Mattie Posted August 24, 2009 Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 Doesn't Mr Gaddafi look good for his age? Not a grey hair in sight!! And he is a Gemini!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rasmie Posted August 24, 2009 Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 If they had the courage or absolute conviction this man was guilty then he should have been executed!Otherwise it is only compassionate and decent to release a dying man back to his family....Unlike the countries who are objecting..... Scotland is a reasonably civilized nation with comparatively high moral values.I don't think this decision will hurt Scotland in the long term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAStewart Posted August 24, 2009 Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 I don't think this decision will hurt Scotland in the long term.Depends on who you want in your corner. America, or Libya/Church of Scotland/SNP. Kenny MacAskill is a preacher, not a politician - if his speechs are anything to go by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted August 24, 2009 Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 If they had the courage or absolute conviction this man was guilty then he should have been executed!Otherwise it is only compassionate and decent to release a dying man back to his family....Unlike the countries who are objecting..... Scotland is a reasonably civilized nation with comparatively high moral values.I don't think this decision will hurt Scotland in the long term.Have to argue against the first sentence in Rasmie's posting but the rest of the message is spot on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted August 24, 2009 Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 I don't think this decision will hurt Scotland in the long term.Depends on who you want in your corner. America, or Libya/Church of Scotland/SNP. Kenny MacAskill is a preacher, not a politician - if his speechs are anything to go by.How about the knowledge that Scotland's government has done the right thing in the circumstances and America will just have to live with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted August 24, 2009 Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 If this guy had cancer when he did the bombing would he have been sent straight home after trial on compassionate grounds? The sentence would have been different, and I know an educated person like yourself would know that and could have answered it in the same post. There should not have been the who ha at the airport and so on tho, but, in their eyes he was wrongly convicted.... The same could happen here... How is your pitchfork manufacturing company doin? And just me..good comment there, and as I said before, the Americans accepted the cash to compensate for their loss, and still want blood.... If they wanted the protest to go on, they should not have taken the money... Tis the right decision........good choice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAStewart Posted August 24, 2009 Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 How about the knowledge that Scotland's government has done the right thing in the circumstances and America will just have to live with that. [citation needed] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibber Posted August 24, 2009 Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 How is your pitchfork manufacturing company doin? I've no opinion on whether he did it or not. The Scottish Government thinks he did, he's not getting compassionate release from them because there is some doubt about his conviction on an official level. The news said he had 3 months to live, I don't know what alternative sentence would have been given if he had 3 months to live when convicted of killing 270 people. The compensation wasn't given instead of spending 28 years inside but in addition to, nobody was paid off to allow for early release at the discretion of the Scottish Gov so compensated or not those people are within reason to want him to stay in jail from their point of view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Njugle Posted August 24, 2009 Report Share Posted August 24, 2009 I don't believe politicians act compassionately. I think Kenny has acted politically, and he'll also come out of this looking weak and so will Scotland as a whole. "Weak", like Ghandi came out of history looking "weak" for encouraging peaceful protest instead of civil war? There may, incidentally, be a shared independence undertow within both scenarios. Macaskill has, however, put the principle of compassion above that of retribution which, in the eyes of history, should stand him in good stead, though it seems unlikely that it will. His speeches, rather than preaching as JAS suggests are more a spectrum of ambiguity that could mean many things to different respective listeners. Something for everyone, and yet little enough to have neo-con elements and liberal elements combined. Islamist references, Christian references and secular references. Even the "higher power" he referred to may mean nothing more than pre-determined mortality decided by his cancer. Clever stuff. The only truly unacceptable thing out of this so far is the Libyan airport scenes. A little reservation would have gone a long way in this. Also, regardless of whether it was the right thing to do, it is inspiring in the aftermath to see Macaskill standing by his decision without excuse or mealy mouthed posturing, but instead upholding the same spirit by which his decision was made. Sun Tzu would approve, ironically! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted August 25, 2009 Report Share Posted August 25, 2009 How about the knowledge that Scotland's government has done the right thing in the circumstances and America will just have to live with that. [citation needed]Citation?........if that means who said that Scotland's Government has done the right thing and that America will just have to live with it then I did. Just happen to believe that it is right to allow terminally ill foreigners to return home to die no matter what their crime. Also believe that it was right to release Ronnie Biggs from jail. In fact I think both releases were just and of course the concept of justice goes beyond the simple equation of crime and punishment. Sometimes justice demands no punishment despite guilt within the strict terms of the law as in the case of Tony Martin (the farmer who shot at a burglar) and sometimes it means releasing a man who, if guilty, killed a lot of people with a bomb on Clipper 103 so he can go home to die. In fact I wonder if the "celebrations" in Libya might alternatively be considered as celebrating the mercy shown by the Scottish Government to one of their people. And to those who ask if I would say the same if I had lost a friend or lover in the Clipper 103 bombing the answer has to be that I sincerely hope so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattie Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 For years before International Terrorism as they call it began!! The Americans were funding the IRA as they targeted mainland Britain. I was in Manchester after they blew up the Armadale Shopping Centre. It was a mess.Just for reference on June 15 1996 the IRA planted a 3000lb bomb to go off at peak time in the shopping centre on a Saturday morning!! Over 200 people were injured.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 ^^ I think if you check your facts you'll find it was a small clique of Americans of Irish descent that provided assistance that ended up in the hands on the IRA. It was hardly surprising either, given that their ancestors had effectively been starved out of Ireland by the English, and they knew more about that and the Ireland their ancestors had left, than they knew about the Ireland of the present day. Your average American not only had nothing to do with supporting the IRA, they didn't know any American's were, or who the IRA was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 ^^^I've been quite shocked in the past being lectured about the Irish troubles by young americans. It's not small cliques.The east of USA was the biggest funder of the IRA, and the united states it's biggest defender, talk about state sanctioned terrorism. Not going to get into a rant. I was sickened by the IRA I met on their little "public information tour". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Inky Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 Sometimes justice demands no punishment despite guilt within the strict terms of the law as in the case of Tony Martin (the farmer who shot at a burglar)...At the risk of annoying the mods by going off topic again, it would be more accurate to describe Tony Martin as "the mentally-ill farmer who killed a burglar, and wounded another". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOYAANISQATSI Posted August 26, 2009 Report Share Posted August 26, 2009 Beyond the bleeding hearts & outrage... Gordon Brown faced fresh questions tonight after it emerged that he discussed with Colonel Gaddafi detailed conditions for the Lockerbie bomber's return nearly six weeks ago.the new letter, addressed to "Dear Muammar" suggests that the decision was well enough advanced and Brown well enough briefed to set terms for a homecoming; albeit unsuccessfully.Meanwhile, details emerged of a second letter from Foreign Office minister Ivan Lewis to Kenny MacAskill, confirming that there were no legal reasons not to let Megrahi go and concluding: "I hope on this basis you will now feel able to consider the Libyan application."Gaddafi increased the embarrassment by publicly thanking "my friend Brown, his government, the Queen of Britain, Elizabeth, and Prince Andrew who all contributed to encouraging the Scottish government to take this historic and courageous decision".The scale of fury in America was laid bare in a vitriolic letter from the director of the FBI, Robert Mueller.However, the Scottish government responded defiantly, insisting the US had made clear that, while it opposed Megrahi's release, it regarded freeing him on compassionate grounds because of his terminal cancer as "far preferable" to a prisoner transfer deal.MacAskill will give a statement on Monday. Monday's session could also examine the political manoeuvrings around the deal, with MacAskill said to believe that he was set up by the British government's refusal to respond to his consultation.http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/aug/23/gordon-brown-letter-gaddafi-lockerbieMandelson, left hospital today – insisting it was "completely wrong" and "offensive" to suggest that Megrahi's release was linked to trade deals over oil and gas. When Mandy speaks, the fastest way to get the truth is to go with the opposite of whatever he says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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