Aussie troops are officially "go"

[Bruce in West Oz]

As of 15 minutes ago, the Aussie PM announced our armed forces WILL be used in an Iraqi conflict, in response to an official request from the US President some two hours ago.

Godspeed -- and good hunting.

Bruce

Howard commits Australian troops to US-led war
Prime Minister John Howard has just confirmed Australian troops will join a US-led war against Iraq.

Mr Howard announced the move after briefing Coalition MPs on Cabinet's decision.

Cabinet met at 8:30am AEDT, just two hours after United States President George W Bush phoned Mr Howard to formally request Australian military support for the imminent attack.

Mr Howard says Australia's military chiefs have been informed.

"The Government strongly believes that the decision it's taken is right, it is legal, it is directed towards the protection of the Australian national interest, and ask the Australian community to support it."

 

[Atticus]

Good. May it be short in duration and casualties.

 

[QuarterBoreGunner]

Excellent.

May it be short and decisive.

 

[cheygriz]

When this is over, the U.S. will remember who our friends were. God bless Australia.

 

[Schuey2002]

Ausie! Ausie! Ausie!.. Oi! Oi! Oi!

Ausie! Ausie! Ausie!.. Oi! Oi! Oi!

 

[Beav]

When this is over, the U.S. will remember who our friends were. God bless Australia.

Well said!

 

[10-Ring]

Excellent! I reiterate w/ what Cheygriz said

 

[Greg L]

Welcome to the fight Bruce.

Hopefully your lads can sneak a few crates of .. er ... um .... machined tools, yeah that's it, machined tools into their kit for distribution when they return home.

Too bad you can't send your govt. to Iraq in the next couple of days for an emergency summit (we'll send both Clintons along as our representatives ).

Greg

 

[Jedi_7.62]

YES!!!

When this is over we will remember who was with us AND who wasn't.


Nice to know who your true friends are.

 

[hso]

Let's hope your guys have a waltz through the desert.

 

[Dan Morris]

May it be quick and limited casualties! Vaya Con Dios.
Dan

 

[BamBam]

Thanks to our Austrailian friends/allies. Let us know if we can return the favor sometime.

 

[DeltaElite]

Wonderful. Godspeed to the Aussie troops.

 

[El Tejon]

"Once a jolly swagman sat beside a billybong . . . ."

Good to have Australia along, maybe we can finally find some decent beer over there.

Down with the Emir of the New Barbary pirates!

[edited because I typed "camped" instead of "sat"--been a long time for me]

 

[voilsb]

one more nail in the left's "unilateralism" argument ...

 

[jbutenhoff]

Nice!

Nice to hear, not that there was ever a question though!

If I remember correctly Australia was the first to send aid after 9-11 as well. A true friend to the US.

Jamie

 

[Bruce in West Oz]

El Tejon
It's a stupid damn song -- but I only have to hear it for all the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up and my throat to get all itchy.

Waltzing Matilda
Once a jolly swagman sat beside a billabong,
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
You'll come a waltzing matilda with me

Waltzing matilda, waltzing matilda
You'll come a waltzing matilda with me
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
You'll come a waltzing matilda with me.

Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabong
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee
And he sang as he stowed that jumbuck in his tuckerbag
You'll come a waltzing matilda with me

Waltzing matilda, waltzing matilda
You'll come a waltzing matilda with me
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
You'll come a waltzing matilda with me.

Down came the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred,
Down came the troopers, one, two, three.
"Where's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tuckerbag?
You'll come a waltzing matilda with me"

Waltzing matilda, waltzing matilda
You'll come a waltzing matilda with me
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
You'll come a waltzing matilda with me.

Up jumped the swagman and dived into the billabong,
"You'll never take me alive," said he
And his ghost may be heard as you ride past that billabong,
You'll come a waltzing matilda with me.

Waltzing matilda, waltzing matilda
You'll come a waltzing matilda with me
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
You'll come a waltzing matilda with me.

* Billabong: A waterhole in a river or creek; dries up in the dry season
* Billy: A tin (can) with wire handle (generally); used to boil water for tea.
* Coolibah tree: Australian native tree; a eucalypt
* Jumbuck: A sheep; reputedly, there are 20 sheep for every one person in Australia
* Matilda: A swag or bedroll carried over the back. "Waltzing Matilda" was a colourful way of describing the wanderings of a swagman -- it meant taking your swag and wandering on foot through the vast Australian Outback.
* Squatter: A type of station owner (rancher); originally, squatters claimed Crown (government) land for themselves. Through continuous occupation, their claims were eventually legitimised in the eyes of the law and they were granted leases.
* Swagman: Someone who lives on the open road. Similar to a hobo, but not necessarily a "bum". Name came from their bedroll, or "swag" (or "Matilda")
* Trooper: In Australia's early days, there was no police force. The colony was protected by and policed by soldiers and even when a police force was eventually formed, they were still referred to as 'troopers'.
* Tucker bag: A knapsack or bag for storing food in the bush.

 

[hansolo]

Aussie=Ally

G'day, Mate! Throw another dictator on the barbie!

If y'all FIGHT as well as you SURF, it'll be over by the weekend.

Thanks.

 

[fallingblock]

John Howard is......

a total nitwit when it comes to his views on firearms, but I have to respect his decision to go with the U.S.

The left-wing media and all the other political parties are against him, and the polls are at 71% opposed, and little Johnny did the right thing.

Let's hope this one is quick and thorough...nothing better than leaving the protest movement with nothing to protest

 

[Esky]

Courage in action...

Fallingblock, yer 100% right about the polls being deadset against "little Johnnie"- and I'm bloody proud of him now, even though I didn't vote for him (sure would now tho.)

Like Tony Blair in the UK he's become a real leader, he's unflinchingly doing the right thing without regard to his popularity polls, or maybe despite them. Good on ya John! (And Tony Blair too, but Tony's just too much of a socialist for me to like him very much.)

I agree, Howard's policy on firearms is crap, but sad to say Australia is pretty European in a lot of ways... don't ask me why, I'm an uprooted Yank & have never understood it (been here 30 years trying, tho) and the European way of thinking is that central government has to do everything, the people can't be trusted to come in out of the rain without gov't supervision, so they certainly couldn't be trusted with dangerous firearms, now could they?

Let's Roll! And may the war be gentle to the innocent, deadly to those who have caused it, and soon over.

Esky in WA

 

[moa]

I understand the 2000 Aussie military folks will be sailors (on ships obviously) and SAS types.

This war may involve large numbers of special operations forces, much more so than Desert Storm in 1991.

I heard that General "Stormin" Norman Schwartzkopf (sp?) was not fond of special operations.

 

[fallingblock]

Esky....

I'm also a 'transplanted Yank', first visited Oz 30 years ago and settled here eight years back, via New Zealand.

What do ya' reckon'? Has Australia come a long way down that European path in the past thirty years?

When you travel to the smaller towns and rural areas, there are good numbers of self-reliant and rugged people, but the capital city populations seem to be extensions of some global government/authority-worship cult

moa...I believe there are Australian SAS troops and fighter aircraft as well as the naval contingent involved...any other Aussies have more detail on that?

 

[Blackhawk]

Served with Aussies in Vietnam. They've always been our reliable friends.

 

[foghornl]

Good on ya to the guys "down under". The US does not forget it TRUE allies, unlike the French & Germans.

 

[jmbg29]

When this is over, the U.S. will remember who our friends were.

And perhaps the Oz boys that return home safely - God willing - will remember that they are men. Maybe they will even be motivated to get their dignity and their country back before the socialist filth completely destroy it.

We still need a heavy dose of that here in the U.S.A. BTW

God bless Australia.

God bless the good people of Australia that want freedom for all people. A pox on the rest!