Five Lessons from the London Terrorist Attack

________________________

If governments don’t change their policies, more terrorism will occur. Change the policy and stop the evils of terrorism. All terrorist events are uniquely tragic, yet many have reoccurring themes that ought to make the powers-that-be take note and change. Here are some things to consider.

NO ONE Has To Live With Terrorism 

The idea that any civilians should “get used to” the threat of being blown into a million pieces, hacked to death, or shot at any moment, is an insult to the common humanity that binds every good person in the world together. No Syrian should have to wake up fearing that the FSA, ISIS, or al-Nusra might conquer their town and slaughter their family. No Iraqi should ever again have to live under the shadow of American or British bombs from fighter jets. No one in the Philippines should have to cower in fear as ISIS takes over their city. No one in London should have to worry about ISIS attacking their street or concert hall. No one in Paris should worry about terrorists gunning them to death on a warm evening. The fact that this is the present reality in all of the places mentioned above and of course well beyond means one of two things. Either one’s country is the victim of foreign aggression (whether terrorist aggression or regular armies supporting terrorist groups) or otherwise, one’s country is funding, arming, and aiding terrorism of one kind or another and experiencing the phenomenon of blowback. Either way, change is possible. The anti-terrorist coalition of Syria, Russia, Iran, and Hizbullah proves that it’s possible to beat Salafism. Syria isn’t fully free yet, but the anti-terrorist coalition is objectively winning the war on many fronts. Likewise, Western governments shouldn’t pursue policies that put their citizens in danger, whether it be arming terrorists abroad or wasting domestic resources fighting “Russian hackers” and “Russian media” when they should use these resources to fight terrorism and the drugs that fund terrorist groups like ISIS.

Western Foreign Policy Must Change 

In 2003, the Spanish government of José María Aznar joined George W Bush and Tony Blair in a war of aggression on Iraq, a war that turned a once secure, secular, and stable country into a breeding ground for Salafist terrorism. The al-Qaeda forces unleashed on the world by the war Spain had participated in came back home in 2004 when al-Qaeda killed 192 people in the Madrid Train Bombings. Shortly after the bombings, Spain went to the polls and elected an anti-war government that withdrew Spain from the Iraq war. Since then, there have been no Salafist terrorist incidents in Spain. Sadly, bombings by the Basque group ETA continue due to continuing regional issues, but when Spain stepped away from the Salafist hornets’ nest, the hornets of that variety stopped stinging Spain. Foreign policy does prevent terrorism and inversely, it can cause it. The recent attack in Manchester UK was by a jihadist who’d been part of the al-Qaeda “rebel” movement in Libya initially funded in order to overthrow the secular government of Gaddafi. UK opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn explicitly said that foreign policy must change and that the West’s idea of the War on Terror has failed. It’s high time that British voters put this policy into power. It means putting safety for the many over the war-profiteering of the few.

Know the Enemy… Ignore the MSM

Mainstream media blames everything from Russia to Iran and even the isolated DPRK for the woes of the West. Others yet blame the religion of Islam, even though Muslims globally are the first and most numerous victims of the enemy. The enemy is Salafism/Wahhabism; born, funded, and disseminated by the KSA and other Gulf states. The marriage between Western corporate and political leaders and the Saudis must end. Stop demonising Muslims, stop demonising secular Muslim-majority countries that have nothing to do with Salafism… start moving away from the KSA and while you’re at it, stop having such a one-sided view on the Israel-Palestine issue. When in doubt… fully disengage with the entire Middle East at a big money and big politics level… especially if you’re too stupid to know the difference between one Middle Eastern country and another and it seems that many people in power are really that stupid or otherwise too wicked.

Know Your Friends 

Secular Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned the West that it couldn’t fight terrorism anywhere if it funds terrorism almost everywhere. He also warned that by letting in anyone who says that they’re a refugee, one could be letting in a terrorist posing as an innocent person. He’s correct on both counts. Furthermore, he invited western countries to join his real anti-terrorist coalition, which is the only place that any responsible nation ought to be if it’s going to engage terrorism militarily at all. Likewise, Russia called on Western countries to form a real partnership against terrorism. All of this has fallen on deaf ears. The West has two safe options in respect of terrorism, either get out of the Middle East at any level other than that of non-military business deals or else join a meaningful international coalition against terrorism. If you don’t like Syria, Iran, or Russia… TOUGH! Swallow your pride as Churchill did when he allied with the USSR against Hitler.

Ordinary People Are Often Wiser Than Ruling Élites Are 

When bullets ring out, when cars and trucks plough into people, when the blood of civilians runs in the gutters, no ordinary person thinks, “This was Russia’s doing”, the same applies in respect of Iran or the DPRK. Instead, the vast majority of people think, “This must be ISIS”, and usually they’re correct. The government must get its priorities right. Countries like Britain, Germany, France, and the USA are in no danger from a major foreign attack. The countries in the world who are under such a threat are typically under threat from… you guessed it, countries like Britain, Germany, France, and the USA. Hence, one can and should be anti-war, anti-Russophobia, anti-Iranophobia, and anti-terrorist all at the same time. Now, it’s impossible to be one without the other and most people, if you really speak to them, get it. It’s time they make their voices heard on social media, alt-media, and at the ballot box whenever possible. The Western status quo means bodies lying dead on the pavements in cities like London and Paris. Even though there isn’t always a good political alternative, even beggars want change. It’s time to ask for it and ask for it vocally.

4 June 2017

Adam Garrie

The Duran

http://theduran.com/3-general-3-specific-lessons-london-terrorist-attack/

Advertisement

13 May 2015. Animal Funnies… Ain’t I a Cute Cat?

______________________________

“Ain’t I terminally cute?” Where’s Garfield to send this Nermal off to Abu Dhabi? This little pink nose looks just like our “Tulip”. She’s forever kitten-sized as she was the runt and starved at an early age.

 BMD

4 May 2015. Some Animal Funnies… Street Cat Bob and James Bowen… A Feline “High Five”

______________________________

You don’t know about Street Cat Bob and James Bowen? What rock have you been hiding under? Click here and here. ‘Nuff said…

BMD

Sputnik International Presents… Happy New Year 2015: Highlights from Around the World

Revellers engulfed by confetti in Times Square just after midnight during New Year’s Eve festivities in New York (Borough of Manhattan. New York County) NY USA.

******    

Revellers play in spent confetti along a street after midnight in Times Square in New York.

******

People gather on the Champs Élysées in Paris (Département de Paris. Région Île-de-France) FRANCE before celebrating the New Year.

******

In wishing their relatives and friends a good year and good health, the French say, “Bonne année et bonne santé”.

******

An old-fashioned Chinese junk sails in Victoria Harbour before the New Year fireworks in Hong Kong PRC on 31 December 2014.

******

People gather to celebrate the New Year at the Imjingak Pavilion near the border village of Panmunjom, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Paju (Gyeonggi Province), north of Seoul (Special City of Seoul) ROK.

******

On New Year’s Day in Korea, believers try to recall their past lives and go to temples to pray for happiness. They also light candles which symbolise enlightened souls.

******

The Japanese pay special attention to New Year food traditions. They prepare dishes of seaweed, sweet potato, soybeans, and fish cakes. Another cherished custom is giving money to children in special envelopes, known as otoshidama.

******

Men ride on a portable Shinto shrine (mikoshi) as local people carry it into the sea during a festival to wish for calm waters in the ocean and good fortune in the New Year in Oiso (Naka District. Kanagawa Prefecture. Greater Tokyo Area. Kantō Region) JAPAN, west of Tokyo proper.

******

Icelanders celebrate the holiday with their families and set off fireworks at midnight, ushering in the New Year. Musical shows, bonfires, and feasting are also very popular.

******

Skating rink on Palace Square, St Petersburg (Federal City of St Petersburg. Northwestern Federal District) RF.

******

The main character of Russian New Year is Ded Moroz (Grandpa Frost), a wizard who brings presents to children.

******

Brazil celebrates New Year with parties and music festivals on the famous Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro State. Southeast Region); oceans of people dressed in flashy and colourful clothes flood city streets.

******

Brazilian fishermen try to entice the Mother of Waters by going out in their boats with gifts of rice, flowers and even jewellery… which they throw into the sea.

******

Italians observe an interesting food custom on New Year. When midnight comes, they eat lentil stew, one spoonful for each stroke of the bell. They believe that brings good fortune.

******

Scarcely has New Year arrived, than the English rush to open their back doors to see the old year off. Next, they ask the first dark-haired man they encounter to come in through the front door. Guests should bring salt, coal, and bread, symbolising having enough food, money, and warmth for the next year.

______________________________

New Year Celebrations have just taken place all over the globe, engulfing the seven billion people of our planet in a spirit of joy and pleasure, granting them hope for a better year ahead, and leaving behind bad memories and misfortune from the last one. Let’s cast a glance on New Year celebrations from the sun-kissed beaches of Brazil to the shining skies of Iceland. “May your days be as glittery as diamond, may your friends be as good as gold, may your heart stay as green as emerald, and may your soul remain as pure as pearl”. The French celebrate the New Year with a traditional feast that includes crepes, foie gras, and, of course, champagne. When the clock strikes midnight, the French exchange kisses. New Year is clearly the most adored festival of the Chinese calendar, with Hong Kong residents heading to temples to pray for good fortune, followed by pyrotechnic shows and mythological spectacles which light up the city. Koreans celebrate the New Year twice… on 1 January, like the rest of the world, and on the first day of the Korean lunar calendar. In both cases, it’s a major traditional family holiday when Koreans visit their parents and remember their ancestors. In Russia, New Year is the happiest and most cherished family holiday. Ice skating is one of the main activities during the winter holidays.

1 January 2015

Sputnik International

http://sputniknews.com/photo/20150101/1016453014.html