diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Compiler.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Compiler.pm
index 2666cded1..f23ddae02 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Compiler.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Compiler.pm
@@ -523,8 +523,8 @@ EOF
 #
 sub compiler {
 
-    my ( $scriptfilename, $directory, $verbosity, $timestamp , $debug, $chains , $log , $log_verbosity, $preview ) =
-       ( '',              '',         -1,          '',          0,      '',       '',   -1,             0 );
+    my ( $scriptfilename, $directory, $verbosity, $timestamp , $debug, $chains , $log , $log_verbosity, $preview, $confess ) =
+       ( '',              '',         -1,          '',          0,      '',       '',   -1,             0,        0 );
 
     $export = 0;
     $test   = 0;
@@ -557,6 +557,7 @@ sub compiler {
 		  log_verbosity => { store => \$log_verbosity, validate => \&validate_verbosity } ,
 		  test          => { store => \$test },
 		  preview       => { store => \$preview },
+		  confess       => { store => \$confess },
 		);
     #
     #                               P A R A M E T E R    P R O C E S S I N G
@@ -586,7 +587,7 @@ sub compiler {
     set_verbosity( $verbosity );
     set_log($log, $log_verbosity) if $log;
     set_timestamp( $timestamp );
-    set_debug( $debug );
+    set_debug( $debug , $confess );
     #
     #                      S H O R E W A L L . C O N F  A N D  C A P A B I L I T I E S
     #
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
index 4839b7cd3..26eba7d68 100644
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/Shorewall/Config.pm
@@ -352,7 +352,8 @@ my  $first_entry;            # Message to output or function to call on first no
 
 my $shorewall_dir;           # Shorewall Directory; if non-empty, search here first for files.
 
-our $debug;                  # If true, use Carp to report errors with stack trace.
+our $debug;                  # Global debugging flag
+my  $confess;                # If true, use Carp to report errors with stack trace.   
 
 our $family;                 # Protocol family (4 or 6)
 our $toolname;               # Name of the tool to use (iptables or iptables6)
@@ -655,6 +656,7 @@ sub initialize( $ ) {
     $shorewall_dir = '';      #Shorewall Directory
 
     $debug = 0;
+    $confess = 0;
     
     %params = ( root        => '',
 		system      => '',
@@ -700,7 +702,7 @@ sub warning_message
 	printf $log '%s %2d %02d:%02d:%02d ', $abbr[$localtime[4]], @localtime[3,2,1,0];
     }
 
-    if ( $debug ) {
+    if ( $confess ) {
 	print STDERR longmess( "   WARNING: @_$currentlineinfo" );
 	print $log   longmess( "   WARNING: @_$currentlineinfo\n" ) if $log;
     } else {
@@ -754,7 +756,7 @@ sub fatal_error	{
 	our @localtime = localtime;
 	printf $log '%s %2d %02d:%02d:%02d ', $abbr[$localtime[4]], @localtime[3,2,1,0];
 
-	if ( $debug ) {
+	if ( $confess ) {
 	    print $log longmess( "   ERROR: @_$currentlineinfo\n" );
 	} else {
 	    print $log "   ERROR: @_$currentlineinfo\n";
@@ -765,7 +767,7 @@ sub fatal_error	{
     }
 
     cleanup;
-    confess "   ERROR: @_$currentlineinfo" if $debug;
+    confess "   ERROR: @_$currentlineinfo" if $confess;
     die "   ERROR: @_$currentlineinfo\n";
 }
 
@@ -1222,8 +1224,10 @@ sub set_config_path( $ ) {
 #
 # Set $debug
 #
-sub set_debug( $ ) {
-    $debug = shift;
+sub set_debug( $$ ) {
+    $debug   = shift;
+    $confess = shift;
+    $confess ||= $debug;
 }
 
 #
diff --git a/Shorewall/Perl/compiler.pl b/Shorewall/Perl/compiler.pl
index 70e456658..08bba4075 100755
--- a/Shorewall/Perl/compiler.pl
+++ b/Shorewall/Perl/compiler.pl
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ sub usage( $ ) {
     [ --verbose={-1|0-2} ]
     [ --timestamp ]
     [ --debug ]
+    [ --confess ]
     [ --refresh=<chainlist> ]
     [ --log=<filename> ]
     [ --log-verbose={-1|0-2} ]
@@ -73,6 +74,7 @@ my $shorewall_dir = '';
 my $verbose       = 0;
 my $timestamp     = 0;
 my $debug         = 0;
+my $confess       = 0;
 my $chains        = ':none:';
 my $log           = '';
 my $log_verbose   = 0;
@@ -103,6 +105,8 @@ my $result = GetOptions('h'               => \$help,
 			'preview'         => \$preview,
 			'f=i'             => \$family,
 			'family=i'        => \$family,
+			'c'               => \$confess,
+			'confess'         => \$confess,
 		       );
 
 usage(1) unless $result && @ARGV < 2;
@@ -119,4 +123,6 @@ compiler( script          => $ARGV[0] || '',
 	  log_verbosity   => $log_verbose,
 	  test            => $test,
 	  preview         => $preview,
-	  family          => $family );
+	  family          => $family,
+	  confess         => $confess,
+	);
diff --git a/Shorewall/shorewall b/Shorewall/shorewall
index 988562684..db3fe8faa 100755
--- a/Shorewall/shorewall
+++ b/Shorewall/shorewall
@@ -379,6 +379,7 @@ compiler() {
     [ -n "$g_preview" ] && options="$options --preview"
     [ "$g_debugging" = trace ] && options="$options --debug"
     [ -n "$g_refreshchains" ] && options="$options --refresh=$g_refreshchains"
+    [ -n "$g_confess" ] && options="$options --confess"
 
     if [ -n "$PERL" ]; then
 	if [ ! -x "$PERL" ]; then
@@ -575,6 +576,10 @@ compile_command() {
 			    g_debug=Yes;
 			    option=${option#d}
 			    ;;
+			T*)
+			    g_confess=Yes
+			    option=${option#T}
+			    ;;
 			-)
 			    finished=1
 			    option=
@@ -657,9 +662,13 @@ check_command() {
 			    option=${option#d}
 			    ;;
 			r*)
-			    g_preview=Yes;
+			    g_preview=Yes
 			    option=${option#r}
 			    ;;
+			T*)
+			    g_confess=Yes
+			    option=${option#T}
+			    ;;
 			*)
 			    usage 1
 			    ;;
@@ -1504,6 +1513,7 @@ g_use_verbosity=
 g_debug=
 g_export=
 g_refreshchains=:none:
+g_confess=
 
 #
 # Make sure that these variables are cleared
diff --git a/Shorewall6/shorewall6 b/Shorewall6/shorewall6
index 2a580282d..ad1624bf5 100755
--- a/Shorewall6/shorewall6
+++ b/Shorewall6/shorewall6
@@ -379,6 +379,7 @@ compiler() {
     [ -n "$g_preview" ] && options="$options --preview"
     [ "$g_debugging" = trace ] && options="$options --debug"
     [ -n "$g_refreshchains" ] && options="$options --refresh=$g_refreshchains"
+    [ -n "$g_confess" ] && options="$options --confess"
     [ -x $pc ] || startup_error "Shorewall6 requires the shorewall package which is not installed"
 
     if [ -n "$PERL" ]; then
@@ -576,6 +577,10 @@ compile_command() {
 			    g_debug=Yes;
 			    option=${option#d}
 			    ;;
+			T*)
+			    g_confess=Yes
+			    option=${option#T}
+			    ;;
 			-)
 			    finished=1
 			    option=
@@ -658,9 +663,13 @@ check_command() {
 			    option=${option#d}
 			    ;;
 			r*)
-			    g_preview=Yes;
+			    g_preview=Yes
 			    option=${option#r}
 			    ;;
+			T*)
+			    g_confess=Yes
+			    option=${option#T}
+			    ;;
 			*)
 			    usage 1
 			    ;;
@@ -1499,6 +1508,7 @@ g_use_verbosity=
 g_debug=
 g_export=
 g_refreshchains=:none:
+g_confess=
 
 #
 # Make sure that these variables are cleared