After events such as the Ramstein disaster, it's surprising that Aerobatic airshows aren't banned in more countries.

Hmm, actually I'd rather support the decision. The Olympic games were historically (and should be) a time where nations focused specifically *not* on military matters, but on the sport. A show of military aircraft really doesn't fit the spirit imho. I wouldn't want a Panzer parade around the stadium either.

Is there any reason given why the UK absolutely needs military sabre-rattling while hosting the Olympics? I didn't find one on the petition site.

It's an aerobatics team performing an entertainment stunt and not a military parade. I don't see the problem. It's no different from the USA's Blue Angels. Yeah, they both fly modified fighter jets, but they do so in a way that's artful and entertaining, not militaristic. It's not like there's grey fighter jets flying by with fully loaded tactical arsenals and weapons with a control center sitting waiting to give a command to engage something. There's a huge difference, and banning an aerobatics team because they seem too military is pure political correctness blowing away the line of acceptability again in order to push it further and further off the deep end.

This reminds me of western Canada wanting to ban iPods and headphones because someone might get hurt in a freak accident that happens maybe once or twice in our lifetimes. WWW Link

Well, there you've got the problem. It's actually both - an art form *and* a display of military machinery. Imho, you can't ignore the military aspect just because it's *also* an artform.

I can line up tanks and have them shoot olympic rings in the air - could certainly be done in an artful way, but it's also still a display of military machinery. I could line up soldiers in the stadium and have them shoot "We love you" into the ground. Might pass through as an artful way of expressing this notion, but again, this doesn't negate the military component.

On the other hand, you're at least providing an argument. That's something that's totally lacking on the petition site. The argument on the petition site goes like this:

- "The Red Arrows have been found unsuitable because they are too British". This is not an argument, this is blatant rhetorics and misinformation. The militaristic aspect (which was part of the alleged official statement) is totally neglected.

- After distorting the alleged official statement about the matter, the petitioners provide their own arguments. Let's see, what do they give us ... ah. Two arguments:

a) This is ridiculous
Overturning this decision would be common sense

Now what kind of an argumentation is that supposed to be? These arguments are totally *devoid* of any facts. Actually, I could use the very same arguments, word by word, in a campaign against any of the US presidential hopefuls, against whaling in the Pacific, or against *anything* else. The petitioners don't even *try* to argue, they just stir up hate.

What's really funny, however, is what you find on the net when you look for further information.

First of all, you learn that the basis of the whole uproar is an article in The Sun that is eight months old by now: WWW Link

Next, you find out that The Sun itself denounced the article as early as October 2007: WWW Link

Then, you read on the homepage of the Red Arrows themselves that "the story is complete rubbish", accompanied by the friendly advice "Don’t believe everything you read in the newspapers!": WWW Link

There are lots of other sources that confirm this sequence of events. This is an old story. It was already old before it was even christmas. Of course, that doesn't stop people from *still* falling for a petition even though it does neither quote credible sources, nor provide any reasonable argument whatsoever.

Two interesting tidbits remain:

- More than 200,000 British citizens signed this petition *after* the story had already been resolved (which btw would have been very clear to anybody who at least took the care to perform a Google search before signing).

- Very ironically, it seems to take a German with too much time on his hands (aka me) to show some British that they shouldn't take the claims of their tabloids at face value.

the only militaristic display I remember that was totally out of place was at salt lake city in 2002... they reconstituted the iwo jima victory monument with marines in the stadium... very friendly to japan, who lost this battle

Offical 10 downing street response: Red Arrows' petition 'not true'.


Hoax Slayer: "Red Arrows Olympic Ban Petition"