Well, almost 13 months after the London Tube bombings, we have another major terrorist incident in London.
Supposedly, the terrorists were going to blow up liquid based bombs kept in their carry on luggage on up to 10 planes.
This resulted in police raids and an effective lock-down of most of the UK's airports. You have to remember that London has 3 of the largest airports in the world - Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. It also has two other commercial airports - Luton and London City. A LOT of people go through here.
Most airlines cancelled flights - especially to the US. Extra-ordinary security measures were in place - especially having to check in carry on baggage and any carry on goods having to be taken in see through bags. No liquids, no electronic devices. Goodbye cellphones, iPods, laptops, contact lens fluid!
Compliments to the intelligence services (MI5 actually have a nice website) and the police if this is proven. Security and deterrence is good. Terror, fear and a police state is bad. London (apart from an in-depth media "autopsy") seems to have returned to normal. The British are used to terror groups - we had the IRA here for years. But we haven't turned into a psychopathic police state with secret prisons and rights removing insane laws like the Patriot Act. We continue to live - we are still Britain.
Up yours terrorists!
...
On the other hand I was debating asylum seekers and immigrants with a friend and thought how easy it is to feel marginalised and isolated in this country (any country).
If these "British born terrorists" were attacking Israel (maybe firing these Hizbollah rockets) would Israel try to rain destruction on the UK? If the same applied to maybe France would the UK government still NOT be insisting on an immediate ceasefire? And how does this double standard make British Muslims feel? Does this breed more "British born terrorists"?
We live in a strange world but one that hasn't changed much - except everything has got closer and bigger. I (currently) still feel extra-ordinarily lucky (touch wood - really touch wood) that I live in a generation where I haven't had to go to war. My parents didn't but their families did and just about every generation beforehand have had to deal with it - not with professional armies but with conscription where people weren't brave and heroic, they just "did" and "survived".
Other places aren't so lucky - like the Palestinians, the Israelis (to a lesser effect but still an effect), the Iraqis, the Sri Lankans, most of Africa (especially Sudan, Somalia, Congo), any number of places. There, you can't be talking head like me and journalists, you do what you need to live and hope you and your family stay alive :(
One hopes that one day, those places too can avoid the fear of instant death either from terrorists or "anti-terrorists". Peace, in other words.
[one has to wonder if all these interesting keywords are going to flag things with the NSA and GCHQ?]
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