Trust

So here's where my mind is at right now.

Terrorism. Australia at war. Well... not war, if Mr. Tony Abbott is to be listened to. (What's that? He's not?)

But seriously. Pope Abbott I says it's not to be thought of as a war, so let's not think of it as a war... let's think. Armed forces moving into another country to forcefully disable a powerful and international terrorist organisation...seems like a bit of a struggle... what can we call it...? Hmm... struggle...? Hang on! Struggle...jihad!!! It's a jihad!!!

"Mr Abbott, what are your thoughts as far as this new war goes?"

"Well, I don't think that it's a war. I think it's more of a struggle, a jihad, if you will."

"Oh, well... um... what are your plans for Australia's involvement in this war?"

"Please! It's a jihad! Jihad, I say!"

"Okay, I'm sorry... what are your intentions for this... jihad?"

"Well, I'm hoping that we, alongside the U.S., will be able to dismantle the terrorist organisation known as ISIS and bring about peace."

"How many soldiers do you plan on deploying in the future?"

"Not soldiers, jihadists!"

"Okay... so how many jihadists are being sent out?"

But I digress. There's a lot of debate going on about whether or not Australia should get involved here. And here's my little glimmer of unpredictability... I agree with the decision. I think that this parallels World War II to some extent, and that this war or jihad or whatever has a decent intention. I'm not totally crazy after all, I don't think ISIS were set up by the U.S. to spread insecurity or anything like that, I think there's a serious problem to be dealt with in Iraq.

BUT, I am concerned about the future. I don't think Australia will be much more of a target than it is now, but I am worried about the almost inevitable fact that eventually, our guys are going to fuck things up somehow. I'm just waiting for the point where America decides to bomb the entire northern section of Iraq, or something of that sort. I guess it just comes down to trust.

To elaborate on that, I have much more concern over the localised issues we're seeing. You may have heard of the raids in Sydney earlier today, and the fact that the people in this house were found to have been planning the beheading of any random member of the public. Now, I don't dismiss the likelihood of this. I'm not saying this is a clear lie. But I, once again, have to say that I just don't trust police or government. When you look at every single historical conflict involving the U.S. in the last 100 years, the countries on its side always end up being lied to in some way by their governments. It's a matter of time, if it hasn't happened already, that terrorism threats become exaggerated, stories are fabricated, etc.

When you look back over history, I don't understand how you can't be cynical about what you're told. With all the talk over involvement with ISIS and how much of a threat they are, it seems all too strategic to just make up a narrowly avoided beheading in Australia and whip up the hysteria.

Like I said, I'm not actually making the claim that it WAS a lie... I can't draw that conclusion. But what I am saying, is that we all just have to be wary of what we hear. Stay critical, and don't take everything as gospel truth... because after all, who the fuck thinks we can actually listen to Tony Abbott?