What's truly scary about the horrifying
attacks that have recently taken place in Orlando, England and France isn't
just the number of victims -- it's that the acts themselves are impossible to
understand.
This being the summary, offered just below the subject post
at Spiegel. I suspect I don’t have to do
much more writing for you to know where this post is headed. But here goes....
It's been 10 years since the
Football World Cup transformed Germany into a "summer fairytale," as
it was referred to by Germans. During the weeks of that tournament, the world
seemed like a more peaceful place.
Not for people living in Iraq or Afghanistan. And since then, not for people pretty much
anywhere in North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia and Central and
Eastern Europe. Do you wonder why those
who didn’t find the world so peaceful ten years ago (and with more added since)
might be upset by those who hold such attitudes?
During the third day of this year's
European championship tournament, the worst "mass shooting" in US
history took place in a gay club called Pulse in Orlando, where 49 people were
killed and dozens were injured.
You know what’s impossible to understand? Why is this event labeled as the worst mass
shooting in US history? I know, I know –
mass shootings performed by men with badges or uniforms don’t really count.
But why is this act “impossible to understand”? Assuming it wasn’t a false flag (and taking
the mainstream narrative as given), why not just take the murderer’s word for
it – stop bombing his country!
The author doesn’t begin with this example of violence in
any case. She starts here:
On Thursday, Jo Cox, a young
British Labour MP, was shot and stabbed in a public street. A few hours later,
she was dead.
So is there a conspiracy? Perhaps.
They would never investigate themselves, so all this is has been suspicion.
What is clear, has been that the EU will collapse if BREXIT is allowed. There
is far too much at stake to allow this vote. The burning question will be, just
how they cover it up and at what cost?
I agree – after BREXIT comes the fall. This would be troubling for many of the
elite. Armstrong’s thought – and he is
by no means alone – is worth considering.
Have you seen the swing in the polls since this event?
The [European Championship] matches
themselves were accompanied by rioting English, Russian and German hooligans.
This isn’t so hard to understand – setting aside that
football has often brought about the more, shall we say, emotional side of many fans…. Violent government begets a violent
society. It is OK for government actors
– those charged with providing security against cheating, stealing and murder –
to cheat, steal and murder. It is OK for
a government to hold one standard for prosecuting me and you, but quite another
in regards to prosecuting one of their own.
Returning to the broader “terrorism” theme: after noting
that statistically we (meaning Western Europeans) might be safer than before….
But these days, we are not just
afraid of the terror, which is statistical unlikely to affect us -- we are
worried about our civilized way of life.
Two thoughts: first, stop bombing people who never did
anything to threaten or harm you, and second stop letting in those who might be
pissed off about it. These two simple
actions will go a long way toward alleviating your worry.
Haven't we, in Western Europe,
grown up with the idea of advancing peace, of globally decreasing violence,
contained by a state that enforces peace in the interest of all?
Since when? Major western European powers have been
involved in just about every destabilizing move in the aforementioned North
Africa, Middle East and Central Asian conflicts – not to mention stirring the
pot in Central and Eastern Europe.
After the events of Orlando and Paris, we once again look to the perpetrators' biographies for explanations of their hate -- into their complex identities and social backgrounds.
What a waste of time.
How about you stop bombing them instead?
The pure desire for destruction
that is characteristic of today's terror is not [comprehensible].
Stop bombing them – is this comprehensible enough?
If the violence could somehow be
explained, then it could actively be fought.
“I can explain it!
Me, all the way in the back.”
“Yes, little Johnny, go ahead.”
“It’s called blowback.” “Sorry,
never heard of it. You fail the class.”
Then it would "only" be
an aberration that could be rectified through politics.
It can be
rectified through politics – stop bombing them.
Have I mentioned yet that the west might start by no longer
bombing them?
So far, politicians have done
little to curtail the escalating brutality -- quite the contrary.
“Quite the contrary” is right; they keep bombing them. Does our author finally figure this out? No, she points to Donald Trump and the deputy
chairman of the Russian parliament as two who encourage the violence. Maybe – but I have a better list: Every
political and military leader in NATO countries and a few other closely
associated “allies”. They not only
encourage violence, they practice it daily.
Violence is becoming acceptable to
the mainstream and brutality is glorified.
Yes. Consider the
sanctity of our holy warriors….
Conclusion
We cannot get used to brutality.
Because when violence is no longer taboo, it endangers free society.
Bingo! War is the
health of the state and the state’s business is to endanger free society. Nothing is endangering free western society
more than the perpetual wars committed by state actors. Brutality is no longer taboo – many in the
west praise their warriors and cheer on the toughest sounding politician.
And free society is most certainly endangered.
Our wise leaders decided to bomb Middle Eastern countries, and then aggressively bring the angry survivors into the West as immigrants. What could go wrong?
ReplyDeleteThe more abstract and "existential" the U.S. government and its mainstream media minions make terrorists out to be, the more perception they create for the need of their intervention and increased resources. It's essentially a straw man tactic; if the isolated act of a terrorist is tied back to some greater (false) narrative about a growing global terrorism movement, then they can create an "enemy" so big and scary that only the large-scale effort of a powerful nation (or group of nations) can possibly fight it. ISIS is not an existential threat, nor is it a highly coordinated and stable organization; but to make it appear so justifies the U.S. government's effort to centralize power and fuel the military-industrial complex.
ReplyDeleteWe have already begun to see our personal liberties being sacrificed (through surveillance, TSA, etc.) by a protectionist State for the sake of "national security" and "the greater good." But in a free and just society there is no "greater good." There is only individuals seeking their individual good through peaceful cooperation and commerce with other self-interested individuals. If Western society had operated under this principle for the last six decades, you could make a good case that ISIS wouldn't exist today. Or if they did, they wouldn't be attacking us.
"setting aside that football has often brought about the more"
ReplyDeleteSmdh. BM, BM, this is America. We speak American here. It is called soccer.
Anyways, you should have mentioned in your article that we should stop bombing these countries.
This is imperial politics at its most absurd. Invade the world, invite the world. As Matt said, what could go wrong.
American football: vulgar, but no riots.
DeleteAmerican soccer: I have noticed little of either.
International football: examples of both.
I think I labeled it properly.
:-)
Any thoughts on why Brexit isn't getting much coverage here in the States? I have only seen a few pieces not relating to Jo Cox and they pretty much fall in line: 9 out of 10 experts agree that Brexit is bad for your health.
ReplyDeleteI posted about it here:
https://alaska3636.blogspot.com/2016/06/expertise-is-overated-on-average.html
My thoughts? I think rising (Western European) nationalism makes the progressive media uncomfortable. They know which side their bread is buttered on but, they have an inkling that the butter is coming from people who've had enough progressivism. So the logic of the Overton Window elides a need to make longer and longer logical leaps.
Which appears stupid to people like us.
It will likely get plenty of coverage today; but I think you might be right - they aren't comfortable talking about it. After all, "secession" is considered a racist word in the States.
DeleteEU support falls after Jo Cox murder
ReplyDeletehttp://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/06/17/exclusive-poll-eu-support-falls-after-jo-cox-murder/86031038/