[LordOpie]

'Shoot-to-kill' demand by US

Martin Bright, home affairs editor
Sunday November 16, 2003
The Observer

Home Secretary David Blunkett has refused to grant diplomatic immunity to armed American special agents and snipers travelling to Britain as part of President Bush's entourage this week.

In the case of the accidental shooting of a protester, the Americans in Bush's protection squad will face justice in a British court as would any other visitor, the Home Office has confirmed.

The issue of immunity is one of a series of extraordinary US demands turned down by Ministers and Downing Street during preparations for the Bush visit.

These included the closure of the Tube network, the use of US air force planes and helicopters and the shipping in of battlefield weaponry to use against rioters.

In return, the British authorities agreed numerous concessions, including the creation of a 'sterile zone' around the President with a series of road closures in central London and a security cordon keeping the public away from his cavalcade.

The White House initially demanded the closure of all Tube lines under parts of London to be visited during the trip. But British officials dismissed the idea that a suicide bomber could kill the President by blowing up a Tube train. Ministers are also believed to have dismissed suggestions that a 'sterile zone' around the President should be policed entirely by American special agents and military.

Demands for the US air force to patrol above London with fighter aircraft and Black Hawk helicopters have also been turned down.

The President's protection force will be armed - as Tony Blair's is when he travels abroad - and around 250 secret service agents will fly in with Bush, but operational control will remain with the Metropolitan Police.

The Americans had also wanted to travel with a piece of military hardware called a 'mini-gun', which usually forms part of the mobile armoury in the presidential cavalcade. It is fired from a tank and can kill dozens of people. One manufacturer's description reads: 'Due to the small calibre of the round, the mini-gun can be used practically anywhere. This is especially helpful during peacekeeping deployments.'

Ministers have made clear to Washington that the firepower of the mini-gun will not be available during the state visit to Britain. In return, the Government has agreed to close off much of Whitehall during the visit - the usual practice in Britain is to use police outriders to close roads as the cavalcade passes to cause minimal disruption to traffic.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: 'Negotiations between here and the US have been perfectly amicable. If there have been requests, they have not posed any problems.'

An internal memo sent to Cabinet Office staff and leaked to the press this weekend urged staff to work from home if at possible during the presidential visit. Serious disruption would be caused by 'the President Bush vehicle entourage requesting cleared secured vehicle routes around London and the security cordons creating a sterile zone around him'.

Meanwhile, negotiations are continuing between police and demonstrators about the route of the march. Representatives of the Stop the War Coalition will meet police at Scotland Yard tomorrow to discuss whether protesters will be able to march through Parliament Square and Whitehall. Spokesman Andrew Burgin said he hoped for 'a good old-fashioned British compromise'.
link

 

[fluff]

Paranoid for sure...

If Bush really needed that much protection in the UK then he would have to be a pretty evil dude.

When was the last time the Brits assassinated anybody?

Blair is just as unpopular in certain quarters as Bush but he has nowhere near the level of protection Bush wanted.

Bush is nuts..

 

[valve bouncer]

Imagine what he'd need if he was going to France
You really know you've over-stepped the mark when even your best friend tells you to pull your head in

 

[JRogers]

Sounds paranoid but consider the source. I would be interested to see how this event is portrayed in other papers. Clearly, the author is anti-Bush (consider the phrase "extraordinary US demands" as well as the tone of the article). More importantly, I think that Bush is screwing himself if he goes into a country he is already unpopular in of military reasons as some sort of general with a massive cavalry behind him.

 

[ohio]

Originally posted by fluff

Bush is nuts..

That's not true. He's a megolomaniacal paranoid zealot with a (well-deserved) inferiority complex.

Two completely different things.... yeesh, get your terms right.

 

[Silver]

Originally posted by JRogers
Sounds paranoid but consider the source. I would be interested to see how this event is portrayed in other papers. Clearly, the author is anti-Bush (consider the phrase "extraordinary US demands" as well as the tone of the article). More importantly, I think that Bush is screwing himself if he goes into a country he is already unpopular in of military reasons as some sort of general with a massive cavalry behind him.

As anti-Bush as I am, I REALLY don't want him to die in office from any cause.

President Cheney?

Fvck, I need to take a shower now...

 

[Damn True]

Originally posted by Silver
As anti-Bush as I am, I REALLY don't want him to die in office from any cause.

President Cheney?

Fvck, I need to take a shower now...

Lol.

Not as scary as "President Gore", but scary nonetheless.

 

[Westy]

Off topic but funny

 

[fluff]

Originally posted by JRogers
Sounds paranoid but consider the source. I would be interested to see how this event is portrayed in other papers.

You should see how it's portrayed over here. If Dubya wants to make himself unpopular with the majority of the people who live in the UK (of which 25% live in/around London) disrupting their daily lives is a much more certain way than invading Middle Eastern countries.

No-one in the UK would ever get that kind of security operation. By asking for it he makes himself look like exactly as Ohio described him and he would cause millions of UK citizen hours of aggravation when they wouldn't normally give a rat's arse about him.

After landing at Heathrow airport last night he was greeted by Prince Charles. Dubya then boarded a military helicopter direct to Buckingham Palace. Prince Charles was driven back (an journey of between 30 to 60 minutes rather than a 5-10 min chopper ride....

Dubya looks more like a clown each day, over here at least.

 

[Westy]

Originally posted by fluff
Dubya looks more like a clown each day, over here at least.

Several thousand miles does not seem to change that view.

 

[fluff]

This is how radical us Brit's get..
_____________________________________________
Buckingham Palace :: Dominic Casciani :: 1702GMT


One man has just been arrested outside Buckingham Palace after he apparently stole a policeman's hat.

The incident started when the protester ran from one side of the crowd to the other waving a policeman's hat in the air.

A number of police officers rugby tackled the man - prompting howls of protest from the other demonstrators.

After a noisy five minute stand-off, police officers led the man away with no further incident. The main casualty appears to be the Queen's flower beds which have now been thoroughly trampled.
______________________________________________
From the BBC website

Dangerous place our quaint little island, eh?

 

[fluff]

On a more serious note..

US troops are at risk of their lives everyday in a hostile country (Iraq) with little more than flak jackets, a rifle and their wits to protect them against killers who merge with the population.

Meanwhile their commander-in-chief is visiting his best ally and demands security of the level described above.

Anyone else see a little irony in that?

 

[fluff]

Looks like he got home safe despite the terrifying lack of security.

The free world breathes a sigh of relief..