Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Australia's dumb would be terrorists

To say that I was a bit flabbergasted by the latest terrorism scare in Australia would be an understatement. I didn't know whether to be more flabbergasted by the stupidity of the apparent plan or the need to deploy 400 police and other personnel to pick them all up.

I really don't want to comment on the stupidity of the alleged plot. I think that this will come out in court. Equally, so will evidence on the scale of the official response.

Don't get me wrong. Officials have to take these things seriously, just as they had to take swine flue seriously. It's the nature of the response I am talking about. Perhaps we will learn that the plot was a really serious threat as compared to adolescent stupidity. On the evidence so far, I am inclined to doubt it.

2 comments:

Bob Q said...

Adolescent stupidity, especially combined with hatred, can kill. I note that these jerks went overseas in search of a fatwa from a compliant cleric.

Idiocy, yes. Now it will be waved like a flag by anti-Islam bigots, and those who support increased detention without charge. They could not have done their enemies a greater favour.

Jim Belshaw said...

It's difficult isn't it, Bob? You are right about the nature of the responses. We cannot necessarily control things such as terrorism in the short term, but we can (or should) be able to control our own responses.