tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57914610918017198772024-03-05T02:06:55.600-08:00A Modern LibertarianPaulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-8671417999001362552013-04-02T14:22:00.003-07:002013-04-02T14:28:02.344-07:00Freedom of Speech Update - The case of the UKIP Levenshulme Poster and the thugs seeking to remove it<span style="color: purple;">It will come as a surprise to no one really that freedom of speech is under intense threat in the west as of late. If it's not Islamic extremists protesting about harmless cartoons or more or less anything else that does not submit to them. It's the whole range of restrictions that are placed upon ourselves and our media in order to supposedly avoid 'offending' someone. The 'someone' usually being a self - appointed and self-interested pressure group or more often than not simply some jumped up no mark. Well how about banning electoral posters? You know the sort you see as billboards when it comes to election time, nasty things aren't they and so inconvenient when all you really want to do is run your neighbourhood like it's your own little tin pot republic?</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Yup you guessed it it is time to look at the controversy (or lack of) created by a UKIP poster in Levenshulme Manchester. The story goes that 'several' local residents consider it racist and want it removed. Well they ought to be told of course 'bugger off we live in a democracy' except that would not be appropriate. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5qFRqEH0rGmbpqJseWfb47KwXi-KmuKuyFFETczC7tjW8eksraGbuCAPsnxlRjga7l7RVJYnVhEPxECFh3vHvuMOsDvhjzCfHuD64bBk3bL_8bZ_hLRDSVMX-5sDJhEBIy0FObNtfc-y/s1600/keegan_2297287b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj5qFRqEH0rGmbpqJseWfb47KwXi-KmuKuyFFETczC7tjW8eksraGbuCAPsnxlRjga7l7RVJYnVhEPxECFh3vHvuMOsDvhjzCfHuD64bBk3bL_8bZ_hLRDSVMX-5sDJhEBIy0FObNtfc-y/s320/keegan_2297287b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This poster must be banned according to local Marxists!</td></tr>
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<span style="color: purple;"><br />Why would that not be appropriate? Well because it simply is not true, it is not true that numbers of local residents have complained, something more sinister actually happened. What occurred was a <a href="http://www.thecommentator.com/article/3098/free_speech_under_threat_as_advertising_company_agrees_to_remove_ukip_poster">very small and thuggish minded SWP</a> clique sought to speak on behalf of the 'residents' and decide for them what they wanted to see or not see in 'their' area. They started a small campaign utilising twitter to persuade the advertisers a company called <a href="http://www.clearchannel.co.uk/">Clear Channel </a> to pull the advert and remove the poster. Further information on the self -appointed thought police for the area reveals them to be amongst others, a SWP (that's the Socialist Workers Party very similar to a German Political movement with almost the same name, rendered defunct in 1945) member calling herself 'bin the Condems' or something like that on twitter. She has been named in other media as a SWP member called Sue McPherson. There was also the delightfully thuggish 'Rachamuffin' from Twitter she wanted to vandalise the poster and openly said so on Twitter (we're not talking <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lex_Luther">Lex Luthor</a> levels of criminal genius here). All of this is on the above link I posted. There was also a deceptively sweet sounding <a href="https://twitter.com/valerieoriordan">Valerie O'Riordan</a>, she seems nice enough and does actually appear to be from Levenshulme. I'm not aware she has been appointed the Commissar for that area however, but I could be wrong. A standard means of arguing emanates from all of them, you probably know the pattern:</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">1. Cry racist if you don't like something or disagree with it, especially when it questions your crudely implanted assumptions on policy.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">2. Get it banned, free speech is so bourgeois don't cha know.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">3. Refuse to debate with anyone, just keep repeating 1 above.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">4. Assume in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary that you speak with absolute authority for the entire population it's 'your area' remember I mean a poster a bloody poster! How dare they?</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">5. Withdraw from communication after the above and now seek to manufacture a grievance, claim you're being picked on when in fact it is you that started the whole mess. If necessary <a href="http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/clear-channel-uk-remove-ukip-poster-from-levenshulme">try to also get the poster banned by employing childishly fabricated claims of victimhood</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">I love that last part, I mean you threaten wanton destruction of a legitimate election poster, but then cry wolf when someone calls you nasty names? That's after you've spent half the Easter weekend on twitter issuing insult after insult to normal people who just don't share your extreme and oppressive views, shame.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">But at least there is some good news! <a href="http://www.thecommentator.com/article/3129/clear_channel_announces_ukip_poster_will_not_be_removed">THE CAMPAIGN HAS FAILED</a>! So for now the SWP termites are back in the woodwork, but they're sure to keep gnawing away! Long live Liberty folks and I wish the decent folk of Manchester whom I know so well all the best. But watch this space I have said before how the radical left will constantly seek to undermine our democracy, look at <a href="http://amodernlibertarian.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/democracy-declining-israeli-deputy.html">what else leftists in Manchester have done. </a></span></div>
Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-68302251974793744462013-01-13T08:46:00.002-08:002013-01-13T08:46:53.778-08:00Piers Morgan's Anti-gun Argument Destroyed in 4 Minutes by Ben Swann<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/I8D8b51EwrI" width="480"></iframe><span style="color: #351c75;">Piers Morgan is hopelessly wrong on his statistics Needless to say few media outlets in the UK have picked up on this. A few facts he missed : 1. Gun crime increased between three and four fold in England and Wales AFTER the handgun ban of<a href="http://amodernlibertarian.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/gun-control-is-myth-in-uk.html"> 1997</a>, 2. The homicide rate in the US has decreased markedly over the last 25 years, whilst gun ownership has INCREASED, more guns less gun crime right? Not <a href="http://theacru.org/acru/harvard_study_gun_control_is_counterproductive">exactly</a> . Plenty of studies other than that one support that thesis, plainly the US homicide rate has decreased in recent times whilst gun ownership has increased. Anyone care to prove to me where gun control laws have actually worked? One final word to Piers Morgan and I've said this before, offences involving handguns INCREASED after the handgun ban of 1997, for proof of that I can cite the UK government's own<a href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110220105210/rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/hosb0110.pdf"> statistics</a>. Please comment below and Americans please ignore Piers he is demonstrably wrong. </span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-64680178015267856662012-11-11T13:25:00.000-08:002012-11-11T13:25:21.633-08:00Release Sgt Nightingale - The entire case is a travesty as well as an indictment of our current laws.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZCoyjgz-SqCZlNfhIoJN1QnE9TtCzVEhmcNh5ONRsddBhKkcCAMXBGrVTkw248Ky3dOCprNE1sYAusiGADH58C_QFODYQaEXOznGJK250yJQOdDVWUM03VGWybR2p66dA3DfnxqmPjfQ/s1600/keegan_2297287b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZCoyjgz-SqCZlNfhIoJN1QnE9TtCzVEhmcNh5ONRsddBhKkcCAMXBGrVTkw248Ky3dOCprNE1sYAusiGADH58C_QFODYQaEXOznGJK250yJQOdDVWUM03VGWybR2p66dA3DfnxqmPjfQ/s320/keegan_2297287b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="caption">Sgt Danny Nightingale with his wife Sally on their wedding
day and, right, on duty</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: 13.5pt;">This is the sort of petty, vindictive and entirely malign use of
the law that happens when we have too much government. For that reason anyone
with any sense should be supporting the release of Sgt Nightingale a decorated
war hero. Oh and by the way he's a senior NCO with a premier Spec Ops unit -
The British<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Air_Service">SAS</a>.
Incredibly he has been<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9669051/SAS-war-hero-betrayed-by-the-Army-says-wife.html">jailed
for over 18 months</a> for the crime of keeping
an unlicensed pistol n his married quarter. A
further illustration of how plain stupid our gun laws are. Not only
should any law abiding citizen be allowed to keep such a weapon but
a serving SAS soldier may have particular reason to! Enough said. Please
support the petition <a href="http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/judge-advocate-alistair-mcgrigor-military-justice-overturn-the-decision-to-jail-sgt-nightingale-for-18-months">here</a>.
His wife risks losing the family home as a consequence of this ill
thought over-use of draconian law. Full text below from the DT: </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Sgt Danny Nightingale, a special forces sniper who served in Iraq and
Afghanistan, was sentenced to 18 months in military detention by a court martial
last week. His sentence was described last night as the “betrayal of a war hero”, made
worse because it was handed down in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday.</div>
<div class="thirdPar">
Sgt Nightingale had planned to fight the charge of illegally possessing the
9mm Glock. But his lawyer said he pleaded guilty after being warned that he could
otherwise face a five-year sentence.<br />
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The soldier had hoped for leniency given the circumstances. At the court
martial, even the prosecution described him as a serviceman of exemplary
character, who had served his country for 17 years, 11 in the special forces. The court was told that he returned to Britain in a hurry after two friends
were killed in Iraq, leaving his equipment — including the pistol — to be packed
up by colleagues. It accepted evidence from expert witnesses that he suffered severe memory
loss due to a brain injury. Judge Advocate Alistair McGrigor, presiding over the court martial, could
have spared the soldier prison by passing a suspended sentence. Instead he
handed down the custodial term.</div>
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Sgt Nightingale and his family chose to waive the anonymity usually given to
members of the special forces. <br />
His wife, Sally, said her husband’s sentence was a “disgrace”. She called him
a “hero who had been betrayed”. She said she and the couple’s two daughters,
aged two and five, faced losing their home after his Army pay was stopped. The soldier’s former commanding officer and politicians have called for the
sentence to be overturned. Lt Col Richard Williams, who won a Military Cross in Afghanistan in 2001 and
was Sgt Nightingale’s commanding officer in Iraq, said the sentence “clearly
needed to be overturned immediately”. He said: “His military career has been ruined and his wife and children face
being evicted from their home — this is a total betrayal of a man who dedicated
his life to the service of his country.”<br />
Patrick Mercer, the Conservative MP for Newark and a former infantry officer,
said he planned to take up the case with the Defence Secretary. Simon McKay, Sgt
Nightingale’s lawyer, said: “On Remembrance Sunday, when the nation remembers
its war heroes, my client — one of their number — is in a prison cell. <br />
"I consider the sentence to be excessive and the basis of the guilty plea
unsafe. It is a gross miscarriage of justice and grounds of appeal are already
being prepared.” <br />
<br />
In 2007, Sgt Nightingale was serving in Iraq as a member of Task Force Black,
a covert counter-terrorist unit that conducted operations under orders to
capture and kill members of al-Qaeda. <br />
He also helped train members of a secret counter-terrorist force called the
Apostles. At the end of the training he was presented with the Glock, which he
planned to donate to his regiment as a war trophy. <br />
But in November 2007, two of Sgt Nightingale’s closest friends, Sgt John <br />
Battersby and Cpl Lee Fitzsimmons, were killed in a helicopter crash. He
accompanied both bodies back to Britain and helped arrange the funerals. In Iraq, his equipment was packed by colleagues, one of whom placed the
pistol inside a container that was sent first to the SAS regimental headquarters
in Hereford, then to his home where it remained unopened until 2010. In 2009, Sgt Nightingale, now a member of the SAS selection staff, took part
in a 200-mile fund-raising trek in Brazil. He collapsed after 30 miles and fell
into a coma for three days.<br />
<br />
He recovered but his memory was severely damaged, according to two expert
witnesses, including Prof Michael Kopleman of King’s College, London, an
authority on memory loss. In May, 2010, Sgt Nightingale was living in a house with another soldier
close to the regiment’s headquarters when he was posted to Afghanistan at short
notice. During the tour, his housemate’s estranged wife claimed her husband had
assaulted her and kept a stash of ammunition in the house. West Mercia Police
raided the house and found the Glock, still in its container. Sgt Nightingale’s court martial did not dispute that the pistol had been a
gift. It accepted statements from expert witnesses, including Dr Susan Young, a
forensic psychologist also from King’s College, London. She said that he
probably had no recollection that he had the gun.<br />
The court also accepted that Sgt Nightingale had suffered severe memory loss.
But the judge did not believe that he had no recollection of being in possession
of the weapon. </div>
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Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-60016352831335634432012-10-20T12:08:00.001-07:002012-10-20T12:08:08.443-07:00On this day 70 years ago..<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMuR5RqtqUnhfKuF0ziIlckJVRrtcwwVnjHnJO6-CPAJSj7deV4-0rom2TZdnz3ihO4VrvsBsOv-awGjV64aYHff6qRknXD13tzip64lz0olZPC31w7YVij5bK_k0d_1wb37Iprl6-85_/s1600/keegan_2297287b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMuR5RqtqUnhfKuF0ziIlckJVRrtcwwVnjHnJO6-CPAJSj7deV4-0rom2TZdnz3ihO4VrvsBsOv-awGjV64aYHff6qRknXD13tzip64lz0olZPC31w7YVij5bK_k0d_1wb37Iprl6-85_/s320/keegan_2297287b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">93 yr old Peter Watsson pays his respects to fallen comrades</td></tr>
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<span style="color: purple;">The theme of this post is just a quick tribute to World War Two veterans. I know by entitling it 'on this day' etc. It looks like I've borrowed the idea from my friend <a href="http://gubu-world.blogspot.co.uk/">Ted</a> and that's because I have. I thought I would just add a quick article from the DT as it is now 70 years since the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_El_Alamein">second battle of El Alamein</a>. The DT have produced a <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/9620305/El-Alamein-veterans-gather-in-Egypt-for-70th-anniversary-of-battle.html">good article penned by David Blair</a>. Just as the Allied forces were gathered for what was to be the 'end of the beginning' 70 years ago, now commemorations featuring some veterans are taking place. There is a tendency for El Alamein to be regarded as a mostly British victory in many circles. However the truth is it was an allied endeavour albeit one led and planned by the British. The victory would not have been possible without tanks and munitions form the US. Or large numbers of Commonwealth soldiers, or indeed the vastly overlooked contribution of<a href="http://www.secondworldwar.org.uk/britsubs.html"> these guys</a>. I would like to take this opportunity to express my admiration, respect and gratitude for all involved. Full text from David Blair below:</span><br />
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<div class="firstPar">
The Battle of El Alamein, which opened with a 1,000-gun artillery barrage on
the night of Oct 23 1942, amounted to a turning point in the Second World War
for the British Army. </div>
<div class="secondPar">
In a 12-day offensive, the British Eighth Army under General Bernard
Montgomery routed the German Afrika Korps, destroying about a third of its
fighting strength and wrecking Hitler's hopes of capturing the Middle East.
</div>
<div class="thirdPar">
<img alttext="Two soldiers belonging to the Commonwealth and Allied forces aim at a German soldier surrendering atop his tank 25 October 1942 as a sandstorm clouds the battlefield at El Alamein" caption="Two soldiers belonging to the Commonwealth and Allied forces aim at a German soldier surrendering atop his tank 25 October 1942 as a sandstorm clouds the battlefield at El Alamein" copyright="AFP" declared-caption="" height="287" name="El_Alamein" photographer="" refid="2373708" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02373/El_Alamein_2373708c.jpg" version="c" width="460" /></div>
<div class="fourthPar">
<i>Two soldiers belonging to the Commonwealth and Allied forces aim at a
German soldier surrendering atop his tank 25 October 1942 as a sandstorm clouds
the battlefield at El Alamein </i></div>
<div class="fifthPar">
Perhaps most importantly, the Eighth Army renewed Britain's belief in final
victory, shaken by the disasters at Dunkirk and Singapore. </div>
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<img caption="" declared-caption="" height="287" name="e2" photographer="" refid="2374751" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02374/e2_2374751c.jpg" version="c" width="460" /></h2>
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<i>Australian veterans attend the commemorations (Getty)</i> <br />
"El Alamein is seen on the home front as the greatest British victory since
Waterloo," said Niall Barr, a reader in military history at King's College
London, who has travelled to El Alamein for the anniversary. <br />
"For the British people, who had experienced a run of defeats and suffering
really from 1940 onwards, the final battle of El Alamein was a crucial sign that
final victory was possible." <br />
<img caption="" declared-caption="" height="287" name="e3" photographer="" refid="2374754" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02374/e3_2374754c.jpg" version="c" width="460" /><br />
<i>Members of the ceremonial Catafalque party stand together at the ceremony
(Getty)</i> <br />
Winston Churchill seized the opportunity to lift the morale of the Home
Front, driving home the message that Montgomery had fought the battle with "one
single idea", namely to "destroy the armed force of the enemy and to destroy it
at the place where the disaster would be most far-reaching and irrecoverable."
<br />
"Now, this is not the end," added Churchill. "It is not even the beginning of
the end; but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." <br />
<img caption="" declared-caption="" height="287" name="e4" photographer="" refid="2374755" src="http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02374/e4_2374755c.jpg" version="c" width="460" /><br />
<i>A member of the ceremonial Catafalque Party stands on the cenotaph
(Getty)</i> <br />
On Saturday, the chosen setting for the destruction of General Erwin Rommel's
desert army is a modern Egyptian town on the Mediterranean coast, about 70 miles
west of Alexandria. Outside El Alamein lies a cemetery with 7,240 British and
Commonwealth graves, where today's ceremony will take place. <br />
After the passage of seven decades, this will probably be the last big
commemoration. Perhaps a score of veterans from Australia, New Zealand and the
Commonwealth will be present. But only one British veteran is expected to
attend. </div>
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Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-10565304131394589802012-10-07T04:21:00.003-07:002012-10-07T04:21:30.488-07:00Classic Mrs T - The thing with Europe is...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/RBzAwro8M90?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span style="color: blue;">I just had to post this clip as I love it, Mrs T at her best! She was no libertarian but she held true to principles of democracy, sovereignty and a strong nation state. Unlike any of the current shower who proceeded her. A real example of leadership. The only I would add is that just as Europe (from which I will always exclude Britain) will never support the US when it comes to the crunch. They display the same ambivalence towards Israel, for proof of that see<a href="http://amodernlibertarian.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/douglas-murray-at-his-best-israel.html"> here.</a></span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-74325178038326305832012-10-06T07:48:00.001-07:002012-10-06T07:51:05.055-07:00The Irony of the BBC's Cover up' of allegations concerning Jimmy Saville is that the BBC has never failed to point the same finger at Christian Institutions <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJH1B0fJtKYGO5PVfqegaGfNqFSEx0VyfIsV69lgMelyOJQCO3AvmL-bS9WYbJOQ1TCgs47qU5yxmEGDj47_DH_JOlGlLsaVugXydeT39-DvBWn4EpvR5yoa3Vrif4CgPbfOHKMLcH_VqQ/s1600/keegan_2297287b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJH1B0fJtKYGO5PVfqegaGfNqFSEx0VyfIsV69lgMelyOJQCO3AvmL-bS9WYbJOQ1TCgs47qU5yxmEGDj47_DH_JOlGlLsaVugXydeT39-DvBWn4EpvR5yoa3Vrif4CgPbfOHKMLcH_VqQ/s320/keegan_2297287b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Janet Street Porter has claimed many at the BBC knew of allegations concerning Jimmy Saville</td></tr>
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<span style="color: purple;">There is a certain Irony at work in the current appalling saga concerning the late Jimmy Saville. It now appears that the Metropolitan Police are going to </span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9588692/Met-investigate-Sir-Jimmy-Savile-as-dozens-more-abuse-allegations-are-made.html" style="color: purple;">investigate the BBC</a><span style="color: purple;"> over allegations that they may have permitted (through omission of action) or even covered up the alleged criminality of Jimmy Saville. As many of you will now know Jimmy Saville has been made the subject of allegations including rape and sexual abuse of young girls. What is particularly disturbing is that according to some sources these matters were either known about and covered up by the BBC during the 1970's; or at the very least a culture existed at Broadcasting house that made such behaviour permissible. The veteran broadcaster </span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19842188"><span style="color: purple;">Janet Street-Porter indeed said as much on the BBC1 programme question time last </span>Thursday<span style="color: purple;"> night</span></a><span style="color: purple;"> . You can watch that programme in full on BBC iplayer or just look at the clip I have linked to. The whole subject is deeply shocking and my thoughts are with the victims. Jimmy Saville was an iconic figure during the 1980's with his show 'Jim'll Fix it' and whilst these matters are still currently allegations his reputation like that of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Glitter">Paul Gadd</a> is in tatters and deservedly so. Indeed it would appear that both Saville and Gadd may have both abused children at the same time - sickening. There is a link to the media report for that <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2212445/Jimmy-Savile-documentary-Gary-Glitter-raped-girl-13-stars-BBC-dressing-room.html?openGraphAuthor=%2Fhome%2Fsearch.html%3Fs%3D%26authornamef%3DSam%2BGreenhill&videoPlayerURL=http%3A%2F%2Fc.brightcove.com%2Fservices%2Fviewer%2Ffederated_f9%3FisVid%3D1%26isUI%3D1%26publisherID%3D1418450360%26playerID%3D72484359001%26domain%3Dembed%26videoId%3D&hasBCVideo=true&BCVideoID=1876531465001">here, the allegations are shocking</a>. </span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple;">However there is a certain strong irony concerning this disturbing subject. It would appear that the BBC are now accused of possibly covering up for Saville in his criminality and therefore permitting such behaviour. Now the BBC have never been shy to dine out on similar allegations concerning for instance the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11191992">Catholic Church</a>. Indeed many commentators have accused our state broadcaster of being <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9539982/The-TV-elite-assume-Christians-are-lunatics.html">biased against Christianity</a>. Indeed the BBC never failed either in it's reportage or in it's dramas to mock and belittle Christianity as well as dining out extensively on the abuse issue. Yet that is hypocrisy writ large if these current allegations are true, the <a href="http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100184007/the-rotten-culture-at-the-heart-of-the-bbc/">BBC are rotte</a>n. I will say again that my thoughts are with the victims, I just hope that the BBC will now subject itself to the same standard of critical enquiry that it has previously reserved solely for Christians. This post may be seen as having little to do with libertarianism, but if we can dispense with another morally redundant tax payer funded institution I'm game. </span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-61575824363986358432012-08-25T14:56:00.000-07:002012-08-25T14:55:59.606-07:00Interesting piece on BBC Radio Four about Britain's Gun Laws<span style="color: blue;">This is a great little slot on BBC Radio Four, it consists of an interview with a former sports shooter from Shropshire. The man provides an excellent critique of the ridiculous, dangerous and authoritarian laws we have been left with in England and Wales concerning guns. His pain when he describes how he had to hand in his firearms post the 1997 is particularly heartfelt, link is here please listen to this <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01m19xl">programme</a>. The only thing I would have added is it needs to be stressed how gun crime in Britain <a href="http://amodernlibertarian.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/gun-control-is-myth-in-uk.html">increased AFTER</a> the handgun ban of 1997. P.S I'm dying for some pro-gun control authoritarian type to come on here and dispute my arguments it has never happened. Please comment below.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0iIQKQYDQXZi50ICYG4-yhGy2x78HEG9KUR9K_KGH72VNX4jlocsFitVM-nyTtYCh6pCVDhEljSQJN4W4251P9U1edog2tY2pYonL0d-zB3sW2i4SyRLhdV-bq4PG9u_g6bmP87kYLVAj/s1600/glock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0iIQKQYDQXZi50ICYG4-yhGy2x78HEG9KUR9K_KGH72VNX4jlocsFitVM-nyTtYCh6pCVDhEljSQJN4W4251P9U1edog2tY2pYonL0d-zB3sW2i4SyRLhdV-bq4PG9u_g6bmP87kYLVAj/s320/glock.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good job only the Government has these things eh? Did you know in the UK you had a Constitutional right to keep one for self-defence?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-23553017292322126482012-08-04T14:29:00.000-07:002012-08-04T14:29:39.485-07:00RIP Sir John Keegan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPVSZTrjkE8wNiTSaiDPeYcL-F-74Q2HgmoS22t4Bys4dsUMlUnl8HOvW23OtYQDS0ngroJlyQPO65_x56xSf-my0twEce5brF0GJxp0xq4rckuUua5z3ORHekxvMRTWuRX63ZMCFUE_l/s1600/keegan_2297287b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitPVSZTrjkE8wNiTSaiDPeYcL-F-74Q2HgmoS22t4Bys4dsUMlUnl8HOvW23OtYQDS0ngroJlyQPO65_x56xSf-my0twEce5brF0GJxp0xq4rckuUua5z3ORHekxvMRTWuRX63ZMCFUE_l/s320/keegan_2297287b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: blue;">Sad to hear that the great military historian <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9449639/Sir-John-Keegan-was-very-much-one-of-us.html">Sir John Keegan has passed away</a>. I strongly recommend his work on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Six-Armies-Normandy-Liberation-6th-August/dp/1844137392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344115397&sr=8-1">Normandy</a> in particular. Full text from the DT below written by General Sir David Richards: </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div class="firstPar">
As a professor at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, Sir John Keegan shaped a generation of young Army officers with his intellectual insights and historical perspective. As defence editor of The Daily Telegraph, he kept the generals and politicians in line with trenchant criticism and carefully judged observations. His death marks a sad moment for those of us who knew him, but an opportunity to remember a man whose influence on British defence policy was long and measured.</div>
<div class="secondPar">
Sir John’s works unfailingly took the part of the soldier in battle, bringing a perspective so often overlooked by those with a more political interest. Those of us who were commissioned in the Seventies remember well his first major work, The Face of Battle (1976), which brought the perspective of the archer at Agincourt, the rifleman at Waterloo and the Tommy at the Somme to young officers preparing for what could have been the next European war. It was sobering for those of us who had not experienced battle and it played a major part in our training.</div>
<div class="thirdPar">
His later works built on this formidable tome and he shaped the way we thought about battle and the nature of military power. His contribution to explaining the Falklands conflict to a dubious and often defeatist London journalistic community should not be underestimated. </div>
<div class="fourthPar">
Victory in no way seemed assured and many thought the idea of sending a Task Force was a vainglorious relic of empire. Sir John saw it for what it was: a courageous, risky, but ultimately achievable operation that had to succeed, and he devoted a huge amount of effort to convincing others of this. It helped turn the doubting intellectual milieu into a supportive community.</div>
<div class="fifthPar">
That ability to shape the debate by bringing specialist knowledge to the lay reader was fundamental to his success. As conscription ended and fewer people had direct experience of military life, it was vital to ensuring that people understood what the Armed Forces were for. </div>
<div class="related_links_inline" id="tmg-related-links">
<div class="headerOne styleOne">
<h2>
This sometimes meant that he took on contentious topics, such as his support for the Iraq war. With courage and accuracy, he was able to divide the invasion from the occupation, and reminded everyone who would listen that in strictly military terms the victory in 2003 was astonishing for its speed and completeness.</h2>
</div>
</div>
<div class="body">
As his more than 20 years on the Telegraph demonstrate, Sir John’s articles and comments contributed to the national debate with an energy and understanding that few could match. Though his views were not always shared by those of us struggling to balance the competing pressures that modern generalship demands, he was an honest critic and had that most useful of all journalistic assets: an ability to make us think again.<br />
His work at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is also worth remembering. This is a hugely impressive organisation with a global mandate, and requires people with the vision, sensitivity and understanding of Sir John to ensure that it endures.<br />
I know his contribution to that, and so many other walks of life, will be greatly missed. Despite a childhood sickness that prevented him from putting on a uniform, he was very much one of us.<br />
<strong>General Sir David Richards is Chief of the Defence Staff</strong></div>
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-87187236332082769512012-07-08T09:49:00.003-07:002012-07-08T09:49:30.465-07:00Postcard from Afghanistan<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE_TEgdtMq_u7LEwa8bi2J2LtigW647fiMH1fOqT8GoQ59hlIxvdw7_Hr1PMWJvaLT2DYPvoWUye9-FEHXciBXn-PMPd97aeWQucIDbYrnmVJXLcH6UPtPBpqV_pM1brfpc391a07Shmle/s1600/Soldier+AFG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE_TEgdtMq_u7LEwa8bi2J2LtigW647fiMH1fOqT8GoQ59hlIxvdw7_Hr1PMWJvaLT2DYPvoWUye9-FEHXciBXn-PMPd97aeWQucIDbYrnmVJXLcH6UPtPBpqV_pM1brfpc391a07Shmle/s400/Soldier+AFG.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Postcard from Afgahnistan. <br /> Dear Mr Cameron wish you were here.<br /> Regards A. Soldier.</td></tr>
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<br />Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-61244646288408405322012-06-12T13:11:00.001-07:002012-06-12T13:11:17.180-07:00Gun Control is a Myth in the UK<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Lil51T7UIrc?fs=1" width="459"></iframe> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: blue;">Brilliant video that quite adequately shows the total failure of so called 'gun control' laws in the blog. As I have said <a href="http://amodernlibertarian.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/new-aim-for-our-coalition-repeal-hand.html">repeatedly the laws don’t work</a> and all firearms laws passed after 1968 at least should be repealed. Or would you rather continue to live with only the state and criminals being armed? Please discuss below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-74859673745791176652012-05-28T11:44:00.001-07:002012-05-28T11:44:49.453-07:00The 2020 Tax Commission by the UK Taxpayer's Alliance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mBh1YqCmmmgMNvJoFy5V2m5x7OkmlaLMCrgTY_hvRNMhKVD6Mfb_6rdFh87Zp4I_sGOhy8oKL5qWmwsDVC3cIewAgDbuZvDmY2jcAINpCDnPGOd7WQFd24I_LRLIDB1Wh6MhlpF3d99K/s1600/blog.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mBh1YqCmmmgMNvJoFy5V2m5x7OkmlaLMCrgTY_hvRNMhKVD6Mfb_6rdFh87Zp4I_sGOhy8oKL5qWmwsDVC3cIewAgDbuZvDmY2jcAINpCDnPGOd7WQFd24I_LRLIDB1Wh6MhlpF3d99K/s320/blog.png" width="226" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">Some interesting points contained in this report from the Taxpayers Alliance. The Taxpayers Alliance has interested me for quite some time with their excellent common sense viewpoints on matters such as <a href="http://taxpayersalliance.com/eu">the EU</a>. Now they have released some common sense proposals for reducing the size of the state and simplifying the tax system. All great libertarian ideas that are bound to annoy socialists. Please check them and their <a href="http://www.2020tax.org/2020tc.pdf">report</a> out. Personally I consider it very easy to understand why it is obvious that if you reduce taxation you actually get growth. However that does not mean that the powers that be will see it that way. Needless to say the left will be against this but then they never have anything sensible or un-dogmatic to contribute in any case. A sort of 'ooh prosperity is wrong' type of knee-jerk reaction to things. I will bring more from the Taxpayer's Alliance I like them. I blogged about the failure of the big state <a href="http://amodernlibertarian.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/last-weeks-riots-were-failure-of-big.html">here</a>. Next I will write about the flawed notion of the Irish nation State as Ireland teeters towards <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18010331">fiscal Union with the EU.</a> It is more than a bit interesting that on this matter I find myself agreeing with this <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Adams">chap!</a> More to come folks. </span></span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-25580874458768519532012-03-16T08:54:00.001-07:002012-03-16T08:54:15.886-07:00Pamela Geller debating Gun Control<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkzkE3TGIlkFtGI6_F8D3Qx-hBPErYzPNWY1zCVm_O_tNHgDZcGln_umiQF7qsMQ92C8PwbHKVT7wDqxOgREmXJK_ahhmltaYtPxuQG510ZkQCiljij1x-WaM_5bfp3fBhKVC0hK1Tjm_/s1600/Walther_P88_Compact.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkzkE3TGIlkFtGI6_F8D3Qx-hBPErYzPNWY1zCVm_O_tNHgDZcGln_umiQF7qsMQ92C8PwbHKVT7wDqxOgREmXJK_ahhmltaYtPxuQG510ZkQCiljij1x-WaM_5bfp3fBhKVC0hK1Tjm_/s320/Walther_P88_Compact.jpg" width="320" /></a> The gun laws in the UK do not work.</div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Note how <a href="http://networkedblogs.com/vfeFF">Pamela's opponent </a>seems to favor Statism at the expense of individual autonomy (not to mention actual safety IMHO). As I have said<a href="http://amodernlibertarian.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-aim-for-our-coalition-repeal-hand.html"> before after the UK introduced harsher gun control laws (moral panic) the actual incidences of gun crime increased!</a> Please join the debate below I say the current laws are oppressive, ill thought out and anti-libertarian they should be repealed. </span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-50299826440895389982012-02-26T09:10:00.000-08:002012-02-26T09:10:07.563-08:00A Legend has passed - Frank Carson RIP<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTM7Zn6xaIXgt95Qz66dJ7ztN0Io53VZhiepTr9Rcbeycv3qbuAbahcVGA0PkuZgoLAMPI5Lw-tkbC84neluDdv_tCaffxn5mhwbDkLFTy0MfbJ5AxHLdhkqpwv2f9KlQi2wtNgDMZ34n/s1600/GW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTM7Zn6xaIXgt95Qz66dJ7ztN0Io53VZhiepTr9Rcbeycv3qbuAbahcVGA0PkuZgoLAMPI5Lw-tkbC84neluDdv_tCaffxn5mhwbDkLFTy0MfbJ5AxHLdhkqpwv2f9KlQi2wtNgDMZ34n/s1600/GW.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="color: purple;">Very sad news this the passing of a real great man and a credit to all Belfast folk. Frank Carson passed away peacefully last week and I'd like to pass my condolences on to his family and friends. I actually met Frank on the Antrim Road as a young soldier manning a VCP many years ago. He made us all laugh before driving off he was like that in essence, a friend to everyone and a truly positive figure to emerge from a city that has sadly seen more grief than joy in it's recent past. RIP Frank you were a cracker, text from <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17077331">BBC below</a>.</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1">
The Belfast-born comedian Frank
Carson has died. He was 85 and had been seriously ill for a number of months. He will be remembered not only for his career in show business but also for
his charity work, which earned him an honorary title from Pope John Paul II. Frank Carson never lost touch with his roots in the Great Patrick Street area
near Belfast city centre, where he was born in 1926. He had a varied career as an electrician, a plasterer and then in the
Parachute Regiment at a time when he says jobs in Belfast for Catholics were
scarce. His big opportunity came in the 1960s when he won ITV's Opportunity Knocks
talent show, and the comedy career which followed brought him fame and wealth.</div>
<div class="introduction" id="story_continues_1">
<br /></div>
<span class="cross-head">Mayor of Balbriggan</span><br />
<br />
<br />
He moved his family from the New Lodge Road to Liverpool in 1969 and later
set up home in Blackpool. <br />
He also spent some time in Balbriggan near Dublin where he was mayor. The comedian John Linehan, better known as May McFettridge, said, as a
Belfast comic who made it to British stages and network television, he led the
way for others. "He put the landmark down for the Belfast comedians who followed him to
England," he said. "He was a massive plus for Belfast, a class act. He was the top, number one."<br />
Frank Carson appeared all over the world and said his aim was to be loved as
a performer by all sides of the community and people of all politics. <br />
<br />
Award from Pope<br />
<br />
He dabbled in politics at one stage and became a member of UKIP, the UK
Independence Party. <br />
One of his proudest achievements was an award from the Vatican: becoming a
Knight of St Gregory for his charity work. A major cause was the integrated education fund. Baroness May Blood said he
generously helped many charities. "We really will miss Frank. He was always there for us," she said.<br />
"If we had a new idea and he could help us financially or by opening a door,
he was there."<br />
<br />
Frank Carson had suffered serious illness since 2009, but kept active until a
few months ago.<br />
He is survived by his wife, Ruth, three children, 10 grandchildren and one
great-grandchild. <br />
It is understood he will be buried in Belfast from the city centre church
where he was married.<br />Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-78986783848406049232012-02-07T15:19:00.000-08:002012-02-07T15:22:18.226-08:00Douglas Murray at his best - Israel & Nuclear Iran (of course Europe will condemn whatever Israel does)<iframe height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3dBzslDdQ_g?fs=1" frameborder="0" width="480" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Douglas at his best his points about Europe are very pertinent indeed.Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-66406904676795857592011-12-31T10:57:00.000-08:002011-12-31T10:57:18.247-08:00During 2011 the IDF achieved an unparalleled low civilian casualty record during operations targeting terrorists<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscJIb-v-DqIkgEP4boskWnGHlw_ej5aoVl_NiGUvb80TG6nLvXGdaxAxkJ4DH6Wct2R-EAM3xrSxGd9lUczmrzzhMhSJEMx8bw74Rk6wQeTQPdvo4buVytnfg-PO8zRTxxLNlXwLCkIdb/s1600/GW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscJIb-v-DqIkgEP4boskWnGHlw_ej5aoVl_NiGUvb80TG6nLvXGdaxAxkJ4DH6Wct2R-EAM3xrSxGd9lUczmrzzhMhSJEMx8bw74Rk6wQeTQPdvo4buVytnfg-PO8zRTxxLNlXwLCkIdb/s320/GW.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #38761d;">The IDF operations were targeting the indiscriminate launching of rockets into civilian areas by Hamas and other terror groups.</span><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">Happy new year folks, other bloggers have reviewed the year far better than I could so I shall just say good night to 2011 with this under-reported nugget of information concerning <a href="http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/12/idfs_unparalleled_record_of_sparing_civilians_in_counter-terrorism_operations.html">Israel's counter-terror operations</a>. This is from American thinker full text below, also check out <a href="http://www.qassamcount.com/1773">Qassamcount</a> for an online record of continuing indiscriminate terror attacks against civilians by Hamas/Islamic Jihad. I'm off out now so happy new year folks! This makes the 'we are all Hamas now' crowd look stupid but we already knew they are stupid. From American thinker: </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div class="article_body">
<span style="font-family: times new roman, times;">In a year-end review of countering rocket fire from
Gaza, the IDF reports that its retaliatory fire killed 100 Palestinians,
including nine civilians. The rest were combatants linked to Palestinian terror
organizations. Put another way, the Palestinian fatality toll included 10
fighters for every civilian.</span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;">The one-to-10 noncombatant-combatant fatality ratio is
unique among conflicts around the world. No other army can boast of similar
records of minimal civilian collateral damage. In fact, the </span><span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD3" style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;">United Nations</span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times;"> estimates that 30 civilians are killed for
every 10 combatant fatalities in conflicts elsewhere in the world. That's three
times as many non-combatants as combatants.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, times;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, times;">The IDF's record is the more remarkable when one
considers that Palestinian terror groups are deeply embedded in civilian
neighborhoods, requiring ever greater IDF pinpoint accuracy in retaliatory
strikes as well as extensive intelligence inside Gaza to select proper targets.
Also, quite often, IDF commanders will forgo ordering an attack when the
potential for civilian casualties seems too high.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, times;">Yet, if one reviews mainstream media reports in 2011
about the continuing Gaza conflict, scant attention is paid to the paucity of
Palestinian civilian casualties. Headlines regularly announce that "Israel
killed 3 Palestinians" -- leaving readers in the dark about who these casualties
are or, worse, concluding erroneously that they're probably civilians. And
virtually never do reporters dig into the lengths to which the Israeli military
goes to spare civilians.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, times;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, times;">This remains most notable in coverage of Israel's
counter-terrorism incursion into Gaza in the winter of 2008-2009. To this day,
media like the New York Times, abetted by spurious reports from human rights
organizations and the UN's notorious Goldstone report, still buy into
Palestinian casualty figures hook, line and sinker, vastly exaggerating
Palestinian civilian fatalities while overlooking hundreds of combatant
fatalities.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, times;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, times;">The IDF, which conducted a detailed post-offensive
investigation into Palestinian fatalities, found that there were 1,166
Palestinian fatalities, including 709 combatants, from what was dubbed Operation
Cast Lead. And it identified every one of them. In three weeks of grueling
ground combat, in the face of terrorist fire from amidst Gaza civilians, the
number of Palestinian combatant fatalities still substantially exceeded the
number of non-combatants -- by a margin of 6 to 4.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, times;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, times;">These <span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD1">breakdowns</span>,
however, were mostly ignored by mainstream media, while overall casualty totals
were vastly inflated by the Palestinian side and by self-appointed human-rights
groups. And, more often than not, combatant-versus-noncombatants breakdowns
never made it into print.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, times;">To this day, the New York Times, in referring to
Israel's 2008-2009 Gaza offensive, simply mentions that 1,400 Palestinians were
killed. Which falsely suggests that Israel used disproportionate force. A
<span class="IL_AD" id="IL_AD2">breakdown</span> of civilians and non-civilians
would throw light on what actually happened. But that king of reporting is not
fit to print in the New York Times.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, times;">In similar vein, the UN's Goldstone report accepted
largely pro-Palestinian statistics to buttress its gross libel that the IDF
deliberately targeted civilians.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, times;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, times;">Ironically, Hamas -- long after the ground war was
over -- accepted breakdowns much closer to the truth. Why? Because, on
reflection, phony big numbers for civilian deaths and phony small numbers for
combatant deaths were apt to minimize Hamas's "heroic" resistance against
Israeli forces. So, Hamas belated announced that it had lost 600 to 700 of its
fighters - a range quite close to the IDF's conclusions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times new roman, times;">But this also is of little interest to Western
reporters determined to martyrize Palestinians while maligning Israel and its
military.</span><br />
<strong><em><span style="font-family: times new roman, times;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Leo Rennert is a former White House correspondent and
Washington bureau chief of McClatchy
Newspapers</span></span></em></strong></div>
<br /><br /><br />Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-70407334130669414652011-12-26T05:19:00.000-08:002011-12-26T05:19:59.429-08:00FYI - The Sinking of the Belgrano occurred as it DID represent a threat to UK Forces<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1Cjte8pIoCqYIbVwxMBmZN18CQxKZzJYPJRk0lijYywBnINvd83qbzJbUGiy160qd9oDObwtF5aDfqYyUlFlZIlwKS0FXUmmEF1J8N97hetegqyPW3aDLCJMp1ewlCrUGJDDkE0Kn7pd/s1600/GW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1Cjte8pIoCqYIbVwxMBmZN18CQxKZzJYPJRk0lijYywBnINvd83qbzJbUGiy160qd9oDObwtF5aDfqYyUlFlZIlwKS0FXUmmEF1J8N97hetegqyPW3aDLCJMp1ewlCrUGJDDkE0Kn7pd/s320/GW.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: blue;">Largely missing from the mainstream media channels this one. But then again it is Christmas and this story is still on the fringes. As reported in today's <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8965405/Belgrano-was-heading-to-the-Falklands-secret-papers-reveal.html">DT</a>, declassified papers as well as the memoirs of a former Intelligence officer David Thorp now state that according to Signals Intelligence the Argentine Vessel was heading towards the Falklands (and therefore UK forces) when it was sank by a British Submarine. Previously it has been held by many and especially those on the left that it was not and that Thatcher was reckless in ordering its sinking. That has now been confined to history as a myth and the likes of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tam_Dalyell">Tam Dalyell</a>, the Argentine Government and even the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_the_Belgrano">BBC</a> were all wrong. That is all I need to say although I would like to wish all veterans of that conflict on both sides peace. Margaret Thatcher and the UK were right throughout that conflict, a petty fascistic clique of militarists did not serve Argentina well however.</span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-56892441952807723412011-12-22T09:50:00.000-08:002011-12-26T02:51:23.402-08:00Voting for an open prison<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Tl6UfhHa2KA?fs=1" width="459"></iframe>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-41676957088353926532011-10-18T14:26:00.000-07:002011-10-18T14:27:36.750-07:00The Picture says it all - Best Wishes to the Shalit Family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeUX72E-cpCpvjh6MgVlLqnAp_jkE05lK3BpTbR6-bXzFcDoJx-Cv1xTFLEHZNrU1yVR5-zyPRWKWp93aTbCCJY7sFdrTyFIU197W0dF3xdcRFmjoA81aLRqBtJM2MDR8PNwe0MZlKQ167/s1600/Janet+Summer+06+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeUX72E-cpCpvjh6MgVlLqnAp_jkE05lK3BpTbR6-bXzFcDoJx-Cv1xTFLEHZNrU1yVR5-zyPRWKWp93aTbCCJY7sFdrTyFIU197W0dF3xdcRFmjoA81aLRqBtJM2MDR8PNwe0MZlKQ167/s400/Janet+Summer+06+012.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Image taken from my friend Chas's <a href="http://www.oyvagoy.com/2011/10/18/something-new-to-say/">excellent blog</a>, he has had to modify his campaign ribbon. Congratulations to all of those involved in the campaign to free Gilad. I will leave it there.</span></span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-40567455673434610342011-10-06T10:12:00.000-07:002017-03-30T09:55:36.370-07:00Why has this man been arrested for attempted murder? Answer is the state is too powerful<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINYZD6-wcHFP_nSkK5OrnReMmIte8yg2X31PwINo9jc_cZ_o1mNJ30dFFxxC1Al6CREph91rfbUskGVElXxo2tKLWk1Y2qLfN7ScFxekFCo0KgNWBVYIBgDrtAWqQmHAREGB-a3ufiO_g/s1600/GW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINYZD6-wcHFP_nSkK5OrnReMmIte8yg2X31PwINo9jc_cZ_o1mNJ30dFFxxC1Al6CREph91rfbUskGVElXxo2tKLWk1Y2qLfN7ScFxekFCo0KgNWBVYIBgDrtAWqQmHAREGB-a3ufiO_g/s320/GW.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">The picture on the left is taken from <a href="http://www.britainneedsguns.co.uk/index.htm">Britain needs guns</a> and it provides half the answer for the current situation in the UK. That situation being the one the householder finds themselves in when under threat, why half the answer? Well simply put the part of being on 'hold' whilst waiting for the police is only too true, especially when situations like<a href="http://amodernlibertarian.blogspot.com/2011/08/last-weeks-riots-were-failure-of-big.html"> this </a>occur. However here is the nub of the situation, you can't arm yourself for self protection and so you're defenceless (unless you live in Northern Ireland). So just wait for the police to turn up and trust the rapist/burglar/looter/mob will not do you too much damage. Like sheep the British people walked into this situation in a classic example of moral panic after Dunblane and <a href="http://amodernlibertarian.blogspot.com/2009/05/ban-paintball.html">banned legally held hand guns</a>. Yet it was not necessary as I highlighted in that earlier post and the banning of such items leveraged a huge amount of power to the state. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">So where does this leave us? Well as well as being solely reliant upon the police for protection (I know in theory a householder can use self defence but with what an elderly, disabled or sole occupant is helpless unless armed). There is also the fact that even when householders do defend themselves the police when they do eventually turn up arrest them! Sounds strange but it has happened <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-15194950">here</a>, A man who has opened fire and wounded a burglar in Worcestershire has been arrested for attempted murder, one question why? So I propose:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">1. The repeal of the recent legislation that banned legal ownership of guns. See petition <a href="http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/463">here</a>. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">2. An absolute right to defend ones own property see petition <a href="http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/172">here</a>.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">If these measures are enacted then you can expect to see a substantial reduction in occurrences such as<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1295936/Mothers-terror-armed-gang-attack-baby-home-cash-jewellery-raid.html#comments"> this</a>. Less crime, more freedom and a classic case of sound libertarianism at work or perhaps we should just go on relying on the state? Anyone care to tell me how many burglaries there are in Texas by way of comparison? Please visit the sites I linked to and debate below. </span>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-56725290876105602992011-09-21T07:29:00.000-07:002011-09-21T07:29:49.394-07:00Is Cheryl Cole now a target for Al Qaeda or does Anjem Choudhary just fancy her?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrZ0qWkc6vyradJKmQoOu2qRtLeQTpbVHza88UznCVhg1LYdIw1D_5Vj-XZNRTzlxW7xfLr6nqPnX5CEmtiuGWsLvBJZ7JPZXPxTOmb16uinkZt2Yd2d5kqkdT1EOivj7DLfsDmIcS4lT/s1600/Janet+Summer+06+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrZ0qWkc6vyradJKmQoOu2qRtLeQTpbVHza88UznCVhg1LYdIw1D_5Vj-XZNRTzlxW7xfLr6nqPnX5CEmtiuGWsLvBJZ7JPZXPxTOmb16uinkZt2Yd2d5kqkdT1EOivj7DLfsDmIcS4lT/s320/Janet+Summer+06+012.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheryl Cole in Afghanistan which seems to have roused (or aroused)<br />
Anjem Choudhary et al</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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If you excuse the flippant nature of the title this is in fact a<a href="http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/241346"> serious issue</a> of course. The sexually frustrated demagogues over at <a href="http://www.muslimsagainstcrusades.com/press-releases/cheryl-cole-in-afghanistan">Islam4uk</a> have indeed issued a thinly veiled threat to Cheryl over her <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2011/09/17/cheryl-cole-s-thrilling-helicopter-ride-with-troops-in-afghanistan-115875-23425979/">recent trip</a> to British forces in Afghanistan. This is of course little more than a cheap inflammatory publicity shot by Choudhary and his ilk. It also employs the usual double speak favoured by violent Islamists, i.e. Don't make a direct threat but imply something could or should happen to an individual or organisation that displeases them. There is every chance a rogue Muslim may harm Cheryl of course, look at the case of the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1325614/Woman-stabbed-MP-Stephen-Timms-stomach-Iraq-war-confrontation.html">MP Stephen Timms</a>. Timms was stabbed by a woman visiting his surgery, his assailant was a radical muslim influenced by Jihadist websites. The individual later sentenced for attempted murder refused to recoqnise the court as it represented an un-Islamic authority (although like most she milked the benefits system). </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">So where does this leave our Cheryl? Well she is not subject to the same threat as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salman_Rushdie">Salman Rushdie</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_cartoons">Jyllands Postern</a>. As it is for now unlikely that AQ will actually form a plot to attack her and her activities have not aggravated Muslims to the same extent as the aforementioned other two. Rather it is a simple intent to intimidate and discourage others from visiting the troops. Is this significant? Yes it can be as other less robust characters could easily decide 'well look I'd love to show my support for the troops but I don't fancy needing bodyguards for the rest of my life'. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">As to Choudhary, well his motives are as usual to garner attention for his bunch of welfare dependent ideologues. But it's also likely that he has other baser instincts to satisfy, particularly when you bear in mind what Jihadists are permitted (under Islam) to do to <a href="http://www.muslimhope.com/RightHand.htm">female captives</a>. That is it is acceptable under Islamic law for a Jihadist to engage in rape against the women he captures. However looking at Cheryl I really don't fancy his chances somehow so dream on <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1161909/Swilling-beer-smoking-dope-leering-porn-hate-preacher-Andy-Choudary.html">Andy!</a> It would be funny if you weren't being <a href="http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/09/uk-jihadist-hate-preacher-anjem-choudary-says-singer-cheryl-cole-a-legitimate-jihadist-target-for-vi.html">serious</a>. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vvYpgLX0nBu4DYLLbgO-3qO1Fb7ZrKEtgSlsw2Oqr6w9NfjunnKx0uTgEPHAxWEoaZSnhr3trR3nKVqGRvORyGaeZim-MUuSXrG3oIQxdE4a-5DrOk-U-aP_yDq_LGov4kuqjryzyL1e/s1600/GW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vvYpgLX0nBu4DYLLbgO-3qO1Fb7ZrKEtgSlsw2Oqr6w9NfjunnKx0uTgEPHAxWEoaZSnhr3trR3nKVqGRvORyGaeZim-MUuSXrG3oIQxdE4a-5DrOk-U-aP_yDq_LGov4kuqjryzyL1e/s320/GW.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So AQ have their sights on the gorgeous Cheryl? They won't stand a chance!</div>
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Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-23919316617856233722011-08-28T15:13:00.000-07:002011-08-28T15:27:28.763-07:00RIP John McAleese<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrf_rb1LAZeT6lYah4aDkVfQ3GNCwc3f07EQEnHWZdXrWcB2smXSgENGyEvAGcOciN1tMROS350wWzwKaIaB78DbLuqcqLzuxXjv9-GN6Z8uONXcuUe7mkur4HMhWsuTGCUe-xywQ7uAX/s1600/GW.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646033788057512418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrf_rb1LAZeT6lYah4aDkVfQ3GNCwc3f07EQEnHWZdXrWcB2smXSgENGyEvAGcOciN1tMROS350wWzwKaIaB78DbLuqcqLzuxXjv9-GN6Z8uONXcuUe7mkur4HMhWsuTGCUe-xywQ7uAX/s320/GW.jpg" /></a>
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<br /><div>John McAleese former SAS soldier shown here with participants from the TV series he co-presented.
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<br /><div>Very sad to hear that John McAleese former SAS soldier and the leader (meaning the assault team leader on the ground not those who led from Whitehall) has <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/special-forces-obituaries/8728502/John-McAleese.html">died in Greece</a> of a suspected heart attack. John was a much decorated and well regarded soldier and also one who never stood on ceremony for anyone. Apparently at a drinks party after <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Nimrod">Operation Nimrod</a> had concluded, he addressed the then PM Margaret Thatcher with the words ‘you at the front get your f$$king head out of the way’. The PM was apparently obstructing his view of the television on which the operation he had just led was being replayed. </div>
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<br />After leaving the army John enjoyed minor celebrity status as a presenter of the <a href="http://www.seesaw.com/TV/Factual/b-28090-SAS-Are-You-Tough-Enough">‘SAS are you tough enough’</a> series. Another passion of his acting as an instructor for airsoft gamers, the people who play such games are frequently derided as fantasists by many in the army. Apparently John saw it as a way of encouraging youth to foster an interest in the services according to some; I suspect he just liked to be kept busy. </div>
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<br /><div>As well as brave he was highly principled, he was awarded the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Medal">Military Medal</a> for service in Northern Ireland in 1988. I do not know for certain but I strongly suspect that was for exposing himself to hostile (and friendly) fire to remove a civilian at risk during a major contact. That citation is likely to remain classified but it is alluded to in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Big-Boys-Rules-Struggle-Against/dp/0571168094/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314568499&sr=8-1">Mark Urban’s work on the SAS in Northern Ireland</a>. </div>
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<br /><div>John adopted a much lower profile after the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5YavfAvKLI">death of his son Paul in Afghanistan</a> in 2009 and was deeply upset at the loss, which led to him writing to then PM Gordon Brown. His <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvNNnH4_vK4&feature=related">daughter in law also petitioned the government</a> to improve the provisioning of equipment. </div>
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<br /><div>I can’t say of course that the British government emerges with the same degree of integrity as John or his son displayed from this saga. As I write the government will be planning to scrap regiments and make them unemployed, yet we still spend how much on foreign aid?
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<br /><div>Perhaps the most fitting tribute to John McAleese came from a Facebook friend of mine who had worked with him in London. He remembered a kind, considerate and unassuming man who was rock solid reliable but never spoke of what he had done previously. He only found out John had been on Op Nimrod after speaking to someone else. That’s often the way with brave men, they are not braggarts. Still there’s nothing more to say other than RIP soldier and stand easy and my heartfelt sympathies for his families second tragic loss in as many years, may they have peace.</div>
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<br />The text below is from the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/special-forces-obituaries/8728502/John-McAleese.html">DT</a>.
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<br />The embassy, at 16 Princes Gate, Knightsbridge, had been taken over on April 30 1980 by six separatists from the oil-rich region in west Iran known as Arabistan. For six days, armed with machine guns, pistols and grenades, they held 26 people hostage as they demanded international recognition for their demands for independence. </div>
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<br />Margaret Thatcher’s government was adamant that it would not make deals with terrorists, and as tense negotiations with the separatists continued, police surrounded the 56-room, five-storey building. At the same time, an SAS team was assembled to launch a possible assault on the embassy under the code name Operation Nimrod. Some 60 troops of 22 Special Air Service Regiment 56, among them then Lance-Corporal John McAleese, drove from their base in Herefordshire. They were equipped with ladders, climbing ropes and battering rams, as well as with machine guns, grenades and gas-canister launchers. A few doors along from the embassy, the Royal School of Needlework was meticulously examined by one of the SAS soldiers, Stuart MacVicar (known as “Squash Ball” for his compact physique), because its layout was identical to that of the embassy. </div>
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<br />Microphones were drilled into the embassy walls; commercial aircraft flying overhead were ordered to travel at lower altitudes, to drown out any suspicious noises caused by the preparations for an assault. Meanwhile, the soldiers studied long-lens photographs, taken through the embassy windows, of the hostages in the hope that they would be able to distinguish them from their captors. </div>
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<br />Then, on the evening of May 5, a team led by McAleese stormed the building. The assault had been ordered by the Home Secretary, William Whitelaw, after the terrorists killed a hostage and threw his body outside the building. For the first time, an SAS operation was shown live on television as both ITV and the BBC (which interrupted its coverage of the final of the world snooker championships) broadcast footage of black-clad troops in balaclavas — among them McAleese — abseiling down ropes on to the balconies on the first floor of the embassy, where it was thought that most of the hostages were being held. </div>
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<br />In order to disorientate the terrorists, the SAS first exploded a so-called “distraction” charge, which they had lowered through a skylight. The front window of the room were blown out by McAleese and CS gas canisters fired in through the gap. The soldiers then stormed in amid a hail of gunfire. The raid lasted 17 minutes. All but one of the hostages were rescued. Five of the terrorists were killed; the only one to survive, Fowzi Nejad, was sent to prison — he was released in 2008. Returning after the assault to their temporary London quarters at Regent’s Park Barracks, the SAS team was visited by the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who told them: “Makes us proud to be British.” McAleese later said: “We knew what our mission was — it was to release the hostages. My only job at this point is to get on to the balcony, place the charge, get back, blow it, turn around and go back in through the window.” </div>
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<br />John McAleese was a Scot, originally from Laurieston, in Stirlingshire, and served in the Army for 23 years, including 17 in the SAS. He was awarded a Military Medal in 1988 for his service in Northern Ireland. After leaving, he worked as a security consultant in Iraq and Afghanistan, and had a brief media career as a host of the 2003 BBC series SAS: Are You Tough Enough?, a documentary in which members of the public experienced the proverbially grueling SAS selection process. </div>
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<br />He also acted as an instructor in Airsoft, the outdoor game which offers people a taste of what it is like to experience battle conditions. Participants dressed in combat gear and carrying real weapons (loaded with plastic BB pellets) mimic close-quarter modern infantry fighting.
<br />McAleese said: “You might as well make it realistic. People read books about this SAS stuff and now they can do something similar.” </div>
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<br />The last two years of McAleese’s life were marked by the death of his son, 29-year-old Sergeant Paul McAleese, who was serving in the 2nd Battalion the Rifles and hoped to join the special forces like his father before him. Paul was killed by an explosion in Afghanistan on August 20 2009 while attempting to rescue a wounded comrade.</div>
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<br />After his son’s death, John McAleese appealed to the Prime Minister Gordon Brown for better resources for the troops serving in Helmand province. He said that his son had complained that there were not enough troops in Afghanistan to monitor areas for explosive devices.</div>
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<br />John McAleese, who died in Thessaloniki, Greece, is thought to have suffered a heart attack.
<br />As well as his son Paul, he had a daughter with his first wife. He also had a daughter and a son by his second marriage.</div>
<br />Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-68556828258687004962011-08-18T02:58:00.000-07:002011-08-18T04:25:39.750-07:00Last Week's riots were a failure of big Government<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0o7rFOot9kwH1kNCVn_g3egIMEvIOHaKsB1zD13z03PLISldglxoMKJrrdgrfRN6NYhH6aBD6A6x_NC_zLCTDiDP0icER-cTcZj2jVeIeEG7IBJ_tuPYFRy-lGw4J1wf4SO9gtcbMaxdi/s1600/GW.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 214px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642152923071270562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0o7rFOot9kwH1kNCVn_g3egIMEvIOHaKsB1zD13z03PLISldglxoMKJrrdgrfRN6NYhH6aBD6A6x_NC_zLCTDiDP0icER-cTcZj2jVeIeEG7IBJ_tuPYFRy-lGw4J1wf4SO9gtcbMaxdi/s320/GW.jpg" /></a>In touch with his
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<br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoue00-7g5XpyazgrS3N9R2wl2kL0QWG78A2biBulZWj-xL7xSAW-7ZjYCDvCAkCP8VMllKlNwojMNpq9gQiNjj2sGCTG1ybRp55NkP0A5qpX-V_Y07fpuBviwW2g0P2DVU5wjrsUVoWr2/s1600/Janet+Summer+06+012.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 230px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642149376214299026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoue00-7g5XpyazgrS3N9R2wl2kL0QWG78A2biBulZWj-xL7xSAW-7ZjYCDvCAkCP8VMllKlNwojMNpq9gQiNjj2sGCTG1ybRp55NkP0A5qpX-V_Y07fpuBviwW2g0P2DVU5wjrsUVoWr2/s320/Janet+Summer+06+012.jpg" /></a> Fiddling while 'Rome' burnt? The UK PM above may not be ideologically equipped to understand and tackle the situation. </p>
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<br />The term big government needs to be defined of course, what I am referring to is the enormous shift in power from individual to state that occurred post 1945. 1945 saw the election of a Labour government with a major ideological programme to expand the state and develop an all-encompassing welfare system. They also had an electoral mandate to do so having won a landslide victory in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1945_general_election_(UK)">1945 election</a>. However no government since then has done anything to dismantle the more authoritarian aspects of Atlee's ambitious programme. For instance the NHS an enormous receiver of state revenue is generally well regarded in spite of the bloated bureaucracy and cash cow it has become.
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<br />But what of the numerous other 'benefits' that flowed since then. Child benefit which is paid to all mothers regardless of means (thus ensuring the father has no effective role or whatever role or interest he may have had is usurped by the state). Housing benefit another well intended idea that was supposed to remove the slums, however now the state is the landlord. Ultimately the over-reaching meaning of too many of these benefits is that the government is your provider, your father, your bread winner and your landlord. There was a time when families and communities looked after themselves and having strong family values and not excessive statism keeps the government at bay thus protecting liberty. </p>
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<br />However the socialist paternalism induced through welfare makes people always look to the state as provider, not their families and themselves the state rules you. So where does this lead and how does it make the riots witnessed last week inevitable? Simple, if you look to the state for everything and then the state cannot provide everything or more of what you crave (due to a recession) then the state is to blame. So being in a state of dependence and feeling entitled to things (as opposed to aspiring for them which is admirable) then you take them by force. After all morally the state can never be an effective alternative solution for rock solid working class families, the likes of which existed in places such as Salford I know my father's family were an example.
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<br />However that era has been passed it is now the era of the benefits <a href="http://amodernlibertarian.blogspot.com/2008/12/inspector-gadget-on-consequences-of.html">underclass</a>. The problem with benefits is that they perpetuate poverty and strangle any <a href="http://amodernlibertarian.blogspot.com/2008/12/bbc-with-damning-indictment-of-welfare.html">sense of initiative </a>or moral responsibility from those that receive them. If this sounds harsh I'll accept that not all benefits recipients are criminal scroungers nor were all of the rioters on benefits, but they have fostered a dependency culture tax payers subsidise. The last Labour <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8698033/New-Labours-toxic-legacy.html">government did all of this in spades</a>. So the solution is to roll back the state and go back to traditional family values as one thing but there are numerous other things that can be done.
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<br />A few of my own suggestions are as follows:
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<br />1. Introduce tax rebates for working families, a couple in work will pay less tax each child they produce so long as they remain in work. They could spend the saving on childcare.
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<br />2. I've blogged on the oppressive and stupid <a href="http://amodernlibertarian.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-aim-for-our-coalition-repeal-hand.html">hand gun ban </a>previously, allow people with no criminal record to own a handgun and keep it for self-defence. They will need it as we have a police force that surrenders the streets to rampaging mobs for hours on end. I pity the shop keepers and others who have suffered as a consequence of the recent violence.
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<br />3. Increase the amount of time police officers spend on patrol through scrapping their paperwork, in short stop micro managing them. </p>
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<br />4. Help create jobs and wealth for reducing corporate tax and scrapping the 50 pence top tax rate.
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<br />5. Celebrate our small business operators and other private sector workers as they are currently the underdogs, but they are the lifeblood of the British economy.
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<br />6. Make policing more localised and community based, increase the number of smaller police posts and re-establish foot patrols in areas. This may cost money, well the answer is simple stop foreign aid and spend it at home.
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<br />That's just a few ideas, inevitably however the solution amongst many will be for <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14493497">more statism </a>but this must be resisted. Big brother would love to take more power and control social media and internet use, however the result would be truly Orwellian. Typically those on the left are stating that factors such as <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14503023">spending cuts </a>are too blame ignore them, we pay too much tax as it is. Roll back the state and we will get back our streets as well as our dignity and pride. The situation in <a href="http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/timstanley/100100627/london-riots-americans-would-have-known-how-to-respond-to-the-violence-and-looting/">America would have been different </a>and the debate more honest.
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<br /></p>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-54664621511701999792011-08-04T07:09:00.000-07:002011-08-04T07:39:06.207-07:00I'm back after a short hiatus - We got married!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBmchdNnFbSbZQThTIwDhyIGy0ZJFccJIlHbjqeNIuzg9J2B61kFxNzTrMd1GquS4-q2v4NYiIeISuZ8kom9-I_5ZONsr7dhQ1Qr-uqlytBV-0nm-EqahLRy0RT58maBPw41OLTz7aYML/s1600/267869_10150707052990014_860665013_19892133_1698234_n.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637008131818337426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBmchdNnFbSbZQThTIwDhyIGy0ZJFccJIlHbjqeNIuzg9J2B61kFxNzTrMd1GquS4-q2v4NYiIeISuZ8kom9-I_5ZONsr7dhQ1Qr-uqlytBV-0nm-EqahLRy0RT58maBPw41OLTz7aYML/s320/267869_10150707052990014_860665013_19892133_1698234_n.jpg" /></a> Which way to the pub?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9iTp6MyOTFvu0UDwEllQg5VxeitzuzYaoym5tr76IJEP8f8zerzMDF9TwpeKWUozRbknKyJ8Q_BEQAP0RkLrcjyVQaZieIoERpXUwQb_P56niSpYyrctqFr1_MkUeiZv3DowPADggcwT/s1600/268141_10150707052450014_860665013_19892123_4496617_n.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 234px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637007627272530322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9iTp6MyOTFvu0UDwEllQg5VxeitzuzYaoym5tr76IJEP8f8zerzMDF9TwpeKWUozRbknKyJ8Q_BEQAP0RkLrcjyVQaZieIoERpXUwQb_P56niSpYyrctqFr1_MkUeiZv3DowPADggcwT/s320/268141_10150707052450014_860665013_19892123_4496617_n.jpg" /></a> Myself and the boys, it was a glorous day!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I'm back and it has been a while. Reasons for my absence include a pending career change, a wedding (mine) and blogger's block. I will be blogging later on the Norway abomination and a recent book I read, laters.</div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-33610357310968708892011-05-17T23:33:00.000-07:002011-05-17T23:33:58.349-07:00'When Obama took out Osama, at the Copacabana (Abbottabada). ' Kareokee! - Pure Class!<iframe height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bbOhnvJ1f4o?fs=1" frameborder="0" width="425" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791461091801719877.post-22647264555306286992011-04-02T05:35:00.000-07:002011-04-02T06:05:49.313-07:00The BBC has responded to Louise Bagshawe MP over their lack of coverage concerning the murders of the Fogel family<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcucqofIC8DUtask_ZQGZhcQSORIFMldlG7lhZkthymqr_cA3JZsyAAGhdapTer4NmCKgC6Au4j-T9D0737bVutLbtwZq_-c78oMOfSO364Z4O2Q-7TONVHlN-Q9qXOyWS9mo0vxHbOVg/s1600/Louise.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 296px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590970133741089010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcucqofIC8DUtask_ZQGZhcQSORIFMldlG7lhZkthymqr_cA3JZsyAAGhdapTer4NmCKgC6Au4j-T9D0737bVutLbtwZq_-c78oMOfSO364Z4O2Q-7TONVHlN-Q9qXOyWS9mo0vxHbOVg/s320/Louise.bmp" /></a> <br /><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span></div><span style="color:#000099;">Louise Bagshawe MP has complained and has now got a response.</span> <br /><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000099;">The BBC's lack of coverage of this <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4041237,00.html">massacre</a> (which many of you never heard of) was very typical of the corporation, some murders it seems are more newsworthy than others. This is particularly important when the longstanding bias against Israel and in favour of (or at least whitewashing of) the terrorist groups that face Israel. Time and time again the BBC has been called out for such bias and along with other examples it is highlighted brilliantly by Robin Aitken <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Can-Trust-BBC-Robin-Aitken/dp/0826494277/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301748151&sr=8-1">here</a>.</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000099;">Anyway this example has led to Louise Bagshawe MP <a href="http://www.thejc.com/comment-and-debate/comment/47355/bbc-bias-endemic-louise">complaining</a> about it and she has at last extracted a response from our state broadcaster <a href="http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/47289/bbc-backs-down-its-fogel-coverage">here</a>. Well done Louise! But before we go any further it is worth pointing out that the worse part of this whole story was the appalling massacre itself, my sympathies are with the Fogel family whose tragic story has already left the front pages and in the case of the BBC was not mentioned. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000099;">Full text below:</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000000;">MP Bagshawe: Overwhelmed by response</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000000;">The BBC has admitted that the horrific murders of the Fogel family last month should have been covered on their 24 hour news channel. The massacre, in which a three-month-old baby was decapitated and her siblings' throats were slashed, did not appear anywhere across the BBC's television channels, and was mentioned only briefly on the broadcaster's news website. The BBC gave no mention of Hamas' statement praising the attack or of celebrations about the killings in the West Bank, yet did cover the Israeli government's announcement about settlement construction the following day. The broadcaster's poor coverage was highlighted by Louise Bagshawe, Conservative MP for Corby, who registered her disgust at what she called the BBC's "inexcusable" failure, in the JC as well as on Twitter and in a comment piece for the Daily Telegraph. </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000000;">Ms. Bagshawe, a member of the Select Committee for Culture, Media and Sport, called on the BBC to admit their "lack of even handedness". She also demanded a list of the other stories which were featured on BBC News 24 on March 11, in preference. Her complaint was passed to the BBC's director of news, Helen Boaden, but it was five days before Ms. Boaden replied. During that time Ms Bagshawe received thousands of messages of support. In her response Ms Boaden said: "I agree with you that the significant nature of this murder of an entire family meant it should have been included on our television news output." However, she denied that the BBC had ignored the story "either because we did not care or because we pursue an anti-Israel agenda". She instead blamed "a remarkably busy weekend" because of the disaster in Japan, events in Libya and the spring meetings of the Liberal Democrats and the SNP which had to be covered "to ensure due political impartiality". "[These] left little room in the main television bulletins for a host of competing stories". Ms. Bagshawe said: "I'm not wholly satisfied with the answer which does not reflect the gravity of the lack of coverage. I would consider the matter finished if the BBC gave an expression of regret because of the hurt they have caused the Jewish community." She added: "I believe that this shows that the BBC will listen and will not merely reflexively defend a clear mistake."</span></div>Paulhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11249817220736089013noreply@blogger.com5