April 22: Let's be controversial....

... but we won't do it in Section A. This is a real, nothing section. The big story, "Riverview poised for growth", is even a bigger yawn than one might expect. The map of the growth looks like 1950 all over again. Obviously, Riverview has even less of a growth plan than Moncton does.
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Let's talk a bit about the Boston bombing.

We can all agree it was terrible, and that our hearts go out to the three who were killed, the many more who were wounded (some quite terribly), and their grieving families and friends.

Now, let's consider other elements of the story.

Many of the stories mention that the terrorists were from Chechen, a Moslem section of Russia that has been in revolt for decades. And there are suggestion the terrorists learned their craft in Chechen. Gee. And where would the people of Chechen learn about terrorism?

Well, they were taught by the CIA, back in the days it was training both Chechens and the Taliban (and Al Quaeda) all about terrorism so they could kill Russians. (It's not a secret. In fact, the CIA quite openly bragged about it when the Russians were finally chased out of Afghanistan.)

I never saw any criticism in our news of terrorism when our side was teaching it, and supplying the weapons.

Terrorism has a long history in western Europe and North America. Just wihin the last century, we were the leaders in developing terror bombing of civilians. It was first done by American mercenary pilots working for Italy in North Africa shortly before World War 1. The Germans followed with dirigible raids on London, then, in Spain, with the bombing of Guernica. Churchill, as secretary of colonies in the 1920s, ordered the bombing of Kurd villages.  Much of the Allied bombing of Germany in World War Two was terror bombing aimed at civlians - notably the British attack on Dresden. Bombers of those days were so inaccurate that much of the bombing had to be of civilians - and so methods were developed to maximise civilian deaths.

The fire bombing of Tokyo in World War Two (worse than the atomic bombs) was intended largely for civilian homes - made of wood. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were terror raids. (oh, I know. I know. This was good terror to end the war -  there's good and bad terror just like good and bad torture. It just depends on who's doing it.)

Then there was the terror bombing of Cambodia that killed at least half a million civilians, and the terror bombing and poisoning of Vietnam that killed more millions than will ever be counted.

Currently, Obama is busy killing civilians on a daily basis in four or five countries - and without the silly formality of going to war. He is also, with friends like Saudi Arabia, arming, supplying and training the Al Quaeda (and affiliated terrorists) who are turning Syria into a hell.

Have you ever, in any of our news media, heard a word of sympathy for the millions who have been tortured, murdered, crippled, orphaned by our terrorism?

You went to church on Sunday? Was there a prayer for the three victims of terror in Boston? Ever heard a prayer for the millions of victims of our terror all over the world?

The result of the biased news coverage we get is to create hysteria and paranoia in our own countries. These attacks are presented as if there is no reason for them; and they are acts we would never, never do. Those "other people" must be animals. We have to hate.

What's why we are fighting "wars against terrorism". The wars are really to establish Western military dominance because military dominance makes economic dominance possible. But that's just greed - and you can't tell a nation to go to war to make our greediest and richest even richer. You need a villain. You need to make people hate. You also need an excuse to make your own country into a police state.

It's now over a dozen years that we've been "fighting terrorism".  Well, more like fifty years if you count them there Cubans who might invade the US any day. Oh, and them there Venezuelans.

Hysteria works. As a reaction to North Korean threats to test fire a missile and rumours that Iran is developing a nuclear bomb, the US now proposes to spend uncounted billions on a missile shield - and wants us to join. How nice for the US defence industry.

Never mind that North Korea and Iran have no missile that could possibly reach this part of the world. Never mind that US intelligence and the UN both say Iran is NOT developing a bomb. You don't have to think. You're not supposed to t hink. Your supposed to hate.

Oh, the US is now selling Israel refueling aircraft. These would make it possible for Israeli bombers to reach a distant target like, say, Iran. Israel says Iran will have a nuclear bomb within months. It's been saying that for over a dozen years.

The US and Canada have both publicly announced they would join Israel if such a war were to start. So much for the exclusive power of parliament and congress to declare war.
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For those thirsting to hear even more about a Moncton events centre, read the editorial and Alec Bruce.

For a sample of the value of terrorism in promoting hysteria, read Norbert. He praises the courage of the people of Boston when faced with a bombing that killed three. I must have missed his columns on the courage of those millions of innocent people who have died in resisting our terrorism.

Norbert says good policing is the way to handle this. No, Norbert. The way to handle this with honest news services that tell us WHY it's happening. Then we can deal with the cause, and not just with the misguided perpetrators and their victims.

On the op ed page, Craig Babstock has the usual piece of trivia. Allen Abel begins well but, as always, has no point to make.