The blogosphere as expected, has been busy gathering reports. I won’t try to duplicate what’s already been done. Lots of links to reaction, analysis, media updates and on-the-scenel accounts up at Instapundit, Pajamas Media, Counterterrorism Blog, plus this on-the-scene report from a WSJ reporter.
You’re free to post any other links you may find in the comments.
I’ll bet that a bunch of people with absolutely nothing in common are behind this.
Everyone please remind themselves that the bombers come from ” a broad strata of society”
OK, I didn’t exactly find this link . . .
http://china-e-lobby.blogspot.com/2006/07/stand-with-india-against-terrorism-and.html
What will have to be dealt with, and soon, is how to deal with Islamic fascist terrorism.
The US Supreme Court erred, in defining them as civilians rather than mode of militarism. In other countries, we are trying them in civilian courts. They are not traditional military because they are not an army of a nation, of a state. Instead, they represent an ideology that has moved into a pathological state. The world doesn’t know how to deal with them.
Its most important step so far, is informational, to gather information to prevent their attacks. But, the world has to do more, it has to reject the pathological ideology. For that, it needs definitions and rules that acknowledge that this behaviour is not simply criminals against civilians, but is something more, is seeking to undermine a destroy a social, political and national infrastructure- something that most criminals aren’t interested in.
India is an important emerging capitalist nation in the world. How will it deal with the terrorists?
It would be interesting to see what happens if such an event took place in China. I doubt if there would be much emphasis on defining the terrorist as a ‘civilian’ entitled to a ‘criminal’ rather than military trial.
I think the West has to do more in its self defense than the vital and important one of intelligence and information gathering. It has to define Islamic fascism as an attack on national infrastructures (i.e., not criminal actions). And, it has to reject Islamic fascism as an ideology (keep those Danish cartoons, keep those piggy banks in British banks, reject sharia law requests). And fourth, it has to insist on democracy in the ME.
It’s just FACTION POLITICS nothing to see here…move along.
Now the Christian Right and Chimpy McHitlerburton on the other hand!
/moonbat mode off
ET,
We have had our disagreements about Communist China (I, for one, doubt such an attack would happen there – as the terrorists are largely allied with the Communists) but we are as one on the Supremes’ ridiculous Hamdan decision, as well as the need for democracy in the ME.
DJMcGuire – I disagree with you; the terrorists are not, in my view, allied with the communists in China. Or elsewhere. The communist ideology is a ‘dead ideology’ because it cannot, economically, support massive populations and cannot enable economic growth.
China is moving rapidly into capitalism and Islamic fascism is against capitalism, because capitalism rests on individual decision-making. Therefore, these terrorists attacks could well take place in China.
Islamic fascism equally, cannot economically support massive populations and cannot enable economic growth. I think, however, that the measures against this fascism are not coherent and universal and this lack makes it easier for Islamic fascism to expand.
All nations should define islamic fascism as terrorism, i.e., as an attack against the national political, social and economic infrastructure using civilians as the medium. These are not criminal actions; they are terrorist, and all nations should develop an international law to deal with such actions.
That is, the world should go on the offensive against islamic fascism. To do that, it requires definitions that can stand up in courts. So far, we haven’t done that and the US Supreme Court decision shows how unclear we are about ‘what is an islamic terrorist’.
The other offensive tactic, as pointed out, is democracy, which empowers individuals rather than tribes.
We’ll have to continue to disagree about China.
“China is moving rapidly into capitalism and Islamic fascism is against capitalism, because capitalism rests on individual decision-making.”
ET – Don’t conflate capitalism with individualism, and don’t confuse capitalism with mercantilism.
On definitions…
Equating Islamic terrorism with Islamic fascism – a political philosophy – fractures the asserted reason that such terrorists give for their actions, namely that all Moslems must actively engage in the struggle to bring every aspect of existence in submission to Allah. Frankly, change “Allah” to “Christ”, and most Christians would agree with that statement. The difference, of course, is their respective definitions of “actively engage” and “submission.”
I take these terrorists at their word: they say they do it because their God commands it. Fine, I believe them – their voice is louder than that of the Islamic moderates.
A potentially successful strategy in combating Islamic terrorism is to ensure that the loudest voice is the peaceful one. This begs the question.
Democracy is not an offensive tactic (because it actually is offensive, i.e., an offense), not least because it requires a background and a priori commitments at odds with most cultures (now, increasingly, also more and more in the western societies).
I so glad Howard Moscoe made it clear that Toronto was safe since the Terrorists couldn’t find us on a map.
BUT, once Iran gets the Muslim-Bombs it won’t matter where you live , these sick twisted bastards believe allah will reward them for slaughtering everybody to bring peace on Earth and 70 virgins for each Muslim male in Paradise.
Reminds me of the “Planet of the Apes #2” where primative simians worship the Ape-God and use Nuclear bombs to kill the humans and purge Earth of evil and go to be with their Ape-God in Ape Paradise.
jlc and tom, very pithy words!
I’m not going to make any remarks disparaging the RCMP or the Mayor of Toronto regarding their Al Qaeda cell arrests statements. I’m not because I’m still aghast reading today that the Pentagon is now going to give the rights of the Geneva Conventions to the captured terrorists at Guantanamo.
We seem to be undergoing an epidemic of Stupid in the governments of the West.
Meanwhile, today’s mass atrocity by adherants of “the religion of peace”: the latest figure on the body count in Mumbai is now 147, with at least 439 others injured.
Henry – my view of capitalism has nothing at all to do with mercantilism. What are your grounds for such a conclusion?
And I most certainly don’t conflate capitalism with individualism, but I do state that the two require each other. They are correlated but not merged.
I most certainly do equate Islamic terrorism with fascism. That’s what it is. You can’t focus only on the verbiage without understanding the reason for ‘making that verbiage’. To accept as a reason the fact that someone says ‘my god tells me to do X’ is superficial. You have to ask why they do this.
The reason for those statements, when Islam has been silent for multiple generations, is due to the emergence in the last two decades of fascism in the ME – as a response to their failure to respond to population pressures and move out of tribalism. To ignore fascism is an error.
Democracy is an offense? Kindly explain. What are its commitments (and yes, any governance requires commitments) that are ‘at odds’ with most western societies? Democracy may be unacceptable to tribalism, but, there’s no choice. If you have a population in the multi-millions, which requires an industrial economy to support that population, you HAVE to move into a democratic, civic mode of governance. There’s no choice.
Clearly this wouldn’t have happened if India hadn’t joined the Mcbushitler invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. What’s that you say? They never were part of the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq? Oh dear me. Well, what about the Balinese? Surely they must have invaded Afghanistan and Iraq? No? Quick, help me, my left wing theory is rapidly being shredded by the actual events on planet earth. What to do; what to do?
amislam.com/macleans.htm
Again. Interesting interview with Canada’s top security specialist.
Summary: 230,000 new immigrants/year divided by 2700 csis employees + socialist pcism = doom.
If Ontario can statistically identify one breed of dogs – pitbulls – for biting people, killing a couple of poodles and then legally ban them as a danger to society – then certainly they can statistically identify a ‘religious’ group for butchering hundreds of people daily and ban them to protect the greater good as well.
ET, good thought from you, as usual. How to deal with fifth columns proactively is a most vexing question.
Let us not forget the uniform/sanctuary paradigm. Combatants not in uniform could be considered agents of espionage, and treated accordingly.
It’s too bad Jean Chretien isn’t around to explain to us what the Indians did to deserve this attack. That means I have to rely on the CBC- NOT!
I posted two commentaries here yesterday (7/16) but I cannot locate either of them. In fact, I cannot read any blog beyong July 13. Can someone help? I also searched under my user name of truthisas and it could not be found.
Sincerely,
Truth is as Truth Speaks.
Robert Morley, there is an old expression that one’s knowledge of a particular subject can fit into a peanut shell and still have room for the peanuts. Your July 11 posting about Muslims and Islam fits that description perfectly. Neither Allah (the Arabic word for Muslim, Christian, and Jewishh Arabs is Allah)Islam, nor the Holy Quran advocate such nonsense. You, Dave, Henry, and others that post hateful sentiments about Islam and Muslims here are following the pattern of your forebears who spoke hatefully about Jews. Has anyone ever thought that “someone” is exacerbating the hatred of Muslims as “terrorists” in places like Mumbai to keep that disparaging image alive? Could it have been israeli Mossad and pro-israel Indian operatives? Islam is a far cry from the depictions that have become commonplace. Have any of you gone to Google, searched for Loose Change, and watched that “explosive” 75 minute documentary on 9-11? When and if you do your opinion about who was involved will change. Did you all know that the attorney for many of the 9-11 families that lost loved ones is sueing the US govt for conspiracy re 9-11 and that most of his clients agree? A favorite Bumper sticker: “Think knowledge is expensive? Try ignorance.”
How can I contact the Administrator(s) of this site?
Truth Is
I don’t know what you’re talking about – the only comment I’ve deleted from those held for approval is one that referred to me as “Khate”.