2004

In our occasional series, When Aviation Security Attacks, we bring you this, the story of a man who: “discovered the weapon while unpacking in Israel after a visit to Germany, reports Israeli daily Haaretz. He immediately reported the find to the police only to be told that the weapon, which had been de-activated, was part…

An interesting document to say the least. For a start, there is that old Ranter issue concerning Geoff Hoon and his remarkably confident denials that anything had gone wrong at all. You may remember that he stated in Parliament that: “All the requisite numbers of boots and clothing and equipment were there and, having only…

An interesting article in Wired seems to agree rather with my last post, as well as giving me the priceless gift of a new word, “security theatre”, or official activity intended to convey a false impression of security. (Thanks due to Slugger O’Toole)..Mind you, it also bears out something I think I lost given the…

I’m beginning to think that the real strength of terrorism is the fact that its targets can be diversified faster than countermeasures. Whatever is hardened or checked or monitored, there will always be something else. Probably because the nature of terrorism is to use the social infrastructure as a weapon – trains are of course…

We have been invited to join the Social Democracy webring.

The Ranter welcomes two new blogrollers, Gregorian Rants, and Life in the Crescent. Thanks.

Why? Because it scares me. Because it endangers my mental health by inducing me to snarl and grrr at the babbling noisebox in my living room. Because it makes me feel fascism is coming soon. No, this is not the beginning of a counter-I Believe in the BBC campaign. It’s not the reporting or the…

1. Somebody has to be unnecessarily arrogant. 2. Someone else has to be unreasonably stubborn. 3. Both have to develop severe target fixation. 4. The whole must involve the institutions society sets up to prevent these occasions. 5. Stir. So – all these have now been followed, and we have a crisis! Now, the Ranter…

“Ballet is the one form of theater where nobody speaks a foolish word all evening—nobody on the stage at least. That’s why it becomes so popular in any civilized country during a war.” Edwin Denby, Dance Writings from Dual Loyalty. Very wise. I wonder if, had he heard about this, his attitude might have been…

Does anyone remember something called the Iraq Communications Group? It was the team of spindoctors and spooks chaired by Alastair Campbell in the run-up to the war with Iraq that – depending on who you believe – either did or didn’t sex up the dossiers. After all, Ali C stated to the Foreign Affairs Committee…