There will be peace on Earth when we discover an enemy in space.

As for this planet, aren't these mutal assistance pacts; NATO,NORAD et al., just as likely to get
the co-signatories into a war? NATO's presence in Afgahnistan comes to mind, and the last time
I had cause to look at an atlas I could not find that country anywhere near the Western Ocean.

That's a good point Malc, probably all part of Globalization?

On the front page of this morning’s newspaper was a photo of one of the two young Australia soldiers killed in the last couple of days in Afghanistan, this was linked to the yesterdays suicide bomb attack in Indonesia that killed three Australian business men amongst many other people. A newspaper statement by our government said these deaths strengthened their argument for remaining in Afghanistan to continue the war on terror.

I must be missing something; the news report said the suicide attack was linked to Jamaah Ismailia, which is an Indonesian Islamic organization and it was suggested it was planned by a Islamic activist from Malaysia who is not linked to the Taliban which is a Fundamental Islamic Group fighting against what they describe as foreign invaders in Afghanistan, so how on earth is the sending our young men and women to bomb and strafe their country going to stop all this militancy. The so called terrorists have told the west they see the attacks on Iraq and Afghanistan as attacks against all Muslims to which they will retaliate, so surely we are only inviting attacks and making our countries less safe by stirring up the hornets’ nest in Afghanistan.

We should get out of Afghanistan now and leave the Afghani’s to sort out their own country, or better still put all our MP’s in uniform and send them over there to fix up the problems for them and leave our young people alone; at the very least it would stop the MP’s insulting our intelligence, I just heard a news report that the British economy is the same now as it was in ’45, so what the hell are they spending the taxpayers money in Afghanistan for???????

Sunday evening on Australian T.V. our prime minister told the people that there will be more body bags coming back as Afghanistan is the 'home' of terrorism nas we must do all we can to stop it. The fcat is we will never stop them, the best we can do is slow them up. Sadly the fanatical clerics will always find enough minds to turn to send out on suicide missions somewhere in the world. The sickest thing on all of this is the fact that a number of oganisations ,including those in Indonesia, are using some form of religeon as the basis for their continued attacks on the west. But having said that I recall a time not so long ago when Catholics and Prodestants raged a war based on sectarian differences.

To true sailorsman, allthough the bible and religion is supposed to be about turning the other cheek
and loving ones neighbour, it has throughout history been used and blamed for all sorts of wars and conflicts, the misinterpretation of what is supposed to be holy but used as an excuse for mass murder is something I have never been able to comprehend, and is probably the main reason for me beeing sceptical as far as religion is concerned. stan.

i know we all want our soldiers to come out and come home and leave it to the afghans etc. but we must not forget either, that it was afghanistan that allowed alkieda to live, work, train, and practice their deadly trade there.

Based on that logic should we invade and occupy Germany and who said it is the clerics pushing terrorism? What would you do if a foreign power invaded the UK, Australia or the country you call home, I'm sure you would take up arms and fight back, would that mean that you become terrorists?
It is a very fine line between terrorism and patriotism and depending on what side of that line you are standing determines your designation.
The fact is you can't accept everything you read in the newspaper, the papers in China and Russia present a different view point to the newspapers you would read in the USA, Britain or the Antipodes.

On the evening news they are saying the war in Afghanistan can never be won and sooner or later we will have to pull out; that being the case we should most definitely get out now before any more of our young people lose their lives!

The British economy in 1945? We did not have a pot to p..s in, but the country still built ships,
planes, tanks, guns, bombs, shells and had a large merchant fleet, a diminished fighting fleet,
and still ruled a huge chunk of terra firma. So, if Britain's economy today is the equivelant to
that of 1945, where is it all coming from? Do you produce any exportable products over there?
Apart from RR aircraft engines, Rolls cars, and Robertson's Marmelade. What is generating
the country's wealth? Financial transactions in The City? Beats me.

Sorry for getting off topic, but Tony's posting got me thinking - (always dangerous.) Anyway, I am
fully convinced that we are shedding the blood of our finest in lands that mean nothing to us as
a people. It is quite altruistic of us to make this sacrifice, so that moslem women can walk around
Kabul and Kandahar without having to wear a burka, while moslem women in Paisley and Paris take
pride in wearing theirs. Lets take care of Number 1, first, last and always.

P.S. The Americans and the British are still occupying Germany.

It is possibly true that the war will never be won. But if we walk away the terrorists will consider the west even weaker than it currently does, leaving it open to even worse attrocities than the towers. Did we invade, or did the Afghan gov ask for assistance, a fine line indeed. Is it war or is it all a political ploy? Different countries media will report it in the way that will either show them in a good light or others in a bad. But as we all know the first casualty of war is the truth so what we see in the mediamay not be factual. As we know history is not what happened, but a record of what was percieved to have happend, by the recorder of that event. So for China or Russia to have different reporting of the war will depend on who they may be supporting.Most news in the papers is designed to create sales, not to tell it as it is, likewise the T.V. and to some extent the radio. I would suggest that in one hundred years from now, if man has not completely destroyed himself,similar events will be reported and coments similar to those we have posted here will be relevant to the day. To end war make all equal, remove all borders, remove all personal ownership, remove all monies, and all will be well until one person declares that he can do better.

Rumour has it it the Taliban are joining the Afghan government, it could soon be over, now our leaders need to tell us what we were doing there?
The sooner we're out the better.