British cadets banned from carrying rifles in parade ...

[spin]

Army cadets banned from carrying rifles on Remembrance Day parade because it 'glamorises' weapons
Last updated at 4:29 PM on 7th November 2010


Plymouth cadets will no longer be able to march with rifles amid fears of 'upsetting' the public. They are pictured here on Remembrance Sunday in Hoe last year

Army cadets have been left ‘bitterly disappointed’ after being banned from carrying rifles on a Remembrance Day parade - amid fears the weapons might 'upset' onlookers.

The young cadets have proudly marched with rifles for decades and around 100 had spent months fine-tuning the drill where they would showcase their skills.

But the cadets were left 'gutted' just days before the big event when military top brass cut the rifles from the display following complaints from members of the public.

***snip***

But Devon Cadet Executive Officer Major David Waterworth put an end to the tradition after he ruled that carrying weapons was 'not good for the image' of cadets, who can join between the ages of 12 and 18.

He said: 'There is no need for children to appear in public with weapons. It does upset some members of the public.

'There is no need for it. It doesn't reflect our aims and ethos in the Army Cadet Force. We are not soldiers.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1327034/Remembrance-Day-2010-Army-cadets-banned-carrying-rifles-parade.html#ixzz15BS53kAa

Rifles banned from cadet parade

The Queen talking to Rifle cadets during her visit to Wyvern barracks. Photo: Sergeant Dan Harmer RLC/PA Wire

7:00AM GMT 06 Nov 2010

The young cadets have marched with rifles for decades and around 100 had spent months fine-tuning their drill before this year's parade.

But the cadets were told days before the big day that they would have to abandon their guns following complaints from members of the public.

***snip***

Basil Downing-Waite, chairman of the Federation of Plymouth and District Ex Services Associations, which organised the event, said: ''I am bitterly disappointed''.

He added: ''It's political correctness gone mad. I feel bitterly disappointed because it gives the young people a sense of responsibility. They are delighted to do these displays.'' emphasis added
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8113041/Rifles-banned-from-cadet-parade.html

I expect that the Brady Campaign will launch a movement to stop American high school ROTC programs from using rifles.

AJROTC:: Rifle Team


A Military Drill Team is a marching unit that performs routinesl. These teams often perfect their proficiency and then choose to compete against other programs. These competitions are generally called "Drill Meets", and are held all across the world. For high school Drillers, the ultimate competition is the National High School Drill Team Championships. This meet is hosted by event manager Sports Network International of Daytona Beach, Florida. Military drill teams may perform either armed or unarmed.

Every Drill Meet is different regarding what events are offered and what division(s) of competition are presented. Drill meets generally include both an Armed competition division along with an Unarmed competition Division. Events offered generally include several different phases: In section, Regulation Drill, Exhibition Drill, Color Guard Regulation Drill.

***snip***

Each of the above phases can be marched by an armed (with a military sword, saber, or rifle) or unarmed team. NOTE: Many drill meets allow the use of a sword in the unarmed division, but never a rifle of any kind.

* Standard drill team rifles are the M-1 Garand, M-14 or the M1903 Springfield rifle. Armed teams usually use a demilitarized version of the rifle or a facsimile.
* Unarmed teams concentrate on varied body and arm movements with intricate steps. Armed teams then add manipulation of the equipment.
http://hs.houstonisd.org/JordanHs/JROTC_RifleTeam.html

[davepc]

1. They should give them pikes and halberds

[spin]

2. Why. Rifle teams are not about celebrating medieval history ...

that fun belongs to other groups ...


Halberdiers from a modern day reenactor troupe.

[davepc]

3. Rifle drill is descended from pike drill and in a ceremonial setting serve the same purpose

British Sargents carried pikes up until at least the early 1800's.

I think the ban on demilitarized rifles in parades is stupid, but if that's the way it's going to be then give them a purely ceremonial weapon to parade with.

Of course the nervous ninnies in the UK would complain about influencing the youth to stab each other with 8' long pointy sticks while marching in close ranks.

[spin]

4. True, Great Britain has a serious dislike of pointy objects ...

their knife laws are draconian to say the least.

Hell, they even wanted to ban pointy kitchen knives.

Doctors' kitchen knives ban call
A&E doctors are calling for a ban on long pointed kitchen knives to reduce deaths from stabbing.
Last Updated: Thursday, 26 May, 2005, 23:48 GMT 00:48 UK


Doctors say knives are too pointed

A team from West Middlesex University Hospital said violent crime is on the increase - and kitchen knives are used in as many as half of all stabbings.

They argued many assaults are committed impulsively, prompted by alcohol and drugs, and a kitchen knife often makes an all too available weapon.

The research is published in the British Medical Journal.

The researchers said there was no reason for long pointed knives to be publicly available at all.

They consulted 10 top chefs from around the UK, and found such knives have little practical value in the kitchen.

None of the chefs felt such knives were essential, since the point of a short blade was just as useful when a sharp end was needed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4581871.stm

[proteus_lives]

5. Stupid and pointless.

Brits are scared of their own shadows.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

6. I'm surprised they're not marching down the street with giant tampons slung over their shoulders.

What a bunch of scaredy-cat ninnies.

[friendly_iconoclast]

11. "Twenty years from now, someone could invade Britain armed with a water pistol and a spork.....

....and be able to proclaim himself King of England two weeks later."

I thought it was a funny joke when I read this a couple of years ago on Fark. Who knew it was prophecy?


And to think these are the same people who once ruled a quarter of the planet....

[Euromutt]

7. "It doesn't reflect our aims and ethos in the Army Cadet Force. We are not soldiers."

Then why have them even wear uniforms? In fact, why even have a cadet force? Yes, the cadets are not soldiers, but they are in training to become soldiers. That is the very purpose of the Army Cadet Force. If the idea of a teenager carrying a rifle upsets you, the idea of a teenager wearing a military uniform and marching in formation, and indeed the very existence of a cadet force, should upset you at least as much.

In my opinion, Major Waterworth's response should have been "This is the Army Cadet Force; carrying rifles is one of the things we do. And you can like it or lump it. Good day."

[spin]

8. In a few years, the Brits will probably ban military style uniforms ...

on high school students.

And all boys in England will have to wear panties so they can't pee standing up.

It always amazes me when I see many people here saying we should be more like European nations.

[jancantor]

9. I agree

I get real tired of the "but Europe is better" meme you see here ad nauseum. I admire many European countries and certainly think they do some things better, but they do some things worse and it's not as simple as "Amerikkans are dumb and Europeans are enlightened" which is accepted as fact.

I could compare immigration laws, for instance. Some countries have laws and policies regarding ID'ing practices, immigration, etc. that are far stricter than ours. Some countries even require everybody to carry ID and the police can cite you for merely being in public without identification. Other countries can check citizenship without ANY cause, whereas even the proposed AZ law required "reasonable suspicion". We can learn from them, and they can learn from us. No nation is oh so superior. Not in my experience.

[Euromutt]

10. I am a European, and there's a reason I choose to live here

I'm originally from the Netherlands; my then-fiancee, now wife, brought me over in 2002, and I gained U.S. citizenship in 2007.

There are a fair number of things that annoy me about the Dutch government; they're all relatively minor things, but they do add up. For example, the Social-Fiscal (SoFi) Number, the equivalent of the SSN, was introduced in the 1980s. At the time, in response to concerns of tracking individuals (with which we had some bad experience during the German Occupation of 1940-1945), the promise was made it would never be used as a National Identification Number. That promise was broken less than twenty years later.

Similarly, when the National ID Card was introduced as a cheaper form of ID for those who didn't have a passport or driver's license, concerns about being required to show ID without probable cause were poo-poohed. Less than ten years later, there's a requirement to show ID if a police officer (or other public functionary) suspects you've committed an offense. Even if that suspicion is demonstrably unreasonable, that is not an affirmative defense to having refused to identify yourself.

There used to be so many of these measures that routinely used to get shot down by someone pointing out "the Germans did that during the Occupation" but post-9/11, that crap has been pushed through again and again.

And then there's things like how, when the "Open Skies" agreement was reached, the Dutch government imposed a €45 tax on transatlantic flights, for no readily justifiable cause except to discourage the proles from taking cheap flights and visiting North America. Or how the municipality I lived in charged a real estate tax for tenants as well as for landlords. Not that the municipal government maintained the property, you understand, it just charges you for the privilege of having a roof over your head.

Anyway, I shouldn't rant. Suffice to say I greatly prefer living in the U.S. to most European countries. I've lived in the UK, and you couldn't pay me enough to live there again.

[jancantor]

12. Great post...

I can really respect that. And it certainly is a contrary position to the woe is me posters I have seen here left, right, and upside down who keep proposing they want to leave the US *if only* all those "better countries" would take them.

[Francis Marion]

13. Embarrassing.

Ascinine. And now NORMAL.

I'll suggest an edit to that most British of national odes:

'Bri-tons, ever-ever-ever, shall be slaves.'

What a sat outrage against English Liberty.

There's plenty of room here in the US for English refugees who love Freedom.

Let those dead to English Liberty bury the dead; emigrate.

[Kennah]

14. Heh, Britannia!

Heh, Britannia! Guns make us alarmed!
Britons soldiers never shall be armed.