Thoughts on Afganistan....

I like most uk folks am watching the footage our our troops battling away in Afghanistan, and I'm beginning to feel a sense of dread.
Here's a fact about war in Afghanistan: No foreign army has won in hundreds of years. I see our troops there and it's beginning to look like the 70's footage of the last stages of Vietnam to me. It's just not viable to beat a guerilla army that can hide amongst the native population... think Northern Ireland. Peace won there, not the uk armed forces, and unfortunately I have the feeling that peace will not win the day in Afghanistan for many a year.
Those that know me, will know I have Russian family. Russia was at the height of its military power when it went into the country and after (what was it) 10 years and hundreds of casualties they got out.
Another fact.. It's very hard to beat an enemy that doesn't care about casualties.. that just keeps on coming... Think (again) vietnam, think The Chinese in Korea....
This isn't gonna end well folks and I hate to see our guys (UK, USA etc etc) being killed. as the casualties mount the public will begin to lose appetite for the war, which destroys moral for the troops.
It maybe a naive plan, but I think we should get out, and spend the money on making sure that anyone who's come from there, or anywhere training grounds for perceived training camps are, doesn't get into the country. It hurts me to speak these words as I have always hated racism and still do, and I dont want to make this a race issue..more a common sense/security issue.
The view that we can impose our way of life on other cultures is amazingly naive and will be paid for in blood. Afghanistan will develop on it's own path just as England did through the years.

Just my rough thoughts....

Gran Torino

Just got off watching this impressive film. Turns out Clint says it's his final acting job, so it has to be compared to 'The Shootist' which was fellow American icon John Wayne's final film.
I actually quite like the shootist. I watched it soon after my Mum died from Cancer and Wayne filmed it knowing he had advanced Cancer. It brought me to tears (as did a few things around then).
In the Shootist wayne tries to make amends for his tough guy image by trying to turn Ron Howard's (yes the director) character away from being a gun fighter, and not staining his soul by killing a man. He however does this by doing the deed himself....
In Gran Torino Eastwoods character ends up in the same position. Trying to stop a Korean kid from being involved in carrying out a revenge attack on the gang that nearly killed his sister.. which he does. However Eastwoods character doesn't have to further validate his hard man image by marching into the Gangs house and shooting them up, which wayne would have insisted upon, as would I'm sure Stallone and Arnie. No Eastwood sacrifices himself knowing that the law would handle it from there, and even though his character in the film is a classic (aged) tough guy. Eastwood doesnt feel the need to reinforce this....
The film is a little smalzy and overly sentimental, but I believe this was planned.

Very impressive. 9/10

hmmm

Well leaving it this long wasn't intended. I had every intention of keeping upto date on this. Problem is time and brain capacity. I (and I'm sure many of you) are pulled in so many different directions. I don't really do myspace anymore, however I'm quite active on facebook and now twitter, so this place comes a distant 3rd right now. If I actually did this properly I'd never get any work done lol!!!

Must do better mr Al....

The Return....

Wow it's been a while.. Things have been hectic and pretty out of control @ times... BUT due to peer pressure (James Keir take a bow) I've just finally done something with my twitter account and it links to here so I thought I should get my act together!!

I'll try and keep this more upto date from now on.