This is what would have happened had the govt heeded the calls of a few Maltese experts on our island to allow the coalition to use MIA as a base. Malta has a privately owned international airport and not a military base.

I wonder what these experts would have said had all Maltese been stuck in Malta and abroad and Airmalta’s planes left standing idle at MIA so that military planes could use MIA as a base, when there are a number of military air bases available on our doorstep.

Whilst our PM continues to take the best possible decisions in our country’s interest, a number of experts seem to know better, our MPs discuss the referendum question and our dear President, whom the PM should consult in such situations, makes a grand tour of Australia. Incredible

So you “would still LOVE to know my age” I hope that this does not indicate that you are harbouring some WEIRD ideas in your mind, in which case I can assure you that you are knocking on the wrong door (are you one of those dirty old man//) anyway, I only wanted to tell you that we are not ‘ALLOWED’ to express our opinion, It is our” RIGHT” and I am always ready to fight for YOUR right to do so, even though I might not agree with them.. And please stop asking for my age.. it might land you in trouble.

[Daphne – I’m calling time on this argument. You’re behaving like an internet troll, Silvio. Enough provocation. And everybody else – please stop chucking insults in his direction, however much he deserves them.]

I’m sure most of us are armchair critics, but at the same time many of us have close family, relatives and friends who actually have been in armed conflict. My foster brother took two tours to Kosovo during the Balkan conflicts.

Having him referred to as a paid assassin, for putting his life on the line for his fellow human beings, doesn’t really make me want to cuddle and hug this Loporto guy. No, I think we should all take turns in finding new creative ways to insult the f**king pr*ck.

Malta deserves to be told to f**k off when asking for collaboration if it does so when collaboration is required of it.

I thank them heartily. I hope that the ideas they have imparted would not be lost on you. Since you have managed to elicit so much agitation, I hope that you realise that something is very unorthodox (to say the least) with the ideas that you have put forward.

Also, you would do well to brush up your writing style, since a muddled writing style might be erroneously taken as a reflection of a muddled mind. I would like to emphasise, as already has been pointed out above: we are free to express ourselves because we are ALLOWED TO. We (not just the Maltese), have obtained freedom over the blood of others and even now, we continue to be free, because there are your so called ‘mercenaries’ who are constantly on the alert to keep the free world ‘free’. I hope that you realise this without straining yourself. As a superficial, but telling conclusion, you have answered willywonka underneath john bisazza’s post. And, finally, I would still love to know your age.

So the AFM are paid assassins are they? And please don’t tell me that they only participate in humanitarian operations. They are called the Armed Forces of Malta, are well trained, loyal and yes, they carry weapons. Or is it that it’s only the armed forces of other friendly nations that are paid assassins?

For the record, I can tell you from personal experience that the ‘paid assassins’ you refer to are very aware of the moral dimension and none take any pleasure in the suffering that ensues.

You live in a democratic and peaceful country and can write your drivel because others before you have stood up for what is right.

My dear WILLYONKA’ I was really shocked to read what you said.Do you actually mean that we live in a country where it is” dangerous”to express one’s opinion for fear of” :retribution”This really scares me.This is exactly what one expects from a COWARD. I do not agree. I pride myself to be living in a country where my right of expression is guaranteed, even in our constitution. The only reason I will be giving you a “break”is because I don’t want to ever come across people with your type of reasoning. May God help our beloved Malta ,if there are many of your type around’

Gaddafi is getting plenty of help from the Western allies to go to the place he so rightfully deserves.

Loporto, if only you knew what miserable wages most soldiers have, you’d think twice before claiming that anyone fights for money.

And even if their wages were good, more often than not they’re fighting for their mates and for themselves.

I don’t wish to judge you wrongly, but you seem to be incredibly ignorant on the subject of modern warfare. In any modern NATO-standard army, only a fraction of soldiers ever get deployed on operations. An even smaller fraction gets to fire their weapons on anger. A tiny fraction of those will have killed someone. And that’s it. You can be a soldier and never have touched a weapon in your whole career (yes, such posts do exist).

So, even if you’re doing it for the money, you’re by no means “fighting”. How then can you be a mercenary?