Just a brief comment here about something somewhat surprising... I'm watching CNN and seeing some video clips of the Iraqis conducting a (possibly/probably staged) search for Western pilot(s) in the Tigris River.
They had a brief shot of an Iraqi police car, with flashing red, white, and blue lights on the roof. I suppose that some standard of identifying civilian enforcement agencies is out there and pretty much worldwide -- so it's not that surprising -- but at the same time it was an unexpected sight for downtown Baghdad under Saddam's control.
Trivial compared to everything else that's going on, I know, but I thought I'd ask about it. Is there some kind of international standard on something as simple as outfitting local police forces?
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
Well, considering there are no white or red lights on police cars in Europe, no.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
I believe blue is considered a standard police-car-light color. I've heard that there are actually laws against having blue lights on a car (like neon underlighting or those windshield washer LEDs) because it's reserved for cop cars. Don't know for sure if that's true, though.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
It depends on where you are. Where I am, it's illegal for any vehicle other than a police car to have a blue light -- fire and ambulances can only have red and whites, for example.
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
Now that you mention it, I don't think I've seen any service vehicles with blue lights around here. However, there are cars with blue customizing lights. Ambulances have red and white lights, police vehicles have red and blue lights, and everything else has yellow lights.
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
In Tennessee, you can't have a blue or red flashing light on a private vehicle. Don't know about codified distinctions between the two, though.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
They probably don't have much time for movies at the moment, what with all the explosions.
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
There's a generic law here in Finland about it being illegal to deliberately make a civilian vehicle look like it was operated by rescue or other authorities. All rescue/police vehicles have blue lights, construction/service vehicles have yellow beacons, and all such vehicles have to have identifying text somewhere.
However, we produce a lot of ambulances and other special-chassis rescue vehicles that feature the weirdest of paint jobs and lighting arrangements. Why does an Irish ambulance look like a German paddywagon? And why do Russians love gloss-black ambulances?
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
In the UK the Road Licensing Regulations allow only the following services to display blue lights on their vehicles: Police, Fire, Ambulance, Mountain Rescue, Coastguard, Mine Rescue, Human tissue & Transplant, Forestry Commission Fire Service, Army Bomb Disposal, Naval Nuclear Monitoring, Blood Transfusion Services, RAF Armament Support, Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
RNLI, interesting, in an out-there way....
Blue and red are reserved for emergency services, amber linear lights for general services vehicles, snow plows, farm vehicles, private security cruisers, etc...
The wig-wags, headlight flashing solenoid, are illegal to have, as my friend found out after being a volunteer fireman in KY and coming to MI and not being one. A good thing the cop was a guy we hung around with in school, otherwise the warning wouldn't have been so nice. Plus, what a way to meet an old friend, getting busted by him.
Posted by Warped1701 (Member # 40) on :
Show's you how smart the Iraqi governement can be in oppressing its people when they put the colors of the American flag on their own emergency service vehicles. What interests me most about this particular thing though is the Iraqi's "search".
To quote Lt. Gen. Abizaid, CentCom;
quote:But I did note that the Iraqis were searching for what they thought to be a downed American pilot, and you can see by their actions, shooting into the water, that their search-and-rescue techniques leave a lot to be desired.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"Show's you how smart the Iraqi governement can be in oppressing its people when they put the colors of the American flag on their own emergency service vehicles."
And also the UK flag! And Australia! All their enemies! What were they thinking?!
Oh, wait, they're also the same colors as the flags of France and Russia, both of which countries are against the war.
And then, of course, there are Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Iceland, North Korea, Laos, Liberia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Serbia-Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Taiwan, and Thailand (and maybe some I missed), all of which have nothing to do w/ anything.
Gee, I wonder if maybe those three colors can be used totally separate from any sort of flag-related significance whatsoever?
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
quote: Gee, I wonder if maybe those three colors can be used totally separate from any sort of flag-related significance whatsoever?
Probably not.
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
I think any country that has gone through a revolution has RWB in its flag.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
So the reason New Zealand, Australia, and the UK have those colours is...?
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Red-on-white St. George's cross + white-on-blue St. Andrew's cross + red-on-white St. Patrick's cross. He didn't say that only countries that have had revolutions have red, white, and blue.
Though, in all fairness, Britain had a revolution, even if it did only last ten years.
And, also, I'm not agreeing w/ the original statement. Mexico, for example, has a red, white, and green flag, not red, white, and blue.
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
Okay then, most countries that have had a revolution have red, white, and blue in their flag.
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
quote: Though, in all fairness, Britain had a revolution, even if it did only last ten years.
Don't forget the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Well, I'm not sure it counts as a real revolution unless a government is overthrown, or someone at least attempts to do so.
I suppose we could include the Gunpowder Plot, which would have been something of a revolution, if Guy Fawkes and his bunch hadn't been totally ineffectual.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
But we get to light bonfires now. So everything worked out for the best.
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
and he fishes with grenades too....
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
What, Guy Fawkes?
quote: Well, I'm not sure it counts as a real revolution unless a government is overthrown, or someone at least attempts to do so.
Well, it did kinda as in the system of govt was changed. And it can be argued that the American Revolution wasn't a 'proper' revolution or only a kinda half revolution (best way I could describe it).
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
It's always confused me how the American Revolution can be a revolution, and the US Civil War can be a civil war, when there's no real difference between them, in terms of what they basically were: one part of a country fighting for secession from the rest. Unless it's because the colonies were, well, colonies, while the CSA had been actually part of the country. But it doesn't seem like a big enough difference.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
A revolution is a civil war that's successful.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Hate to cause trouble, but if an unsuccessful revolution is called a civil war, then what is the definition of a rebellion?
Posted by Mucus (Member # 24) on :
Hmmm, then whats a coup?
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Seizing of a government without popular support to bolster your cause. If you have support of the populace, then it's an insurrection that can become a revolution. But if it's primarily military-based, then it's a coup.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 24) on :
That makes sense. But then, to take a given example to an extreme, then what if the Confederates had separated and stayed a democratic state? Going by Sol System's definition an unsuccessful revolution is a civil war, then a successful one would be just a revolution? By my personal measure , a revolution has to involve a fundamental change in the way people are governed....and that still wouldn't have fit really. I guess there's "War of succession" but that always felt like an adjective rather than a classification.
Or differently, if they had taken over the Union and reinstituted a system of democracy more favourable to the south. What would that be? A coup? A revolution? Just plain messed up?
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Uh, my definition was 80% sass, by the way.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
I think a revolution is usually the overthrowing of a government (or an attempt to do so). So, really, the American Revolution ought to qualify as a civil war, I think.
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
The American War of Independance/ American Revolution/ First American War/ First American Civil War/ Whatever. Bit cumbersome really...
Given the large numbers of American colonists who remained loyal to the Crown it really was much more like a civil war that it's usually portreyed.
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
The French, now that was a revolution. Posted by Mucus (Member # 24) on :
Heh, which one of the five? (Six? Seven...what are they up to now?) That was like the running joke in modern European history class....along with Poland getting randomly invaded every once in a while.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
DeGaulle had the Fifth Republic, so we're up to 6 now.
Remember when the Italians were changing governments every other Thursday? Hilarity.
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
No, DeGaulle started the Fifth Republic at the time of the Algerian Crisis and it's still that way.
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
Going back to the original topic, it'd be more ironic if the police car in question was a General Motors, since GM Arabia sells quite well in the area. I thought I saw either a Chevrolet Caprice or Lumina in Kuwait City on one of the news channels.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
FUCK THE ORIGINAL TOPIC IN THE ASSHOLE WITH A SPLINTERED OAK TREE.
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
...? Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
I hope you do feel better Jeff, cause after that the topic certainly doesn't.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)