James Foley

I will be interested to see how this will impact policy on the Syria/Iraq crisis.

Personally, I see no moral defence for ruling out boots on the ground. Cameron should not give such encouragement to these maniacs for the sake of political gain.

I say let's have 'em!

Re:

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
Edmund Burke

Its a dangerous game. On the one hand the IS are a jolly bad crowd and need containing at least. On the other, we have a long and proud history of arming and training people, only to end up fighting those same people and facing the weapons we gave them some 10 years previously. Iraq, Afghanistan, these are lessons from history we should have bloody well learned by now.

I'm not saying do nothing, but some serious circumspection is needed to ensure we don't end up repeating ourselves.

PS. Technically there are already boots on the ground- How do the Chinooks get their aid unloaded if the Loadmaster can't wear boots and stand on the ground in the country it's being delivered to? It's a stupid phrase used by a media who collectively couldn't set the safety on a Minimi but suddenly feel so qualified in all matters military that they can write lengthy editorials telling the government what to do.

Re:

British boots?

Yes, th UK have dispatched a couple of Chinooks. They'll only be on the ground for the time it takes to unload, but on the ground they most assuredly have already been. It's a stupid, glib phrase, serving only to denote a huge lack of knowledge by a media that's not happy to just report the news, but which tries to make it.

Chopper1192":1s52ccum said:

the IS are a jolly bad crowd

Click to expand...

That's why I always stick with Post Mount

So it takes one US journalist being beheaded to suddenly grab the worlds attention? Weirdly I visited a friend this week who knows of at least one other british freelance journalist that has been executed but there was no video so I guess that doesn't matter. I can only be sympathetic to a point when these people actively seek out hotspots within warzones and then get themselves in trouble, living and dying by the sword springs to mind. I feel truly sorry for his family and friends, I can only imagine what they are going through.

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Journalists are non combatants.

There is no real sense in reflecting on their choice to enter what is a dangerous arena, other than to commend them for being there.

The reason this is so significant is the way in which it has been designed to provoke.

I hope it does not change anything other than a firming up of US resolve. Those idiots petitioning for the US to be cowed in its future actions in case further such atrocities result have no idea how terrorists operate.

Cameron is a total jerk for using the potential of British forces re-entering the arena in whatever way necessary as some kind of political football to distance himself from Blair.

We should have gone into Syria, instead of leaving it to become a catalyst for further radicalization.

Too little too late.

They (IS) couldn't give a toss if he was a combatant or non combatant. He is an American non Muslim man and money in the bank for them, publicity wise at least.

Re:

Well there are two kinds of publicity.

Since when do we need to consider what they think anyway?

To the majority of rational people a journalist is an untouchable.

Anyway, I wonder why the media are referring to them as Islamic State now instead of ISIS.

Why do we let them decide what they are called?

Even Prince got laughed at for his symbol malarkey.

I say give them it hard and give them it fast.

Don't tell me we need to send Kempy in!