More and More People Turn to Terrorism

Each of these news articles dealing with “terrorism” was pulled from the last 24 hour news cycle.

-        In France two brothers were arrested for a possible terrorist plot.

-        Another bomb threat in Greece.

-        A package bomb of Greek origin was sent to the French embassy.

-        Yemeni terrorists mail bombs to the States.

The first of these stories struck me: two French brothers toying with the idea of terrorism. How does one get to this point in a ‘first world’ nation like France? The ‘developed’ world has seen more and more homegrown threats over the last couple years. I wondered what transpired to get people to that threshold. In my mind their conversations must have been something like this…

“This is one of those things that there is no turning back on. If we commit to this we have to be sure it’s right. We can’t take it back. “

“Certainly but we have been discussing this for weeks and you have not once shown me that this is the wrong path.”

“I thought the prospect of killing innocent people was evidence enough. “

“People need to wake up. No one moves in this world unless something catastrophic happens. People support change in theory but when reality comes knocking they choose the path of least resistance. Only when faced with a loss they never anticipated, one that shakes their world, do humans take a step back and look at the absurdity of all that we do.”

“You know better than 6 billion other people? You are confident that you know what’s best for whole societies, so much so that you are willing to take lives? How can you make that call so assuredly? Whatever happened to turning the other cheek, to violence never being the answer? Our faith tells us these things… and only God may take a life.”

“God does not kill people and he never has. We, humanity kill people. If we go through with this, people die. They die quickly, violently, and publicly, but if we don’t act they still will die. Not only do we all die eventually, but many of us die alone or we die with a broken spirit. When we breathe our last breath the only thing that will cease to be is our flesh, for our soul was taken from us far earlier. When a government makes a cut to healthcare, people die. When we make a purchase of some good from a sweatshop in China, our decision hurts people. Let there be no doubt, people’s everyday actions kill other people in this world. Our government’s actions kill people all the time. For them it’s a numbers game. You are only taking issue with the degree of separation of our act. So if we take some small number of lives violently but in turn wake up our entire country, make people take account of their lives, take stock of how this path leads to pain and emptiness, to a slow death… and even to you and I becoming terrorists…. well that is a trade I am willing to live with.”

…

This conversation sadly is happening around the world, and it originates some place deeper than economic inequalities, or even religious differences. In Greece, where multiple terror plots have been uncovered in the last week, people have been taking to the streets in mass protests against the government. France has similarly seen organized demonstrations, the likes of which the United States citizenry cannot wrap our minds around. Here in the States we don’t protest; we take the more passive approach of voting into power the last party that let us down. But the message remains the same.

People are looking at what humanity has become and we are finding it wanting. The change we’ve asked for is not coming from our elections, or from better jobs, or more money, and our desperation has more and more often been taking the ugliest forms as possible solutions for what ails us prove ineffective.

All of this turmoil is blamed on economic issues by the media and by our politicians. However, I think it’s simpler and simultaneously more complicated than that. I believe people actually wanted change. They meant it, even if we have never been able to pinpoint exactly what it was. We asked for a world that was more in line with what our hearts sense, and our minds struggle to make tangible. The last thing I wanted when Obama was elected was ‘strong job growth in the industrial sector.’ Instead, I wanted a leader that called on us to stop talking about ourselves in the aggregate and to move us towards becoming a better people. Yet, we have continued with nothing more than a partisan dichotomy I want no part of.

People around our planet have been calling out for the same change under different names for years, yet instead of making moves to alter the way we as peoples exist on this planet, governments around the world have been putting Band-Aids on failing economic and governance systems that never once have taken care of all people.

The trouble with organizing existential angst is self-definitional, and yet without some movement we will continue to see it manifest in the most horrific ways. Until we again take our ‘purpose’ as a serious question worthy of serious pursuit, we will continue with cycles of political pendulum swings, massive protests (in other countries), and yes, even terrorism.

Do your part to break the cycle today and love someone. Love someone you don’t know and then run as fast as you can while screaming as loud as you can till all you can do is laugh.

This is nothing more than my opinion folks. You are probably sitting at your computer right now shaking your head, mumbling something about how I’m a hippie or a commie or a something else meant to denigrate my sentiments without actually engaging the topic. Maybe you truly believe that conflict will cease to be if we simply give people enough money or things. I don’t expect to change any minds, but perhaps you will think about what I said and if you see me running by screaming and smiling like a maniac… please by all means feel free to join me.

In Other News…

The military tells the troops they can’t get high with fake weed either

Establishments that sell spice have been declared off limits to military personnel. I think everyone saw this one coming, and I am not going to say it bothers me that much. This drug has been linked to seizures, heart problems, and other nasty side effects, so we probably should not be taking it. However, I feel like I would be remiss if I did not mention that none of the aforementioned side effects have been attributed to marijuana.

Why are we inventing dangerous drugs to mimic benign drugs? Oh yeah. The drug war that’s keeping us all safe.

Norfolk City Council Candidates cry foul

The losing candidates in the four-way special election for the council seat in super Ward 7 are claiming that the winner, Angelia Williams, misrepresented herself to voters. Williams distributed fliers with her posing next to popular Congressman Bobby Scott, which detractors claim was a ploy to mislead voters into thinking Scott had endorsed her candidacy.

I have rarely in my life seen an honest campaign ad, or one that did not seek to misrepresent the candidate in some positive fashion. I mean honestly, how often do you think a candidate is found sitting at some family’s dining room table with a Black guy, a Hispanic woman, an Asian grandmother, and two white kids? It never happens. Political advertisements are by their very nature attempting to represent a reality that simply is not. It’s not right, but it is the way it is.

And now, something beautiful… A butterfly!!!

(Pic | Charles Lamb)