Iraq bombings

I always email my MP if I think something is important. Don't understand why this would be any different.

notgrandma

It would appear to me you have 'possibly' made a decision on this matter already.

Are you watching the debate which is taking place as I type on the BBC Parliament on t.v.? 'If' you have the opportunity might I be bold enough to say watch it, listen and
decide on informed knowledge.

As for democracy that already works but it never will to anybody who doesn't agree with a democraticly decided decision that they don't like. That's the nature of the beast with democracy isn't it, it will never please all of the people all of the time but it's the best we have.

My immediate reaction to bombing would be a resounding 'no'. Then on tv, I heard someone ask 'would trying to appease Hitler have worked?' - now firmly back on the fence

It has to be done. We stirred the hornets' nest in Iraq. Now we have to clear this most obscene mess up.

God speed our RAF.

With you in that, jingl.

What else can you do with quite such an evil barbaric regime. They are not exactly going to negotiate about anything.

My comparison exactly Holly Daze

Air strikes alone have not previously worked in such situations.

Well, at least by joining in we will be in a better position to advise on strategy when neighbouring countries at last (hopefully) put boots on the ground.

Democratically decided, with good legal backing. Jingl with you in supporting the aircrew

I wonder how much 'collateral damage' there will be.

It's such a horrible weasly expression isn't it petallus but no one is ever going to say killed civilians are they?

And you don't think many civillians are being killed at the moment absent? No,ISIL are just having nice little tea parties with the Kurds.

It's a bit like Jews and Resistance fighters hiding from the Nazis. Would you rather be bombed or caught, tortured and killed?

And God help any RAF fighter pilot who has to eject and is captured.

jingl You do seem to be rather cross with me at the moment and I'm not at all sure why. Of course civilians are being killed. I was just commenting that collateral damage is such a hideously bland term used to conceal the horror of what it really is. I understand that they (military and political bigwigs) no longer use the term "friendly fire", which was always distinctly unfriendly to those killed and wounded by it, and now call inadvertently shooting or bombing the soldiers on your own side blue on blue. So much clearer.

Jingle has a good point. The Islamic state is doing a pretty efficient job of killing other Muslims right now.

Not just Moslems Nelliemoser.

No indeed! How I should have put it, is that the Islamic state cannot claim killing Muslims is just a western thing. They have been killing each other for years because of religious bigotry differences for years.

As Roman Catholics and Protestants were around 500 yrs ago.

I'm sorry absent. I'm not cross with you. #grumpyoldcowthatsme

Nelliemoser Yep. We had some pretty horrible ways of killing people not so long ago.

Who is buying the oil from which ISIS is profiting? I heard reports that the bombing is initially being targeted at the oil installations to prevent ISIS from amassing more money with which to equip themselves - but nothing is being said about which countries are actually buying the oil.

There are so many contradictions in what is happening. Saudi Arabia has funded ISIS and yet it is still our ally. As somebody commented on Newsnight tonight, we are arming and supporting several groups who we in the recent past designated to be terrorists. The whole thing is a complete mess.

I honestly can't see the purpose of these bombings - it will just bring further death, destruction, hatred and retribution. Our forays into Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, etc., etc., have only made a bad situation worse.

Also why does the name of this group of terrorists keep changing? First it was ISIS, then it was IS, now it's ISOL - why?

We have always ignored any wrong doing by Saudi Arabia . That's what makes these situations so difficult to understand.

Petrodollars Tegan explain it all.

It was stated during the debate in parliament that ISIS has sold the oil to Assad, it would be foolish not to assume others too.

I assume that to be Bashir al-Asaad not Riad al-Asaad whom I believe no longer leads the Free Syrian Army.

Petrodollars it maybe but it is the backbone of how ISIS is functioning and it is one part of trying to destabilise ISIS and it's blood soaked ethos.

The subject of killing innocent cilcilians is obviously emotive. The killing of innocent civilians by the thousands through beheading, rape and murder, crucifixion, putting a bullet into a child's head is also emotive isn't it.

When we watch civilians telling their stories it does not have the same effect as seeing actual footage. The barbarism of ISIS is so utterly dispicable we cannot be shown it through our media. I don't want to, my imagination is enough. If however we did see the thousands of deaths and the way they were carried out I would suggest the outcry would turn anybody to saying that however little, however impotent we may be something has to be tried to anhialate ISIS. Doing nothing is just not realistic.

If I or anyone I know had suffered from the vile acts of IS, I think I'd regard being obliterated by a bomb that wasn't intended for me as preferable to continuing to suffer IS outrages. These people are straight out of hell—devils incarnate.