Petition for Marine A.

[The Wizard]

Fair enough...still, for unlawfully, taking a human life, 10 years is pretty low. I find it a bit difficult to put a scale on the tariff to be honest.

Ditto, I agree he should be punished and think he deserves a prison sentence for his callous acts however I would be it hard to sentence him, I'm not sure a minimum of ten years is a fair sentence, I think an 8 year sentence with release after 4/5 if 'well behaved' in prison, but even that I'm not sure of its a difficult case really and I'd imagine the judge found it equally difficult.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Murder is murder - im not supporting a campaign to free a murderer. He didnt need to do what he did at all.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Genuinely surprised at you, here. All the other signees are known NSC thickets.

I have mates in the army. I have family in the army. A number of them have fought in the Afgan campaign ( and thankfully come back to tell the tale ). It is not a level playing field ( or should that be battlefield ). Our troops are being asked to fight this war with one arm tied behind their back because of the rules of engagement. Until our troops are enabled to actually fight then I truly believe what Soldier A did wasn't murder. Oh, he isn't the only one to have done this - he's the only one to have been tried though.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

I wonder what would have happened if this marine had someone like Nelson Mandella injured in front of him during their strugle for freedom? would he have executed him as a terrorist or let him face the punishment he would probably have recieved through legal means.

Maybe those fighting against our forces think they are acting for a similar cause and thats why they fight?

 

[Footsoldier]

And what punishment would a Taliban fighter get for killing a soldier in court? Do they even have courts out in Afghanistan.

 

[itszamora]

And what punishment would a Taliban fighter get for killing a soldier in court? Do they even have courts out in Afghanistan.

Ah good, now here comes some casual racism.

 

[El Presidente]

Although we don't know all of the facts you still expect people to reach a conclusion of his innocence?

They will do that based on their political views, evidence doesn't come into it. This is a stance taken on an ideological rather than factual basis.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

And what punishment would a Taliban fighter get for killing a soldier in court? Do they even have courts out in Afghanistan.

We'll find out shortly what sentence a terrorist would get for murdering a British Soldier - and it will be exactly the same.

Just because they are a soldier, it doesnt mean they should be treated any differently to anyone else in the eyes of the court (Though i do have a hell of a lot more respect for servicemen and women than your average member of public.....well ones that dont commit murders anyway).

 

[El Presidente]

We are supposed to be better than them, he should have been punished , however I feel that 10 years is unduly harsh.

We are better than them. As for the tariff, I genuinely don't know. The soldiers shouldn't have been there in the first place, fighting an unwinnable war, but that's a separate issue.

 

[itszamora]

We are better than them. As for the tariff, I genuinely don't know. The soldiers shouldn't have been there in the first place, fighting an unwinnable war, but that's a separate issue.

Agreed.

 

[Simster]

And if marine A had been Polish, Romanian, Russian, Chinese, Nigerian or whatever rather than British would your feelings be the same?

Is that a serious question? Only I can't see anything in my posts that suggests it would be any different.

 

[Footsoldier]

Ah good, now here comes some casual racism.

Don't play the race card as it doesn't wash anymore and I was asking a question.

 

[daveinprague]

And what punishment would a Taliban fighter get for killing a soldier in court? Do they even have courts out in Afghanistan.

You mean, an unarmed prisoner I take it?

If that happened, and the Taliban had film of it, people like yourself would be calling for a nuclear attack on Afghanistan. Be honest.

If Britain, ever had a situation, that resulted in foreign, superior forces, in our country, and you saw lots of women, and children being killed by drones etc...wouldnt you take up arms?

 

[GingerBeerMan]

20 pages

 

[itszamora]

Don't play the race card as it doesn't wash anymore and I was asking a question.

Yes, they do have courts in Afghanistan. Would the Taliban condemn one of their soldiers murdering one of ours in the way Alexander Blackman did? No, probably not. But that doesn't mean we should stoop to their level - in fact, that's how we try and distinguish ourselves and prove we're above things like murder.

 

[User removed 4]

Ah good, now here comes some casual racism.

Casual Racism ?? Oh do fk off , the place is a mediaeval shitehole , there is no casual racism in highlighting this , all it's done is elicit a predictably lazy response .

 

[soistes]

I'm sure he, like many other British soldiers had a tough time and horrible experiences. I can't see how that counts in any way as exculpation for his barbaric behaviour. Plenty of other soldiers serve and, thank goodness, don't do this kind of thing.
When feeling sorry for him, it's also worth remembering that he was a volunteer - I find to hard to imagine that anyone signs up for the army these days without being aware that they will witness horrible stuff. So the fact that he might have witnessed some is not a mitigation, in my view. A ten year sentence is by no means excessive - the whole point of it is to deter other trigger-happy types who might be inclined to let off a few rounds at a defenceless prisoner. If it succeeds in that - good. I hope the petition fails.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I have mates in the army. I have family in the army. A number of them have fought in the Afgan campaign ( and thankfully come back to tell the tale ). It is not a level playing field ( or should that be battlefield ). Our troops are being asked to fight this war with one arm tied behind their back because of the rules of engagement. Until our troops are enabled to actually fight then I truly believe what Soldier A did wasn't murder. Oh, he isn't the only one to have done this - he's the only one to have been tried though.

But Soldier A's comments after he fired the fatal shots pretty much suggest he knew it was murder. So why do you think you know different?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Oh, he isn't the only one to have done this - he's the only one to have been tried though.

What is your point? Are you suggesting he has been singled out?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I think I will now pop onto the national debt thread, blame Gideon and I will be done for the day - all my boxes ticked.