I wish a speedy recovery, both physically and mentally, to the people stabbed at Leytonstone tube station. It must have been horrifying.
The following comments are in part predicated on a presumption that the media reports of the incident are broadly true. This comes with a serious health warning. At this stage after another tube station incident, we were universally assured that various official “sources” and “eye-witnesses” had affirmed that Jean Charles leapt the barriers and ran through the tunnels, wearing a bulky jacket with wires sticking out. All of those turned out to be absolute lies deliberately spread by the Metropolitan Police and the Home Office.
But assuming this time the account of his shouting about Syria is not lies, what we can see from video is that a single man in a very silly hat, armed with a very small knife indeed, can carry out a vicious terrorist attack with apparently no need for planning at all. Not even planning enough to get a less tiny knife from his kitchen.
Because, sadly terrorism is easy. As I stated recently, if I were crazed enough to want to kill somebody tomorrow, and did not care how I did it, who I killed or if I died myself, I could kill a few people without too much effort or planning. That is why the continual propaganda about “seven foiled ISIS terrorist plots” or “4,000 active Islamic terrorists in the UK” is quite simply untrue. If all those terrorists existed, they would not be so entirely unproductive. What the authorities do catch continually are fantasists, often children, boasting and “plotting” online about being terrorists. That is quite a different thing. It is worth noting that nobody has been charged over any of these seven foiled ISIS plots. Strange that, isn’t it?
As for the man in the silly hat, I fear he is mentally unstable. That is no comfort to his victims. The truth is, of course, that it is always the little people who get hurt. None of the 1% who foment, promote and profit from war have ever set foot in Leytonstone Tube Station. But their agenda is forwarded today. By its continual acts of violence and repression, the neo-con state eventually goads a mentally unstable person into a nasty, vicious and pointless act. They then use that act to justify more wars and repression.
For the security and armaments industry it is a very profitable cycle.
Nevermind,
No I am not a journalist, not sure where you got that from?
As for your claim ‘The taxpayer underwrites risky arms exports to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Israel, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey, and and to the tune of 400 billion each year’, did you mean £400 million pa? After a bit of digging the closest I could get to your figure was £763 million (sourced from the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CATT) available here https://www.caat.org.uk/campaigns/shelling-out ).
Have you a better link?
Again or would you prefer to call me a troll again for asking you to back up your claim?
Cheers,
M
More frequently I think they fail to be repayed, Iraq is an example, Libya … just who does now own the Matrix-Churchill Supergun? And the sales are to countries who definitely can’t afford them and even if they could ought to be spending such monies on their country and people than on weapons to eviscerate them instead, whilst pocketing tasty personal kickbacks. As it’s funny money, too big to fail players, the tax-payer is on the hook for the whole lot of it. It’s written off from the start as ‘lost’ a flexible massive void in every budget. Unions equate jobs making military toys as in some way worthwhile and a productive use of dodgy capital and a co-opted true-blue loyal workforce.
But try telling that to people and they don’t believe you.
On the terror front. Last Friday a Russian military support ship dared to have a person on deck with a surface to air hand held missile.
The Turkish foreign ministers complained and called in the Russian ambassador. he was told that this is not right to move through the Bosporus with arms drawn, the reply no doubt was that one can’t be sure of whom the Turkish IS collaborators attack next.
After deliberately shooting down a Russian jet, what do they expect.
Russia has since strengthened his base near Eriwan, Armenia, moving f attack/transport helicopters nearer to the Turkish border after Armenians felt a little threatened by the erratic antics of the Turkish Government of late. The base existed since 1998 and also maintains Mig fighter jets. Russia has also moved a sub of the ‘improved Kilo’ class into the eastern med, a hunter equipped with modern cruise missiles.
Six Afghan children drowned in the freezing cold sea near Greece, the smallest is six month old.
And Germany is sending all Balkan refugees back home, concentrating on the needs of those who lost everything from Syria, a sore point.
Most of them are leaving freely, otherwise they would loose their right to return.
There is no action or success in the Governments aims to interfere and stop IS propaganda, nobody is lobbying the satellite companies who could make a difference.
Depressing news that Caroline Lucas has resigned from STWC.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/12039333/Caroline-Lucas-resigns-from-Stop-the-War-after-finding-herself-unable-to-support-groups-recent-positions.html
Study finds that benefit cuts and the effects of poverty are inhibiting children’s school performance
who cares about these children? These future benefit scroungers will survive, they are resourceful you know!!!!!!!
We need more killing machines and mass murder weapons and what about those poor zionist? The shitty strip of land needs our 24/7 attention and help, and even more freebies in weapons and money and everything, anyone who disagrees are antisemi….. shits and should be put to trial and stuff!!!!
Nothing about the 35th anniversary of the assassination of Beatle John Lennon by Manchurian Candidate Mark David Chapman when similar stalker John Hinckley, Jr, could no longer do it, and the Reagan surprise of the American hostages release in Iran had been settled.
The only trouble with Chapman is that he had taken too long to do it, but the rogue CIA under Ted Shackley’s leadership, still went ahead with Lennon’s killing for fear he would supply devastating blowback.
The only trouble with killing Lennon is that it reactivated Hinckley because of his sole love of the Beatle, but when he was unable to shoot former DCI Pappy Bush, Hinckley settled on The Gipper, and his escape from death was ever so close.
The whole story is the biggest nightmare of American covert government.
Thank you for putting the troll straight Fedup. I cannot be arsed to reply. I have noticed the spelling is a bit haywire today. That won’t do!
Van for can. Van you tell the difference? LOL
Collolary for corollary (on the following post)…..
I think that she will have her reasons. Its also a sign that her work load for the ‘Keep Britain in Europe’ campaign has increased, Mary.
STWC will have to adopt a new patron, if they can find someone who can work with Lyndsey German.
Hypocrisy and humbug big time. cf treatment of the Palestinians by the Israelis.
An Orthodox Rabbi tells us of his good deed and then proceeds to give us a little teaching,
‘[..] I wished the poor man well and left him happily munching cake and sipping coffee.
A Jewish teaching came to mind Mizvah Goreret Mitzvah “One good deed elicits another.” This wisdom is traditionally understood to mean that the more one habituates oneself to do good, the easier it becomes. But another way of understanding this, is that through the good we do we elicit good in others. I inspired the barista, who would he now inspire? And how far would this chain extend?
The Prophet Hosea says: “Sow Righteousness for yourselves; Reap the fruits of goodness”
Almighty God, bless us with the capacity to sow seeds of kindness so that they grow beyond our wildest imagination.’
08/12/2015
Prayer for the Day
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Orthodox Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06s304c
Hypocrisy and humbug big time. cf treatment of the Palestinians by the Israelis.
An Orthodox Rabbi tells us of his good deed and then proceeds to give us a little teaching,
‘[..] I wished the poor man well and left him happily munching cake and sipping coffee.
A J3wish teaching came to mind Mizvah Goreret Mitzvah “One good deed elicits another.” This wisdom is traditionally understood to mean that the more one habituates oneself to do good, the easier it becomes. But another way of understanding this, is that through the good we do we elicit good in others. I inspired the barista, who would he now inspire? And how far would this chain extend?
The Prophet Hosea says: “Sow Righteousness for yourselves; Reap the fruits of goodness”
Almighty God, bless us with the capacity to sow seeds of kindness so that they grow beyond our wildest imagination.’
08/12/2015
Prayer for the Day
A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Orthodox Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06s304c
lysias
You have no idea how many people have been assassinated and how many more suffered from NKVD (Stalin’s secret police). If you put together all victims of CIA/MI6/Mossad together you would not even cover tip of the iceberg of soviet (and eastern european) victims of moustache bustard.
The only other bustard who superseded moustache bustards is chairman mao. He killed 5 times more people in China than today’s population of Scotland.
I think your comparison between NKVD and CIA is like spitting into soviet victims face.
Did Saddam Hussein ever make good the cost of the poison-gas factory we built for him?
The question is not how many people the CIA tortured, but why they tortured when they knew very well that it was not a reliable way to obtain intelligence. And the obvious explanation is that they knew what the NKVD used torture for.
I would say the people who spat in the faces of the victims of the NKVD were the CIA bastards who imitated the NKVD.
“No it’s just that you really are pathetic Fred.”
It’s you who is a brain dead retard who is happy to let the SNP perform abysmally in just about every aspect of government. As long as they are dangling the independence carrot in front of their noses thick shits like you will happily voting for them.
Dated 2010, the SNP were in power.
http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAY077389
The SNP ignored the warnings, they are the ones responsible, you can’t blame this one on Westminster.
Things corrode it’s called entropy, stresses accumulate. A Labour-packed quango was responsible for maintenance and inspection up till the middle of this year. They saw nothing wrong, wouldn’t spot an iceberg under their noses, as they saw no need for a second Forth Road Bridge. Scotland already pays a whopping share of the UK national infrastructure budget, but nothing, repaet nothing of it is spent here in Scotland, period.
The SNP ignored the warnings, they are the ones responsible, you can’t blame this one on Westminster.
Thanks again, Fred, for demonstrating beyond doubt what a good job the SNP are doing. The fact that you can’t find anything better to criticise them for than cracks in a 50-year-old bridge speaks for itself.
The problems with the bridge were common knowledge during the time Westminster was in charge of it. Then the SNP took power in May 2007 and 7 months later they gave the go ahead to build the new bridge. If the new bridge isn’t ready in time, it’s Westminster’s fault. The SNP should get credit for acting quickly and decisively. By what stretch of your peculiarly filtered logic do you apportion blame the other way round?
Fred,
Youre wrong yet again with your claim of Nationalist harrassment.
Im not a Nationalist and never have been.
“Thanks again, Fred, for demonstrating beyond doubt what a good job the SNP are doing.”
Try telling that to the people who live in Fife and work in Edinburgh.
Some of the commenters over at Medialens are not too impressed by Caroline Lucas’s STWC decision.
http://members5.boardhost.com/medialens/thread/1449585639.html
Moulton was good at getting shot in this case.
381 Jobs Go After Boat Maker Hits The Rocks
Fairline goes under after running out of cash but will keep on 69 employees to deal with existing orders, administrators say.
http://news.sky.com/story/1602080/381-jobs-go-after-boat-maker-hits-the-rocks
Oundle, Corby and Ipswich.
Remember City Link? Not so good there. The 3,000 employees were kept in the dark until Boxing Day last year.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/mar/30/city-link-collapse-report-by-mps-unjust-says-better-capital
” Then the SNP took power in May 2007 and 7 months later they gave the go ahead to build the new bridge. ”
The need for a new bridge was first identified in the 1990s but it was a structural survey undertaken between 2003 and 2005 that revealed how bad things were. The Forth Replacement Crossing Study began work in early 2007 and issued it’s final report in June of that year. All the SNP had to do was rubber stamp the report, everything else had been done and seeing as the 2005 structural survey predicted that the existing bridge would have to close in 2019 it was bit of a foregone conclusion.
“The need for a new bridge was first identified in the 1990s but it was a structural survey undertaken between 2003 and 2005 that revealed how bad things were.”
Yes. Corrosion of the steel cables inside the main suspension support which would be very expensive if not impossible to repair.
Nothing whatever to do with the sheering in the steel brackets which has forced the closure now which could have been easily repaired when they were identified in 2010.
Try telling that to the people who live in Fife and work in Edinburgh.
I did. This is what they replied …..
….. then with one voice, they added …..
Go on, Fred, the people who live in Fife and work in Edinburgh await your answer.
The need for a new bridge was first identified in the 1990s but it was a structural survey undertaken between 2003 and 2005 that revealed how bad things were.
Exactly. Westminster knew in 1991 that there were serious problems but they waited over a decade to find out how serious. That’s why there is no working crossing today – Westminster didn’t think the most crucial crossing in Scotland was important enough for urgency.
“Problems with the existing bridge have been known about for two decades.
Repairs would be temporary and VERY expensive.”
Yes, unfortunately the problems which have been known about for two decades and would be very expensive to fix are not the same problems which have caused the bridge closure now.
In 2006 an acoustic monitoring device was installed in the main cables. One by one the small wires they are made of break and a microphone detects the ping. They know at what rate they are breaking and how long before the bridge becomes unsafe. To replace the cable would mean closing the bridge for a long time and manufacturing supports to hold the bridge up from below while the cables were removed and new ones fitted.
The fault which has closed the bridge now is entirely different. It was identified in 2010 and would only have been a matter of fabricating brackets to fit over the steel plates which it was known were weakened. That should have been done and if it had been done the bridge would not be closed now.
So you think closing it in 2010 for a bodge job, covering over the cracks, which easy feel-good fix, hardware perhaps sourced from Homebase, no doubt would have itself failed by now leading to closing it all over again, with no alternative crossing, around now, is better than building a replacement, then sorting out the broken one properly, as is now happening. This problem is new, before there was a crack, now the cracked parts have moved apart, I’m gauging about half an inch, from photographs, so the compressive strain on the remaining, smaller area is now greater.
Well done SNP. Labour are gone, history, but the record of their half-century of utter uselessness, ineptitude and failure, of giving Scotland second-best or worse, lingers on.
” Westminster knew in 1991 that there were serious problems ”
Only with traffic volumes. The initial plan was to have a supplementary road crossing not a replacement. This was fiercely resisted by environmental groups and Edinburgh Council who had concerns about the additional traffic.
” The SNP acted with decision and urgency immediately they took office. ”
Pure spin. They sat on their hands for six months after the study issued it’s final report and really had no decision to make. It was either build a new bridge or have no road crossing at all. Whoever was in power at the time would’ve had to have done the same thing. Not really a bold decision at all and as I say all the ground work had already been done by the previous administration.
The SNP have to say why they cancelled the 2010 strengthening programme which might’ve avoided this problem.
Get Fred in, stick on some “brackets”, coat of emulsion, bish-bosh, job done.
Kempe said : The need for a new bridge was first identified in the 1990s but it was a structural survey undertaken between 2003 and 2005 that revealed how bad things were.
You said yes
This is the root of the problem – a lack of urgency by Westminster government. If it had got its finger out 12 years earlier, as it most certainly should have done, there would be a road bridge across the Forth today.
The SNP is having to deal with Westminster’s neglect. You are moaning that they didn’t throw money at the old bridge while building the new one. If they had done, you would have moaned the opposite.
You support a Westminster government that sat on its arse and said “it’s only Scotland’s vital infrastructure, what’s the hurry?” You’re part of the problem.