New Media

In all the coverage of the averted terror incident aboard an airliner on Christmas day — and another incident today, one aspect of the story that’s missing is the motive.

Perhaps it’s a good thing reporters haven’t delved into that aspect of these attacks, given the mix of willful blindness and bias on the part of mainstream media. Certainly, we would be treated to a list of supposed Western insults and interventions targeting Muslims and Muslim countries. Someone would surely bring up the Mohammed cartoons. Our foreign policy, from Afghanistan to our support for Israel would come in for criticism as well. And we would be treated to another parade of political scientists and community activists claiming institutional Islamophobia.

The real reasons for these plots and attacks are much simpler, actually: Racism. Supremacist ideology. Xenophobia. Fanaticism. The ugly aspects of human nature allowed to run wild. If the attackers were members of the KKK, we would not bother looking too deeply into the “root causes” of their hatred, because we would know that these are simply red herrings. But when Al Queda and it’s allies target our airplanes, subways, hotels, churches and synagogues, media organizations like the CBC, BBC and CNN go into full-scale disinformation mode.

Some would see it as ironic that these psychopaths, in trying to blow up airlines carrying white Christian descendants of Crusaders, are just as likely to murder other Muslims, secular Caucasian fellow travelers, or cultural or racial minorities. But it’s not an error on the terrorists’ part.

The point is to shut down air travel, period. Disrupt cities. Create chaos and violence in once-peaceful communities. Brutalize populations.

Once civil society has broken down or withdrawn, the Islamists can seize power. We’ve seen this play out in Afghanistan, Somalia, Gaza, Lebanon parts of the Philipines, and elsewhere in the far corners of the world. We’ve also seen it to a lesser extent in British and French towns and suburbs.

That is their goal. They don’t want to just bring down a few airplanes. They want to bring down everything. And then be there to pick up the pieces.

I think this is something we all ought to be talking about. Some decent media coverage when these events occur would be a good start.

Recommended Reading
Take Off Your Underwear And Place It In The Tray, Sir
The West has work to do
Separating Explosives from the Detonator

I dropped by the new CBC’s new broadcast center in downtown Vancouver for it’s open house. It’s a fantastic facility, but more important than the building infrastructure itself are the people who work there. I got a chance to meet with some of them, learn about how the CBC functions behind the scenes and discover a new animal species that appears to resemble a giant walking hockey puck.

I recorded my experience on my iPhone for posterity. I hope you enjoy “A Day at the CBC”.

While at the open house, I donated to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. You should, too. It’s a great cause.

More proof I actually attended the CBC open house

UPDATE: Excellent coverage of CBC’s open house at Vancouver Is Awesome.

UPDATE: Trippin with Hubert. Required reading.