Dear o sung wu,

Let me have crack at this humour thing.

You wrote to paul1405;

“I believe I owed you some clarification. I can only hope it is satisfactory to you ?”

No mate, what he and May May are owed is an apology. You, without justification, labelled them cowards, pretenders and sickening, useless human beings.

How about manning up and delivering it instead of pissing in their pockets.

And what on earth is this?

“I must categorically state herein, it would have nothing to do with him being David HICKS, an Australian citizen, it would be a simple case of seeing, an armed individual, in company with a recognisable enemy, in a hostile area, nothing more.”

Of course, no one here would say any different.

But that is not what you put to us was it. Instead you clearly stated to me;

“Concerning your titular brother one David HICKS, tiresome as it is, to continually recapitulate his treacherous 'deeds' - if the circumstances of his capture were to occur in South Vietnam in my time, his worry of an indefinite detention without the benefit of 'due process' would indeed be moot.”

Leaving aside the fact that he was captured unarmed in the back of a truck by the Northern Alliance 'capture' is not cornered, or still a threat, it is disarmed and under the control of those who secured the capture.

So surely out of your own mouth you have now condemned yourself;

“Let us assume for a moment, if he and his cohorts, immediately downed their weapons, and raised their hands without any resistance whatsoever, would he or his cohorts be shot...clearly no. It would be a serious war crime !”

You tried to make the case that Australian troops would be prepared to commit serious war crimes and I challenged you on it.

So rather than attempting to weasel your way out of your earlier comments how about just fessing up that you let a bit of bravado force you into some misspeak then all of us can move on.

Wu, while I'm telling stories. you might find this one funny or odd. My Grand Uncle Jim, actually he was my Grandmothers brother-in-law fought at Gallipoli in 1915, as far as I know he didn't land on 25th April but some time after. Seems uncle took a shrapnel wound to the private parts and then was shipped off to Egypt for medical attention (uncle and aunt never had children) then later he was sent to the western front.

About 1960 I remember sitting in the kitchen at home at the table with only me and uncle, a very uncomfortable moment. He wasn't a very pleasant chap always a snarly and grumpy old bloke. Well I plucked up the courage to ask a question of uncle, "Uncle, what did you do at Gallipoli?" Well, the old bloke looked left, then right to make sure no adults were in ear shot, then he came across the table at me, until his face was about 6" from my fact ,and with a gruff old voice said "Son..I KEPT ME F@#%EN HEAD DOWN!" Even then I though to myself uncle you should have kept something else down as well. I believe his war wounds may have saved uncles life, because when he went to France he was stationed with the messengers and didn't have to really fight in the trenches. he told some bad stories about that war. PS Had only good words for the Turks, I recall him saying about Gallipoli "The Turk was only defending his bloody home land."

o sung wu,

In my haste I may not have posted a working link for you on Arthur Stace. See here,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Stace

Bea Miles, I previously forgot the facility where she died. However, such Christian kindness should not go unmentioned. See here,

"By 1964, the ill health that had dogged her all her life forced her to retreat to the Little Sisters of the Poor in Randwick, where she died from cancer on December 3, 1973"

- The newspaper article and photo might bring back memories,
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/eccentric-city-bea-miles-20120112-1pxba.html

Hi STEELEREDUX...

You're still 'smarting' over our brief discussions aren't you ! It's this dreadful EGO thing of yours that keeps getting in the way hasn't it. Someone gave our 'precious' STEELIE a clip around the ears, and golly, he's not going to get away with it eh, that's the stuff, give as good as you get !

The problem is, that awful three letter word...your wounded EGO...STEELIE'S wounded little EGO ! The bane of your existence. I'm sorry for you, I really am. Luckily, I know all my many flaws, my deficiencies, weaknesses, and my innumerable failings. There's a certain power that unique knowledge can bring. You know your limitations. Your intellectual boundaries. Therefore, you ensure you don't overstep yourself, and become so boggled with your EGO and......well you already know those consequences eh STEELIE ?

It would be nigh impossible to have any sort or conversation, discussion or argument with you, about anything involving Service life, because you'd not understand, you couldn't relate to anything you're told, nor could you contribute anything ? Surely you must know something about the Military 'entity', would have too ? But you don't do you, you haven't got the foggiest clue, zip, squat nothing !

Even the most banal, narrow minded person could think of something to contribute ? Generally yes they probably could....? Alas, not STEELIE with his ineradicable narcissistic tendencies, always getting in the way, of true friendship, emotional companionship, even normal interactions...that damn EGO is your problem 'my man'. If I were an individual of ill will, I might be provoked to say something along the lines...historically you'd make a superb 'Key Note' Topic, for the entire 'Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatry' for their annual conference ! Embracing that severe social impediment, 'HUBRIS' - 'It's effects Socially and in the Work Place' !

Think about it, you could turn out to be quite a novelty, though perceived as a social pariah ? That's the trouble, when one permits his EGO to manifestly confuse his thinking and his writing, making it awfully hard to be taken seriously.

PAUL1405...

Son, I kept my $#@*% down ! Sounds familiar. My maternal grandfather didn't serve at Gallipoli, he served on the 'western front', 30th Bn. AIF. Like most and similar to your grand uncle, many of those who served in WW1, chose not to speak of the war, including my beloved grandfather.

From my own limited understanding, with artillery and constant machine gun fire, it was a case of 'keep your 'F...n' head down alright'. I couldn't imagine the absolute terror a man would have, when ordered to 'go over the top' and try to take a German trench ? Personally, I'd find that experience very hard indeed, knowing that the moment your were fully exposed at the top of your trench, you'd have to confront a literal storm of enemy machine gun fire, raining thousands of rounds of bullets at you. You'd be lucky to even get off a shot, let alone live.

Any attempt to compare Vietnam with the Western Front of WW1, would be preposterous and downright rude.

Thanks PAUL1405.

Hi there ONTHEBEACH...

Many thanks for those links concerning the lives of two of Sydney's 'vital' eccentric people. Ms Bea MILES and Arthur STACY Esq.
I suppose some may consider them both somewhat of a nuisance even petty criminals, because off their rather odd social mores didn't quite fit into what some may think appropriate ?

At least they possessed a real personality, and a keen sense of justice and reality far ahead of the human garbage and the obscene detritus we have to contend with on the streets these days ? From memory, I 'assisted' Bea MILES to my Station twice, earlier on in my career. Sure she had some social issues, and in need of a good hot bath, but crazy or not, she had a mind as sharp as a tack, and could tie you in knots should she choose to do so ? I'd rather ten Bea MILES over some of the slugs and maggots I've had occasion to deal with.

She passed in 1973. I just hope wherever she is now, there's an abundance of taxi's for her own continued amusement, and many others who might still enjoy her reciting her beloved Shakespeare. Go quietly Bea MILES.

Thanks a lot there, ONTHEBEACH !