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Norman Kember is free

Finally, some good news to report from Iraq. Norman Kember, a peace campaigner from North London has been freed along with James Loney and Harmeet Singh Sooden, two Canadian peace campaigners. >> Details >>

I'm absolutely delighted to see they have been freed, but one question remains. Why did these maniacs take these people, who were against the Iraq war, who are damning of Blair & Bush's illegal invasion, as hostages?
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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote:
    I'm absolutely delighted to see they have been freed, but one question remains. Why did these maniacs take these people, who were against the Iraq war, who are damning of Blair & Bush's illegal invasion, as hostages?

    Do you really think they gave a fuck if they were against the war?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Apparently they are 'professional kidnappers'. Kidnapping has become a very lucratrive business in Iraq and every single day 10-30 Iraqis are said to be snatched. I don't think many of criminals are of any particular political affiliation.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If i was one of the army guys going in to rescue them i'd have made sure that all the kidnappers got a bullet in the leg. "They tried resisting guv"
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    it doesnt matter if these people were against the war or not, if you are an insurgent, and you want to get one up on the governments of the US and the UK, you kidnap one of their citizens, simple as
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If i was one of the army guys going in to rescue them i'd have made sure that all the kidnappers got a bullet in the leg. "They tried resisting guv"
    You would've had trouble doing that, seeing as there was no-one in the house :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    they ae the poor innocent Iraqi's defending their home against the big bad americans :yeees:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I think Norman Kember's a silly old fool for thinking that a Christian peace mission to Iraq was a good idea, but I'm pleased (and very surprised) that he's been freed and is alive and well.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Vanessa Feltz was up in arms on the radio this morning because Kember had not said thank you to the military for rescuing him- they have thanked those who prayed, held vigils or send sympathy messages to the family only.

    Apparently Kember had said before going to Iraq that if he were to be kidnapped he did not want to be freed in a military operation.

    Ungrateful bastard eh? :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Somebody should have just chained him to a radiator in his North London home and saved *everybody* a whole lot of trouble...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote:
    Vanessa Feltz was up in arms on the radio this morning because Kember had not said thank you to the military for rescuing him- they have thanked those who prayed, held vigils or send sympathy messages to the family only.

    Apparently Kember had said before going to Iraq that if he were to be kidnapped he did not want to be freed in a military operation.

    Ungrateful bastard eh? :D

    But bet he wasn't complaining at the time.

    Best one though is Bruce Kent on the BBChttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4836438.stm
    which includes this quote
    Of course I would like to thank the Foreign Office and, if it was the military that helped free him, then them too.
    (my emphasis)

    Who does Bruce Kent think rescued him? - Santa Claus?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    lol.

    ungrateful bastards.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Voodoo Ray wrote:
    I think Norman Kember's a silly old fool for thinking that a Christian peace mission to Iraq was a good idea, but I'm pleased (and very surprised) that he's been freed and is alive and well.

    I actually think his mission was a good success, and actually would have been an even bigger success if he had been killed (not of course that I wanted that).

    The fact that they kidnapped an old man, obviously there to help Iraqi's to show them that people cared about them showed the kidnappers as low, heartless and worthy of contempt.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Lucky he wasn't in Guantanamo... Then he'd have much longer wait to be free.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Not really a fair comparison unless you can provide some evidence of detainees in Gitmo being decapitated...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Very True
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    bongbudda wrote:
    The fact that they kidnapped an old man, obviously there to help Iraqi's to show them that people cared about them showed the kidnappers as low, heartless and worthy of contempt.
    I fully agree with you.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    MrG wrote:
    it doesnt matter if these people were against the war or not, if you are an insurgent, and you want to get one up on the governments of the US and the UK, you kidnap one of their citizens, simple as

    :yes: Totally agree!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ButtonMoon wrote:
    :yes: Totally agree!


    hardly justified though.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Walkindude wrote:
    hardly justified though.

    No, it is definately not justified.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ButtonMoon wrote:
    No, it is definately not justified.

    Good.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    NQA wrote:
    Not really a fair comparison unless you can provide some evidence of detainees in Gitmo being decapitated...
    But they've been tortured...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    But they've been tortured...

    Yes so they claim. Independent evidence is somewhat lacking - and if we're talking torture which would you rather have happen to you sleep deprivation and a few slaps or having electrodes attached to your genitals and your finger nails ripped out as happened under Saddam.

    You're not the only one who can make comparisons you know...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It might not be torture enough to win a game of Torture Top Trumps with Saddam but it's still torture.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    But the only evidence of the US army committing torture* is actually the detainees. Now they might be telling the truth, but I see no reason why they should be viewed as automatically truthful and the US should be seen as automatically lying, when the reverse is could also be true.

    * which doesn't mean individual soldiers haven't done so without orders
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote:
    Yes, but that's only because the Saturday morning newspapers have slated him for refusing to do so. The Sun called him a "silly old fool" for refusing to show any gratitude. I am suspicious he has had to be shamed into showing his gratitude.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I agree.

    Ungrateful bastard.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Walkindude wrote:
    I agree. Ungrateful bastard.
    Truth is, his views on the Iraq conflict are irrelevant. The military put considerable manpower, time and resources into securing his rescue. He would be dead now if they had not intervened. For example, if I went to Iraq, was taken hostage for nearly FOUR months and I was saved by the military, I would be thanking them regardless of the fact I was against the war. They are doing their jobs, following orders set by Tony Blair and George Bush. It's the two monkeys there that are to blame for this, NOT the military. The fact he's had to be shamed into making an insincere statement like this says a lot.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote:
    Truth is, his views on the Iraq conflict are irrelevant. The military put considerable manpower, time and resources into securing his rescue. He would be dead now if they had not intervened. For example, if I went to Iraq, was taken hostage for nearly FOUR months and I was saved by the military, I would be thanking them regardless of the fact I was against the war. They are doing their jobs, following orders set by Tony Blair and George Bush. It's the two monkeys there that are to blame for this, NOT the military. The fact he's had to be shamed into making an insincere statement like this says a lot.
    very true.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    To a pacifist, a military rescue would be unwelcome.

    However it appears one of the ground rules for the operation was that it would be expected to avoid conflict, under those conditions it does become possible to thank those involved.
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