London and the Myth of Innosence

London, and the Myth of Innocence

The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking...the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker.

- Albert Einstein

The so-called “war on terror” has to be the most one-sided major military conflict in history. Since September 11, 2001, the world's only super-power has invaded 2 countries and added to the more than 700 foreign bases it had prior to the destruction of the World Trade Center.

Thursday's bombings in London should be a wake-up call for the West, but probably won't be. Tony Blair's laboured rhetoricd does not suggest the gentleman is for turning, but rather, is determined that more of the same must, sooner or later, produce the desired results.

And meanwhile, our chattering class is breathless with the effort to state the obvious: That murdering innocent people by blowing them up in subways and buses is Not a Nice Thing To Do; that those responsible for the London bombings are “evil”, “barbaric” and most likely foul-smelling and short, to boot.

Despite the luxurious wealth enjoyed by those of us in the West, along with the burgeoning middle-classes in former Third World states like India and China, our world is rushing headlong towards a cliff all of us can see if only we open our eyes.

Global climate change; over-population; environmental degradation; and imperialism designed to maintain the current power-structure – all of these problems are bad and getting worse. If we are going to survive the next century, we must break the habit of thinking that we are not, in part, responsible when bad things are done to us.

( Read more )