"The Circle" can VC recipient.

[rocketronnie]

so i take it your some kind of reporter?

Nope. Aid worker at the time.

[think positive]

oh, interesting.

[rocketronnie]

oh, interesting.

It has its moments!

[Pied Piper]

By the way, once you've consoled enough soldiers draped over bars in a pool of nihilism you know the tough talk is a load of Hollywood codswallop, too. Why people talk tough on behalf of soldiers who themselves don't talk tough is always beyond me.

Respect for doing a very tough job well, I say. Silly mythology not required.

Because nationalistic chest beating is always a good substitute for real thought my friend. Most soldiers loath it and always have. Its the sort of stuff reserved for self important civilians, newspaper proprietors, and those who have never seen action tucked safely away behind the lines with no intention of going anywhere near anywhere dangerous. Most civilians can't understand that most soldiers in combat are fighting for themselves. maybe for their section and that the rest of the eyewash, the regiment, the nation, the flag, the folks back home, do not matter one bit.

Most civilians have no idea of what war is actually like and quite frankly, they wouldn't want to either. Instead they are addicted to the notion of national service, flag and country. Most of them have no idea of the military history they espouse to respect so much. They are given a few myths in school and from TV and they think that's real. Most of it is crap. The pile of crap has got so high, you would think that being cannon fodder is almost the only thing we are good at (apart from sports of course). The populist histories that have deluged our bookshop's shelves over the past few years haven't helped either. Most of them are worthless apart from one or two gems. They only add to the crap pile instead of reducing it.

Such is life I guess.....

One of the great Nick's posts ... Looks like a yellow card has lit a fire under our rr!

[5150]

This one is not done yet.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainme ... 6287491978

Maybe starting to get a little out of hand, bowing to facebook pressure? Is that how companies are run today?

[David]

[think positive]

Or a company having the guts to stand up for what their customers believe in.

As one of their reps ( I've got the spelling right too now) good on em.

Why would they want their ad shown during a show that offends their paying customers.

That's not censorship, that's good business.

Free speech is always bullshit when it comes down to money!

[David]

They're gutless swine because most of their customers couldn't give a rat's posterior whether or not they sponsor a show that made fun of a War Hero. A few people complain on a Facebook page and they run for the hills.

This PR-oriented enforcement of media sensationalism by sponsors and companies is far more damaging to our society than a few idiotic TV presenters not being appropriately worshipful to the armed services.

[think positive]

Hehe too easy !

[rocketronnie]

I'm surprised the self righteous outrage generated from this ridiculous storm in a tea cup has even lasted this long.

For what it's worth The Circle Presenters didn't attack his military service at all. They made stupid comments about his sexual prowess (unfortunate perhaps given that he and his wife had accessed IVF), and secondly made daft comments relating his physique to his intelligence. Neither of which had anything to do with his military service.

Just goes to show dog whistle the perpetually outraged classes and they will surely come running.

[rocketronnie]

Hehe too easy !

You think?

[David]

Hehe too easy !

Not for me, I guess. Did I make an irony?

[OEP]

I'm surprised the self righteous outrage generated from this ridiculous storm in a tea cup has even lasted this long.

For what it's worth The Circle Presenters didn't attack his military service at all. They made stupid comments about his sexual prowess (unfortunate perhaps given that he and his wife had accessed IVF), and secondly made daft comments relating his physique to his intelligence. Neither of which had anything to do with his military service.

Just goes to show dog whistle the perpetually outraged classes and they will surely come running.

He was also referred to as being "bloodthirsty".

Though I agree with you about this now getting a little silly. The comments were certainly unwarranted and defamatory and Cpl Roberts-Smith deserved a private and public apology, which he has now received (regardless of the so-so quality of the apologies). He's moved on from the matter and so should we.

In the end they were comments in poor taste and worse humour nothing more and both parties responsibly have been suitably challenged on the matter for them to rely the folly of doing such a bloody stupid thing again.

I do feel sorry for Yumi Stynes having her engagement swept up in the issue, though that was her own doing. Waiting another few days before announcing her joyous news likely would've allowed her to enjoy the moment more.

Swiss are certainly within their right to remove themselves from the show though a more measured response could've been a public reprimand for the shows producers and hosts regarding the comments and the possibility of future withdrawal from their show if it happened again.

Either way it's great to see so many of the general public jump to the defence of "our" (not David's ) armed forces, but lets move on.

For anyone interested here's the link to his interview with Mike Willesee:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=en ... c-mmnLXGok

While at times Willesee over dramatises some parts Cpl Roberts-Smith presents as a class act, a very humble man and someone who truly believes in what he's doing. The part where he talks about his mate being killed by Taliban sniper fire is quite emotional.

[David]

Having watched half of that (fawning) interview, I've heard him admit to killing three people during this targeted assassination job alone. How many people has the Corporal 'engaged' in his career, I wonder? I dare say a few more than Julian Knight.

TP, have you ever stopped to think about the families of those 'insurgents' (i.e. local citizens fighting against foreign invaders)? How many wives have lost their husbands; how many children have had their Dads killed by this war hero? And people are getting in a lather over some tv personalities taking the piss out of him.

It's so easy to minimise these events by saying "It's just war" or using euphemisms like "engaged". It's easy to think of Afghani insurgents as evil, black-hearted Muslims who don't deserve to live, but it's important to remember that this is what war is; this is what we glorify when we carry on about war heroics.

[OEP]

Having watched half of that (fawning) interview, I've heard him admit to killing three people during this targeted assassination job alone. How many people has the Corporal 'engaged' in his career, I wonder? I dare say a few more than Julian Knight.

TP, have you ever stopped to think about the families of those 'insurgents' (i.e. local citizens fighting against foreign invaders)? How many wives have lost their husbands; how many children have had their Dads killed by this war hero? And people are getting in a lather over some tv personalities taking the piss out of him.

It's so easy to minimise these events by saying "It's just war" or using euphemisms like "engaged". It's easy to think of Afghani insurgents as evil, black-hearted Muslims who don't deserve to live, but it's important to remember that this is what war is; this is what we glorify when we carry on about war heroics.

Your an "A" grade idiot David.