For all those who have had enough of Christmas for one year, here is an excellent paragraph i have just read in a report on terrorists. It is very good and hits the nail right on the head. The terrorist enjoys not only notoriety, but in some circles glamour of a sort that mere organised crime or robbery could never confer. By spreading destruction and fear, he may hope for rewards in this world, or the next. But he is not the only person to have an interest in magnifying the threat. Terrorism swells the budgets of military, security, intelligence and police forces, universities, publishers and film studios. It provides the ideal reason – or excuse – for the introduction of repressive laws. It makes the careers of politicians, police officers, civil servants, academics, analysts, lawyers and demagogues. It sells security fences, armoured cars and CCTV cameras; and it attracts readers and viewers to the media, to the mutual benefit of the terrorist seeking publicity, the expert called upon to opine and the media seeking an audience.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 17:14:15 +0000