Norman Geras - has links in each item, and a prologue:
- They attack Red Cross personnel.
- They murder people working for the UN.
- They kidnap and kill care workers.
- They bomb holiday-makers, in nightclubs.
- They blow up people travelling on trains - civilians.
- They target people on buses - civilians.
- They take civilian hostages.
- They decapitate them.
- They murder trade unionists.
- They kidnap diplomats.
- They kill people for being... barbers.
- They fly aircraft full of civilians into skyscrapers where people are at work.
- They take schoolchildren hostage and murder them.
- They bomb synagogues. [JK: And churches. And mosques. And mosques. As those inside pray.]
- They kill people shopping in a market.
- They kill people queuing at a medical clinic.
- They murder children in Baghdad.
- They murder people on their way to work in London.
And in all of this, the effect is also the primary goal. From which they derive their pleasure.
Hostes humani generis - enemies of all humankind. Delendi Sunt.
I hate to be utterly pedantic at a time like this, but you'd probably want to say "hostes humani generis" and "delendi sunt."
Andrew reminded me of a scene from Life of Brian ...
I was just travelling on the train that got blown up only an hour before between Kings Cross and Russell Square. If I had late shift this week, then who knows (+1 hour arrival).
The British people are not going to be 'woken up' by this (I'm an american). Sleeping is basically the way they cope. They cope by saying that it's happened before, will happen again but they aren't going to get emotional, angry or change anything because thats what the terrorists want.
As an american, this disgusts me. I don't know, it might have something to do with the fact that Europeans are historically speaking passive in relation to their governments and have adopted an attitude of sticking their heads in the sand when possible and apathy towards politics and government.
I tried to argue with some people that the gloves really needed to come off, but I actually couldn't name that many things to change.
1) Better security services
2) More police funding
3) Attack states that sponsor terror
Can anyone else think?
Also, someone raised a good point. In Europe they have a much bigger minority and muslim population and they are having major integration problems. The second and third generation non-english british (i.e., minorities from all around), especially the muslims, are just not integrating. They are deathly afraid of doing anything that might widen the gap between the minorities and majority.
Ah, gotta love Monty Python. I believe this is the scene Robin refers to.
Matthew... Dan Darling has a post that may help. See also Bill Roggio's London Falling - esp. the linked Foreign Affairs article.
How about really serious efforts to infiltrate terrorist groups and monitor communications? It would seem that from observation of the mayhem committed to date, the perpetrators tend to be revolutionary cells associated with activist religious groups.
All the body searches at airports that are running the millions ($) aren't putting a dent in that activity. And passengers observing errant packages is the 'mot' of the day? That strikes me about like stocking up on duct tape. Our intelligence community is not doing the job.
It's not the fault of the intelligence community. They know that thers is more they can do, but they have to deal with the politicians who have sensitive, caring liberals screaming about civil liberties on their asses.
Ruth, our intelligence community can't do that job. At least, not in the sense of ever being able to provide a full defense. No intelligence community can - though I totally agree about taking resources away from "Security Theater" like airports.
Here's the problem: intelligence is fragmented, incomplete, and often wrong. For every nugget of good information, you get 10 more that are wrong or just don't mean much, and there's no guaranteed way to tell which is which. Better intel is good - and we should do it - but it has a built-in limit.
Seeker Blog has a fascinating interview, and this quote from the interview subject rings out at me:
Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
How about this novel idea, Have public executions of all terrorists in custody now. One per day, until the intel is provided....like where is O.b.L., who's providing your funding, etc.?
IMHO, naturally.
And churches. And mosques.
Mosques are also favorite places for assassinations and indiscriminate gunfire - as their spiritual forebears murdered King Abdullah I at Al Aqsa, the holiest mosque of them all.
Nothing the British do will have more than a placebo effect until they get serious about their local crazies and start deporting them.
I feel sorry for the British because they brought this on themselves (ask the French security people) and point blank refuse to change their policies which foster such disasters.