Let's address a few points:
X-Q...CND? no, just witnessing mission creep and I am unhappy about it. The original terms of reference for any action in Afghanistan were purely to root out O B-L. This then went to military advice to the Northern Alliance, to figting alongside the Northern Alliance, to the stated ambition to remove the Taliban and install a pro-western government, to threatening to act against Iraq. While I agree that the Taliban and Iraq are odious regimes, the original justification and terms of reference did not include current military activities. My issue is that now the Afghan people are synonymous with the Taliban and from the early days of the bombing campaign the force outweiged any response and was not measured. The argument that the infrastructure of the Taliban was being put beyond their use has a hollow ring with me when the net result is that innocent Afghan people are being subjected to relentless waves of bombing. We as a nation are not at war with Afghanistan or it's people and this troubles me. If the policy makers had stated objectives and methods that had not shifted I would not be so uncomfortable. Therein lies my definition of carpet bombing, the use of mass, "dumb" ordinance with a view to denying major infrastructure.
WC: Lots to agree with there. *I* am not a hypocrite because it is not within my powers to make policy decisions on home issues in the UK. If it were, I would be looking to fix the problems we have here before exporting solutions overseas. Certainly we have a race issue here, much different to that in the US. We should be looking to eradicate political extremism of the sort espoused by the BNP, who I find personally odious, as I do not see that they are any different to O B-L in many ways in hat they seek to destroy what they do not understand. Again, football hooligans do us much shame in their antics abroad and actions should be taken to ensure that they do not export their brand of thuggery abroad. As for my background, I am a serving officer in the Royal Logistics Corps as people here well know. Your view on my credibility is a matter for you. I do however have a number of views on the matter of US foreign policy, and the lack thereof, opinions I have every right to hold. The fact that you disagree with me on the issue of US foreign policy and the handling of events post Sept 11th does not deny me the right to be critical. If the US as a body politik could address the insular nature of its thinking I believe it would go a long way towards identifying an purposeful outlet for what to do with its post cold war military. I believe that it has become a victim of its own muscle flexing in the past 10 years as Britain became a victim of its own colonialism after the end of WW2. Although I may post some comments here that are blunt, they do at least spark a debate that I think needs to be had, namely the way the US and her allies use their military assets. It seems that without a standing army in Eastern Europe to counter the US has taken to using force to readily and overtly than it would have ever got away with 15 years ago. If we are not careful we may go down the same route.
Fobotsco: You are quite right, I write on my own behalf and I do not expect anyone here to either agree or support some of my views. You are quite welcome to if you wish, but I believe we yet to find common ground on any single issue, which is quite OK in my view.
So, the issue with respect to this letter is in the interpritation. Many of you seem to believe it is a tongue-in-cheek for of satire. That wasn't the way i read it, but if it was perhaps it was well aimed as the purpose of satire is to exaggerate the truth, therefore was I really so wide of the mark? If I had been so far wide of the mark would so many US contributors been so upset? Only you can answer that. WC, for what it is worth, your comments have given me cause to think about the nature of the problems here in the UK, as well they should. I have to say though, you have been quite quick to slam the UK in other threads and I am surprised you don't see fit to consider that some people in the UK or elsewhere may take issue with US foreign policy and the perceptions of the rest of the world that we have seen US citizens and servicedmen hold towards us. I have heard a US Marines Capt claim that the UK played no dicsernable part in the Gulf War, and he believed what he was saying. While I accept the fact that every country has it's fair share of idiots (the UK being no exception) and that as a country with 10 times the population of the UK you are more likely to have 10 times the number of idiots, what worries me is when the views of seemingly intelligent people leave me aghast either in their nievety or their scorn.