I don't suppose there's anything new to say about the suicide bomb attack in Manchester, England. Nevertheless, it bears repeating a few truths that we've shared in these pages on such occasions in the past.
- There are certain places where it's simply less safe to be than it was in years past. That includes any mass gathering. Even if the gathering itself has good security (as appears to have been the case in Manchester, according to initial reports), there are other places that can be targeted, such as mass transit facilities used by those attending it, or 'choke points' such as entrances and exits. The terrorist(s) don't have to get into the actual venue to cause mass casualties. There is no possible defense that can encompass and make safe every single point of potential danger.
- You have to make a cold, hard, rational assessment of your and your family's priorities. If you know that certain gatherings, such as concerts, are preferred targets for terrorists, and if you live in a large city where there is more likely to be a concentration of potential terrorists, you need to take that knowledge into account when planning whether or not to attend mass entertainment events like the concert in Manchester. It's no good saying that not to attend means that the terrorists have won. Not to attend is one possible response to a clear and present danger. To attend regardless is your right and your privilege. So is living with (or dying from) the potential consequences.
- It's no good relying on the security services to safeguard such venues - or blaming them when something evil happens. They're doubtless doing the best that they can; but their hands are tied by the very political, social, economic, religious and cultural structures that we, the people, have insisted our politicians erect and maintain. We're the ones who demand that certain values be implemented and safeguarded in our society. When those same values open the way for extremists to operate, we have to make a choice. Do we want to maintain those values no matter what? Or are we prepared to give up some of them, or modify them, in order to have greater security? My response will always be to maintain values in the face of threats against them. Others, more reliant (or willing to be more reliant) on government, will argue the alternative. This is a debate that will be ongoing. If we're not careful, it may reshape our society in ways that make Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' and 'Animal Farm' seem like light comedy.
Meanwhile, let me point you to some of my earlier articles pertaining to our society's response to, and our personal security in, this sort of environment. I provided a list back in March, when writing about the then-latest terror attack. I recommend it to your attention.
May those killed in the Manchester terror attack rest in peace. May those who mourn them receive what comfort they may. May all of us who reflect on that attack, make wise decisions going forward about how to avoid becoming victims ourselves, and how to prevent such violence from devouring our rights and freedoms in the name of national security.
Peter
Some will say we can either stay away from such places where the risk of attack is high or go to these places trusting in the fact that the odds are very low that you will be a victim of an attack. But their is a THIRD SOLUTION. Remove any and all who subscribe to the sickness that is islam and send them back to where they came from. Any islamist native to where you are must have their citizenship stripped and offered a one way ticket to the sandbox country of their choice. It's high time that the west acknowledged the fundamental fact that islam cannot and will not co exist with ANY other group, creed, culture or religion. EVER!!! And the ONLY solution to the problem is to either exterminate them or quarantine them in their own countries FOREVER. No other solution will ever guarantee safety for the civilized west from their predations. There can never be peace or coexistence between islam and the rest of the world. They OPENLY admit this and the rest of the world is INSANE to ignore this fact.
ReplyDeleteThere are certain places where it's simply less safe to be than it was in years past. That includes any mass gathering. Even if the gathering itself has good security
ReplyDeleteI used to work at (Place X) which had excellent security; everyone entering, regardless of which entrance used, passed through metal detectors manned by well armed, very well trained personnel, every pocket was emptied, every purse, briefcase and package examined, and suspicion of any sort mandated a brief F2F conversation.
It was a place where the halls and offices were care free, and the gravest threat was a hot coffee spill into one's lap. Or, a stabbing involving a plastic pen; be wary of those pens (it's useful to develop the habit of surveying one's surroundings, both for weapons useful to oneself as well as to others).
Those entrances, though.....at various times of day, it was remarkably common for a couple hundred people to be clustered in the Disney-style guided lines leadng to the metal detectors, and one of the entrances seemed architecturally-designed to contain and exacerbate any explosion which might occur in that space.
During my tenure I was daily amazed and thankful that another solar cycle had completed without incident. Such, I fear, will, increasingly, not always be the case. Things haven't "gone hot" quite yet, but the trend is clear.
Very well said, Dan.
ReplyDeleteVERY well said.
I hate to say it but I agree with Dan too. The third world is what it is because of the people that live there and now they're here, and our world is starting to look like theirs. We need to at least get serious about deporting the trouble makers and the trash. There is no nice way to say it.
ReplyDeleteIt's truly unfortunate, but until and unless the majority of moderate Muslims rise up, publicly denounce the radical fringe, and actively participate in the eradication of Radical Islam they will remain suspect and suffer from the doubt, suspicion, and anger of the greater community.
ReplyDeleteImmediately post 9/11 John Ringo and a number of others spoke forcefully of option zero, turning large areas of the Middle East into a green glassy plain. And when you see this radical evil fringe of Islam targeting our children it's hard to reject such a solution out of hand.
Worth repeating this amusing story. Someone once asked Gene Roddenberry why the TV show Star Trek didn't have any Muslim characters. His reply: well, it's set in the future.
I agree in general with staying out of cities and away from large crowds. I find that I can often find an alternate that doesn't require going into a city, or I can find a time when the city isn't crowded to do it.
ReplyDeleteAn example: Many Christian bands I like play at a large arena (20,000 people) in the large city (300,000 people) 1.5 hours away. That state bans weapons from arenas, and the arena has rude, coarse, security to enforce it - but if I go there, I have to deal with traffic, paying for scarce parking, a higher crime risk and a 3 hour round trip drive. In contrast, many of those bands play the night before or after at one of two arenas in the small city (30,000 people) close to me. These arenas are 2,000 to 5,000 people, allow conceal carry, parking is close and free or cheap, and traffic minimal plus the drive is under 20 minutes - why go to the big city when I have a local alternative?
Additionally, whenever I am in a group of people in the dark, which is primarily at church at night, I carry multiple flashlights; in the dark a little light can make a big difference in calming people and handling problems that come up.
Uncle Lar. There are two types of muslims. The radical who wants to kill you
ReplyDeleteand the moderate who wants the radical to kill you. Anyone not one of the above
is not a true muslim. They are an apostate....to be killed even before kefirs like
us.
Some 25 years ago I dated a delightful young lady born and raised in Beirut.
She was a Maronite catholic. Her family fled to the US due to the violence
of the Lebanese civil war that began in the mid 70's. She spent many years
living and going to school with muslims. She was adamant that they were not to
be trusted. Her apprisal was that they are your "friend" as long as they are
not in total control. As soon as they believe they have the firm advantage the
TRUE muzzie shows up and you are in deep trouble.
They CANNOT BE TRUSTED and most of them are quite open about their agenda.
Some practice 'taqiyya'......the holy lie. Most don't, they are quite honest
about the goal of conquering the world. It's them or us. Anyone who refuses
to believe that is an idiot or has their own agenda to obtain power and advantage.
"There can never be peace or coexistence between islam and the rest of the world." Quote from Dan
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has spent over 25 years, more then half my life, dealing with the Islamic culture, and the great sandbox that's called the Middle East, I must agree with Dan. I have dealt with many different cultures, as military and civilian, yet it seems to be the Islamic religion and culture that keeps people like me way too busy. I have come to firmly believe option zero may be the only option available to us in the long run. I just hope Europe pulls it's collective head out of it's ass before it's too late for them. Once the oil runs out, which it will, then all bets are off.
Congratulations. You really have earned the money that ISIS paid you. You got paid, didn't you? At least you should, because you proposed exactly what they really want as their highest goal. To punish the peaceful majority for the deeds of a sick minority. To drive a nail into the coffin of any form of peaceful future. Again, congratulations.....
ReplyDeleteAgain I am very impressed by those magnificent American heroes living in the sticks. For rural folks it is ten times more likely to become a victim of -say- lightning strike than being a terrorist's target. But, oh boy, they avoid airplanes, concerts, shopping malls. They shiver in helpless fear. They are supporting a surveillance state. They abandon the only way of life the world could accept and even love as "the american way" (being open to strangers, show hospitality, fear nothing and let people live their lifes - free of religious oppression.) They change their whole way of live, they want millions of innocent people to be thrown out of their country, they even make propaganda for mass murder on a scale that would have made Hitler, Mao and Stalin look like dillettants . Wow! Again, I am impressed.... You sound like pathetic kindergarten losers who just can not accept that there are adversary things or persons in life you are simply unable to change....
ReplyDeleteOh, and there us a simple way to win against any form if terror: do NOT react as they wish you to react. Speak loudly and clear: "Fuck you, terrorists! Your despicable acts won't change us a bit!" See, you won.
Oh, I guess I should add that my rants were not about Peter's post but about those really mature and well-thought comments above....
ReplyDeleteTo Hansjorg Demoron.....
ReplyDeleteThe odds of being struck by lightning vs killed by a terrorist is irrelevant. Your use of such a flawed analogy is a straw man argument type of statement....i.e an attempt to distract and deflect attention away from the TRUTH. The truth that islam is a savage murderous creed that has declared war on the world and is committing murder at every opportunity they get. And that ALL muzzles support this ideology by the simple fact that they embrace the quran and islam.
Inviting and allowing muzzies into your country is as insane, ludicrous and evil as willfully importing Ebola into your country....it is stupid beyond description and it is suicidal. You are safer allowing rabid dogs to roam the streets by the hundreds than to attempt to coexist with muzzles.
Your insinuation that on!y a small minority is violent and most are peaceful is a LIE.
Either you are a raving idiot believing this garbage or you are just another camel bumper engaging in the muzzie practice of taqiyya.......LYING in support of islam.
Regardless of which category you fall under the proper response to you and morons like you is the admonishment to GFY.....in the arse, with a stick, covered in hot sauce, and fire ants.
Dan,
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what your experiences in life were that made you so bitter, hateful and blind for reality... but you are also wrong with your assessment of my person. Anyway, I have been living for 56 years in an environment where we have two major experiences that you obviously haven't had. The first one is a little bit older: during the thirties and forties a certain political party catered to people thinking and feeling like you: "All jews are bloodsuckers! The jews want to kill you! The jews are responsible for each and every bad thing that happened to us Germans." People like you voted him, and the rest is history (millions killed & maimed, millions displaced etc.).
The other experience is that since I was born people from muslim countries (esp. from Turkey, but also a lot of Arabs) came to our country to live and work here. I personally met them, worked with them, had partners, friends and alot of patients who are muslims. I give you that: most of them are thinking differently than I do. I am an atheist and a libertarian, and that is quite the opposite of their way of thinking. But: The majority of these people were friendly, had a great hospitality and most of them are diligent workers and colleagues I appreciate very much. It is obvious to me that those extremist / radical muslims among our people are EXACTLY of the same kind as those extremixt/radical "rednecks" that every western country seems to have. People like you! You are so identical to ISIS and their like, that one could spend hours to describe exact analogies. Don't you see that, or don't you want to see it? Shall I get more precise? No, I'll leave you alone... it is as useless as talking to Mohammed, the suicide-bomber. Both are hopeless cases...
What we're talking about are individuals whose existence came about from a bottle of whiskey, as opposed to those who came about by way of a loving, caring couple.
ReplyDeleteAnd of the hatred and resentment such types have for having been denied the love, amenities and opportunities awarded those more fortunate.
And how that resentment fosters a need for "revenge on" the world they perceive as being guilty of creating the conditions for their misfortunes in life.
And how they lean on select ideologies and religions as a front for what's actually a deep inner hatred on their part.
Not to mention being naturally drawn to and associating with others of similar backgrounds and mindsets.