The Watering Hole, Wednesday, November 18, 2015: Fighting Terrorism

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I’m Briseadh na Faire, and I’m running for President.

Today’s topic du jour: Terrorism.

“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Newton’s 3rd law of physics.

Yet this applies with equal, if not greater force, to social interactions, especially on the massed scale.

Terrorists act = governments react.

Both kill innocent civilians.

The equal and opposite reaction to anarchy is authoritarianism; to terrorism is torture; to drone strikes is suicide bombings; and the cycle continues.

The path is endless; oddly enough, perhaps necessary, at least until we address the problem of overpopulation. Poverty – lack of food, water, the basic necessities of life – is the stagnant pool from which terrorists are bred and recruited. The suicide bomber doesn’t hope in 72 virgins. He hopes in a better life for those he leaves behind. He has given up all hope in a better life for himself. So, in a perverse sort of way, these endless wars have a driving function to equalize population with available resources.

And therein lies the solution.

Fighting terrorists with authoritarianism, with bombs, with drone strikes, with tanks and boots on the ground never works. Terrorism is like the Hydra – cut off one head, two more grow in its place. It’s an ‘ism’ not a person, or even a group of persons. War, violence, extraordinary renditions, torture – these reactions by governments only create more terrorists.

(And terrorists, if they truly wanted to be revolutionaries – freedom fighters – would confine their attacks to military targets, thus garnering support instead of fear, from their civilian populations.)

To put an end to terrorism, we must first accept it will take some time. This cesspool was not created overnight – it will not be cleaned up overnight. We must take positive steps globally to address population control. And we must take positive steps globally to address the inequitable distribution of wealth.

We must live up to our ideals when it comes to the rule of law, and not cast aside protections for human rights for the sake of the illusion of security.

If a handful of people commit a heinous crime – does that justify turning away 10,000 innocent victims seeking refuge? If it does, we are the ones who have lost our way.

Once upon a time, we held the ideal that it was better to not convict 10 criminals than to send one innocent person to jail. Now, it seems to be better to send 10 innocent people to jail than release one criminal.

Governments react to terrorism with their own version of terrorism. While those in power stay in power this way (at least for awhile) it does not eliminate terrorism.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The true equal and opposite reaction to terrorism is love. Love balances hate. Tolerance balances rejection. Acceptance balances exclusion. Faith balances fear.

And by faith, I do not mean religious faith – but faith in a positive outcome. The masses have yet to embrace this level of faith – the level of faith necessary to overcome the ‘us against them’ attitude; the level of faith necessary to not see everything as an attack against their religion. The masses are still controlled by the messages propagated by the few empowered from birth by the wealth of their progenitors.

Fight terrorism with love. It’s not a new idea. It’s just one that’s not been tried since the son of a carpenter suggested it some 2000 years ago.

I’m Briseadh na Faire, and I’m running for President (all satire aside); a vote for me is a vote that won’t be counted, because the two-party system has rigged the process to prevent the counting of write-in candidates who don’t jump through their hoops.

Meanwhile, there’s this:


OPEN THREAD

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57 thoughts on “The Watering Hole, Wednesday, November 18, 2015: Fighting Terrorism”

  1. I still want a cursor app that makes the cursor ‘invisible’ to the website you’re on, unless you click on something on purpose. So many sites have drop down menus, and now ads, that react to the cursor just passing across them. Some of them start playing audio for the time you’re passing over them. Where’s supply-side economics when you need it? They were supposed to invent this before I knew I wanted it. Isn’t that the principle of supply-side?

    • I don’t know how to get the word out (because I refuse to pay a single second’s attention to any internet ad, period) that I will never even pay attention to offensive ads, much less ever spend a single red cent toward the purchase of whatever it is being advertised, because how would I ever know what it is they’re advertising?

      I’ve recently noticed that on my Firefox browser, there is, immediately after the http address, a little icon for “Enter Reader View” which, when clicked, immediately dispenses with ALL ads and crap not related to the subject, and one can actually read the post without distraction. Best thing since sliced bread. Keeps my blood pressure down.

    • The ‘No Syrians here’ screaming from these people is designed for one reason only – keep their bigoted idiot supporters in their fear-driven ignorance. FTGS

      • The ONLY political advantage the sicko Republikkkans have is their ability to infuse the ignorant portion of the electorate with fear and hatred of ____________. (name it; they’ll use it).

  3. Random thoughts.

    Disparity.
    Knee jerk.
    Military industrial complex.
    Double standard.
    Pat Robertson.
    Village idiot.
    Death spiral.
    Kill your television.
    Dysfunctional.
    The real cost.
    War crime.
    Oxymoron.
    Chocolate glazed doughnut.
    More coffee.

    • If you lack the foreign policy knowledge necessary to become POTUS today (absent any up-to-the-minute security briefings, which the eventual winner will get starting after Election Day), then you’re not fit to be POTUS one year from now. If you can’t name the prominent actors in a region; if you don’t know which ones are our actual allies, which ones are our actual enemies, and which ones are temporarily in either camp, and do it today, then you’re not fit to be POTUS a year from now.

      Ben Carson, Donald Trump, and Carly Fiorina are not fit to be POTUS today or a year from now. I’m sure some of the other minor candidates are equally unfit.

    • Next up from Unka Benny is the claim that his foreign policy chops are a result of his being a direct descendent of Kit Carson.

    • OK now I know Bill Clinton put Trump up to this whole ‘run for President’ 2 year long (god it really is) public mastabatory tour.

  8. Simon Jenkins offers caution and indirectly calls the ‘War on Terror’ cry by Hollande a mistake – we’ve been here before everyone. Flim flam western politicians offering knee-jerk jingoism is not what we want right now – but the urge to do something now is very string isn’t it? Everyone feels it.

    • Poor doc B.S. Carson. Never has there been a candidate so picked on by the media and everybody else. And all those ‘gotcha’ questions. Enough to drive a guy nuts. Sort of nuts at least.

    • Holy SHIT! Every state SE of Vermint got moved Northerly, including Main, Mass and Old Hampshire!. Not to mention Connnnectititcuth.

    • Dearest Sarah.
      This is your GOD.
      Please RUN
      To the BATHROOM.
      Remain seated on the shit depository until all notions of governing capability are flushed down said repository.
      And pray that I don’t strike your stupid ass down said repository.

  16. Well it’s not just the GOP who are wetting their pants over Syrian orphans and widows …. here’s Mayor of Roanoke David Bowers (D – Piece-of-shit)

  18. While American politicians continue to fear refugees, the French announce they will take in 30,000 more. Who’s the Surrender Monkeys now?

    • The Carson campaign is already claiming that they got the map from a “librul media” source without bothering to name said source. Mental Ben himself is saying; “um, uh, huh, what?”

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