Summary:
A year of coastal erosion on "Lines of Defence".

Go to http://www.ifever.org.uk for
* Higher quality videos
* More details on project
* Full image archive

Project Details:
"Lines of Defence", when installed on 15th January 2005, consisted of 38 flags in five lines, each one meter apart, positioned on the eroding cliffs 60 m. south of Martello Tower W, East Lane, Bawdsey, Suffolk.

Letters on the flags spelled out SUBMISSION IS ADVANCING AT A FRIGHTFUL SPEED, a text sourced by Simon Frazer for its reference to climate change and the essentially fearful reaction which prompts people to go to war.

A camera was positioned at Martello Tower W, looking south towards the harbours of Felixstowe and Harwich. The tower is less than 10 m. away from the cliff's edge and is the focus of a local campaign to fund sea defences. The camera recorded the progress of the work by taking one image every 15 minutes from 15th January 2005 to 15th January 2006.

The final flag fell from the cliff on 16th September 2005; making the loss of land 14 metres in the first 8 months of 2005. At this point along the coast a total of 17 metres eroded in one full year. To mark this spot one white flag was placed 17 metres from the cliff's edge on 6th January 2006.

"And all this recent "surge" and the influx of new troops to Iraq will just get our countrymen killed faster, because more troops will be pushed to the battlefield without proper training."

I don't think that is really true when it comes down to it. I get the argument in theory, but I don't think it's supported in real life. I have several family members in the armed forces and they are very well trained. The current crisis has only strengthen our training programs, not weakened them. Our military is basically the most trained and skilled in the world with a few exceptions. Sending more of our very well trained troops into hostile territory, doesn't mean we need to rush some through the process. We have a large military... volunteers only I might add, unlike most countries. We're also the most well-equipped in the world.

In addition, the more secure Iraq becomes, the more people we can bring home. Things have been looking better lately and even Bush said that troop withdrawals are finally looking likely in the next months. Iraqis that have attacked us in the past are fighting against Al Qaieda instead of us, wanting their streets free of bombs and chaos. Due to our recent change of strategy from a broad "attack the terrorists" approach to a street-by-street "keep the peace" approach has convince many ordinary Iraqis that we are there to secure the country and help the ordinary folks there. We used to just shoot at the enemy, now we are assigning people and units to basically spend all their time in one area getting to know the people and getting to gain their trust and hope. They reach the ordinary folks and play "neighborhood-watch" for them while they're stationed there. At that point the folks living there tend to have the strength to join us in the fight... if at least as informants... against the bombings and terror that plagues their streets. When they know we are not the enemy, they join us against who they KNOW are their enemies. Reports are saying we may be able to leave Iraqi security entirely to the Iraqis in as early as 12-18 months... which really is pretty early when you're thinking of what we were up against when we went there in the first place.

I'm not disturbed by people wanting out of Iraq. I'm disturbed by people who want to surrender and people who want us to lose on principle. Wanting your own nation to lose just isn't right. If you disagree with your country enough to want it to lose a war, it might be time to leave. I hear New Zealand is beautiful.

I know the Sift is LOADED with pretty radical liberals, but I don't think anything I said was too outrageous. I don't agree with Bush most of the time. I don't think he's a good president. But, I'm not ready to throw up the white flag on what is our single most important fight since WWII. I personally think that a secure, free Iraq is worth a tremendous price. If I could die today in order to know Iraq would be free and secure, I'd do it. It is just too important to the world and the advance of the middle east. There is too much untapped prosperity there to let it go to waste in constant dictatorial squander.

...I was looking for the video about the troops' change of strategy to that of helping the little neighborhoods and I haven't found it of yet, but if I do, I'll try and sift it here to let you all see it and judge for yourselves.

In my eyes, a stable, free, and democratic Iraq must be considered the only acceptable outcome of this conflict, for their sake especially, for our sake partially, and for the sake of the middle east in general. Considering the problems with the recent decade's international geopolitical and religious situations, it would be the most valuable proof of concept in 50 years, maybe more. Surrender would be devastating to the political climate world-wide. Not to mention that it would severely damage the credibility of the US military. I think we'll all find very soon that the "surge" was a good idea and well handled. If I'm wrong, well, then we try something else. Put the white flags down folks. Failure cannot be considered an option whatsoever.

I'm surprised he didn't wave a white flag and just take the money and run.

Scoring-

If the ball goes over the crossbar, a point is scored and a white flag is raised by an umpire. If the ball goes below the crossbar, a goal, worth three points, is scored, and a green flag is raised by an umpire. The goal is guarded by a goalkeeper.

"You will need these ingredients to make a French Anything:
a white flag,
a stick to wave the flag with,
and there you have all things French."

I'm just kiddin' around. Upvote.

Yeah, I was gonna say that, just realized the meaning of this song the other day...
Here's one for ya mlx-

Dido's-"White Flag"-Insane, obsessive, crazy-woman, declares her unrealistic love for some poor dude who wishes he'd have walked away at, "Hello"!