Islamic State recruitment in Australia

[j.sabourn]

Rodney like the last few paragraphs of your #7. Re shipping people out who have dual nationality. I wonder how much the PM of the UK is paying the Abbot government to keep the likes of myself and others of similar circumstances out of the UK and kept here to avoid paying us the pension, which others in our stead are claiming from Eastern Europe. Cheers JWS PS This is a joke only so don't take too seriously. JWS

[j.sabourn]

Rodney assume you being an avid reader will probably have read long ago the book Flinders by Rob Mundle, I am still struggling through a few paragraphs at a time but already have learned more about Australia than I did beforehand. The Likes of Bass his best friend was a doctor I believe and although it was Flinders who found the Bass straits, named it after him. Bass himself being an explorer in his own right. It is hard to believe this was only a couple of hundred years ago and all these discoveries were made from small open whalers and such like. Cook Bligh and Flinders have all been characterised as men of their times, but there were many more and a lot of others are mentioned. There is a statement as there are many more, but one caught my eye, Flinders was not there but is a passing reference to the Battle of the Nile, says that Napoleon had every intention of invading England, but knew the Royal Navy was a huge insurmountable deterrent, so decided on Egypt to cut off Englands access to the East. However didn't count on Nelson following him. In August 1798 saw the Battle of the Nile and Nelson with his fleet annihilate the French. All but 4 of Napoleons 17 ships were blasted into submission in what was a horrific battle. The British lost 213 men and 677 wounded, while the French are estimated to have lost as many as 5000, I always thought the Battle of the Nile was a skirmish but must have been nearly as bad as Trafalgar. Cheers John S

[happy daze john in oz]

One family who went to Syria to join up now want to come back as they say living conditions in Syria are not good. Well hello, just what did they think they would find there, paradise maybe? The gov is very reluctant to have anything g to do with them now so they may have to stay put.

[gray_marian]

#13, 'So they may have to stay put' .....Hip Hip Hooray.............How sweet would that be

[Rodney Mills]

John in W.A. I got your joke...good un! By the way it wasn't my post, I was just the postman for BBC.

I read somewhere, that the U.K. considers every born citizen of the U.K. a citizen until that person formally renounces his/her U.K. citizenship in a prescribed manner in a British consulate before an accredited consulate officer. So your safe....Jeez! What about me?

Twenty-five years ago, I went to England on a vacation, and also to visit my father and evil stepmother. I went ahead of my wife by a week and arranged to be at the airport when she arrived. My first day there I got into a blue with my ex-family, and lay-about half brother, long story short I walked out. I found a nice B and B, and went to the airport to greet my wife. She was a long time clearing immigration, finally she came through the gate. Now every American gets a three month visiting visa without any problem, fait accompli, she got two weeks! She came before a female immigration officer who asked her what was the reason for her visit. Vacation she answered, the officer asked her what her occupation was. She answered that she was a school teacher but she retired. The officer said, you are too young to be retired you have obviously come here for work. My wife told her that her husband, me, was born in the U.K. and outside waiting, could she call me. The officer mulled it around a bit, and told her you have two weeks, she stamped her passport and cancelled out the three months and wrote in two weeks. We had to change all our plans. In two weeks we left for France from Dover on the hovercraft to Paris, but there wasn't an emigration officer on duty. So we stayed a week in Paris back to Dover and had to hunt around for an immigration officer. We found one finally and showed him her passport and told him our tale and of passing through Dover last week, but there was "nobody home." He told us, it was either the officer's first day on the job, she was jealous because you have retired, or she was just a bitch. He added he had never heard of an American about to be shipped back to the states for such a flimsy reason.

My wife gave me a good chewing out, for arguing and walking out (it was the best thing I had done in years) and told me in no uncertain terms that's the last time I go on ahead.

Rodney

[j.sabourn]

As the title of this post suggests there is always going to be argument re the rights and wrongs of fighting an enemy whose excuse is based on Religion. During the last war the excuse of many Germans was that they were not Nazis. This is probably true as the ordinary man in the street is not that interested in politics. However I am sure the Allies fighting such did not stop and question every German soldier before pulling the trigger. Germany when war was declared on it rose as one man in response, the same will be the case of a so called religion. Therefore every German soldier was considered a threat so should every one fighting under the mantle of a flag which wants world domination the same as Hitler, I fail to see the difference. It took a few years for the likes of Britain to respond and reply in like with what could be described as terrorist forces against the Japs in Burma when Col. Wingate formed his forces fighting behind Japanese lines, and Monty with his Long Range Desert groups in North Africa. Our forces learned to fight fire with fire, including the bombing of German cities, tit for tat. People these days do not have the stomach for that at the moment, but is slowly going in the direction where sometime in the not too far future we are going to have to pick up the nettle. JWS

[John Pruden]

members we are dealing with a group of fanatics that would not think twice on detonating a nuclear weapon can the whole world allow this to happen they are more dangerous than any during ww2 and must be stopped at all costs boarders must mean nothing it doesn't to the faction and before you know it they will have taken over most of the middle east? any that leave a country to join them should never be allowed to return? just my view jp

[Keith Tindell]

Thats what i cannot understand John, if they want to go to Syria to fight, let them go, but dont let them come back. Sooner or later we will have to be involved to stop them coming here, just my view KT

[Rodney Mills]

John in W.A..

Agree with most of what you say on #16 , hope you are wrong on your last sentence. If you are right let someone else lead, we'll be whoever leads the way poodle.

In my life, I was too young for Malaya and Korea, old enough (draft age) for Cyprus, Egypt, on the cusp and fingers crossed for Viet Nam. I don't want any involvement in foreign wars for my grandson...mess with us and we lower the boom, and I mean BOOM, everything in our arsenal except nukes, unless some country attempts to use one on us and then no chance for a second one.

There is not a lot of stomach for more foreign war involvement in the U.S. (subject to change Vis a Vis another 9/11 major event), the right wing of the Republican party excepted. Bombing yes, monetary aide...depends on who, boots-on-the-ground-troops no. Every time an event happens, there are right wing senators condemning our not sending in troops. To-date, Senator John McCain of Arizona and his buddy Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina would have sent troops to Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, back to Iraq and Afghanistan, Egypt, and have roundly condemned Obama for moving out of Iraq and Afghanistan and not sending troops into these other countries. Oh! I forgot Ukraine.

I am politically registered to vote as a "Undeclared," which means It isn't anyone's business how I vote, I can cross over party lines if I wish. However, if you keep it to yourself, I'll tell. But first I must explain about our two parties. We—the U.S.—are further to the right than Britain or Oz.. Our Democratic Party are about the same as the British Conservative Party, our Republican Party's left wing would be say similar to the Conservative's far right wing. The right wing Republican party—the Tea Party—are way out there. The Tea Party is not something new they have been around for years, but were known by other names E.g. the John Birch Society.

When I first became a citizen I was a Republican. On fiscal matters I was staunchly Republican, on social issues I was more of a Democrat. Over the years I don't believe I have changed. What has happened is the Republican party has changed, so much so, it has left me behind.

Over the years the candidate for President has been such that I have disagreed with one and held my nose while voting for the other.

McCain, was running against Obama. During the run up to the 2008 election, McCain had to run as a right wing tea party favorite in order to get the republican nomination. Once he had the nomination he had to slide back towards the middle in order to get the everyday Republicans and the undeclared (like me) to vote for him in order to win. Consequently, he pished the tea party crowd off because he had used them, and he pished off the likes of me with his previous tea party speeches. That left (no pun intended) Obama? So I pinched my nose to avoid the smell, and voted for him.

2012 was the same, Romney the Republican, was our version of Marie Antoinette in letting us eat cake. In one breath he said, with shirt sleeves rolled up and suit jacket over one shoulder, square jawed gazing into the future, "I stand fair and square with the everyday American, I understand your problems.... We have a two car garage and my wife has two Cadillacs and I have to keep my cars outside in the elements." He had a private party for ultra rich donors to say thank you, unfortunately for him one of the caterer's staff had smuggled in a tape recorder, and he said " Forty-seven percent of the electorate will not vote for me and my loyalty will be for the other fifty-three percent." So so much for being President of ALL Americans. So once more I held my nose. I wonder how many Brit. members did the same in their last election?

I have good medical coverage as a pensioner, plus I can afford extra insurance to cover what is not covered. But I am sympathetic to those who through no fault of their own had no employer paid coverage, made too little money to be able to afford coverage, or had a pre-existing condition that either disallowed one coverage, or made the premiums unaffordable. Bottom line, as I've said' I held my nose and voted for Obama and his Obama care. To date there have been over forty attempts by the Republicans to cancel "Obama care," even though 14 million people have signed up and now have medical coverage.

So far there are about twenty Republicans pushing and shoving to be come the Republican standard bearer, and what a sorry bunch. As for the Democrats as of this moment it's looking more like a coronation for Hillary Clinton than an election to be the Democrats candidate.

Rodney

[j.sabourn]

#19... Rodney I make no claim to understand US politics when I dont even understand my own. I was brought up for the few year before I got married in a household which went back generations on my fathers side going back and before and during the Jarrow long walk, to voting Labour. Was always told that the working man could not afford to vote for anyone else. Saying that I have only ever once voted Labour and that was here in Australia in the 90"s this was for my own well being as was quite well off with the sea going conditions re the Unions, which I knew the other party was trying to get rid of. However the debacle they caused out here with the non protection of the borders and believed a similar state of events was unfolding in the UK, caused me to change whatever little allegiance that is if I ever had any, in the opposite direction. I am a swinging voter and will probably vote nowadays for the good of the country or the least unpalatable bunch of #ankers. The US voting system that is broadcast to the world via the media appears to a lot like a circus and have to have the money and photographic charm to achieve Commander in Chief, together with all sorts of promises to those supplying the monetary edge, most countries follow the USA and are going exactly the same way. If one wants that sort of Democracy so be it. I have an open mind, and as regards blaming Communism for the worlds troubles think to a certain degree it is used as a whipping boy to give a reason for certain actions taken. I agree with the USs actions in retaliation for the 9/11 attacks and any other infringements on US sovereignty and think the UK could take a leaf out of their book. Do not agree with supporting puppet and useless governments however and my attitude is let them get on with it. As to relieving drought and such like some of these countries have the most arable land in the world and have already mostly been taught how to use it. The western world is too generous in supporting others who now rely on it without believing in their doctrines. The Middle East has always had fights among themselves since Biblical times, at the moment is their own destiny to solve, and not to blame the west for all their calamities. This is what I put up in a recent post in answer to a learned Arab Doctor serving in an Australian University was putting forward in might I say a very sly manner. I answered that to the paper in question, and as expected they did not print. That is the sort of Democracy we have, where the press print what they want, they are no better than a communist state government media, which they are always quick to decry. There is no and never will be a perfect government, just people who are better at it than others. Presently we are going through a dearth of poor ones especially here in Oz. Cheers and thanks your very illuminating post John W.S. PS If I had been told by family to vote conservative, I would probably have voted Labour just to prove I could think for myself never have taken kindly to being told what to do by others who have never done it themselves, probably a quirk of self reliance learned at an early age. Anyhow don't like politicians on principle. Cheers JWS