Standing together (Almost)Follow

Now you know how Canadians feel after being Americas designated driver for the last 40 years. We help the US in the first gulf war, Serbia, Afghanistan, looked after stranded americans after 9/11 sent rescue workers and aide, etc, etc.

We decide (wisely so) not to commit to Iraq and the Bush administration does its best to strangle Canada economically.

Hmm. Understood.

My point was more about basic US Cowardice

This was the Supreme Commander of US Forces (Europe).

Marines, USAF, Army etc etc. In UK they're all based at Mildenhall and a couple other bases.

Honestly, don't the US Asylumites think this was spitting in the face of Brits?

1. This would have been a decision made by the Base or Theater commander not by anyone in the administration.

2. This is pretty SOP for any and all US troops abroad. Something bad happens "out in town" and the base gets locked down. It has nothing to do with cowardice as much as it has to do with base and theater commanders being overly safe when it comes to stuff like this.



Hmm could it be that the Base commander made the decision and when the Pentagon and the Administration was informed of it they told said Commander to lift it?



How do you figure that? A base commander in charge of troops in a non combat area is worried about his/her troops being blown up so he/she took precautions to prevent it? Would you have liked it better if the 10000 troops had marched into London in full battle gear to ensure it didnt happen again? Otherwise they would just be targets.

No Apologies for venting my spleen.

The 9/11 equivalent would have been:
"We Brits feel your pain, but don't expect to see any of our limey asses anywhere near your Tourist areas. You're on your own."

I'm one of 10s of 1,000s of Brits who changed our plans and Holidayed in USA to flick the bird at the terrorists and spend our money in USA to support our "friends" across the pond.

Never again ya bunch of fu[i][/i]cking yella-bellied snakes.

So, that's how you DON'T tar us all with the same brush?

I sometimes wonder if Bush understand that there are other countries out there, and it's not all about the USA.

/shakeshead. Of course not, what the hell was I thinking?


Seriously NobbyPot, that truly blows.

After all the effort the British Government and people have put into supporting the US people and administration I am disgusted. Genuinely disgusted!
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please dont lump all of us in with this abomination of an addministraition we have currently.

alot of us here are as angry at what is going on as you are there.

dont confuse the actions of this band of thugs with the will of american people. we are currently under the process of being misled in a big way.

and if you think london got a raw deal, look how we treated spain after all the help they gave us. canada too. not to mention france has more troops in afganistan under the U.N. flag than WE do, yet we spit on them like they owe us more.

the moral majority working for.......satan mabe?

Nobby. I don't think it's fair to compare UK tourists visiting NYC after 9/11 to US soldiers already based in the UK visiting the London area in the first few days after a terrorist attack.

You're comparing apples to oranges. I'm pretty sure there weren't a whole lot of tourists from *anywhere* going into NYC in the first 5 days after 9/11 either. I'm also reasonably sure that the US government did not send out a memo to all US citizens warning them to avoid traveling to the UK cause "it's dangerous there".


Did you bother to find out *why* the US soldiers were asked to avoid that area? Or did you just leap to the first stupid conclusion that entered your mind?


Maybe the base commander just thought that US soldiers lollygagging around in London right after the attacks might just be a hinderance to the UK authorities? Heck. I have no idea. But from what I know of US military personel I've known in my life is that their orders in situations like this are either to officially help out (ie: put on their uniforms and report to aid in disaster relieve and such), or to stay out of the way of those who are doing needed work. So military personel are asked not to go down to hurricane sites in Florida for example unless they are there on some official business. I imagine the same logic was applied here. If you aren't working/helping, get out of the way of those who are.

I just don't see why this is a big deal at all.

Many words.

Missed the point.

You sput the beuraucratic shi[/i]te that misses the point.

The only valid repsonse to bombers is 'fu[i]ck you'

UK reponse was 'Fu[/i]ck You. We will carry on as normal'

However you dress it up, the US repsonse was cowardly, desk-pilot shi[i]te.

Be ashamed you verbose c[i][/i]unt.

And you know for a fact that the base commander did not offer the use of his troops to assist the UK forces? Or are you just guessing/assuming?




Same response as above. Do you know for a fact that the US troops did not offer aid? Ever consider that maybe the same UK folks ******** that they didn't go into the city would have been ******** about "Evil US troops running around london in combat gear" or some other silliness if we'd done it differently? Ultimately, the decision to use those troops directly is the call of the UK government, not the US (baring us ignoring the UKs desires, which I assume would garner a *worse* response from you guys, right?). How exactly is it the US government's fault here?




Again. I guess I don't see what you think we should have done? Should we have marched out troops out in full battle gear randomly dispersing them throughout the countryside rooting around for terrorists in some bizarro "show of support"?

The movement and use of those troops is solely at the request of the UK government. I can't imagine that the UK asked for help and we refused it, thus I have to conclude that either they were not asked to help, or they were specifically asked *not* to help. Given the confusion that can exist in a situation like that trying to have to separate chains of command and coordinate anything could easily have been a disaster.



How the hell am I being insenstive? Did I say anything remotely like "Well, those brits deserved what they got and we should just sit idly by and watch their misery"? No. I simply suggested that there might be some very reasonable explanations as to why the base commander for those troops told his guys not to enter that area that have nothing to do with being cowardly, or insensitive, or any of the other wild speculations I've seen in this thread.


Sheesh. You guys are amazing! I'm insensitive for not flying off the handle for the stupidist of reasons, but you guys are perfectly ok to just leap to the conclusion that US military forces are cowards because of some bizarre stretch of your own imaginations? And you say we're insulting you? Nobby's essentially stating that our troops didn't go into the city becuase they were afraid. Exactly how is that sensitive? Exactly how is that not a slap in the face? Exactly how is that not rude? It's not the UK citizens who should be upset, it's any US citizen listening to morons like Nobby spout off about what our soldiers should or should not have done. He doesn't know a single particular involved, but apparently feels absolutely free to accuse them of cowardice anyway.


But I'm insensitive? Guess what Nobby. No one noticed or cared that UK citizens showed up in NYC in greater or smaller numbers after 9/11. Nice? Certain. Would we have made a big deal if you hadn't? Not at all. Because we're not a bunch of rude and self-centered twits who care more about perception then reality. What kind of self-righteous prick do you have to be to even make such an accusation?

Edit: Damn liberal media

Edited, Tue Jul 12 21:11:18 2005 by GitSlayer

You're joking right? Of course they are different, it's just that what the US government did is far, far worse.

Pure cowardice.

Of course there *may* be a good reason - perhaps a particular threat to US soldiers - and if there is I'm sure we'll hear all about it.