My life sir has been spent protecting peace, defending different cultures, looking after minority groups and aiding those in need.
What have you done?
I do not have raw nerves, my working life has never allowed it. Assad has quite the opposite to world support but it seems that for you lack of actual evidence his people used the weapons whilst it is known that Al Qaeda groups and their associates (also) have them, you would rather see those people supported. I shall not respond, probably never ever again, to anything from you as other people are doing. It is appeasers like you who allowed 1933 to develop into 1939-45, as history shows very clearly. Just stop insulting people who believe peace is a worthwhile cause, not including myself because I have just counted myself out. Enjoy your misery little man.
A raw nerve possibly sir. Bless you. I have no intention to be rude.
I’m merely giving my opinion in a debate which you didn’t start but seemed to hijack and subject us all to a continual countdown on your particular cause.
Take a chill pill and let’s hope campaigns such as this do not fuel the death toll as leaders such as Assad start to believe they have world wide support.
I think you are just uncommonly rude and have a single and rather uncouth vision of the world. A million plus people have made a gesture to ask for peace yet there you are saying we need 'strategic strikes'. Oh sure, I have lived long enough to not care too much if an escalation sees me fried in a short time. However there are many millions of people in this world who deserve life and war mongerers who wish to have them possibly wiped off this earth because they have closed minds are not of us. There are two sides to everything, I am NOT a tree hugger nor a willy waver in your terms. But the fact you are in uniform, standing to attention and display that as who you are makes you a willy waver supreme. Do not insult SFN members with such rudeness please, debates are fine but aggression and rudeness of the kind you use are not.
But that pre-supposes that our elected representatives are up to the job! Wish I had *your* faith!!!!
As for Putin - we will see. I think few of us are prepared to accept the change of outlook, but, if between the USA and Russia (and maybe China) it is possible to halt the deaths of 10's of 1,000's of people then so be it!!
Bombing the hell out of people has never, ever achieved much - look at any of the recent interventions - and nothing much has changed!!!
Let your elected representatives make an informed decision. Action is required or the suffering will continue long after the Tree Huggers and Willy Wavers have found another topical cause to latch onto.
We need strategic strikes to disable the war machine. Puttin has an agenda more terrifying than the US or EU.
That's a bit harsh, Martin!!!
How would it have been even remotely possible to express our angst against the proposed additional violence in Syria - and our disgust at the people responsible?
There is no way I could afford to go to Syria to speak to Mr Assad - if he would even listen to me. I could not afford to even go to Paris or London to join any form of "protest".
Your alternative would seem to be to do nothing!!!
And surely *anything* is better than that?!?!?
What?
Armchair activism or Clicktivism. Faceless people who have a poke in the knowledge that no one will see or remember them. Wasn’t it once said "clictivism is to activism in the same way that McDonalds is slow cooked well prepared food.
People will make noises because the 'small island' words came from Putin but in reality it is reflective of a growing European attitude. The difference between the 1940s when the UK was proactive in helping set up the UN, at least some of the UN agencies, and was very much to the fore in drawing up some of the international, including European ones, conventions, treaties and agreements is that then England was the centre of a massive empire. Today the UK is trying to hold itself together and has a few dependencies around the globe. The politicians today are not world players although they try to be. Looking at the present situation Cameron looks rather like Obama's lick-spittle and the likes of Hague and Osborne are often laughed at by European politicians. Yes, the UK is punching above its weight, should scale down to do what is proportionate and stop holding each US president's shirt tails.
avaaz is about 1,012,000 now. After an amazing flood of signatures after eight yesterday evening, about 2210 the million was up, it slowed down. For people who doubt, before avaaz (voice) was set up in 2007 there are members in most of the countries in the world, I think only four with none, over 25 million members and they have taken part in near 150,000 actions - none of them politically, religion or otherwise biassed. Before they made an impression on me I had never taken part in online petitions and actually probably very few on paper over the years because I always doubted their ability to succeed. Avaaz has some resounding successes.
I expect that the 1,000,000 mark is well passed and I applaud everyone (including me) who signed. I hope that it is something governments will take notice of. Apart from voting every 5 years it's the only way of contributing to the debate.
A point I meant to raise a few days ago was - how do you feel about Britain being described by Putin's aide as 'a small island that no-one takes any notice of'. Personally, I welcome it. I would love us to be like many other European countries whose forces support UN action but who don't get involved in conflicts on their own or holding onto the USA's tailcoats! I think we are punching well above our weight and why do we want to? We were once a world power (whether having an empire is something to be proud of is a different discussion) but no longer. Why can't we put all our efforts into reforming the UN and making it really effective and then concentrate on making Britain a better place for all to live in.
Morning rant over!
By the time people see this, the 1,000,000 mark on the avaaz petition will be passed. People power as Graham said earlier.
It's just sped up again as well. Good on them :-D
WOW!!! Brazil is extraordinary. Maybe someone wants it finished before midnight, our time?
Power to the People :-)
The signatures are coming in fast at present. Somebody has clearly started some kind of action in Brazil but interesting where else they are coming from. It's into the last 10,000 now. The last 1000 alone came in inside half an hour. What with the diplomatic movements, perhaps people have just shown politicians we do not want war and we are getting what we want with our influence just a little bit more than they will ever admit.
Great, simply pushing for that last 11,000 or so now with them.
Putin's letter to America
Yep, and the petition is now only 20,000 short of the million. If you have not yet signed: http://www.avaaz.org/en/solution_for_syria_loc/?fpla
and contribute to the effort to do something about it.
Yes, unless they make a final call. However, that will be exactly a week so pretty good anyway.
I was an abysmal 11+ failure :-(