Category: Dangers

American-Qaeda

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn New articles, America, Dangers, RepublicanLeave a comment

Another attack on the US Capitol, this time by a single terriorist in a car with a knife attacking police https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/02/us-capitol-lockdown bears remarkable similarities to the pointless but disturbing attack on the UK Houses of Parliament in 2017 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_London_Bridge_attack.

Both were suicide missions, both involved an attack that was aimed at the police and both garner media coverage and reaction. The London attack was inspired and designed by ISIS, the child of Al-Qaeda ruthlessly pursued and eliminated as an evident threat through war, now taking the path of the ‘freedom fighter’ – terrorism. The point is to exact revenge and drive the Government mad. Al-Qaeda was more successful in that goal than ISIS, the Government had learned the golden rule: do not negotiate with terrorists – the Obama principle was to kill 60,000 ISIS militants that had taken half of Iraq, and the Trump administration mopped up what remained of the broken forces (and VP Mike Pence gratuitously took credit for what ‘Obama had failed to do’). ISIS was probably conceived and born after the Bush Doctrine thinking it had defeated Al-Qaeda in fact had driven the children of the cruel and desperate Mujahideen forces under the black banner of ISIS and their indoctrination of the ‘abandonment of cooperation by America in Afghanistan’ following the withdrawal of Soviet troops from that country created a ‘caliphate’ that became a focal threat to the American Government after 9/11.

Fighting the madness that is Q-Anon may lead the US Government down a similar path but this is a more insidious threat. The snake has grown a new set of heads who are affiliates of the Q-Anon cult, the likes of the Proud Boys, and other extreme right-wing groups appear to be the grandchild of Al-Qaeda.

Q-Anon has all the features of an American-Qaeda – the irrationality, racism and extreme violence, the ever present threat, even down to excessive facial hair and beliefs in cosmic stupidity, the worship of a destructive and evidently criminal figurehead (Trump and Osama bin Laden, both billionaires able to raise money and influence Government) in whose name terrorism is inspired to attack the US Government.

The affiliates of Q-Anon should think about this. The founder of the movement is a mystery, shifting in dark shadows and the philosophy tells flagrant lies about their destiny. The founder of Q-Anon is Osama bin Laden. The evil infecting the American Republican Party is the third act of Al-Qaeda.

The only path out of this war is to offer a compelling philosophy of love and peace. The same thing seemed to happen in the 1960s, America buried itself in a hopeless war and the Love Revolution, the Woodstock Generation of baby boomers were given license to take over. Another such moment is in the making, military action may final, but real justice is more permanent. Finally, the exposure of inhumanity and injustice under the Trump era may change the path. Joe Biden at least has experience of dealing with such threats. The US Government is not innocent. But Justice is the path to Freedom for all.

Q-Anon is the grandchild of Al-Qaeda, and it’s defeat requires something far better for the people drawn in and seduced by its irrationality and terrorist conspiracy theories.

i voted sticker lot

Why Voting Matters

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn 2020 Presidential Election, extinction, New articlesLeave a comment

Do not listen to the poison.

Donald Trump seeks to undermine your voice, sideline you as he flushes your part of the US economy away for the sole benefit of the very rich, pretending it will all be wonderful again if only you do not vote for the Democrats.

How hollow the promise from the President tweeting from the golf course, cheating on his wife with paid off pornstars, selling the future of America – the hopes and aspirations of children – to benefit his already rich friends and huge business – pumped up the stock market with false value, sold-out American soldiers to Russian interference, is guilty of collusion with Russia in the 2016 election, accused by family members of being cruel and indifferent which he has proven himself as he sells poison as a cure for Covid, a crisis he has mismanaged so badly as to endanger all human life as the virus has now genetic information of over 5 million Americans while billions is spent looking for a vaccine that risks not being effective due to the irresponsible madness of Trump’s executive actions, the death of 180,000 Americans.

And yet his ‘base’, the greedy and ill-informed 40% of voters are convinced his is either of economic benefit ranging to being ‘the saviour’ – this man who poses with a Bible instead of ever attending a church (unless there are cameras), this man who lost a billion dollars through bad management of his companies, this man who takes delight in firing his executives, this man who is a self confessed narcissistic ‘very stable genius’, this man who had lied, cheated and hurt other people, he got impeached for electoral cheating and corruption, he has lied about his role inviting foreign interference in the voice of Americans. His base have faith in his ‘promise’. What he promises will destroy America. He has demonstrated that he wishes to undermine the Post Office, the mail delivery delays threaten the lives of many. Callous, cruel and calculated to benefit his electoral chances by denying your ability to vote.

He limits the future for all children on Earth as he destroys nature’s reserves to burn more fossil fuel and pumps up the military so he can destroy the constitution with heavy handed secret police dragging protesters into unmarked vehicles.

40% of Americans buy this shit? How far into their obesity do you have to dig to find their heart? How sick do you have to be to be so greedy it threatens your health and life? How crazy is the latest Republican craze: QAnon? Nothing but an attempt to smear his enemies (real people) – this latest cult phenomenon has been adopted by several GOP candidates. It is a sad reflection of a fallen society. 40% of Americans believe anything. The disinformation campaign by Russia has murdered democratic choice in America along with its soldiers. It is information war. Russia is proving how the greed that bred this stupidity has infected America.

It is now more important than ever to exercise your voice. Vote for the only mentally stable candidate in this election. Joe Biden was America’s most successful vice-President. Barack Obama may be better at making speeches, but Joe Biden is an opportunity for quiet nobility and greatness. He could do a lot of good for the lives of normal Americans. And the children of the world have a better chance of a world that actually supports life.

The time to act on pollution, health and prosperity has arrived. It is time to take responsibility. Every vote counts. 40% of the voters will vote for a mentally unstable candidate. 60% of America must not be complacent.

The Climate Prophet

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn Climate Change, Dangers, Environment, extinction, PoliticsLeave a comment

Greta Thunberg had dedicated her life for the past year to telling the world that how they are talking about climate, what they are doing about the ongoing climate catastrophe.

Her voice means something. She speaks a plain language that even politicians can hear. The public needs to hear it as well.

Greta Thunberg has gained the attention of the world in quite a short period making her one of the most extraordinary campaigners on the world stage. She has had more impact than years of awareness campaigns.

Her address to the EU MEPs is emotional and has extraordinary impact.

George Monbiot and Greta Thunberg have made a video that provides the solution to the climate crisis. And the world looks on as half of the Amazon Rain Forest is in flames. That itself could overtip the balance a few years earlier than has been predicted.

Lack of infrastructure

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn Dangers, DemocracyLeave a comment

Locking children in cages and separation of young children from their families is inhuman behaviour. And now, abrupt about-turns by Donald Trump does not signify that the President of the US would seriously contemplate discussing ideas and or listen to objections before enforcing sweeping Executive Orders that appear to be rapidly pushing the USA towards a police-state apparatus not dissimilar to a South American dictatorship. The internment of children and tearing apart of families is not just symbolic of evil, but an utterly inhumane form of torture as “a deterrent”.

What this reveals about Trump’s illogical diplomacy and flagrant snake-oil economics is a concern as it has created a lack of infrastructure. Trump thinks he knows everything but if he thought that this atrocity was acceptable behaviour toward refugees and immigrants he damages his case about making America great again as it makes America seem to be sadly introspective and confusing to the global order.

The fact remains that the creation of masses of debt by liberating the financial system has its ups and downs. Specifically, the scale of these reverberations increase, so this period of Western debt will result in a reflection where the West is in surplus. It seems inevitable, but if the West forever remained in debt, it would suffer in the future for the largess of the day.

That is the problem, America is being run by a person who is impatient and controlling and who appears to excerpt influence at every level of detail rather than having a machine that he trusts to implement his objectives. Trump even postponed a picnic for Congress in recognition of the seriousness of the result of his numerous directives being carried out.

Pollution and Plastic

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn Dangers, extinction

So much has been written on this blog and elsewhere about the importance of stopping pollution of the natural world if life and indeed the human race are to survive.

The Era of Oil has seen the rapid expansion of the human race.

The insidious oiling of the industrial age certainly helped the environment at first, by reducing smoke emissions from burning of coal, but the proliferation of cars, industry, and exponential growth has not only triggered global warming, climate instability and poisoned the environment, but it also creates many plastics. And now we discover plastic is being thrown into the sea without any regard for consequence. Our reaction? What reaction.

The pulling of whales out of the sea infected with kilograms of plastic waste makes a mockery of humanity. We can nearly be concerned about the effects of the burning of oil, but the manufacture of materials that never yield their structure to decay means an unchanging world with less and less in it. It will start with the sea, as sea creatures, constantly on the hunt for anything they can consume are weeded out of nature due to our insidious crime of the discarding of plastic.

Life forms that collect plastics, like the filmed whales, birds and fish, act as a storage mechanism that in time ruptures. The plastics ever increasing and accumulating (unlike other forms of organic matter that can be broken down and reconstruct themselves) nature mean that it will offset environments and kill plant life as well as animal life.

This is the most simple catastrophe to cure with law-making. Why are the governments of the world not legislating against plastic manufacture and disposal at sea?

How about people simply resolving they do not want to contribute to the mass murder of all life on this world by throwing a plastic drinking bottle into the sea.

Trumpism

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn Dangers, Politics, Russia, Syria, WarLeave a comment

The Trump Doctrine is to lash out and then realise that was not a very good idea. A prime example is his reaction to Syria’s use of chemical weapons. He calls the leader of that stricken country an “animal” for killing a number of people with “nerve agents” and Chlorine gas and plans to send in the missiles. Except that Russia threatened him back and now he has to negotiate for fear of starting a firestorm and losing major assets as Russia threatened.

The legal point that it is an internal matter for Syria and that independence is the very heart of sovereignty that other nations have no business undermining. Oh, but if “we let Syria use chemical weapons” then “they will again, with impunity”. Understandable sentiment. The world would be a better place without weapons that kill people indiscriminately. Gassing the civilian population is not necessarily as evil as dropping an H Bomb, but it causes unbelievable suffering and only with effective action can their use be stopped.

But the May government in Britain believes that Syria’s sponsor, Russia, used a Novichok nerve agent in the UK to remove a retired spy. She has acted as though it were proven with evidence and it seems “the right thing to do” to most conservative idealists.

But is it? And is her plan to attack the government of Syria going to result in a war between the UK and Syria, or more significantly, with Russia?

Banning Weapons and 3D printers

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn gunsLeave a comment

Regulating human nature assumes some people are capable of evil, others are not. In fact it is a choice and our internal values are where the real risk lies. Face it, we all have weapons built into our bodies (teeth, claws) and our minds can be used to elaborately plan actions with unforeseen consequences.

Our real protection lies in the social contract, not regulating the spread of blueprints. Every citizen has access to sharp knives but that does not mean that we use them. Box cutters became weapons not because we failed to detect them, but because of a philosophy that does not enshrine value to others. It is the spread of radicalism and the rule of totalitarianism we have failed to defeat.

When we are taught values by an authority that uses its power in a corrupt way, whether it be religious or political, therein lies the source of insanity.

Guns in the hands of citizens do not protect them from guns. Money in the bank does not protect one from madness.

Guns

On By Nicholas AlexanderIn America, gunsLeave a comment

Guns are a religion in America.  It is amazing how second amendment faith does not get shaken by these mass shootings.  They shake their heads reassuring themselves “It’s not the guns that kill, it’s people that kill people.”

If you allow broad proliferation of weapons, then people will die.  And, if you don’t the same thing may happen, anyway.  The act of one individual with a particular distorted view of the world developed by obsessive behaviour and at a particular revision or developmental stage can have an impact that is amplified and acted upon to an extent of terrible violence and unbelievable harm.  Or without the weapons would it just be a lunatic waving his arms around and disturbing cinema goers?

We have evolved fiction as a means to understand the more difficult parts of human nature. These thoughts exist already, the fiction does not inform, it may provide a storyline but so does Crime and Punishment, and The Bible, and we do not see these works as informing murderers to murder.  Our fiction is our strength.  It allows us to learn consequence without hurting ourselves.

It is not the gun that kills.  It is not the snake that bites.  It is not the disease I will catch.  The safety hymns of reassurance we need to remember to stay sane.  Of course over 99.99% of the people we know will probably survive the week and if we all behave, well and good.  Violence is visible in a moderate environment.  We believe outbreaks can be quickly contained, quelled and increasingly these days crave harsh decisive treatment by the police.

The London Olympics.  Isn’t it nice for the Tory government to be seen by the world for the next few weeks having the military providing a security presence.  It is seem almost logical to get them dressed in mufti.  No!  That would be even creepier.  The cameras of the world will record the UK in the guise of a military dictatorship.  And maybe that’s fair.  It has been hard to discern Osbornomics as much apart from a grand Malthusian erosion of the needs of the state by shipping the poor off to forgotten council estates to fend for their financial existence he is exerting a kind of social totalitarianism.  But now they exert a show of the military for the most watched World gathering of sports.  I think that it is a Government ploy, a kind of show-piece Falklands – a Thatcherite glow of austerity for people and freedom of the corporate monster to consume them.

Countries survived on bluster backed by destructive power and domination.  Bluster is only useful if it can be backed by military force.  Something Britain had talent for.  It is a dishonest assessment of our safety and economic state.

It guns become part of the culture, when citizens bear deadly force, you probably need a functioning social infrastructure without the usual feeders of crime.  It still does not stop those with emotional demons or subverted realities from acting out drama with a deadly set of consequences.