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Machine Gun Preacher

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    Machine Gun Preacher

    Very good film this if you ever get the chance to see it.

    Some very moving sequences, especially the bits where it just dawns on you that kids are kids no matter what war torn, flea bitten hole they are born into and just want to do the things that kids do the whole world over.

    #2
    I liked the film, but I thought it had it's weaknesses.

    It's based on the exploits of this fella:

    Sam Childers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Comment


      #3
      I saw this over the weekend too. Good film. Inspiring bloke who understands that sometimes, you can’t wait for law and justice to protect citizens, you have to go on the offensive. Had a Google afterwards to see how true it is and apparently it’s meant to be fairly accurate. Thought the SPLA (Sudan People’s Liberation Army) have claimed its nonsense and that he only had their backing to be in the country helping children, not to go on seek and destroy missions to rescue child soldiers. To be honest if I was in the middle of peace negotiations I wouldn’t want to say I’d encouraged mercenaries either! It would be a bit like Gerry Adams saying, yep, of course I was a tactician for the IRA and planned the deaths of numerous British soldiers. If I had half of his constitution/lack of sanity I’d be over there now setting up an orphanage, but I’m putting me and my family first and getting the mortgage paid off :-( Though I’m still trying to find a niche to get a business up and running that trades with Africa.

      It seems the film may be part of a planned awareness raising as he’s now off to Somalia. Good luck to him with that one, as I think it’s a whole world of difference to Sudan. The Al Shabaab have been fairly organised there and had the country under lockdown. So he’ll find it more difficult to operate than in uncontrolled areas with pockets of militia. Not sure of what their strength is now since operation began there last year with Kenya taking unilateral decision to protect their borders, which seems to have triggered a covert anti Al Shabab operation throughout the rest of the country by the likes of the US and UK. There have been several Delta Force/SAS type missions taking out “terrorist” strongholds allowing the free movement of aid and troops on the ground. I quoted terrorist as really they are basically armed gangs who allowed goods through their ports and into Kenya for a “handling fee”, much lower than the Kenyan Government were charging as import duty. I think the final straw was kidnapping foreign tourists which are one of their major earners after agricultural exports. The Kenyans have interest from the Chinese who are prospecting for oil in the North near to the border with Somalia. There are rumours they’ve found something but aren’t sure how much. But a new rail road is being built to the coast near Lamu. Which to me says they found at least enough to make building a rail road financially viable! So needed more stability in the area as there were often bandit raids and “minor” terrorist attacks coming in from the north. Things like hand grenades being chucked into Churches and bars, or crowded matatu stops.
      Signed sealed and delivered.

      Comment


        #4
        Machine Gun Preacher

        Que reste-t-il des idéaux sous la mitraille
        Quand les prêcheurs sont à l'abri de la bataille?
        Job motivation: how the powerful steal from the stupid.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by IR35FanClub View Post
          ...
          There have been several Delta Force/SAS type missions taking out “terrorist” strongholds allowing the free movement of aid and troops on the ground. I quoted terrorist as really they are basically armed gangs who allowed goods through their ports and into Kenya for a “handling fee”, much lower than the Kenyan Government were charging as import duty....
          That'll get them into trouble for sure. Terrorism and extortion, like most serious crimes, are government monopolies everywhere.
          Job motivation: how the powerful steal from the stupid.

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