DUBLIN (AP) -- Undeterred by real or fake bombs, Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday began the first visit by a British monarch to the Republic of Ireland, a four-day trip to highlight strong Anglo-Irish relations and the success of Northern Ireland peacemaking.
The queen arrived 100 years after her grandfather George V visited Dublin and an Ireland that was still part of the British Empire.
#1
I bet our guys have pulled some real whoppers too!
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
05/17/2011 0:18 Comments ||
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#2
Reda the reactions of the readers: quite enlightening about America's (ex)-brothers.
BTW: Except Americans and British have near nothing in common and a a radically different vision of life. Take a look at a newsreel where you see British kowtowing in front of the Royals or visit respective war cemeteries and meditate about the place religion has in American life t
#4
There is also a difference in how the Union Jack is treated compared to the Stars and Stripes. At several joint US/Brit bases I was appalled at the way the Brits handled their flag at evening colors. The contrast was stark, as it contrasted directly with full on honors of the national ensign by US Marines!
Posted by: My two cents ||
05/17/2011 8:51 Comments ||
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#5
@NS
In Norlmandy you can visit both the magnificent Amercan cemetery at Colleville (BTW it is American soil so I can say I have been in America) with graves marked "A soldier known only to G.d) and the plain unwalled British cemetery at Bayeux you could take for a civilan cemetery except that it is plainer.
#6
My two cents: There is a rather odd reason for the seeming lack of respect for the Union Jack. Here's the background:
"No law has been passed making the Union Flag the national flag of the United Kingdom. It is officially a flag of the monarch, rather than the Union. Civilian use is permitted on land, but non-naval/military use at sea is prohibited.
"In 2008, a 'Union Flag Bill' was introduced in the House of Commons, that sought to establish the Union Jack as the national flag of the UK in law, but it did not receive a second reading."
It is worthy to note that England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales still have and maintain their own national flags. And the question remains whether Scotland will devolve the union and become a separate state.
If that becomes the case, the Union Jack would cease to be in its current form, because the white saltire on a blue background, known as the Saltire or St. Andrew's Cross, which is the flag of Scotland, would be removed.
#7
The original plan was apparently to assassinate the official and Israel only averted what would have been a huge diplomatic rift with Britain, when they decided the target was more valuable alive than dead.
Source? This "article" gives the name of a book but neglected the part about the author's names. My high school newspaper would send you back to your typewriter, pal.
It closely mirrored the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior Hamas arms trader, who was killed in his hotel room in Dubai last year using agents disguised as tennis players.
Except for the part about, you know, actually killing anyone.
Posted by: Chris W. ||
05/17/2011 11:21 Comments ||
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#8
I would be tempted to counter JFM's comments but I fear he wouldnt hear me with his head so far up his own nationalistic ass.
We dont pledge allegiance to a flag , we pledge allegiance to the Queen
Always have , and always will .
"I swear by Almighty God that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, her heirs and successors and that I will as in duty bound honestly and faithfully defend Her Majesty, her heirs and successors in person, crown and dignity against all enemies and will observe and obey all orders of Her Majesty, her heirs and successors and of the generals and officers set over me"
Compared to :
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Anyway , good one Mossad thanks for the intel. But do the naive posters here think we werent clued in ?
Posted by: Oscar ||
05/17/2011 12:52 Comments ||
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#9
Thanks moose. I'm glad I didn't ask at the time.
Although there are differences, the important thing both have in common is the joy in thumping bad guys who so desperately need it.
Re: "whether Scotland will devolve"
Shudder!
Posted by: My two cents ||
05/17/2011 13:20 Comments ||
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#10
Oscar, I am not an American, I am a neutral and my a.s is also a neutral one and in my neutral country some believe that Americans are just British who drink coffee. They are wrong.
#11
In the USA we pledge allegiance to the Flag because we won't pledge allegiance to a person or a government. Doesn't make us any better nor worse than the anyone.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
05/17/2011 16:15 Comments ||
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#12
My two cents: If you ask an Englishman what would happen if Scotland devolved, he might very well answer "Sawney Beane". Were it not for the civilizing effects of scotch whiskey and their inflatable plaid screaming octopii, I might suspect the same.
#13
Oscar, the most important part of our Pledge of Allegience is "and to the republic for which it stands."
Unfortunately, too many Democrats Americans have forgotten that.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/17/2011 18:43 Comments ||
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#14
Oscar: We don't pledge allegiance to any person. Those of us who have taken an oath before assuming a position with the government, no matter how mean or lowly it might be, pledge to "support and defend the Constitution", and to "bear true faith and allegiance to the same". As someone mentioned, there are plenty of people in our government and in our nation that have about as much respect for the Constitution as muslims do for Christianity. That's ok - in the end, those of us who believe that our Constitution is the foundation of our government AS IT IS WRITTEN, will still be standing when the libtards have all been flushed into the sea.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/17/2011 20:18 Comments ||
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#15
The comments on that website are for the most part crazy-go-nuts. Hard to believe that we all live in the same universe.
[An Nahar] British police received a bomb threat for London from dissident Irish republicans Monday, on the eve of a historic trip by Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland.
The warning heightened tensions after a spike in violence in Northern Ireland and a statement by a top paramilitary group that the British monarch was wanted for "war crimes."
"A bomb threat warning has been received relating to central London today. The threat is not specific in relation to location or time," a Scotland Yard front man said.
"We believe the threat is in connection with dissident republican terrorism."
Police closed a major road leading to Buckingham Palace for several hours on Monday but a search found nothing suspicious, while there was also a controlled kaboom of a suitcase nearby.
Specialist officers were lowered into a sewer on a winch during the investigation, an Agence La Belle France Presse journalist at the scene said.
Coded warnings have been traditionally used by Irish republican groups.
There has been a recent upsurge in republican violence in Northern Ireland, with a policeman killed by a bomb in April, but Scotland Yard said there had been no change in the official threat level.
"The threat level from Irish-related terrorism has not increased and remains at substantial meaning that an attack is a strong possibility. The threat level was raised in September 2010 from moderate to substantial," a statement said.
"This is lower than the overall threat to the UK from international terrorism which remains at severe."
The queen's four-day visit to Ireland is surrounded by a massive security operation amid threats from dissident republicans opposed to any British presence on Irish soil.
Police on both sides of the Irish border have placed in durance vile several dissident republican suspects amid fears that such groups will attempt to hijack the queen's visit with an attack.
The Real IRA paramilitary splinter group said the queen was wanted for "war crimes" and was "not wanted on Irish soil", threatening to ensure that she and "her cheerleaders get that message".
It will be first state visit to Ireland by a British monarch since the republic gained independence in 1922. The last British monarch to visit was King George V a century ago.
Security in Perfidious Albion and Ireland was already tight as U.S. President Barack B.O. Obama will visit Ireland next week before going on to visit Perfidious Albion.
Continued on Page 47
Posted by: Fred ||
05/17/2011 00:00 ||
Comments ||
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