What do you know?

[dangermousie]

Hmmm. So, apparently Prince Harry has been deployed in Afghanistan for 10 weeks quietly, so it wouldn't leak.

I confess I am impressed, as I always am by people putting themselves in danger when they don't have to. I also always get faintly surprised when a Royal does anything even mildly useful. My baseline is kind of to expect them to get drunk at parties and make out with skinny, horse-looking blondes, and nothing else, except bet on horses and collect china or similar.

Not so cool of newspapers to leak it though, anyway. Talk about pointing a big target on the guy's unit. If UK military has any sense, they'd get him back to London ASAP because talk about every crazy person trying to get him and a lot of other people in the process.

Comments

[shinystory.livejournal.com]

Not so cool of newspapers to leak it though, anyway.

I agree. The reports should have come after (I presume) the successful tour of duty and not when his life could potentially be in danger.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Seriously, that was majorly uncool of them.

[gingifere.livejournal.com]

I'm incredibly impressed that he's been deployed to Afghanistan. It's interesting that an Australian and German newspaper are responsible for the leak though...

I just hope he has good security.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Me too.

[fire-snake.livejournal.com]

Completely agree with you. There are some things that are better off being left out of the press. Sometimes, I wonder how the journalists justify writing and printing certain leaks. I mean, how does it affect the world in large that Harry is in Afghanistan, besides making it even more dangerous for everyone involved? I guess, a journalist may argue that it is a newsworthy story, but it won't lose its worthiness in a few months that Harry is deployed there. It can wait until he is safely back in UK, and his unit doesn't have a big target painted all over it and its surroundings, considering that nobody who is going to be shooting will care about any pesky civilians shuffling around.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Agreed. very irresponsible.

[fire-snake.livejournal.com]

BTW, do you know that apparently John McCain was born in the Panama Zone, i.e. "foreign soil," when his father was deployed there?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yup, knew it. It was US territory though.

[kitkat-cat.livejournal.com]

I can't believe that there are people over here in ole blightly who actually think that the media, by 'colluding' to hide this information, that they are aiding and abetting the government, and is therefore, part of the war effort and want to have a go at them...

WTF!? Do these people not understand that the 'collusion', as they put it, is to save lives, not just Harry, but the other ordinary soldiers that work alongside with him!

As for the foreign papers that leaked this, what do they care if some young man/woman gets killed because of this news, as long as they get their sales and their names in the headlines.

This has really hacked me off! boo! :(

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Responsible journalism has clearly gone AWOL.

[ladysaotome.livejournal.com]

The article I read about this said that the papers that leaked it have gotten major flack so that's good anyway. Although supposedly other people are questioning if we can trust the media when they don't publicize things - in situations like this it's something to be commended, people!

I also feel pretty impressed/respect Prince Harry for wanting to be deployed. At the same time, though, according to the article I read, wartime service is pretty much expected of him by the royal family. The dynamics of tradition & leadership royals must face is fascinating.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Seriously, there is newsworthiness and there is common sense. Ugh.

I don't know about expectations of war-time service. Military service, yes, but they are sort of crazy to want to send him to a war zone. The risks!

[ladysaotome.livejournal.com]

Some thing about an uncle who served in the Falkland wars & someone else who was a decorated veteran from WWII. William isn't allowed to place himself in danger as 2nd in line but Henry is expected to set an example or something.

Probably a little like how CS Lewis put itin The Horse & His Boy: "First in every attack & last in every retreat"

[december-clouds.livejournal.com]

If you haven't found out, he's already back, heh. They were talking about it yesterday. (I ah, live in England. ^^)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

yup :) that was fast...