Rambling On and On

Last week when I rambled about waking up in the middle of the night and watching ironic videos, tacky infomercials for unneeded gadgets and repeats of news programs, I went off about some of my fears about homegrown terrorism. As much as I would like to talk about another great run by Michigan State in the NCAA basketball tournament or PMS'ing about my personal travails, yesterday there were a couple of incidents of terrorism here and overseas that are dominating my thoughts.

One of the reasons that people in the United States tend to be ignorant of what is happening with the rest of the world is due in a large part to its isolation. Also, unlike other continents, our history is one where America has been the dominant presence in the hemisphere. We've only had to worry about us. There are no long standing relations with 'mother countries' and that plays a big part in our ignorance of what happens in the world.

Russia has had a problem with Chechen separatist since the 90's. The old Soviet Union covers a vast area that encompasses 10 time zones. It is an combination of many different nationalities forced together. With the fall of Communism, I am figuring all these groups felt empowered to make their bid for self rule. Several of the more cohesive and stronger republics did just that. Others weren't allowed to break away.

NOW, I'M NO STUDENT OF SOCIAL CULTURE

So two Muslim women suicide bombers struck in Moscow. Watching the story on BBC America, ironically enough, to try to avoid the shivers that the Hutaree story were giving me, I thought 'why didn't Chechnya gain their freedom along with the other big republics?' Could it be that Chechnya also contains vital natural resources... access to the Middle East? Or is it that area has been a part of Russia for so long that the 'national ego' of Russia would suffer at the loss of that much land.

Who can say? I know I can't. But there is so much internal strife going on within Russia's borders that maybe they didn't have the time to protest too much when the United States decided to wage war in Iraq and in Afghanistan... the latter serving as 'Trojan Horse' of lessons, perhaps?

Other than being homegrown terrorists, the Hutaree Militia has nothing in common with the Chechen Muslims. You could make a case that they are both religious extremists, but I don't see that connection. The kind of extremism that the cats in Michigan displayed is a whole 'nother kind of crazy. When the story first broke, I thought I would do a more tongue- in- cheek, 'I like white people' kind of entry. But as I heard more and more about the intentions of the group, I decided to change my tack.

Whenever I hear about apocalyptic prophecy and armed groups moving to instigate an end of times scenario, one where they are among the select few to 'ascend' if you will, I think that you will find a bunch of people that have given up hope in ANYTHING.

PATH TO DESPAIR

The lives of people who believe that they are so chosen that they are going to be among those select few to go on to paradise are dark and bleak. They have lost hope in themselves and look to something outside of themselves for anything that explains why they are where they are and what needs to happen for them to be in a better place.

One of the cats on Anderson Cooper 360 last night said that the Hutaree Militia was part of what he called 'the Hate-triot' movement. That pretty much captures what I think is going on as well. I don't think that the ties that the Militia or even going back to the Branch Davidians have to mainstream religion has anything to do with actual practicing of any particular faith. These people are hopeless and when you lack hope, hate is waiting to fill that void.

There is a reason that these seperatist groups lack diversity. They believe that they are being put upon, oppressed, by a social order intent on taking away their place in society as set by divine prophecy. A prophecy where 'a white America is a strong America'. Where people of color are called 'mud people' and other than insuring the purity of the race, women are often no better than indentured servants.

BOY, I COULD USE AN EDITOR

Then again, I don't know if this would be an actual 'diary' if things made 'sense' the way others folks journals do. If I am writing here for 'entertainment purposes', then who do I hope to entertain? A lot of time I am 'jus' talkin' as I am doing now. Anywho...

Militia movements and the groups that operate within our borders are the terrorists that I worry about. From the 'lone wolf' terrorists that you can't do nothing about but hope that they are neutralized (one of the cats mentioned James W. Von Brunn, who set upon the Holocaust Memorial) before they can do too much damage, to these hate group cats whose memebers are plotting all kind of urban warfare. The odds that me and a high value target conincides with Al-Queda are remote. But the chances that I stumble into some kind of hate group violence, while still long, are not so farfetched to where I completely ignore them.