Why are news organizations questioning the Prince Harry secret?

[avsp]

Originally Posted by 7960

We all look alike to them.

GO & STAND IN THE CORNER
He certainly doesnt think so & talks of hiding his face when on patrol

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

Yes I understand the honor of serving and that it's a matter of pride for the royal family, but what if his unit got captured and he was held hostage by the Taliban? They would certainly find out very quickly who they were holding... Is your national interest really served at all by him being there?

If he was captured there'd be absolutely no question of paying a ransom, ..., I'm guessing that ppl'd be asking why he hadn't swallowed his suicide pill, or why he'd not been given one etc. I'm willing to bet that he was given one.
I suspect that even the decision to post him with Ghurka units is connected with the need to protect both him from live capture & the story from leaking. They essentially are from a very loyal 'mercenary nation' & as such occupy a unique place in the worlds military.

Its certainly in the royals interest to have him there & its not merely a question of pride but of credibility & even more importantly of popularity, ..., its even in the media interests, its a great story etc.

I suspect that this is why some in the press are uneasy, ..., their collunsion has enabled Royalist propaganda for the sake of a good story coz it only by their collusion that he can serve on the frontline. Lets face it he could easily, despite being a bit dim, serve behind a desk in Whitehall.

Equally his claims that its only in this very odd situation that he can feel 'normal' does seem sincere to me. Its probably going to put his elder brother under all sort of unwelcome pressure in the fullness of time.

As for national interest, ..., well the whole deal isnt really for national interest is it? Its supposedly for the common good of virtually the whole world. Of course his potential capture might be embarressing but only really for him coz he'd've been expected to not be taken alive. I base this on the dozen or so conversations I've had on this today, ..., the library is full of ppl discussing it on the net. The typical comment is along the lines of 'the yanks leaked it, ..., yet more friendly fire'

[WickedLou9]

Originally Posted by 7960

And how does this apply to releasing names of individuals who are sent to war?

You again make the mistake of equating one of the Princes of England to any other person serving in the military. It's not the same. The decision to send Prince Harry to war is different then the decision to send any other person to war. We hear stories all the time of private so and so serving right now in Iraq. It's not news and it's not a risk to security.

[WickedLou9]

Originally Posted by avsp

GO & STAND IN THE CORNER
He certainly doesnt think so & talks of hiding his face when on patrol



If he was captured there'd be absolutely no question of paying a ransom, ..., I'm guessing that ppl'd be asking why he hadn't swallowed his suicide pill, or why he'd not been given one etc. I'm willing to bet that he was given one.
I suspect that even the decision to post him with Ghurka units is connected with the need to protect both him from live capture & the story from leaking. They essentially are from a very loyal 'mercenary nation' & as such occupy a unique place in the worlds military.

Its certainly in the royals interest to have him there & its not merely a question of pride but of credibility & even more importantly of popularity, ..., its even in the media interests, its a great story etc.

I suspect that this is why some in the press are uneasy, ..., their collunsion has enabled Royalist propaganda for the sake of a good story coz it only by their collusion that he can serve on the frontline. Lets face it he could easily, despite being a bit dim, serve behind a desk in Whitehall.

Equally his claims that its only in this very odd situation that he can feel 'normal' does seem sincere to me. Its probably going to put his elder brother under all sort of unwelcome pressure in the fullness of time.

As for national interest, ..., well the whole deal isnt really for national interest is it? Its supposedly for the common good of virtually the whole world. Of course his potential capture might be embarressing but only really for him coz he'd've been expected to not be taken alive. I base this on the dozen or so conversations I've had on this today, ..., the library is full of ppl discussing it on the net. The typical comment is along the lines of 'the yanks leaked it, ..., yet more friendly fire'

Perhaps being an outsider I don't fully understand the dynamic between the people of your country and the Royal Family. To me, an outsider, I don't see why you would want to risk one of thier lives for national pride.

[7960]

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

You again make the mistake of equating one of the Princes of England to any other person serving in the military. It's not the same. The decision to send Prince Harry to war is different then the decision to send any other person to war. We hear stories all the time of private so and so serving right now in Iraq. It's not news and it's not a risk to security.

And again you ignore the question, how is him being there a risk to security, especially given that the press shouldn't have reported that he's there?

[7960]

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

Perhaps being an outsider I don't fully understand the dynamic between the people of your country and the Royal Family. To me, an outsider, I don't see why you would want to risk one of thier lives for national pride.

Look at it the other way. Saying he shouldn't go is like saying his life is more important than the other people the queen sent. Is that true?

[Donkey®]

So does everyone know for certain that the royal family or people surrounding them didn't "out" him to the press on purpose in order to get him off the front lines?

[7960]

Originally Posted by Donkey®

So does everyone know for certain that the royal family or people surrounding them didn't "out" him to the press on purpose in order to get him off the front lines?

apparently the british media knew and it was drudge who printed it

and why would the queen send him only to out him and get him back? after what happened last time nobody would have thought twice if he didn't go at all.

[WickedLou9]

Originally Posted by 7960

And again you ignore the question, how is him being there a risk to security, especially given that the press shouldn't have reported that he's there?

Because if he gets captured he poses a risk to the mission above and beyond the risk posed by any other soldier. His capture would exert more pressure on his country than anyone elses capture would. It would force them to do things that they would not do for anyone else. IE unnecesarily expend lives in an rescue effort.

[Stylerod]

Originally Posted by avsp

GO & STAND IN THE CORNER
He certainly doesnt think so & talks of hiding his face when on patrol



If he was captured there'd be absolutely no question of paying a ransom, ..., I'm guessing that ppl'd be asking why he hadn't swallowed his suicide pill, or why he'd not been given one etc. I'm willing to bet that he was given one.
I suspect that even the decision to post him with Ghurka units is connected with the need to protect both him from live capture & the story from leaking. They essentially are from a very loyal 'mercenary nation' & as such occupy a unique place in the worlds military.

Its certainly in the royals interest to have him there & its not merely a question of pride but of credibility & even more importantly of popularity, ..., its even in the media interests, its a great story etc.

I suspect that this is why some in the press are uneasy, ..., their collunsion has enabled Royalist propaganda for the sake of a good story coz it only by their collusion that he can serve on the frontline. Lets face it he could easily, despite being a bit dim, serve behind a desk in Whitehall.

Equally his claims that its only in this very odd situation that he can feel 'normal' does seem sincere to me. Its probably going to put his elder brother under all sort of unwelcome pressure in the fullness of time.

As for national interest, ..., well the whole deal isnt really for national interest is it? Its supposedly for the common good of virtually the whole world. Of course his potential capture might be embarressing but only really for him coz he'd've been expected to not be taken alive. I base this on the dozen or so conversations I've had on this today, ..., the library is full of ppl discussing it on the net. The typical comment is along the lines of 'the yanks leaked it, ..., yet more friendly fire'

I've studied about a lot of wars and Gurkha's are and always have been. A friend of the families fought in Korea with a company of them and said they made the best friends and worst enemies.

[7960]

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

Because if he gets captured he poses a risk to the mission above and beyond the risk posed by any other soldier. His capture would exert more pressure on his country than anyone elses capture would. It would force them to do things that they would not do for anyone else. IE unnecesarily expend lives in an rescue effort.

again, assuming that they would "do things that they would not do for anyone else. IE unnecesarily expend lives in an rescue effort."

The queen sent him. You think she doesn't know the risks?

[JaJae]

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

Because if he gets captured he poses a risk to the mission above and beyond the risk posed by any other soldier. His capture would exert more pressure on his country than anyone elses capture would. It would force them to do things that they would not do for anyone else. IE unnecesarily expend lives in an rescue effort.

The risk of capture was always there. They made the decision to move forward regardless. I don't see what changed that they suddenly came to this realization and decided to bring him home. If they wanted to bring him home I'm sure they could have done so without going to an American blogger...

If anything this put him in even more danger, it didn't protect him.

[WickedLou9]

Originally Posted by JaJae

The risk of capture was always there. They made the decision to move forward regardless. I don't see what changed that they suddenly came to this realization and decided to bring him home. If they wanted to bring him home I'm sure they could have done so without going to an American blogger...

If anything this put him in even more danger, it didn't protect him.

Well that's my point. It was a risk that the public should have known that was being taken with thier country.

[7960]

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

Well that's my point. It was a risk that the public should have known that was being taken with thier country.

A soldier was sent to war. Where is the list of every soldier we've sent?

[WickedLou9]

Originally Posted by 7960

A soldier was sent to war. Where is the list of every soldier we've sent?

It's not the same and you know it. Stop spouting this nonsense that the prince of england is no different than any other soldier. It's a ludicrous statement. I don't know if there is a word stronger than ludicrous to express how ridiculous your assertion is. Prince Harry is just a solider and the Pope is just some dude. The hope diamond is just a rock someone found in the dirt.

I mean really. Do you actually believe what you are saying?

[7960]

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

It's not the same and you know it. Stop spouting this nonsense that the prince of england is no different than any other soldier. It's a ludicrous statement. I don't know if there is a word stronger than ludicrous to express how ridiculous your assertion is. Prince Harry is just a solider and the Pope is just some dude. The hope diamond is just a rock someone found in the dirt.

I mean really. Do you actually believe what you are saying?

Until the media outed him yes, he was just some dude in the war. When the opposition found out he was there *THEN* he became a target and made it more unsafe for others around him. But until then, nope...just a guy.

[Stylerod]

Originally Posted by 7960

Until the media outed him yes, he was just some dude in the war. When the opposition found out he was there *THEN* he became a target and made it more unsafe for others around him. But until then, nope...just a guy.

I agree 100%.

[RMNIXON]

Originally Posted by JaJae

The risk of capture was always there. They made the decision to move forward regardless. I don't see what changed that they suddenly came to this realization and decided to bring him home. If they wanted to bring him home I'm sure they could have done so without going to an American blogger...

If anything this put him in even more danger, it didn't protect him.

I think the capture risk is rather low. Not anywhere near the casualty risk. If the enemy does not know he is there I am sure he looks like any other British youth to them. But now that they know it changes the whole picture!

[avsp]

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

Perhaps being an outsider I don't fully understand the dynamic between the people of your country and the Royal Family. To me, an outsider, I don't see why you would want to risk one of thier lives for national pride.

Its more their pride not ours. They struggle in the modern world to find a role for themselves, they ache ache ache to serve in some 'meaningful' way. This goes back to WW2 when the King chose to stay in London during the Blitz. The story goes that the family was glad when Buck House was hit so they could claim to be 'at one' with the proles in the East End.

Harry could've served driving a desk in Whitehall but then he'd been seen as getting 'special treatment' to avoid combat.

The whole deal has proved very popular, ..., with very very very few ppl minding the news blackout.

As for the 'nations pride' in a way sending him to the frontline is literally 'standing up to the terrorists', ..., bulldog spirit, 'these colours dont run' etc.
Everyone assumes that he'd not allow himself to be captured, ie Gurkhas would, if required, sacrifice themselves to allow him time to kill himself. Last night some friends & I discussed what Brown would/should reply if a vid of a captured Harry appeared. There was a quite a bit of support for 'Kill him then'.

I think this is what some in the media are concerned about they've aided a royalist propagada coup, ..., its not that they are necessarily anti-royalist themselves but that they've allowed their self-interest for a good story to be manipulated & thus they've not been 'impartial'

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

Because if he gets captured he poses a risk to the mission above and beyond the risk posed by any other soldier. His capture would exert more pressure on his country than anyone elses capture would. It would force them to do things that they would not do for anyone else. IE unnecesarily expend lives in an rescue effort.

This is a possibility & one could imagine his captors deliberately leaking their location & making it in a civilian area etc. But these risks are so obvious that they cant be allowed to happen & so everyone assumes he'd kill himself rather than allow it. This dores however leave the problem of recovering the body. Theres already been one disasterious event in A'stan caused by an attempt to recover the fallen

Originally Posted by Stylerod

I've studied about a lot of wars and Gurkha's are and always have been. A friend of the families fought in Korea with a company of them and said they made the best friends and worst enemies.

Yeah, the Gurkha story/mythos is a well weird one. Leaving aside their odd walk/run, (evidence for evolutionary adaption BTW), they really stand out when you see them on the street coz they are literally continually laughing & giggling, some attribute it to some kind of 'oxygen high', but I think that unlikely. Their legend is carefully maintained by the MoD, ..., the boot laces fingy being the best known example here. Whereas in Argentina it still commonly th