discouraged/removed. I doubt that the 'legal advice' that waterboarding was not torture was true.

Waterboarding has a long history and has occurred in the US as well

"Cases of waterboarding have occurred on U.S. soil, as well. In 1983, Texas Sheriff James Parker was charged, along with three of his deputies, for handcuffing prisoners to chairs, placing towels over their faces, and pouring water on the cloth until they gave what the officers considered to be confessions. The sheriff and his deputies were all convicted and sentenced to four years in prison."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15886834

So if someone has been convicted in a US court, saying it is not a crime seems highly doubtful.
The real question about waterboarding 08:57am on 22 Apr 2009 I think that history shows that torture is not effective at getting good information. The victim will confess to just about anything. However it makes people feel good that they are doing something and if it is a chance to hurt your countries enemies as well, then its in a good cause?
Ministerial veto 6:33pm on 24 Feb 2009 Oh lets see, would I like all my mistakes kept secret? I think I probably would.
Men who face domestic abuse 10:54am on 11 Feb 2009 Yes I have been the victim of domestic violence by an now ex-wife and later by another partner.

Strange because at 18 and a half stone, I am well able to hit a lot harder than they could - but thats not much use against a knife.

My divorce lawyer said that it was a good thing that I did not hit back, as that would have been used against me. If I had mentioned in court that she had attacked me, then (he said) people would have been amused.

So thats the current state of affairs. I hope by being open about it, people might not be inclined to think domestic violence only happens to women and children.

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