Smoke/Explosions in Brussels

[Flying mermaid]

And mostly in the name of some perverted sense of religion.

So sad - thoughts with the victims and with the ones from the multiple bombings in Istanbul recently.

I think there are some people who just want to hate and kill and grab power. If they didn't have religion they would use some other point of difference. You note how the leaders always send idealistic young people out to die while they hide comfortably and hang onto their power and booty.

 

[QF WP]

Exactly, telling them that heaven includes 100 virgins or whatever nonsense and diatribe they sprout. I do like it when they are killed, as I'm sure they find out for themselves that what they were sprouting is a load of bull droppings.

 

[JohnK]

Must by those pesky Buddhists behind this, right?

No. Apparently it was the atheists this time.

 

[QF WP]

92 injured in the airport attack and 106 at the Maalbeek station attack, according to reports...

 

[QF WP]

Belgian flag flying over 10 Downing Street (at half mast, along with all flags on government buildings). President Obama about to make statement from Cuba - I'll stay up and watch it.

edit: Obama with his usual calm yet firm delivery of the message - we stand with our Belgian friends.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Just awful - Africa is having so many problems as well with terror groups.

 

[love_the_life]

It's just so depressing that so many lives have been lost, damaged forever, in this the latest of an attack in the name of whichever god the perpetrators believe in. Can't see an end to these at all.

 

[Pushka]

Well I can certainly remember the chaos caused by the IRA so this is not the sole province of a (perverted) Islamic issue.

The Crusades war all over again. Mankind sucks at learning from History.

 

[TomVexille]

Well I can certainly remember the chaos caused by the IRA so this is not the sole province of a (perverted) Islamic issue.

The Crusades war all over again. Mankind sucks at learning from History.

So true. Education is the start of the cure.

 

[Pushka]

So true. Education is the start of the cure.

Dare I say - Educating the Women?

 

[OATEK]

Well I can certainly remember the chaos caused by the IRA so this is not the sole province of a (perverted) Islamic issue.

The Crusades war all over again. Mankind sucks at learning from History.

I was in London when the Enniskillen bombing occurred (1987), and left London in 1990 just before the bombing at the London Stock Exchange. So the IRA bombings are still fresh in my mind. But there were also the Red Brigade attacks and others from various left-wing/anarchist groups etc that demonstrated that any ideology can be perverted enough to facilitate the senseless slaughter of individuals.

We seem to have forgotten the ethnic atrocities in Eastern Europe perpetrated only a few years ago, that have the usual mix of political, ethnic and religious that seems so often to be at the root of these matters. And there were many links between groups in Australia and what was happening in the Balkans.

I feel certain that ethnicity, economics, politics and other factors are as much at play here as religion, in the quest for power and control. Its a bit like air crash investigation - there is usually a mix of causes.

 

[Pushka]

But I wonder how much of the politics is also religion based. Catholics versus Muslim in (former) Yugoslavia. Africa - potentially Christian v Muslim. IRA - hell, even the Christian sects rise up against each other.

 

[Milefest]

Very sad news, my thoughts are with the Belgium people.

 

[love_the_life]

But I wonder how much of the politics is also religion based. Catholics versus Muslim in (former) Yugoslavia. Africa - potentially Christian v Muslim. IRA - hell, even the Christian sects rise up against each other.

True but I think that the rise of religious zealots is a result often of political or other ethnic based actions in an area. A climate of oppression will give rise to disaffected groups who see that violence is the way out. Sometimes these groups grow and spread out of all proportion.
So, yes, religion has a lot to answer for, but so does the political background.
Regardless of the reasons, I feel for those affected in Brussels.

 

[Flying mermaid]

But I wonder how much of the politics is also religion based. Catholics versus Muslim in (former) Yugoslavia. Africa - potentially Christian v Muslim. IRA - hell, even the Christian sects rise up against each other.

True, but I think those are just labels for something that seems to be inherent in human nature. We just like to have them and us attitudes. Private schools vs Government, Black vs white. Religion is just an easily identified point of difference and easily manipulated by the power hungry, cynical leaders.

 

[QF WP]

A BELGIAN taxi-driver has told police how his unexpectedly small taxi had forced Brussels airport attackers to leave two of their five bomb-bags behind:

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/... Mail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial

How it could have easily been so much worse

 

[Milefest]

A BELGIAN taxi-driver has told police how his unexpectedly small taxi had forced Brussels airport attackers to leave two of their five bomb-bags behind:

No Cookies | The Courier Mail

How it could have easily been so much worse

Is there a more credible source for this story than CM?

It wouldn't make much sense - they had so much planning and they didn't consider getting a taxi that would be too small? And if they did get a taxi too small, why wouldn't they book a another/second one? They had the finances to pay for it and it would be even more suspicious leaving some of your bags behind..

If that story is true, many of the survivors around the blast might not have been so lucky.

 

[dajop]

It wouldn't make much sense - they had so much planning and they didn't consider getting a taxi that would be too small? And if they did get a taxi too small, why wouldn't they book a another/second one? They had the finances to pay for it and it would be even more suspicious leaving some of your bags behind.

Not withstanding that the source may not be entirely credible, I would expect, despite all the planning, the actual situation would be highly stressful which may lead to erratic decisions when it came to the crunch.

 

[alieninperth]

Reports this morning that the attack was probably been in planning for a while but was brought forward because of the arrest of the fella (Al mcWassisname) in Belgium on Friday. Terribly sad.

I remember back in my childhood that before we got to the airport we were stopped and searched at the perimeter, ie before we even reached the airport car park. Bags were again x-rayed before going into the check-in area, and then passengers were again searched and bags checked at security. When I say searched, I mean the car was checked for explosives inside and out, then bags before/as we entered the building. Quite an operation.

 

[legroom]

Sadly I cannot see the end of this escalating cycle of hatred.

.... That is, until the affected community (singular) starts to disown it with concrete measures eg education, intelligence etc...

The apathy / sympathy needs to be squashed before any progress can be achieved.