NIGHTWATCH:
US: For the record. Declaring “war” on the United States, a militant Palestinian faction — Ma'sadat al-Mujahidin — claimed responsibility for a 19 January forest fire near Reno, Nevada. The group threatened more action and set a 3-month deadline for the “enemies of Islam” to “disavow” Israel's control of contested lands and its “actions against our Muslim brothers.”
Comment: Palestinians have threatened attacks inside the US, but the few details suggest American activists started this fire, if it proves to be arson. The group's bravado exceeds its demonstrated capabilities.
Phi Beta Iota: The fire was an accident, and the elderly man that disposed of hot ashes improperly has come forward. However, the combination of the accident and the false claim highlight once again how vulnerable America is to acts of man that leverage the sustained idiocy of what passes for socio-economic design. There is a race on between the forces of legitimate democracy and fundamentalist terrorism–not only Islamic fundamentalists but Christian fundamentalists and eco-terrorism fundamentalists as well as Occupy anarchists. The USA is now in Bill Moyer's Stage Six–Occupy was a grand success (and also SOPA, KEYSTONE, and the recall movements in Wisconsin and Montana)–but we are far from achieving the strategic campaign that specifically embraces each sub-movement for democracy as a distinct but coordinated elements. We the People Reform Coalition tries to do that but everyone–especially the Tea Party, Occupy, and the various splinter movements associated with Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, Ralph Nader, and Patrick Buchanan–refuse to consider a grand strategy–they are all still in the self-centered stage of “me is we” instead of “we is me.” 2012 is a turning point year at multiple levels–unless we achieve a non-violent revolution that restores the legitimacy of governances Of, By, and For, we anticipate a very violent 2013 – 2014.
See Also:
Review: Normal Accidents–Living with High-Risk Technologies
Review: Peak Everything: Waking Up to the Century of Declines
Review: The Collapse of Complex Societies
Review: Willful Neglect–The Dangerous Illusion of Homeland Security
Worth a Look: Book Reviews on Environmental Degradation (Other than Emissions)
