1988

Recommended: 

• Look for the child.

Glasgow

Larry Johnson has more on the ongoing British state of panic:

As events unfold I’m simply asking that folks take a big deep breath and try to keep things in perspective. Are there jihadist extremists in the world who are willing to kill innocents? Absolutely. Are they amenable to negotiation? No. I am not in the, “have you hugged a terrorist today” camp. However, we need to stop equating their hatred with actual capability.

If today’s events at Glasgow prove to be linked to the two non-events yesterday in London, then we should heave a sigh of relief. We may be witnessing the implosion of takfiri jihadists–religious fanatics who are incredibly inept. While I am not an explosives expert I am good friends with one of the world’s foremost explosives experts. Propane tanks and petrol (gas for us Americans) can produce a dandy flame and a mighty boom but these are not the tools for making a car bomb long the lines of what we see detonating on a daily basis in Iraq.

Same old song

First a bullshit terror emergency, and now:

Hardline anti-terror laws are to be proposed by Gordon Brown – including an extension of the 28-day limit on detention without charge – as the Chancellor sends a powerful signal that he will take a harder line on terrorism than Tony Blair. In an intensification of Brown’s plans for Number 10, which follows criticism that he has failed to flesh out his thoughts on terrorism, he will call this week for a series of measures that will infuriate his party’s left wing.

Isn’t that special?