Why do the captured in Syria sit there when being beheaded?

[BolshieBastard]

You clearly are unable to remember what you yourself wrote. But don't worry your pretty little head about it. Settle yourself into your armchair and I'll arrange to have someone sort you out with some hot cocoa. Like I say, I've actually done war, so I know first hand how dirty it is, unlike you, I strongly suspect. I even know, having done it, how necessary it can be too.

Silly little girl. I clearly remember what I posted. But, I cant help it if you place a misunderstanding on it.

You say you know how dirty it is first hand. How do you know I dont?

You appear to assume you're the only one to be in such a situation. Wake up girl!

[SaltyLevels]

I’m from, or was from, the leave them alone camp; I believe it wasn’t Einstein who said it, but whoever said it, it’s apt; a definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and an over again but expecting different results. We’ve been, in some fashion, at war in this region since the 70’s. 2 of my brothers have fought here, as has my Dad. To have a policy of arming one branch who are against another branch, to find out that branch are properly naughty, so arm another branch, then find out they are worse, so arm the previous branch as maybe they weren’t so bad, then to arm a new bunch as they promise not to be bad, but turn out bad so we arm someone else, rinse and repeat, seems folly. This is a war we cannot win by conventional means, as they don’t operate by conventional means; they hide in hospitals, schools, use human shields, cut throats, torture, burn people alive, rape, enslave. None of this would be solved using conventional ‘terms of engagement’.

However, what are the alternatives? If we leave them alone, they might (I doubt it), leave us alone, but the likelihood is that they get hold of some proper juicy weapons and we’re all up tulip creek.

I hate it, hate myself for saying it, but for me, if we are going to pop some bombs and stir it up some more, then we have to properly commit and destroy them, and a couple of tornado’s are not going to deliver that. Once and for all, we need to solve it and that will mean boots on the ground and a war. A proper war, not some rules of engagement.

As an aside, I read a story once, that the Mujadeen (sp?) mocked the yanks but feared the Russians. The story said when Spetsnaz caught the mujadeen, they would torture them, properly, keep them alive but remove fingers knuckle by knuckle, repair them, then carry on until they either died or gave it up, which would lead to a bullet to the head, or sometimes they’d cut their throats and leave them on the streets. The yanks would throw them in jail with 3 square meals and if they were screwed with, the soldiers were punished.