The USS Quad Damage

It looks like the poms are rather pissed that they got bombed. I'm not so sure what to think here. I have a co-worker who's from there, so I can't say I'm unmoved. However, people who get angry at stuff kind of confuse me. There are those who are angry at muslims in general, while others are angry at Al Qaeda specifically. I'd like to state from the outset that this post makes very little sense.

There's an article that's been floating around that's basically someone telling Al Qaeda to "stick their bombs up their arses and go home". The position is that they don't like their government either, and don't agree with the war, so killing them is beside the point. That's really quite convenient, I think, since the poms are living in their country enjoying not being bombed, unlike the Iraqis.

Who exactly are the poms angry at?

If it's muslims, then I have a hypothetical conversation between a pom and a muslim that kind of settles the issue, as it were. Things get more interesting when it's a muslim pom and a non-muslim pom, but again, the conversation itself is academic. It starts with "a muslim and a pom walk into a bar". It's pretty standard fare, really, and you can imagine it yourself, with predictable consequences.

If it's the suicide bombers they're angry at, then they're really barking up a tree which is saying "talk to the branch because the trunk ain't listening." Really, if poms were pissed enough to kill themselves after infiltrating an Al Qaeda base... well... we can clearly see who's more pissed off between whinging pom and Al Qaeda suicide bomber. In short, the suicide bombers basically have nothing to live for and someone to blame. The poms just have someone to blame.

If it's Al Qaeda, then arguably, Al Qaeda has a point. In actual fact, Al Qaeda don't really give a fuck. They're really an entity of hate that's gonna blow shit up, no matter who the target, or for what reason. They're on a power trip, and it doesn't really matter who's involved, or what's happening, as long as shit is exploding and people are afraid of the name they've given themselves. Back at uni we always wondered why all societies (which do nothing but hold BBQs) didn't just join up into one giant "BBQSOC", and made all the other societies irrelevant. Here I wonder why all terrorist groups don't just join up as one big group named "We have explosive." Their motives are more honestly spelled out this way.

Having said that, arguably Al Qaeda has a point. A lot of innocent Iraqis are killed, and no one gives a shit. That is, until a few close to home lose their hides. Also, if you follow the chain, it's America -> Europe -> Australia. Interestingly, I'm rather more afraid of Howard getting elected again, and that's something I've grown used to over 8 years.