End the Occupation of Iraq

readers will know of my long standing disapproval of the war against Iraq and the subsequent occupation. From the reports in the week-end press there were no plans by Bush and Blair as to what to do after the war (which I regard as a planned war of aggression) and readers should not be surprised at that disclosure. You see if they had plans with regard to the occupation than they must have had plans for the war, accordingly, if they admit to having plans for the occupation then they are all admitting to having plans for the war. Simple really.In the meantime, apart from anything else, I accuse Blair of being incredibly weak as to what happened after the war. Some of us watched the trooping of the colour ceremony on Saturday attended by the Queen and a magnificent sight it was as well. Now imagine if our soldiers had paraded through Basra and Baghdad after the successful invasion. All the local inhabitants would have known that they had been abjectly defeated and they would have probably gone after Sadam just as the Italians had done to Mussolini. We could then have departed having achieved the mission of overthrowing Sadam. Blair, because he had lied about weapons of mass destruction could not act like any truly victorious leader, our military had won but with Balir shamed. Mind you our leader to be is just as guilty because there is nothing worse than paying the bills for the blood of others. A plague on all their houses. How many more Wednesday readings of the deaths must we go through, if they included the Iraqi deaths as well we would still be there until Thursday, are not the Iraqi police and soldiers fighting so that we can be free of our involvement or don't they matter because they are foreign, lesser beings.

Col Mendonca

may I humbly suggest that you obtain a copy of the Daily Mail for March 13 to see the judgement of Mr Justice McKinnon, who oversaw the case involving Col Mendonca with particular reference to the evidence from Major Anthony Royce who had said in respect of hooding and stress positioning that they had been explicitly approved by commanders when in fact both practices are forbidden in the British army. It is the commanders who must be brought to justice, nobody after the Nuremburg trials can plead that they were following orders. This is just like watergate, first the lowest get caught but this, I think goes to the very heart of our government. My son fought in Iraq and was given an honourable discharge as reported in the newspapaers last year.

Colonel Mendonca

the press is reporting on Colonel Mendonca leaving the army. Many readers know my views on the treatment of prisoners by the army in occupied Iraq and that what has been going on is and was illegal. May I draw to your readers attention a piece in the Daily Mail published on March 13, 2007 with regard to why Colonel Mendonca was found not guilty at his Courts Martial.I quote from the civilian High Court judge, Mr. Justice McKinnon, overseeing the case that he found Mendonca not guilty because of evidence from Major Anthony Royce because he, Royce, had told the colonel both practices (hooding and using stress positions) had been explicitly approved by commanders when in fact both practices are forbidden in the British army.Now I don't know about other readers but if what has been reported is true, and it was in a Court and nobody would perjure themselves, then we need to know who these commanders were so that they too can be charged even though under international law nobody can plead that they were following orders so the judgement, by Justice McKinnon, was flawed under international law.