nigel99

The problem with this mess is that the US & UK ignored the diplomatic solution when it was a real option (prior to the war) - I think a case of a stitch in time saves nine - it is alot harder now. Secondly the US specifically does not seem to understand that people could hate Saddam - but still prefer him to the US. I come from a backwoods African country with an evil dictator and I know for a fact that the population hate him - but do NOT want the UK to interfere they prefer Bob. The final issue is that now that the coalition have interefered they are impossing a western democracy on the nation - and bitterly opposing a theocracy - regardless of what the nation wants - that does not create peace easily. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

The Express is a tabloid that would tend to sensationalise the news (the link now points to a different story). There were 2 cases decided by the appeals commission last week - where the home office decision to hold these 2 people was overturned. In the first case M the home office got it wrong - in the case of G - they got it right but the laws wrongly protected him it seems. Although I would imagine once somebody has been arrested for terrorism and becomes known to the authorities he is pretty effectively neutralised as he is probably monitored etc. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3651743.stm Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

yeah - but putting down living in wales changes the species Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

OK - so I have a new hobby and am lurking on a biking forum and read this article about crashing bikes. I think that the idea's and logic apply to skydiving to some extent and so it may be of interest... http://www.ukbikeforum.com/html/crashing.shtml Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

ok since you brought it up. I am really puzzled by the saying that the UK doesn't do deal's with Terrorists. As I see it living here the past 6 years they don't do deals with Islamic terrorist but the whole Good Friday agreement is all about "compromise" or doing deals with Sien Fein (sp?) who just about everybody admits are connected to the Provisional IRA? What have I missed on this? Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

I jumped before I was 18 and had to get my folks to sign the waiver... The funny thing is they signed it thinking I wouldn't have the balls to jump

above 280 is best - but I'm not that good... Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

http://www.bennetts.co.uk/play/index.htm?i=8 motorbike game to pass the time... Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Excellent country... I've only been to Zurich (4 or 5 times), going to be there next w/end for some tunnel time again... Been to the alps for snowboarding near Zurich and that was expensive Will be going to Geneva in a couple of weeks for business and have been told its better than Zurich. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Funny - yet there doesn't seem to be much outcry about the US deliberately using tank busting A10's to blow up armoured vehicles clearly showing the british flag - and then doing a "finish them all off" pass, or destinguishing Canadians from Afgans and carpet bombing them... Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

May a 1000 camels fertilise your lawn!! Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

I have just bought a dell 8600 in the UK. The price was fine and specs (Centrino) seem to fit what I want. It is quite big and relatively heavy, but is well connected (bluetooth, IRDA, lan, w/lan, USB, serial and printer) I needed reasonable performance (CAD work) and its fine, battery life is about 3 - 4hrs if you switch of the w/lan and bluetooth. You can get extra batteries but these involve removing the optical/drive. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Robin Cook's autobiography outliines the chemical and biological weapons that the US and UK supplied to Saddam in the 80's - including an account of the anthrax botulum that the US supplied him. The interesting bit is that the anthrax has a 3yr life and yet it was included as unaccounted for by Blair nearly 20 years on... On to the subject of this thread though, I now solidly believe that their is a link between 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq. Since the US needs a military base in the middle east for strategic reasons, they have traditionally been based in Saudi Arabia - the home of most of the Suicide bombers on 9/11. The only way the US could begin to exert pressure on the Saudi's would be to reduce their dependance on them as a strategic ally. I believe they chose Iraq as there are numerous peripheral "excuses" that could be used. There is no evidence that his WMD posed any more of a threat than other peoples, he is no worse than many other dictators, the oil excuse doesn't really stand much scrutiny as a sole objective either. It is interesting to note that within 3 months of the march into Baghdad the US announced it was scaling down significantly its presence in Saudi Arabia. I also think that military/political strategists think in frames of reference far longer term than the average individual (i.e. 10 to 20 yrs ahead may not be unreasonable) Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Using the 10 commandments as a basis of anti-death sentance is wrong. The bible states that in very specific purposes (including murder) the death sentance is apropriate. CP is not about emotional revenge it is (should be) about punishment for the greatest of crimes - murder is the only clear crime I can think of. I find it an insult to people that someone can murder an individual and then here in the UK get "life" which is 15 years typical and then, a usual 50% reduction for "good behaviour". Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Yep - but funny how the US wants those very same people to "donate"... Sorry but it's my tax bill (UK) that is going to suffer, but the US/UK went to war WE should pay and not ask others either... Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

At his meeting with Queen Elizabeth last night, George W. Bush turned to the Queen and said: "As I'm the President, I'm thinking of changing how my great country is referred to, and I'm thinking that it should be a Kingdom." The Queen replies "I'm sorry Mr Bush, but to be a Kingdom, you have to have a King in charge - and you're not a King." George Bush thought a while and then said: "How about a Principality then?" To which the Queen replied "Again, to be a Principality you have to be a Prince - and you're not a Prince, Mr Bush." George thought long and hard and came up with "How about an Empire then?" The Queen, getting a little annoyed by now, replies "Sorry again, Mr Bush, but to be an Empire you must have an Emperor in charge - and you are not an Emperor." Before George W could utter another word, The Queen said: "I think you're doing quite nicely as a Country." Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_839283.html?menu=news.weirdworld.sexlife This made me smile. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

In the UK it caused much confusion having Cable internet and no cable TV. They just can't comprehend that we didn't want tv, it worked well though because we got 2 years FREE cable as their accounting system wasn't capable of processing that option Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

I am reading a biography by Robin Cook (ex UK foreign minister). The question is not weather Iraq had WMD's - we know they did because the UK government built and paid for the factory in Faluja and the US supplied the anthrax and distribution systems. The question is why there was "suddenly" a need for war. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

You might get better results by going into CMOS settings and forcing the CD drive to use a lower access mode - start by turning off Ultra DMA access modes. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

I won't answer the poll - as I am in the UK and would skew the results - not that I believe intelligence correlates very well with being good/bad -so I think the poll is a little off the mark. I do think that GWB is a lousy statesmen and does not have the capacity to breed consensus - he comes across more as agree with me or I'll bomb the sh*t out of you. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

This post is a summary viewpoint covering a whole lot of posts and is not a direct responce to juanesky. I don't think the point of anyone is that the INDIVIDUAL US soldiers are bad people, they are doing the best to control a situation. However institutions do become entities or living beings with an attitude of their own and there is a PORTRAIL by the US administration (and more and more the British as well) that they have no respect for international law and peoples rights to a free trial. Many "bad" nations start off down this type of path. On the subject of torture it is a fact of "war" and while personally I believe that it is just a valid weapon as a stealth bomb one has to accept that BOTH sides can use it - therefore it is not acceptable to shout about Iraqi's torturing our people, while we quietly torture their's. While governments never admit to torture there are plenty of books/stories by SAS type people who tell of stuff they have done to gain "intelligence". I grew up during a war and have friends fathers who took captives up in helicoptors and threw them out blindfolded sometimes from 6 foot to make them talk and sometimes from higher. In the end they get statements that save lives. its not nice but war is never nice. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

Definetely not - its to long ago and besides like it or not the descedents of slaves are far better off being US/UK citizens. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

To true If you listen to the crap that is broadcast about the US and then go there it is very different. Not that I am defending the US government you can't break international law by playing word games on definitions and then bitch about others. Guantanamo is one example torture another. Clearly forms of torture were carried out in Iraq (playing barney full blast and sleep deprivation are not humane treatment just sophisticated forms of torture that don't leave bruises for the cameras.) Like it or not those guys need to be treated in accordance with international law's. Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

its not on your poll - but snowboarding is my current favourite - has alot to do with Europes shitty weather though Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.