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Super Sniper Kills Taliban 1.5 Miles Away 
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pcernie wrote:
okenobi wrote:
Yet another story designed to make us proud of the killing we do in other people's countries. Ernie, why do you read that Rupert nonsense?


jonbwfc has probably summed it up best, and I actually get a bunch of news feeds with iGoogle (BBC, Sky News, The Guardian etc). Everyone of them probably has an agenda/type of story they'd like to push, but then I wouldn't know much about what was going on where if I didn't read them...

To sum up, spin doctors, the use of propaganda here in NI and so on have made me very cynical about who benefits from a story. I even wondered about that car bomb in NY ;)

I've often wondered if the next generation will be smarter than ours when it comes to what's presented to them. I also wonder whether the net will help or hinder that. Probably both.


Ok, I'll buy that. So why have news feeds at all? The only "news" I get is here, and I avoid most of that. I don't watch TV news, listen to the radio, or look at the net any more, except for the odd Aljazeera article, as their perspective is different. It's largely all nonsense and killing and fear-mongering [LIFTED]. Do I need to know what's going on around the world 24/7? Do any of us.....?


Mon May 03, 2010 8:18 pm
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I look at it as gaining some knowledge either way, and I realistically couldn't avoid the news even if I wanted to, between the radio, TV and internet at home, work, car radios...

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Mon May 03, 2010 8:24 pm
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jonbwfc wrote:
As to the merits of killing people in foreign places or not, that isn't really the subject under discussion. Given we're there and people are doing it, it's actually much better to have a sniper do it and only kill the people who, you will note, were firing a machine gun at his squad mates rather than using an airstrike that might take out an area and possibly cause casualties who weren't actual combatants.

If we're going to be there fighting, and I think sadly it's a bit late to have that argument now, we want to do so with as great precision as possible causing the minimum number of casualties on either side...

Aside from all of that, it's a story about somebody from Britain who is actually very, very good at his job all be it his job is unpleasant. That should be recognised even if not necessarily celebrated.

It is a better solution than just calling in an airstrike.

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Mon May 03, 2010 9:14 pm
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okenobi wrote:
I wonder if he would've received the same coverage if he had been a negotiator who had managed to get the guys with the machine gun to surrender?

'managed to get the guys with the machine gun to surrender'? I suspect they'd have got the same amount of coverage if they'd tried, because they'd be dead. Just exactly what do you think they were dealing with? You don't fire a heavy machine gun at someone if you want to bring them to the negotiating table. Those guys weren't there to start a debate or make a point, they were there trying to to kill them. You seem disgusted at the prospect of the sniper killing the machine gunners, yet show no concern whatsoever for the fact the machine gunners trying to kill the sniper's squadmates. Either violence is acceptable or it is not acceptable. If it not acceptable, the guys firing the machine gun are just as morally reprehensible at the bloke firing the sniper rifle.

okenobi wrote:
It just feels like we are told these things to illicit exactly the reaction this thread has generated and that's wrong IMHO.

The press tell the population what the press think the population want to hear. That sells more newspapers. However assuming the whole story isn't just made up - and I'm not ruling out the possibility that it was I must say - I don't think the fact one sniper made a very difficult shot is going to change anybody's attitude to our presence in the Middle East. It hasn't changed mine (I think it was stupid idea in the first place and the sooner we get out the better) but this is an entirely different discussion.


Mon May 03, 2010 9:59 pm
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jonbwfc wrote:
okenobi wrote:
I wonder if he would've received the same coverage if he had been a negotiator who had managed to get the guys with the machine gun to surrender?

'managed to get the guys with the machine gun to surrender'? I suspect they'd have got the same amount of coverage if they'd tried, because they'd be dead. Just exactly what do you think they were dealing with? You don't fire a heavy machine gun at someone if you want to bring them to the negotiating table. Those guys weren't there to start a debate or make a point, they were there trying to to kill them. You seem disgusted at the prospect of the sniper killing the machine gunners, yet show no concern whatsoever for the fact the machine gunners trying to kill the sniper's squadmates. Either violence is acceptable or it is not acceptable. If it not acceptable, the guys firing the machine gun are just as morally reprehensible at the bloke firing the sniper rifle.

okenobi wrote:
It just feels like we are told these things to illicit exactly the reaction this thread has generated and that's wrong IMHO.

The press tell the population what the press think the population want to hear. That sells more newspapers. However assuming the whole story isn't just made up - and I'm not ruling out the possibility that it was I must say - I don't think the fact one sniper made a very difficult shot is going to change anybody's attitude to our presence in the Middle East. It hasn't changed mine (I think it was stupid idea in the first place and the sooner we get out the better) but this is an entirely different discussion.


It's just not that black and white Jon. As a Briton. the sniper has probably chosen to join the forces and is "proud to serve". It's just as likely, the Taliban soldiers are merely doing it to feed their families as it's one of the better paying jobs in an extremely poor country. You can't just say violence is acceptable, or not. There are way too many variables to make a simple statement like that. I'm not disgusted at the sniper killing them, I'm disgusted that we need to hear about it in order to make people "proud" of the skill on display. You're right the soldier in question had an easy choice and made the best of it for him and his buddies, that doesn't excuse the glorification of his story.

The reality of war is so often not that we hear in stories like this and I believe it numbs people to what is going on over there and in hundreds of other places all over the world. I don't expect you to have your attitude changed, but some people will think better of the war because of stories like this. That's what I'm objecting to.

Ernie, I manage to avoid the news despite having access to all those things too. If you want to gain knowledge, try reading some books ;)


Tue May 04, 2010 8:30 am
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okenobi wrote:
Ernie, I manage to avoid the news despite having access to all those things too. If you want to gain knowledge, try reading some books ;)


I live in a house with three other people, just for a kick off. I'd need to do serious harm to myself not to catch the news at some point in some way :lol:

On the knowledge front, I'm actually the biggest book reader I know :oops: , but then why wouldn't I use the best source available to me, the net?

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Tue May 04, 2010 9:10 am
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pcernie wrote:
okenobi wrote:
Ernie, I manage to avoid the news despite having access to all those things too. If you want to gain knowledge, try reading some books ;)


I live in a house with three other people, just for a kick off. I'd need to do serious harm to myself not to catch the news at some point in some way :lol:

On the knowledge front, I'm actually the biggest book reader I know :oops: , but then why wouldn't I use the best source available to me, the net?


Fair enough. I'm not saying don't use the net, but seek out you're own reading, don't let a feed deliver it to you. I'm currently reading Das Capital, it's heavy going, but infinitely more interesting than the news.


Tue May 04, 2010 9:18 am
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Oh, I do if it's something I'm interested in (Israel punching above it's weight for various reasons being a good example, Russia and it's activities being another). I just wish I could remember the mini geography lessons as a result, not to mention some of the names that force you to go back a few pages so you don't get people mixed up :oops:

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Tue May 04, 2010 12:11 pm
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Pleased to hear it. I'll stop ranting now.


Tue May 04, 2010 12:46 pm
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finlay666 wrote:
One of the few situations aimbot is acceptable ;)


hehe and maybe some wallhax :P


Tue May 04, 2010 3:06 pm
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