CONFETTI CHECK A-O.K.

Hi all,

It seems that our UFO episode discussions have died down again... the
current episode up for discussion is CONFETTI CHECK A-O.K., but I
think we've only had one or two posts about it! Does *anyone* have
*any* comments to make about this episode?

--
Marc Martin, [hidden email]

The eps is good in one way because we get to see what caused Straker so much
angst in his life, and we see how SHADO got started. However, don't get me
started on the subject of his poor choice of spouse........Pam
----------
>From: Marc Martin <[hidden email]>
>To: [hidden email]
>Subject: [SHADO] CONFETTI CHECK A-O.K.
>Date: Thu, Oct 11, 2001, 12:13 AM
>

I found it particullary interesting when Starker held
his wife on the stairs and was prepared to. . . "tell
her everything." Just before she fell down the stairs.
Would he have told her had she not have fallen? Or
would he have reconsidered? I always had a problem
with him making that comment because like Freeman
said: . . . "it could blow the whole SHADO operation."

--- Pam McCaughey <[hidden email]> wrote:

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals.
http://personals.yahoo.com

I don't think Straker would have told Mary "everything" because the SHADO
security boys would have considered her a big threat. Alec makes some
comment to that effect. I think Straker was simply stalling for time to come
up with something plausibly military but not THE truth. Pam
----------
>From: jason sweet <[hidden email]>
>To: [hidden email]
>Subject: Re: [SHADO] CONFETTI CHECK A-O.K.
>Date: Thu, Oct 11, 2001, 2:15 PM
>
I found it particullary interesting when Starker held
>his wife on the stairs and was prepared to. . . "tell
>her everything." Just before she fell down the stairs.
>Would he have told her had she not have fallen? Or
>would he have reconsidered? I always had a problem
>with him making that comment because like Freeman
>said: . . . "it could blow the whole SHADO operation."
>

Amelia writes:

> Yup, its intriguing. IMO, At that moment he was so desperate
> to stop her from leaving that he actually started to tell
> her. If she hadn't fallen, and he'd told her, he would have
> made one of the worse mistakes of his life. She was a real
> security risk, telling Straker things like "just break the
> bloody rule for once".
>

I think you've got this the wrong way round (imho) - she hadn't
been entrusted with any of these secrets and assuming Straker
did his job and maintained proper secrecy, she posed no risk
to security. If anything, at this stage in his career it is
Straker who is the security risk, not his wife. Straker's
responsibility, not hers.

> Losing Mary and John was bad enough, but can you imagine what
> would have happened to Straker for violating confidentiality?
> When even his best friend Alec has to remind him how important
> Shado's secrecy was?

Alec strongly implies that if Straker tells Mary about SHADO,
the security forces will kill her. If they did that, I think
that Straker would be probably targeted for expedient demise as
well. I imagine they would probably be thinking 'he's a bad
enough security risk as it is - what will he be like if we bump
off his wife?' Of course, they would make Mary's death look
like an accident, but I'm sure they would realise that Straker
would understand what really happened to his wife.

> On another subject, how do you feel Straker would be reacting
> to the 911 attack?

All I would say is - like you (if I understand you correctly)
I don't think he would sanction the use of SHADO equipment
to fight terrorism. Firstly, being by nature an ultra-secret
organisation, SHADO isn't as accountable to the public as the
regular armed forces, who have a right to approve or disapprove
of military action taken on their behalf. I believe that SHADO
is a multi-national organisation funded by a number of different
nation states. So it's not really proper for its assets to be
used in the interest of one particular state, where there might
be a conflict of interest or opinion. And even where there
were no such conflict, it would be an unfortunate precedent
which might lead to SHADO being stretched too far on occasion,
with its capacity to fight the Aliens being compromised.

> It's interesting, President Bush's staff is saying this war
> on terrorism may take as long ten years, well where else have
> we heard *that* time frame? ;- )

That's very optimistic in my view, it's taken thirty years so
far in Northern Ireland. I'm afraid I don't believe it's possible
to defeat terrorism by military means, only political.

James