Regular readers will notice that I have changed the header and background images this morning to a picture that I took just as the dawn was breaking here at Chez Hall . I hope that you like the new look.
Cheers Comrades
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Iain Hall's SANDPIT 
Hi Iain. Love the photo, hate the theme! What’s with the black background?
i think my retinas have just caught autism
medication may fix that Dan, welcome to the Sandpit BTW
What Ray said
Well how is that now gents?
Now that’s a new dawn!
Lovely! A new dawn here at the Sandpit. As for Afghanistan, not much has changed—–pissing on the fallen Taliban, not a good look for those Yankee Goons . Interesting it will be, to watch the back-lash Shalom.
Richard
Frankly who cares if a soldier pisses on the dead bodies of their enemies? Given the fact that the Taliban don’t need any excuse to kill for the cause what difference will it make? Bugger all as far as I can see. I sort of expect that only Uber-lefties such as yourself will be getting higher blood pressure over this and that like the Taliban you don’t need an excuse to hate the yanks anyway.
Shalom yourself
GD
Glad to present a page that meets with your aesthetic approval 😉
It doesn’t matter if you’re left or right, Iain, pissing on the body of your enemy is unacceptable. And I think you’ll find very few conservatives who agree with you on that one.
Btw, the white background is much easier on the eye – thanks.
Oh I agree that its unacceptable Ray but its hardly a hanging offence now is it? To listen to the ABC radio reports you would think that the marines had been pissing on live prisoners. The dead don’t care mate and neither do I.
The dead mightn’t care, Iain, but their relatives and countrymen sure do and will use it as further ‘proof’ of the US being an invader and infidels. It’s not real clever to give ammo to the enemy.
Ray lets be real here the relatives and countrymen of the dead don’t need much help hating the USA, that said ordinary soldiers are not always that politically savey when it comes to the consequences of the things that they do. They will undoubtedly be disciplined for their disrespect of the dead and hopefully it won’t happen again, or at least they won’t be stupid enough to film such things and post it on the net.
IMAGINE what the Taliban will do to a marine prisoner now——-oh-oh! an eye for an eye.
Well I’ll leave the wet dreams about Muslims torturing their prisoners to you Richard
The American Goons pissing on the dead bodies of the Taliban fighters—–reminds me of the Mark Twain quote……..”There are many humorous things in the world, among them, the white man’s notion that he is less savage than the other savages” Shalom.
Iain: ordinary soldiers are not always that politically savey when it comes to the consequences of the things that they do
Iain, it’s not “political savyness”, it’s desicration of the dead. Something that has been unacceptable from very ancient times.
And something that there is evidence for even pre homo-sapiens species being upset about. There is some, small evidence for example that Neanderthals ceremonially buried their dead.
These soldiers have in other words indulged in behaviour that is pre-Neanderthal. And yes they will be disciplined. The military tends to take discipline kinda seriously. Like they do most other things that impact their effectiveness.
It’s only Rambo’s like you who think “anything goes and any atrocity can be excused because it’s our side innit?”
As I said to Ray JM I agree that its not acceptable behaviour however I don’t think that its a big deal.Nor is it an “atrocity” its a few common soldiers doing the wrong thing is all.
Iain: I agree that its not acceptable behaviour
Good.
however I don’t think that its a big deal.
Wrong. This action insults and disturbs a great many people, a large number of which who will be motivated to attack the soldier’s comrades. It’s pure dumb at the very least.
Nor is it an “atrocity”
It is.
its a few common soldiers doing the wrong thing is all.
So an action committed by 3 (?) soldiers is not a war crime? How many perpetrators do you need then? Where is the line?
10?
100?
1000?
10,000?
Iain your principles are very much ones of convenience. You are not a conservative in any real sense of the word. True conservatives have principles and stick to them no matter how hard the consequences get.
They don’t cut their principles to circumstances.
JM
An atrocity is thus defined:
By definition you can’t be cruel to the dead who are immune to further harm.
No in fact it would be far more convenient for me to produce faux outrage at what was a rather minor lack of respect for the enemy by common soldiers. That said my principles require me to judge all issues on their merits. This case is something that I consider bad and something for which I think the marines involved should be disciplined but its not something that should see them punished too severely.
The soldiers pissing on the dead bodies of dead Taliban fighters, are just a reflection of American society, a cruel people, who are on the verge of total economic melt-down. A bit of lead just over the right ear, will solve the problem for these pissing goons——AK-47 should do the job. Shalom.
Iain: By definition you can’t be cruel to the dead who are immune to further harm
Can I piss on your grandfather’s grave then? (Not that I want to)
Iain, don’t be more stupid than you already are. Please.
AS for those pissing Yankee goons, I would not piss on them, even if they were on fire.
The American Trifecta: The Good——The Bad——and The Ugly.
JM
I would be entirely unconcerned were you to piss on any grave, it is you who is being stupid about the quantum of the affront involved here, pissing upon ones dead enemy is something of a primal action rather akin to a dog marking his territory. Its not that “nice” by “modern” standards but as I have explained before rather unexceptional in the greater scheme of things.
Let me put it this way If we were to rate the naughtiness of this act on a scale of one to ten I’d say its somewhere between a two or a three, a misdemeanour at best. You are going on as if it was a capital crime and that the marines should be put up against the nearest wall and shot. Get some perspective man, its not such a big deal.
Richard
We all know that you have wet dreams about the downfall of the USA but if it were to happen I bet that you would be among the first to say “my god what have they done”
This pissing exercise is up there with the My Lai massacre—–another small drama, in Iain’s wet dream.
Iain: Its not that “nice” by “modern” standards but as I have explained before rather unexceptional in the greater scheme of things
Then you are a d***bag by any standards.
if it was a capital crime
No. I agree. But it is an extremely objectionable one. And a stupid one.
But then you are the person defending it.
You seem to have a problem with wet dreams——to much Queensland sugar cane, may be the problem—-cut a back on the chewing of raw sugar cane. Queensland’s viagra—raw sugar cane. Shalom.
JM
Look there are lots of things that are “objectionable” like chewing gum or farting loudly but they do not deserve a capital sanction either, Now what seems to getting up your nose is the fact that I am not going over the top in outrage about this incident, an incident that I am not actaully defending at all I don’t in any way endorse such disrespect for the dead but I think the Hoo-Har about the incident far outweighs the gravity of the offence
Just for the purpose of argument what sort of punishment would you be advocating here for the offenders? Come on if you think this incident is “extremely objectionable” then you must have some idea of how these marines should be disciplined.
Public de-cocking?
Well, I dunno if that’s objectionable, Iain. People who can chew gum and fart loudly (at the same time) are just multi-skilled.
Actually Ray I think your retort makes a good point and that is the definition of “objectionable ‘ is entirely subjective, something That JM seems to have trouble comprehending.
Surely though you are taking the piss with this “Public de-cocking?” 😉
It’s Sharia Law, Iain. A thief has his hands cut off, so a corpse-pisser should have his offending part removed too.
“Iain”: pissing upon ones dead enemy is something of a primal action rather akin to a dog marking his territory
You’re nuts.
JM
You are obviously not in touch with your inner animal or you would appreciate the significance of marking territory with urine.
Perhaps these soldiers were expressing their disgust at previous behaviour by the enemy.
http://www.endtimestoday.com/2009/06/26/american-nick-bergs-beheading-warning-graphic-images/
GD! The only good Yank is a dead one.
“Iain”: You are obviously not in touch with your inner animal or you would appreciate the significance of marking territory with urine
I think I need a shower.
and of course you’d piss on his corpse, wouldn’t you Richard… no qualms about that
The one you give yourself, Richard?
Well I think he has had lots of practice Ray 😉
Well they say wank-wank, money in the bank, or as Woody Allen once said, ” Hey don’t knock masturbation it’s sex with someone I love” Shalom.
And I just know that we’ll be hearing Richard and JM denouncing the suicide bombing yesterday in Iraq.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/9015071/Iraqi-suicide-bomb-kills-at-least-53-pilgrims-in-Basra.html