I've blogged a lot over the last couple of years about the way that the reaction to terrorism by the UK and the USA plays into the hands of the terrorists by restricting our freedom and moving us towards a police state (where a hard-line salafi set-up will start to look moderate). Admittedly we aren't there yet, but the measures for NIR could fundamentally change things, as well as the current proposals for, effectively, internment. And along with worrying things like being fined for wearing a loud tee-shirt ("the police have already handed out £80 fixed-penalty notices for "crimes" as ludicrous as wearing T shirts bearing the words "Bollocks to Blair"." See here.). So it was interesting to read this in Wired News:
But then, in a society where large numbers of people apparently believe that they have some kind of real hope of winning the lottery, I guess risk-based decision making is not likely to play out too well. The real role of politicians should be to be proportionate, and despite Gordon Brown's words, I suspect that we still aren't seeing that.
Bruce Schneier goes on to say (this is the USA, remember);
Portrait of the Modern Terrorist as an Idiot It's useful to read this article too where we are reminded of the real worry:
Technorati Tags: Islamist, terrorism, UK, policy, civil_liberties
New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg, ... said: "There are lots of threats to you in the world. There's the threat of a heart attack for genetic reasons. You can't sit there and worry about everything. Get a life.... You have a much greater danger of being hit by lightning than being struck by a terrorist."
But then, in a society where large numbers of people apparently believe that they have some kind of real hope of winning the lottery, I guess risk-based decision making is not likely to play out too well. The real role of politicians should be to be proportionate, and despite Gordon Brown's words, I suspect that we still aren't seeing that.
Bruce Schneier goes on to say (this is the USA, remember);
I don't think these nut jobs, with their movie-plot threats, even deserve the moniker "terrorist." But in this country, while you have to be competent to pull off a terrorist attack, you don't have to be competent to cause terror. All you need to do is start plotting an attack and -- regardless of whether or not you have a viable plan, weapons or even the faintest clue -- the media will aid you in terrorizing the entire population.
Portrait of the Modern Terrorist as an Idiot It's useful to read this article too where we are reminded of the real worry:
New Labour has not turned Britain into a police state; but it has made it easier for a future government to do so,. Watch the film V for Vendetta for a comic-book view of it.
Technorati Tags: Islamist, terrorism, UK, policy, civil_liberties
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