Terror in the Air

"It is useless for sheep to pass resolutions in favour of vegetarianism while wolves remain of a different opinion." --William Ralph Inge (1860-1954)


In the wake of the (apparently) foiled terror plot to blow up planes en route from Britain to the United States, I find myself in the distasteful position of siding with George W. Bush. This plot, he said, "serves as a stark reminder that we are at war with Islamic fascists". His "we" referred to the United States, of course, and there are many in Canada who will shrug their shoulders and continue to insist this sort of thing is only what those damnyankeebastards deserve.
One of my closest friends lives in the United States, and I have been on good terms with a number of Americans over my lifetime. Being a Canadian who lives relatively close to the border, I have my share of "stupid American" stories, but nobody yet has been ignorant about their ignorance. I've yet to meet someone who even approached the stereotype many Canadians have of our neighbours to the south.
In short, I refuse to think of Americans as damnyankeebastards. Even if they vote Republican.

Besides, when Bush said "we are at war", he really meant it in a wider sense. "We" actually means "Western democracies". Want proof? Check out the passenger lists on the planes that were targeted. Granted, they're unsure yet which planes were targeted, but my point remains.
London Heathrow is a major international hub. Many of the exploded passengers would have been British or American...but many others would have hailed from all over the globe, including Canada. For that matter, some of the passengers undoubtedly would have been Muslim.

THESE PEOPLE DO NOT CARE WHO THEY KILL. I am reminded yet again of that spokesman for the Islamic Army of Aden who said, in the wake of the bombing of a French tanker, "we would have preferred to hit a U.S. frigate, but no problem because they are all infidels."

Had this attack been carried out in full, the death toll would have easily exceeded that of 9/11. We're damned lucky that cell was infiltrated.

The seeds of this plot are much older than most people realize. In 1995, bin Laden and company were all set to carry out a remarkably similar scheme (albeit this one had multiple facets and included the planned assassination of Pope John Paul II.) Both plots involved the use of common, everyday objects and liquid explosives. The surprise is that it has taken so long for these shadowy entities to try again.

To some, the fact that these terrorist plots have been (a) almost entirely unsuccessful and (b) relatively infrequest somewhat mitigates the threat level. I don't think that way. I was bullied as a child.

The reasons for the antipathy so many different bullies held for me are lost on me and always have been. Ask a bully why they do what they do and you're apt to get "because I feel like it." Press further and you'll be informed that Billy over there is a nerd and Susie over here is a skank. Less clear is why nerds and skanks should be stuffed into garbage cans, have their glasses broken, or be summarily kicked in the privates without warning. Expand the bully's vocabulary a bit and he'll seize on one overarching concern: they are all infidels.
Ever had a bully lay in wait for you? They're good at that. If one attack is intercepted by a playground monitor, no problem: there's always after school. Or next week. The adults can't be everywhere, after all, and sooner or later I'm gonna getcha. Thus do we nerds and skanks live in terror.

On a purely psychological level, we know that playground bullies are acting out of insecurity, as hard as that is to believe if you're a prospective victim. Vince insecure? Yeah, right. He's the most secure guy in the school, can't you tell? We all bow our heads to him lest he kick our asses. Regardless, the Vinces of the world often grow up to see their "insecurities" writ large. ("Vince" derives from the Latin vincere, 'to conquer'. I don't pick my names out of a hat. I've known three Vinces and all three wanted to rearrange the geography of my face. Apologies to any pacifist Vinces out there.)

Back to the present. What's next, now that almost every conceiveable liquid and gel has been banned? Easy. They'll find some other way to inflict terror. No security net is airtight, especially to people who have no problem forfeiting their lives. Several people could smuggle cigarettes on board and spill their alcoholic beverages. A tiny match will start a cabin fire that would be every bit as deadly as a bomb. Or somebody will target an airport...blow themselves and a few hundred others up outside all the security. I'm sure if you were to think like a terrorist, you can easily conceive of a dozen ways to spread carnage. The trick is to carry them out undetected. But the terrorists have a few things going for them: unlimited patience and unlimited hatred.

I remain firmly convinced that these "Islamofascist" wolves are out to eat us sheep up. The more we resolve to be vegetarian, the more they'll cheer. A vegetarian diet just makes the sheep more palatable.