I avoided the Thatcherfest yesterday by flying to Accra, and landed slap in the middle of a State Visit by President Ahmadinejad. Any number of levels of irony there. I am however pleased to see President John Mahama – an old friend of mine – giving out a fairly clear signal he is not going to be a US puppet. That was reinforced yesterday by a high profile announcement from the Ministry of Finance of a new policy aimed at increasing the – hitherto very limited – social benefit from Ghana’s oil and mining industries. Just how much this will amount to in practice remains to be seen, but I am very pleased to see that, as John Mahama’s Presidency in his own right gets underway, the direction of travel may be more radical and aimed at social justice.
Another piece of good news from West Africa yesterday was President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria’s announcement of a negotiating committee to try to open negotiations with Boko Haram on the basis of a ceasefire and an amnesty. The committee’s remit includes a specific commitment to look at underlying grievances that had led to the unrest.
Nigeria shows much greater wisdom than the standard Western government line that the state can do no wrong and that all terrorist movements must be crushed by military force – something that often leads into an unending revenge cycle. Insurgency movements are indeed always caused – no matter how psychotic or vicious individual terrorists may be and no matter how evil some of their acts. For any terrorist or insurgency activity to have sufficient support in a host population to have a resilient existence, that population must believe itself to have a legitimate grievance. Ultimately the only way to overcome terrorism is to talk to the terrorists. Which is not to say I think this initiative will succeed; but it is certainly the right thing to try.
3.27 p.m. It’s like the drunken violent husband sobers up and realises his arse might just be out the door.
“I don’t want to lose you. Actually I’m very reasonable. I’m so caring that I’m temporarily willing to try not to beat you to a pulp again. Not that I ever really hurt you. Couldn’t you try to be less oversensitive when I really gently and reasonably punish you for your misdemeanours? Couldn’t you stop your friends from judging me negatively? Now if you would make more of an effort not to deserve it…”
‘no matter how psychotic or vicious individual terrorists may be’
Psychotic means you’re mad but you are unaware of the fact, presumably because you’re own boundaries have been blown apart and you haven’t been able to come to terms with that fact.
Vicious perhaps implies self-knowledge and pre-meditation.
Most of what the West defines as terrorism is one stage after that, which is when you realise that the people who have oppressed you will never understand what they have done until they are able to experience being on the receiving end of a similar injustice.
The discourse that follows is to monitor the degree that the treatment has taken effect on the perpetrators of the original oppression. Not for the original perpetrators to monitor the degree of contrition of the so-called terrorists.
I suggest again that there is a need for an “ignore” button. Then a person can switch off particular individual and need never see their postings again. This also obviates the argument about free speech because it is an individual decision to avoid the poster.
I don’t know how easy it is to code an ignore button in this system but I suggest to the admin team it would be a good idea. I have been on forums where it is an extremely useful function where there is disharmony.
regards
Julian
Sounds great, Julian.
Cui bono? It sounds vaguely familiar. Do the Russians need help to contain Chechnya?
Ben Unleaded.
I’m inclined to xxxtreme cynicism when it comes to home terrorism. Aangirfan seems to have fathomed the depths of evil that Western governments are capable of in false-flag violence in order to stay in power. His idea is that the names of the suspects may be genuine but the perpetrators are just actors in collusion with police etc.
There are some loose cannon in the US neo-con elites, such as Rahm Emmanuel, Hilary Clinton and David Petraeus, who appear to be even more devious-minded in dirty CIA Al-Qaida terrorism, than the present incumbents Kerry and Brennan. If that’s possible. The message of the moment is designed to show that Obama is pootling about with gun control and welfare and is not in charge of the domestic situation.
In reality US=UK=IS=Russia=China=Saudi=Europe in cutting out the new world order. It’s as relevant to say that the stolen identities used in this false-flag bombing come from Chechnya as from Manchester.
The world has been put in a pressure cooker of gratuitous violence in order to accelerate the cooking of existing power, by which I mean the rendering of sinewy Western Freedom Values and strong, lean Islamic values into a nice stew of quasi-religious submission to political elites.
Yongyongyongyongyongyongyong. Keep tinkling your triangles children. the world is far too complicated for you to understand. But we’ll look after it for you, never fear.
Guano; It reminds me a little of JFK’s assassination. Somehow within minutes of the event, Media outlets had a description and background on Oswald.
There was just too much info too soon.
Well done Guano – a ‘simmering’ thought 😉
“In my opinion, my children were set up by the secret services because they are practising Muslims,” Anzor Tsarnaev told the Interfax news agency today from the North Caucasus Russian city of Makhachkala.
http://www.smh.com.au/world/my-children-were-set-up-father-claims-20130419-2i6c4.html
“Aangirfan seems to have fathomed the depths of evil that Western governments are capable of in false-flag violence in order to stay in power. His idea is that the names of the suspects may be genuine but the perpetrators are just actors in collusion with police etc. ”
…and of course he can back that up with evidence…
I would like to echo some of the comments about Mary and the trolling. I don’t post very often here but am a regular reader and have observed with distaste Habbabkuk’s persistent, spiteful and obsessive campaign of harassment directed at Mary. I’m not sure if it amounts to stalking but it is certainly bullying and deliberate. I don’t believe this latest offer to ‘go easy’ on her (which implicitly admits the charge of bullying) is prompted by magnanimity. Rather I suspect he is a bit taken aback by the response from the silent lurkers who have come out of the woodwork to post in support of Mary. I would urge you, Mary, not to leave, but I would understand why you might decide enough is enough. Being singled out like you have been is very unpleasant.
@ Kingof WelshNoir:
“Rather I suspect he is a bit taken aback by the response from the silent lurkers who have come out of the woodwork to post in support of Mary”
Yes, sure, all half dozen of them. I’m totally cowed.
What I said in the first sentence of my post already seems to have been borne out. Nevertheless, I’ll suppress the urge to reply in a robust way to the Guanos and Haemaglobins and await Mary’s reactions as manifested in her posting (or non-posting) since all of this is supposed to be about her, isn’t it, boys?
Don’t matter whether 6 or 60. You’re just one…or is it two……three?
KingofWelshNoir @ 6:15pm
^^^^
Wot he said. Couldn’t agree more.
Best
Silent Lurker
I can’t see what Mary ever did apart from block quote the BBC. She rarely offered anything original and seemed to be plugged into a permanent drip-feed of news media. When confronted, you saw her stalinist side, cold as ice, like you’d taken on the Politburo.
That said I will miss her for her gardening updates and her delightful taking apart of annoying women in the public eye.
I think Komodo should make his move soon as they’d make a great couple. What better way to silence the habbamonster than to have love flourish between his arch-Eminences?
Ps, Tom Welsh was a great contributor.
He’s tweeting
https://twitter.com/Dzhokharr
unless of course that’s just someone pretending to be him …
I imagine that everyone on this blog is now attempting to absolve these two Muslim terrorists of killing that child and other people. Just like you don’t believe that 19 Arab Muslim terrorists committed 911. What’s your favorite evidence of a conspiracy regarding these two brothers? Is it as good as your very dumb claims regarding your 911 inside job nuttery?
Chechen President Blames U.S. Upbringing For Boston Suspects’ Acts: ‘Look For The Roots Of Their Evil In America’
http://www.mediaite.com/online/chechen-president-blames-u-s-upbringing-for-boston-suspects-acts-%E2%80%98look-for-the-roots-of-their-evil-in-america%E2%80%99/
What’s your point Dreoilin? Kadyrov is a massive human rights abuser and is in Putin’s pocket. Of course he would say something like that. You really need to think through these issues better.
“You really need to think through these issues better.”
Did I say I agreed with him? I posted it as an item of interest.
You gave voice to the man who probably killed Anna Politkovskaya, because it was consistent with your anti-American hatred.
“I suggest again that there is a need for an “ignore” button.” — Julian
Good idea. I could use it on Jon Pelfrey.
But I don’t know how easy it would be to set up – as you said yourself.
Repeat the phrase ‘radical islamist cleric’ several million times then feel free to attach to any Muslim who opposes the workaday slaughter routinely visited on Muslim countries.
Photo of dead boy from Boston makes front cover of Guardian. This bombing was horrible. Do the dead kids of Gaza or Waziristan ever make the front pages of our newspapers? Of course they don’t.
In the same paper, Abu Qatada is labelled as a ‘radical islamist cleric’ by Owen Bowcott. I’ve never read a single essay by AQ, or heard one of his ‘fiery’ speeches. I doubt Mr Bowcott has either. But like a good churnalist he repeats the phrase.
Why is Abu Qatada a hate figure? Because of some black and white slo-mo footage with some ominous music?
Answers please.
Consumed with a belief is not a human disorder of course, it is a disposition that stupefies reasoning even in the face of an observable truth…
Remember this?
“A US citizen has been charged with planning to fly explosive-packed, remote controlled airplanes into the Pentagon and the Capitol in Washington.
Rezwan Ferdaus, 26, was arrested and charged with the aerial bombing plot and attempts to deliver bomb-making materials for use against US troops in Iraq, US Attorney Carmen Ortiz said in Boston.
”The conduct alleged today shows that Mr Ferdaus had long planned to commit violent acts against our country, including attacks on the Pentagon and our nation’s Capitol,” Mr Ortiz said.
During the alleged plot, undercover FBI agents posed as accomplices who supplied Ferdaus with one remote-controlled plane, C4 explosives, and small arms that he allegedly envisioned using in a simultaneous ground assault in Washington.
However, ”the public was never in danger from the explosive devices, which were controlled by undercover FBI employees,” the FBI said.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/man-charged-with-pentagon-bomb-plot/story-e6frg6so-1226150993933
“I imagine that everyone on this blog is now attempting to absolve these two Muslim terrorists of killing that child and other people”
Over here, we have this curious notion of ‘innocent until proven guilty’.
Total Obama strikes: 299
Total US strikes since 2004: 351
Total reported killed: 2,586-3,379
Civilians reported killed: 472-885
Children reported killed: 176
Total reported injured: 1,255-1,405
http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2012/12/03/november-2012-update-us-covert-actions-in-pakistan-yemen-and-somalia/
Those first lines
“I imagine that everyone on this blog is now attempting to absolve these two Muslim terrorists of killing that child and other people”
were of course a quote from a previous poster.
NB: the piece Dreoilin linked to shows the reality of a Kadyrov – who can say this:
“Terrorism must be fought everywhere. We know this better than anyone. We wish all the victims a [speedy] recovery and share in Americans’ grief” (sic)
while accused of this:
“He is an extremely cruel man,” Politkovskaya told Ekho Moskvy radio in an interview broadcast shortly before her death. “I have met several people who told me that Ramzan Kadyrov personally tortured them in his home in the village of Tsentoroi.
“They [the witnesses] said that Kadyrov and the other man with him used very elaborate torture. For example, they peel narrow strips of skin off a person’s back. This is the sort of torture you would call medieval brutality.”
Read more: http://www.theweek.co.uk/people-news/21233/kadyrov-%25e2%2580%2598i-will-kill-long-i-live%25e2%2580%2599#ixzz2QwuiISV6
https://twitter.com/YourAnonNews/status/325372566359388161/photo/1
Thanks Technicolour you are an asset here.