My heart goes out to the family members. But why wasn't the soldier
wearing protective clothing? American soldiers are fully protected and they seem to be able to still move around quite freely.

Whether you're for or against our involvement in this mess - it's the families of the dead that my heart goes out to.

Steel,

Steel >I don't see them as two seperate countries, particularly as the country was divided by a foreign international comittee and that the separation was to be temporary. Apparently the same party (Dinh Diem's) in South Vietnam that was responsible for executing communists by the thousand and which held a fraudulent election, cancelled the reunification elections scheduled by the 1954 Geneva Accords.

The Argentineans didn’t see the Falklands as a separate country; Iraq didn’t see Kuwait as a separate country. The Yugoslavs didn’t see Kosovo as a separate country. The Chinese still don’t see Taiwan as a different country. I don’t suppose you support or supported any of those invasions?

As for the division by a foreign international committee most of the middle east is a recent construct. There never was a nation of people called the Palestinians yet most people can accept that they do exist now.

Steel> I would have supported in principle an Iraqi uprising. If Hussein had been assassinated *by one of his victims* (not a foreign government) I would not have condemned it.

Your splitting a very small hair there Steel. Its ok for the Iraqis to kill Saddam and overthrow the gov’t, but its not OK for anyone else? Saddam had spies everywhere, the people were terrified of his mukhabarat and he had very effectively culled any likely opposition. Overthrow from within was never a real prospect because Saddam had TOTAL control of the country.

So you would have let the people of Iraq suffer under Saddam until he died, because they weren’t strong enough to overthrow him. Like I said, a very thin hair.

So by your logic, only the people of South Vietnam had the right to overthrow their gov’t?

Almost a million people left the North of Vietnam for the South when the country was first partitioned. Very few people went in the opposite direction.

Millions left in rickety boats when the communists first took over. Over a million people were placed in prison camps without charge. Many were tortured and an estimated 165000 died in these camps

PaulL you will not make progress with steel.
While most Australians ANY political slant are concerned about Iraq and growingly Afghanistan, most understand why we went there.
Most of us are asking in the first case how do we get out of here, and can any victory come there.
Afghanistan is very little different, our problem is we in the west have more regard for life than those we fight, if not? over in a week.
Some use the net much as the very left do, it is only here they have enough numbers to be heard.
And some are intent only on one sides position, have you ever? yes ever seen a post from steel showing any concern for women in Muslim country's?
The dead victims of the Taliban?
The destroyed statues of another faith?
We must look closely to events in Pakistan and wait to see the impact we may yet see things get worse.
However no death of an Australian service person should be subject of disrespect.
I invite steel to write on behalf of those in these country's who want a better life.
Want freedom.

Aussie deaths in Afganistan.
Australia along with most civilised world are fighting the drug lords of Afganistan.
The few Australians who have died have committed suicide in some drug induced state.
Australian soliders are fighting the good fight and should not be used by the author, too in some way, make a move to support the Chinaist Rudd,who has not raised the executions by the China government once in the pre election .

paul L. "Its ok for the Iraqis to kill Saddam and overthrow the gov’t, but its not OK for anyone else?"

Basically, yes. They are a sovereign nation. They have citizenship in their country. Foreigners have no business there. Period. To sustain your argument, you would then support foreing nations invading and occupying Australia, regardless of the opinions of the people and regardless of Australian sovereign rights.

Brock, "Australia along with most civilised world are fighting the drug lords of Afganistan."

1. Who are these drug lords?
2. What progress has the "civilised world" made on this front?
3. Has production of drugs gone up or down since invasion?

STG
No But Nor Do you understand it either.
We can stop the spread there or wait a while until it reaches here- Your choice.