View Poll Results: How would you destroy a statue?
Airstrike
13
23.64%
Artillery
4
7.27%
CH-53 lift and drop (over water or land)
5
9.09%
Bulldozer or AVRE
12
21.82%
Plastique!
21
38.18%
Voters: 55. This poll is closed
Statue Toppling...
Thread Starter
Statue Toppling...
As most of us have probably seen, the huge Saddam in Fardus Square has been toppled by a mob with a little help from their US Marine friends in an armoured engineer vehicle. Surprisingly given the chaos, no-one seems to have got under it! As a small PPRuNe tactics exercise, how would you go about removing a giant dictator statue? Marks for: Spectacular effect, Economy of Effort, Originality, and of course artistic expression.
The crowd started out by climbing it, then put a rope about its neck. Someone fetched a sledgehammer, and a huge man (I mean huge, this one hadn't been going short of scoff) began whacking the plinth. Then some utter arssestarted pulling on the rope - as if trying to drop it on his own head. Then Mr. Combat Engineer arrived. Main problem was getting the crowd out of the way, and getting the towrope high enough on his neck to get the necessary leverage. Once on the floor the mob went wild, I haven't seen anything like it since I was in the Bradford race riot...
(edit to correct square)
The crowd started out by climbing it, then put a rope about its neck. Someone fetched a sledgehammer, and a huge man (I mean huge, this one hadn't been going short of scoff) began whacking the plinth. Then some utter arssestarted pulling on the rope - as if trying to drop it on his own head. Then Mr. Combat Engineer arrived. Main problem was getting the crowd out of the way, and getting the towrope high enough on his neck to get the necessary leverage. Once on the floor the mob went wild, I haven't seen anything like it since I was in the Bradford race riot...
(edit to correct square)
Last edited by steamchicken; 10th Apr 2003 at 18:56.
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Rhode Island, USA
Posts: 264
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The guy whacking at the base with a sledge hammer was a monster, however from my vantage point it looked like all he was doing was shattering the finish coat of cement. I thouht I saw a lot of rebar in that base. If not for the Marines, that thing would still be standing
(a bear of little brain)
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: 51 10 03.70N 2 58 37.15W
Age: 75
Posts: 273
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Saw the big bloke (looked like a refugee from the local 'club bouncers' society) whacking the plinth. Don't know if you noticed but loads of people borrowed the hammer for a go.
Did feel a bit sorry for the bloke on the other side of the ladder helping someone up who got a faceful of cement chips (suddenly clutched his eye and bent over).
Not really funny I know with everything else going on but it's those little moments everyone remembers.
Did feel a bit sorry for the bloke on the other side of the ladder helping someone up who got a faceful of cement chips (suddenly clutched his eye and bent over).
Not really funny I know with everything else going on but it's those little moments everyone remembers.
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: West Sussex
Posts: 262
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Must pop up to Camden Market in a few weeks to buy some authentic 'Saddam statue' concrete fragments! The big fella would have been tw@tting that plinth for a fortnight if the engineers hadn't stepped in.
Just a shame one of the guys screwed up by putting the Stars & Stripes over Saddam's head - lots of bad coverage in the region for a minute's over enthusiasm. Very interesting reaction from the CENTCOM press guys - they were obviously watching the same images as me while I was on the phone to one of them, and there was a great roar of "No!" from the entire room when they showed the flag going up! Remember you're a liberator, son!
Following the mighty lead of phoney Tony (quote on BBC this evening), I think we should destroy Saddam's statues with "the scales of fear falling from the eyes of the Iraqi people". What the hell kind of metaphor is that, mate?!
Just a shame one of the guys screwed up by putting the Stars & Stripes over Saddam's head - lots of bad coverage in the region for a minute's over enthusiasm. Very interesting reaction from the CENTCOM press guys - they were obviously watching the same images as me while I was on the phone to one of them, and there was a great roar of "No!" from the entire room when they showed the flag going up! Remember you're a liberator, son!
Following the mighty lead of phoney Tony (quote on BBC this evening), I think we should destroy Saddam's statues with "the scales of fear falling from the eyes of the Iraqi people". What the hell kind of metaphor is that, mate?!
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Ballymun
Posts: 108
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Saw a great banner today being held up by some jubilant Iraqis with a message to all the western peace activists which have been in Baghdad in recent weeks, obviously judged by many folk to be supporters of Saddam.
"Go home the umansheilds, you U.S. w*nk*rs!!"
Priceless! Did anyone else see it?
"Go home the umansheilds, you U.S. w*nk*rs!!"
Priceless! Did anyone else see it?
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 1,451
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
To repeat what I said on another thread, I believe that one marine who draped the US flag over SH's face did more damage to the US post war peace effort than the USAF did to Baghdad.
The Arab media will replay that scene over and over again to prove what every Arab already 'knows' of US intentions.
The Arab media will replay that scene over and over again to prove what every Arab already 'knows' of US intentions.
I understand that it was a symbolic gesture to rub Saddam's face in the actual flag which was flying over the Pentagon on 11 September.
Which was considerably less rude than something a chap in robes was seen to rub in the face of one of Uncle S's portraits on ITV!
Which was considerably less rude than something a chap in robes was seen to rub in the face of one of Uncle S's portraits on ITV!
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Chichester, UK
Posts: 1,650
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I liked the BBC's on-the-spot interview with a US marine:
BBC hack: So what's happening?
Marine: F*ck. That f*cking motherf*cking f*ck is f*cking...
BBC hack: um...
<quick cut back to studio>
BBC anchor: um... sorry about that
BBC hack: So what's happening?
Marine: F*ck. That f*cking motherf*cking f*ck is f*cking...
BBC hack: um...
<quick cut back to studio>
BBC anchor: um... sorry about that
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: England
Posts: 964
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We were told that all the Iraqi's were armed with guns etc. Did you see the chap on the news yesterday holding up a picture of Saddam, he did not shoot it nor did he attack it with a knife, he hit it with - A SLIPPER. come on in Dubya, we have found the weapons of mass destruction - a slipper ( could almost be a sketch from Monty Python and the Holy Grail!)
Thread Starter
Abu Dhabi TV showed it all in glorious techni. Does anyone here agree with me that yer man with the sledge looked so well-fed that Field Security (or whatever the US Marine equivalent is) ought to have a word? After all, if you're going to change sides you might as well show enthusiasm...
I'm not sure about that banner though - looked to me rather like a Human Shield banner reading "Go Home US ******s!". If so they looked a little isolated. Robert Fisk reported in today's Indy that a US officer in the 3 Bat, 4th Marines - the man with the ex-Pentagon flag - was insulted by an American peacenik girlie on arrival in Fardus Square, so they are still wandering about. Wonder what they'll do now?
I'm not sure about that banner though - looked to me rather like a Human Shield banner reading "Go Home US ******s!". If so they looked a little isolated. Robert Fisk reported in today's Indy that a US officer in the 3 Bat, 4th Marines - the man with the ex-Pentagon flag - was insulted by an American peacenik girlie on arrival in Fardus Square, so they are still wandering about. Wonder what they'll do now?
Last edited by steamchicken; 10th Apr 2003 at 19:00.