November 30th Mount Pleasant Bulletin

[dvbuk55]

Why make excuses? I think it's just plain rude to choose to speak in a foreign tongue and be in a "click" amongst English speaking colleagues

Irony ?

Its clique.

Although if I accept the premise of your argument I wonder why the forces don't make it compulsory to at least have a conversational grasp of the local countries they base serviceman and women in.

Food for thought at least.

If you point a loaded weapon at someone the need to speak becomes irrelevant I would have thought. As an aside if you were deployed in a foreign country you would be issued with an idiots guide to common necessary phrases, you wouldn't need to be fluent. I was taught a foreign language though and found it very useful and although I am still relatively fluent the necessity for it has long gone.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

If you point a loaded weapon at someone the need to speak becomes irrelevant I would have thought.

Sadly not as Iraqi civilians and US Forces found out to both their costs. Here is an article that explains the reasons behind it, sadly the US did not "educate" their personnel about the local perception of checkpoints causing some tragic accidents. http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/polisci/facu ... ezadlo.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[dvbuk55]

If you point a loaded weapon at someone the need to speak becomes irrelevant I would have thought.

Sadly not as Iraqi civilians and US Forces found out to both their costs. Here is an article that explains the reasons behind it, sadly the US did not "educate" their personnel about the local perception of checkpoints causing some tragic accidents. http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/polisci/facu ... ezadlo.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A long time ago in dealing with riots, the British formed a square with selectively armed soldiers, behind the first rank, who had loaded weapons, and all ranks who had fixed bayonets on SLRs was a banner held high with several dialects of the local language and English with precise instructions on what they should do and what would happen if they didn't. I'm sure it wouldn't have been beyond the bounds to have banners/billboards explaining that all checkpoints needed to be observed, that approach speed should be no greater than 5/10/15 kph and what would happen if they didn't.

When you think about what is happening in Syria with indiscriminate bombing and shelling, firing on a speeding vehicle with some casualties is pretty low key.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

If you point a loaded weapon at someone the need to speak becomes irrelevant I would have thought.

Sadly not as Iraqi civilians and US Forces found out to both their costs. Here is an article that explains the reasons behind it, sadly the US did not "educate" their personnel about the local perception of checkpoints causing some tragic accidents. http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/polisci/facu ... ezadlo.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A long time ago in dealing with riots, the British formed a square with selectively armed soldiers, behind the first rank, who had loaded weapons, and all ranks who had fixed bayonets on SLRs was a banner held high with several dialects of the local language and English with precise instructions on what they should do and what would happen if they didn't. I'm sure it wouldn't have been beyond the bounds to have banners/billboards explaining that all checkpoints needed to be observed, that approach speed should be no greater than 5/10/15 kph and what would happen if they didn't.

When you think about what is happening in Syria with indiscriminate bombing and shelling, firing on a speeding vehicle with some casualties is pretty low key.

They did all that, still didn't work - that's my point. An assumption that because you understand something, doesn't mean that someone of a different culture would also understand. Its even more important that when in their country we take on their perceptions and try to understand them. After all that's all some are asking of immigrants and refugees in this country.

Its a bit arrogant if we expect one thing in our country, but aren't willing to reciprocate in another.