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Commentary - Jul 7, 2005 - Printable Version
- London Calling
by Jeff Buckley
My heart goes out to the People of London. I can’t imagine the horrors of what has transpired. The thought of having my definition of the world around me ripped to shreds like that or of losing a loved one in such an event brings me to the verge of tears and leaves me severely nauseated to say the very least. I can only feel lucky never to have witnessed such an act firsthand and can only hope that I never will. You have a long road of recovery ahead of you and the scars will always remain, but if anyone can come out on top I know it’s you guys. With that said…
I would love to be able to agree with the initial “Islamic Militants” assessment of the situation. It fits so well and makes so much sense to the casual observer or frothing neocon. Those people who hate freedom just have to be responsible for the carnage in London. There can’t be any other explanation behind it. It wrenches the mind to venture thoughts of anyone else wreaking such death and destruction upon innocent civilians during something so innocuous as their morning commutes. Nothing to think about, nothing to process, and nothing to digest other than the sweet soothing sounds of an official government explanation. Easy like a Sunday morning, I always say.
Unfortunately, having turned enough stones over and having seen enough of the slimy-creepy-crawly things that lurk beneath them here in my own country, I can’t help but question the timing and motives of such an attack. Why did it happen now and whom does it benefit?
Tony Blair has stated, along with other terrorism experts that this bombing is linked to the beginning of the G8 Summit in Scotland – To cast a cloud over the proceedings. Of the several countries represented at the G8 Summit, only The United States, Great Britain, Japan, and Italy are over in Iraq right now. Why coincide a bombing with an event, only a few hundred miles away that has so many other countries present that are either neutral or opposed to the war? Why risk bringing in further support for the occupying forces from those countries?
The leaders of Russia, France, and Germany have since pledged their support and solidarity in the wake of the bombings. How does this help any “Islamic Militant” cause? Great Britain’s Ministry of Defense had just, days before, announced that they were going to be pulling massive numbers of troops out. Why do something to reverse that course of action? There is no benefit from executing this bombing if you happen to be a terrorist, strategic or otherwise. If you were to look at this act from a “cost/reward” perspective, it would be akin to gambling with the rent or taking your life savings to the dog track. It makes absolutely no sense.
So, exactly who does this benefit?
Well, Bush and Blair are both circling the political “lame duck” drain. Left and right, people are abandoning each of their respective ships. Pressure is beginning to mount from all sides regarding the Downing Street Memos and the Valerie Plame leak, support for the war is at an all time low, and approval ratings have never been more dismal. Nothing short of an extraordinary and catastrophic event could begin to stem or reverse the flow.
What exactly could help to bring people together behind their leaders, garner lost support for the illegal war in Iraq, and help along the hysterical drum beating for the coming attractions in Iran and Syria? What could possibly take the media and everyone else’s attention off of the Downing Street Memos and the Karl Rove CIA leak stories? What could make people look away from such issues as John Bolton, The Supreme Court, and…
BOOM!!!
As I said before, my heart goes out to the victims of this heinous act. You’ve done nothing wrong to deserve this and please don’t take my absence from the bandwagon as my condoning this cowardly act or being any less disgusted by it - I’m just not ready to point the finger of blame at a random group of Arabs just yet. Having witnessed the depths to which my own leaders have sunk to get what they want, I am not willing to be pacified with tales of “Islamic Militants.” Having seen regimes in the past and present manufacture their own disasters and evidence to mobilize and fortify public opinion for their own wars of conquest, I refuse to grant the governments of The United States, Great Britain, or Israel a get out of jail free card on principle this time around. For they are the ones who benefit most from this event, not any particular “Islamic Militant” group and certainly not any of the insurgents in Iraq.
So, when you see the headlines dominated by this story and the mounting evidence of lies, deception, and treason being forever pushed to the backburner, be sure to ask yourself, “Who benefits from this?” Before you throw your support behind administrations that only have doublespeak, deceit, and death to show for their efforts, be sure to ask yourself, “Who benefits from this?” And, before you allow yourself to be steamrolled and swept away by the inevitable surge of jingoistic retaliatory euphoria, be sure to ask yourself, “Who benefits from this?”
If you can honestly answer that question, you just may be surprised by the answer.
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