It’s already been a year since the terrorist attacks on England’s capital, and the effects are still being felt. The UK is soon to be under a cautionary system of close kin to America’s terror alert system, investigations of the bombers are still taking place, and victims of the blasts are still struggling to cope with the loss of limbs and loved ones. Oddly in this case, the attacks have been dubbed 7/7, the first in British history to take on a dated title, a la 9/11.
What is this feverish madness of the press and government officials to link every terror attack with dates for reference and Al Quaeda as perpetrators? And what do they hope to achieve with colour coded threat levels? Do they really believe that one angry and dissident sect has such a powerful worldwide network and that citizens are safer for being told how afraid to be each day? I doubt it. This is the war on drugs all over again, and the former has yet to be won.
The strangest thing about this situation is that the people with the most reason to be afraid of terrorists — New Yorkers and Londoners — are en masse not supportive of their governments’ many anti-terrorism programs. This should tell us something. Why would the victims of terrorism willingly dispute legislation that would allegedly make them safer? They wouldn’t. So where does this leave us?
I personally have nothing good to say about the new warning system. Threat levels are low – so what? Should I only be kind of afraid? Threat level high – should I not go in to work? More to the point, what is this system based on? Surely you cannot dictate a threat level without proof of threat. So what exactly is this proof of threat? And if one has been identified, why isn’t the threat being dealt with already? The word ‘ridiculous’ comes to mind. Several times.
A constantly frightened population isn’t going to stop terrorism, and furthermore, this is what terrorists want — for us to be afraid of them, all the time. And they want us to believe that they are a worldwide, highly organised network, capable of striking anyone at any time. I for one refuse to believe that several groups of brainwashed and angry individuals have anything more in common with each other than the oft-touted banner of ‘Terrorist’ and the fact that they are/were confused humans struggling for a voice. I will not live my life in fear and let them win over common sense. That’s for Bush and Blair to advocate, not me.
My sympathy to victims of attack in London and throughout the world.
