Bloggerheads

1. I make no apologies for my statements last Thursday, and do not plan to use a “Wahhh! But they’re doing it, too!” defence… but there are few things that need to be brought to your attention.
2. I am not calling for an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. That would be an incredibly stupid thing to do.
3. I have never denied the actual threat of terrorism. My position has always been that the threat exists – which is what makes Bush and Blair’s misrepresentation, manipulation and mismanagement of it so incredibly dangerous.
4. I urge you not to deny your fear.
5. I blame Tony Blair.

1. I make no apologies for my statements last Thursday, and do not plan to use a “Wahhh! But they’re doing it, too!” defence… but there are few things that need to be brought to your attention.

Folks, if there is a fire, I am not going to pause to show ‘respect’ for the dead if I know there is an unstable gas main nearby. If there is a flood, I am going to point out as soon as possible that others are working to breach the dam. If both situations are going on at the same time, I am not going to try and sell you the idea that the flood will almost certainly put out the fire. I hope you can understand this position.

On Thursday the 7th of July, both Tony Blair and George W. Bush climbed over the bodies of the dead, dying and wounded in order to claim the moral high ground. I’m sorry there isn’t a more pleasant way to say that; it’s just the way it is.

They also used this atrocity to further cement their foreign and domestic policy. The same policies that prompt and/or enable such atrocities. In the process, they recruited human beings in no position to disagree with them . Sadly, this is not a first for Tony Blair.

This is the unstable gas main. These are the men working to breach the dam. And I’m going to speak up about it, because it’s the only way to stop the terrorists from winning.

Bush beats his chest about men working for positive change… when his administration is the main obstacle to positive change on every issue he cites. Both men decry the killing of innocents, when they themselves share responsibility for the deaths of 25,000 to 100,000 civilians in Iraq

“Ah, but it’s a noble cause,” some will say. We did it for their sake, you see. To free them from a brutal dictator and bring them democracy. But we’re certainly not fighting to free Uzbekistan from a brutal dictator, and Bush has actually bragged that he has formed a central front on his ‘war’ on terror in Iraq so his people won’t have to face it at home.

Both of these justifications are the officially stated policy of the Bush administration. We are there to help Iraqis, yet we deliberately enabled terrorism in Iraq in order to protect our own people. If you can hold these two opposing ideas in your head and accept them; congratulations… you are officially a moron of the highest order. And if you’re that big a moron, then perhaps it’s escaped your attention that the latter policy… Is. Not Working. (The last time I checked, the London Underground did not extend into the centre of Baghdad or Fallujah.)

Bush and Blair also insist that such attacks will not change our way of life… when the reality is that since the spectacular events of 11/9 (please note correct formatting of date) they have both used the atrocity and fears of further/greater atrocities to curb civil liberties, stifle dissent and justify an illegal invasion, detention without trial, and the torture of innocents.

In doing so, they have enabled not just Al Qaeda, but any individual, group or faction willing to use terrorist methods. The acts referred to above have almost certainly *prompted* people to resort to action that includes terrorist methods.

Use napalm on civilians, condone torture and suppression or torture people yourself and it is quite likely that you’ll upset people in a way that drives them to actions they would not have considered before (and/or makes them more susceptible to the cold-hearted fucktards who seek to recruit them).

Bloggerheads, May 26, 2004: The only way to fight the terrorists is to rob them of their assets. Their primary asset right now is the indefensible actions of our governments. This works for them from the ground up (the more people who have sympathy for their cause, the more able they are to move freely and take action).

2. I am not calling for an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. That would be an incredibly stupid thing to do.

But neither am I denying the obvious link between our foreign policy and this atrocity, as our government is busy doing right now.

A favourite trick used by many with extreme views is to defend those views by presenting any opposition to them – or the only alternative to them – as an equally extreme view to their far left (or right, as the case may be).

Accuse the government of taking the wrong path in the ‘war’ on terror and it should be quite clear that you either support the terrorists, deny they exist at all (see below), or wish to kiss their boo-boos and make them better.

Acknowledge that sending troops into Iraq was a mistake, and you quite obviously hold the view that the troops should leave.

Make any claim that what happened (and is happening right now) in Iraq is contributing to the danger we face, and it goes without saying that you wish to appease the terrorists by caving in to their demands.

Sorry, but no.

My own personal view: Invading Iraq was a mistake. A big one. But if we pull the spear out too suddenly, the bleeding will be impossible to stop. (But let’s give it an experimental tug anyway, shall we?)

But whatever your view (war was right, war was wrong, troops should stay, troops should go), you cannot deny the link between our actions in Iraq and this latest atrocity.

And Al Qaeda does not have to be involved for this to be the case…

3. I have never denied the actual threat of terrorism. My position has always been that the threat exists – which is what makes Bush and Blair’s misrepresentation, manipulation and mismanagement of it so incredibly dangerous.

Hell, the London bombings could have been undertaken by a group of disillusioned girl-scouts, and you would still be able to link it to Iraq. And Uzbekistan. And Guantanamo Bay.

Here’s why…

Anybody wishing to further change our way of life and drive us closer to a battle between extremes needs only the will to kill innocent human beings.

They know its going to be effective, as Bush and Blair have a long track record of amplifying the fear for their own ends. Here’s Blair’s charge-sheet. Take a good, hard look.

The ‘ends justify the means’ message that comes forward time and again from Bush and Blair on the subject of detention, torture and death is a very poor example that acts as a further enabler.

In other words, our foreign policy is not only morally repugnant, it’s totally impractical.

There is only one way to stop this cycle of violence. Zero tolerance.

Zero tolerance for those who undertake terrorist action, and zero tolerance for those who enable it through stupid and selfish actions.

4. I urge you not to deny your fear.

Methinks they doth protest too much, as the saying goes.

Fear struck our capital and my heart on Thursday, but I no longer seek to deny it. Tempting as it may be, such a denial would be a mistake.

It would be an even bigger mistake to extend this denial into a ‘bring it on’ message, as some have done.

I fear for my well-being and for the well-being of those around me.

I fear the hatred these attacks breed.

I fear greatly for the future of our democracy, and the welfare of people all over the world as the unspoken message continues that you can torture innocents, murder civilians, bleed countries dry, subject other human beings to slavery and behave any damn way you please as long as the majority of the population either doesn’t notice or tolerates the hell out of it.

I must acknowledge these fears and I must act on them.

And the only sane action is to call the wrong-doers to account.

All of them.

5. I blame Blair

If Bush and Blair are allowed to serve the remainder of their current terms and quietly retire without a stain on their character (as the popular saying goes) then every crime they have committed will be ticked off as and entirely possible and/or acceptable course of action.

A message has to be sent to every government, corporation or group that seeks to act immorally for financial or political gain. It’s the only thing that will make the next son-of-a-bitch think twice.

I plan to begin by quietly raising my arm and pointing my finger directly at Tony Blair (as I patiently wait for this action to be taken out of context by the nearest guzzler of Kool Aid).

Anthony Charles Lynton Blair… You did this. You allowed this. You enabled this. You encouraged this. I will never forgive you for it, and I will not stop working to make sure that you pay for it.