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.
