Society/Culture Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith - Allegations of war crimes

[Baltimore Jack]

Facebook memes are getting even worse

Still getting the "defending our country is ugly, we shouldn't smear our heroes"

Now getting "don't care what they did, they are heroes"

If you read some of the military Facebook pages you would think you were on a different planet

 

[Over The Post]

What skills? Shooting handcuffed Afghani farmhands in the head? How does that defend “me”?

Sigh.

 

[Brunswick Trap King]

Facebook memes are getting even worse

Still getting the "defending our country is ugly, we shouldn't smear our heroes"

Now getting "don't care what they did, they are heroes"

When will working in a bank allow me to shoot unarmed civilians?

 

[Schneebly11]

Sigh.

Could you please respond with a bit of substance? I don’t see how shooting some unarmed Afghani farmhand in the head or kicking some unarmed Afghani father off a cliff “defends” me?

Those Afghanis have to be a threat to me for any Australian solider to be defending me from them. Those people were not a threat to me, I doubt they even knew a country called Australia existed on the other side of the planet. Therefore they were not a threat to me, so how could the SAS be defending me from them?

I don’t need hyper aggressive special forces notorious for shooting civilians in cold blood to “defend me” from anything. I’m quite happy with a scaled down Australian military that doesn’t deploy offshore except for pure defence of imminent threat against Australian territory or recognised UN peacekeeping. The Australian military of 2021 is not that force. I would be quite happy to vote to abolish the SAS, offensive air, ground and sea assets.

 

[Over The Post]

The deployed troops, as an entity, are not defending you, Australia, or Australian interests, other than to continue currying favour with our US masters. That is not the context I used the word "defend."

If you are backed into a corner with a gang of thugs about to beat the living shit out of you, and all your de-escalation and verbal appeasement didn't work, would you want an experienced, highly skilled, able-to-switch-on-hyper-aggression fighter defending you?

If you are visiting a country overseas and there is a violent revolution and you've been taken hostage with a bunch of other Aussies through no fault of your own, just from being in the wrong place at the wrong time, would you want a team of experienced, highly skilled, able-to-switch-on-hyper-aggression warfighters defending you and getting you the hell out of there?

That's what I meant by needing BRS. And people like him. I obviously worded it very poorly and got deservedly bitchslapped.

I agree that we don't need a blue-water navy. We do need ground and air defence capability. We don't need to be tooled up, at horrific expense, to jump into the US's next war.

 

[Chief]

If you are backed into a corner with a gang of thugs about to beat the living sh*t out of you, and all your de-escalation and verbal appeasement didn't work, would you want an experienced, highly skilled, able-to-switch-on-hyper-aggression fighter defending you?

A choice between him and a small cat? Of course it would be him.

A choice between him and ANYBODY ELSE with similar skills? You'd take anybody else.

 

[Schneebly11]

If you are backed into a corner with a gang of thugs about to beat the living sh*t out of you, and all your de-escalation and verbal appeasement didn't work, would you want an experienced, highly skilled, able-to-switch-on-hyper-aggression fighter defending you?

Absolutely not. If I was taken hostage I’d rather have disciplined professionals experienced in negotiation and non violent conflict resolution, and if they need to use force make it non lethal as possible, and if lethal make it as limited as possible to limit collateral damage. If you want “hyper aggressive” heroes coming to save you then in reality you’re probably going to be surrounded by a lot of dead innocents, including yourself.

I know the scenario you’re painting, it’s almost an unrealistic scenario that exists in the minds of movie scriptwriters. The situations are so not borne out in reality, and have they ever been needed in Australia? Our special forces seem to be only used to shoot poor brown people in foreign countries.

EDIT

I just remembered why you don’t want “hyper aggressive” dickheads like BRS and his mates. Their “hyper aggressiveness” is dangerous to those around them.

From page 8-9 of Channel 9’s defence against BRS’s defamation claim

https://www.fedcourt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/54198/NSD1487of2018-181009Defence.pdf

He was in command of an overwatch post in Afghanistan, he had to remain undetected and gather intelligence. An unarmed teenage boy was spotted by some of his soldiers, they assessed him to not be a threat and did not engage. Then “hyper aggressive” BRS appears on scene and starts shooting at the kid for no reason. This gives away their position to the Taliban and the Taliban return fire. His “hyper aggressiveness” could’ve gotten members of his unit killed.

The guy is an undisciplined psycho.

 

[Baltimore Jack]

Oops BRS also buried Classified Information in his backyard

Now that is a big no, no

 

[Brunswick Trap King]

He was in command of an overwatch post in Afghanistan, he had to remain undetected and gather intelligence. An unarmed teenage boy was spotted by some of his soldiers, they assessed him to not be a threat and did not engage. Then “hyper aggressive” BRS appears on scene and starts shooting at the kid for no reason. This gives away their position to the Taliban and the Taliban return fire. His “hyper aggressiveness”

What a shit campaigner

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

This pig should be shot at dawn.

What a deplorable "human being" he is.

 

[Over The Post]

About the USB drives:

New investigation launched into allegations linked to Ben Roberts-Smith during Senate hearing

Australian Federal Police tell a parliamentary hearing that a new investigation has been launched into allegations linked to Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith.

www.abc.net.au

 

[mooloman]

Uncle Kerry had a word it seems...

‘I take full responsibility’: Ben Roberts-Smith apologises to Seven staff for audio recordings

Seven Network executive and accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith has apologised to staff for comments he made in a series of audio recordings.

www.google.com.au

One wonders for how long does this turd keep floating....

 

[Baltimore Jack]

Now threatening to take every one else down with him if they abandon him

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

Now threatening to take every one else down with him if they abandon him

Yeah. You don't keep that incriminating kind of stuff around unless you plan to use it somehow. Blackmail?

 

[Boston tiger]

Could you please respond with a bit of substance? I don’t see how shooting some unarmed Afghani farmhand in the head or kicking some unarmed Afghani father off a cliff “defends” me?

Those Afghanis have to be a threat to me for any Australian solider to be defending me from them. Those people were not a threat to me, I doubt they even knew a country called Australia existed on the other side of the planet. Therefore they were not a threat to me, so how could the SAS be defending me from them?

I don’t need hyper aggressive special forces notorious for shooting civilians in cold blood to “defend me” from anything. I’m quite happy with a scaled down Australian military that doesn’t deploy offshore except for pure defence of imminent threat against Australian territory or recognised UN peacekeeping. The Australian military of 2021 is not that force. I would be quite happy to vote to abolish the SAS, offensive air, ground and sea assets.

Si vis pacem, para bellum

 

[Boston tiger]

The deployed troops, as an entity, are not defending you, Australia, or Australian interests, other than to continue currying favour with our US masters. That is not the context I used the word "defend."

If you are backed into a corner with a gang of thugs about to beat the living sh*t out of you, and all your de-escalation and verbal appeasement didn't work, would you want an experienced, highly skilled, able-to-switch-on-hyper-aggression fighter defending you?

If you are visiting a country overseas and there is a violent revolution and you've been taken hostage with a bunch of other Aussies through no fault of your own, just from being in the wrong place at the wrong time, would you want a team of experienced, highly skilled, able-to-switch-on-hyper-aggression warfighters defending you and getting you the hell out of there?

That's what I meant by needing BRS. And people like him. I obviously worded it very poorly and got deservedly bitchslapped.

I agree that we don't need a blue-water navy. We do need ground and air defence capability. We don't need to be tooled up, at horrific expense, to jump into the US's next war.

So just sponge off the US and hope they jump into our next war because we are just a bunch of fair minded cool dudes down here.

 

[Over The Post]

Sure, just like we have jumped into every war of theirs in the last 70 years because we are just a bunch of fair minded cool dudes down here.

 

[Ned_Flanders]

So just sponge off the US and hope they jump into our next war because we are just a bunch of fair minded cool dudes down here.

You are aware that the ANZUS deal only requires the USA to THINK about defending us if we are attacked.

We are the only nation who has answered every USA call to arms since WW2, and our reward is Nada .we are a nuclear first strike target FFS because of our kowtowing to the usa

 

[mooloman]

Stick to the subject boys lol.

 

[mooloman]

Let’s call a spade a spade. BRS has a two thirds in five eighths chance of actually prevailing in this highly ambitious defamation suit. Even if he did win, there would be an appeal. By the time that came around he’d probably find himself copping some pretty major body blows/charges from the AFP so would have zero chance and would most likely be counter sued into oblivion whilst languishing in jail.

Does the very lofty benefit outweigh KMS’s financial and reputation expense here?

On the token job front, he’s already intellectually way out of his depth (slagging off KMS and his fellow senior execs on tape plus several other genius moves lol). No doubt there’ll be some pretty aggrieved senior management with more actual power than him out for his blood now. One imagines he’d be sucking up and grovelling around the hallways of C7, doing bakery runs and making people coffees knowing he’s one #metoo accusation away from proper farked.

His days are clearly numbered, question is where to from here for Ben? Horror film director?

 

[Schneebly11]

Let’s call a spade a spade. BRS has a two thirds in five eighths chance of actually prevailing in this highly ambitious defamation suit. Even if he did win, there would be an appeal. By the time that came around he’d probably find himself copping some pretty major body blows/charges from the AFP so would have zero chance and would most likely be counter sued into oblivion whilst languishing in jail.

I don’t know how the defamation trial will go, but a loss for BRS won’t be much of an issue, his supporters will just cry that the courts are rigged in favour of the lying media. A win for him in the defamation action would cement his innocent status in the eyes of his supporters and probably draw in a lot of public support too, making AFP criminal charges less likely.

As the days go by I’m less confident of anything coming out of the inquiry into the war crimes in the form of actual criminal charges. Especially since the lead for the inquiry is one of the judges who got Pell off.

 

[Schneebly11]

Mr Potato Head is exercising total control and overruling the Chief of the Army when it comes to decision making.

No Meritorious Unit Citations to be stripped unless you get convicted of war crimes (and that looks like a more remote possibility with each passing day).

Dutton ensures Afghan veterans keep medals

Peter Dutton has blocked a decision by Chief of Defence Angus Campbell to strip unit citations from special...

www.westernadvocate.com.au

The symbolic decision of the Army to strip the medal sent a message that overall the conduct of the SOTG on the whole was not meritorious. The government however wants the history written that we were the good guys.

The Libs are going to play up the patriotism angle and ensure the conduct and culture of the military as a whole is not able to be questioned.

 

[Over The Post]

... because Anzac day

 

[Gough]

... because Anzac day

In keeping with much of our military lore, we can't even be honest about our terms of disengagement from Afghanistan. We are not "withdrawing" from there we're a vanquished army in retreat. We lost, again. Thanks Howard.

 

[Over The Post]

With the US pissing off, we don't have any reason to be there.

Well, we never had any reason to be there other than being Uncle Sam's yapping poodle, but that's by the by, and not spoken of.