Somber thoughts: Simon Cumbers RIP June 6 2004

I recently took a course in coaching football and discovered how seriously (possibly dangerously unfit I am)

Its funny the thoughts that arrive in ones head at certain points. Realisation about my unfitness prompted me to think about the death of someone I was friends with as a child, between the ages of 9 and 10 in Longford, Eire. We moved aware when I was 10 and that was that. The person in question was Simon Cumbers who was the camera man killed by Al Quaeda in Riyadh in June 2004. He was one month younger than me. He was a good friend as child in a period of unsettlement for me and I never forgot his inate kindness and good humour.

When Simon was killed he was with Frank Gardner, Frank was shot first and Simon ran for his life...I can't help but ponder how terrified he must have been in the final few minutes of his life. I don't know how fit he was, he obviously had a busy life but whether or not he had time to maintain his fitness I don't know, could it have saved his life?

Why am I asking the question? well I think it is interesting that Simon managed to put 1.5 miles between himself and the shooting of Frank Gardner before he was murdered. I don't know if he was still carrying his camera. What happened him in those last few minutes...did he get caught, or lost or could simply no longer run...

Why didn't he try to hide? Who knows...the sheer terror of his last minutes may have been sufficient to drive his body to cover that distance in a vain attempt to survive.

I would have been unable to move after covering 100 yards...

So what did killing Simon achieve for Al Quaeda? absoutely nothing, short period of noteriety for killing an ordinary man doing his job, an honest man, whose qualities I saw as a child, which impressed at that age and drew me into friendship with him also appear to have carried on into adult life and been apparent to others as he journeyed through life.

So the war on terror is totally senseless, utimately killing thousands of innocet people on all sides...and what for?

GREED

Greed for imposing belief, greed of religion...what is religion anyway...it is thoughts and opinions...nothing more...greed for money, greed for popularity, greed for votes...greed for popularity, greed for reputation that could not ever garner respect (G W Bush a TWAT trying to live up to a family name, first acts, good, bad or indifferent are hard to follow. GW seems to have taken presidential rule to a new level of incompetence with a huge price for the people of the US... I feel sorry for them particularly those that have died for a cause that didn't really exist.

This warrants further discussion.

It is such a shame that so many lifes are lost because of the instruction of a few very misguided individual, western, eastern or terrorist. Worse still democracy presented the US and UK populous the opportuntunity to replace those in power and despite the over whelming evidence of public dissatisfaction both powers survived...

The media has clearly corrupted democracy to massive extent beyond basic spin. Thats scary in a world where in theory we have vast access to information and knowledge and are more empowered than ever to decide in what we believe.

So on behalf of innocent people like Simon Cumbers...shame on those that have in their power to control the events that take peoples lives though violent acts. It would appear Northern Ireland and Vietnam have thought todays politicans nothing. Organised armies never, ever win guerilla warefare.