I should know better than to pontificate on terrorism within hours of a terrorist attack, as I did in my 7/7 entry, below.
For example, writing about beheading Al Qaeda by taking out Osama bin Laden: what the hell do I know? This particular snake may very well live on without a head. And yet I continue to think taking out bin Laden would damage Al Qaeda and Islamist jihadism, maybe not fatally, but significantly.
I said earlier that getting the leadership of Al Qaeda is a special operations function. I believe that’s correct – to get them, we have to operate covertly in other peoples’ back yards. But when it comes to terrorism in our own streets and cities, terrorism committed by our fellow citizens, combatting it becomes a police function. Which should frighten all of us, because if the police are to function effectively against domestic terrorism they will have to be given enormous powers. And because the police can never be perfect, and because terrorists will get lucky from time to time, innocent civilians will continue to die. And every time innocent civilians die, more of our civil liberties will be taken away.
Maybe it won’t go that far. How many of you remember the second train attack in Madrid, just weeks after the coordinated attacks of 3/11/2004? The second attack failed – an unexploded bomb was found on the track of the high-speed AVE train on 4/2/2004 – and the bomb led police to the bomber a day later (thanks to Photodude for reminding me).
It seems the British police now have several failed bombs, and thus a load of evidence. I expect we’ll see, over the next several days, a major terrorist roundup in the UK. Maybe, with luck, they’ll get the ringleaders – the ones who’ve been inciting terrorism. And again maybe – with luck – rounding up the ringleaders along with the foot soldiers will stop the attacks. Before the authorities decide to declare martial law. Because that’s where all of this is heading. If it goes that way in the UK, it’ll go that way in the USA.
My, we do live in interesting times, don’t we?