i also feel sorry for Malaysian Airlines as they have had two major disasters not of their making!
That statement is very much open to debate.
However ......... reading some of the reports about not just the shooting down of the aircraft, which I still believe may have been accidental, I am filled with revulsion at the way the 'authorities', for want of a better word, in Ukraine, have handled this, obstructing salvage efforts, not treating the deceased with even the minimum of respect, allowing looting ......... it is beyond belief. How appalling for those who have lost loved ones to see their bodies being treated in this way.
MH17: Malaysia Airlines crash victims robbed of their dignity by rebels - Telegraph
.... bodies were being left to rot amid the wreckage in temperatures of 85F (29.4C), ........
“It basically looks like the biggest crime scene in the world right now, guarded by a bunch of guys in uniform with heavy firepower who are quite inhospitable.”
Ukrainian officials accused the rebels of destroying evidence of “international crimes” and allowing cash and credit cards to be stolen from the dead.
In September 1978 an Air Rhodesia Viscount was shot down by Zipra terrorists. 18 people survived and half of those were slaughtered on the ground by the terrorists. In February 1979 another RH Viscount was shot down. The BBC 'chose' to omit these two events from its list of civilian shootdowns published a few days ago.
Reverend John Da Costa, Dean of St. Mary and all Saints in Salisbury delivered a sermon at the memorial for the victims of the first massacre. Much of what he said applies to MH017.
I fear that after the rhetoric from Obama and Cameron, a few verbal slaps on the wrist will be delivered to Mr. Putin for covertly supporting the rebels, and this will all die down and be forgotten.
I'm not aware of any statement from Ban Ki Moon of the useless toothless UN taking on this - I may have missed it.
David Cameron said the European Union needed to “reconsider its approach to Russia”, suggesting further sanctions are likely
Amid growing condemnation Mr Hammond told the Telegraph: “It’s a fundamental principle of human decency that the victims and their possessions should be treated with dignity. I have seen reporting in the media which suggests that these norms are not being respected. We have no evidence that this is the case - but if it turns out to be so, those responsible can be sure they will be held to account for their crimes."
A senior British source said: “Putin needs to feel some pain before he will change his behaviour.”
I'm sure Putin is quaking in his boots.
The Silence is Deafening
Much of this applies today as it did 36 years ago.
Nobody who holds sacred the dignity of human life can be anything but sickened at the events attending the crash.........But are we deafened with the voice of protest from nations which call themselves "civilised"? We are not. Like men in the story of the Good Samaritan, they "pass by, on the other side." One listens for loud condemnation.
One listens and the silence is deafening.
One listens for loud condemnation by the President of the United States.
One listens for loud condemnation by the Pope, by the Chief Rabbi, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, by all who love the name of God.
Again the silence is deafening.
First, those who fired the guns. Who were they? Youths and men who, as likely as not. Men who went over to the other side in a few months were so indoctrinated that all they had previously learned was obliterated.
Second, it is common knowledge that in large parts of the world violence is paraded on TV and cinema screens as entertainment. Films about war, murder, violence, rape devil-possession and the like are "good box-office". Peak viewing time is set aside for murderers from Belfast,, Palestine, Europe, Africa and the rest, to speak before an audience of tens of millions. Thugs are given full treatment, as if deserving of respect.
Not so the victims' relations.
Who else is to be blamed?
The United Nations.......... I am sure they both bear blame in this. Each parade a pseudo-morality which, like all half-truths, is more dangerous than the lie direct. From the safety and comfort of New York and Geneva, high moral attitudes can safely be struck. For us in the sweat, the blood, the suffering, it is somewhat different.
. The ghastliness of this ill-fated flight ...... will be burned upon our memories for years to come. For others, far from our borders, it is an intellectual matter, not one which affects them deeply. Here is the tragedy!
The especial danger of Marxism is its teaching that human life is cheap, expendable, of less importance than the well-being of the State. But there are men who call themselves Christians who have the same contempt for other human beings, and who treat them as being expendable.
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I have nothing but amazement at the silence of so many of the political leaders of the world..