India apportions part-blame for terror attacks to modern technology

by Michael Smith

After the horrific attacks by terrorists on hotels and other targets in the city of Mumbai (Bombay), India, on November 26, 2008, the hysterical online press tried to partially blame modern technology for the fact that the attacks were made possible.

It is, apparently, the fault of the GPS systems and satellite telephones that it was possible for the terrorists to attack those targets in Mumbai with impunity. Doh?

I mean ,folks, let's be serious, this is like claiming the knife jumped out of its sheath and attacked the person that was stabbed, for instance. Help!

A few days after the attacks various online media outlets knew immediately why it was at all possible for the terrorists to attack. On board of the ship that the terrorists may have used – nothing certain as yet on that – to come to India GPS maps and a satellite telephone have been found and it, therefore, obvious that modern technology must shoulder a large part of the blame for this attack having become possible. Wow!

And, in addition to that the email system is also at fault for it made it possible for the "Deccan Mujahideen" after the attacks to send messages to all the news agencies claiming responsibility. It is being claimed that the emails could be traced back to have originated in Russia,. Oh dear. Now there is Russian involvement there as well, is there?

Obviously, had modern technology not existed those attacks would not have happened. That, at least, appears to be some of the reasoning of those so-called journalists.

On the other hand, there are some that put even different angles on this tragic events but...

Some security officials apparently have said that the use of emails by terrorists is by now so common and widespread for them to use this medium to be able to spread their poison far and wide across the globe. I guess that the powers that be will – next – try to stop us using emails or they will claim that they must be able to have the rights to snoop on our email traffic (not that they are not doing this already).

In addition some of the same experts have said that the situation appears that that terrorists can use, without any problems and restrictions, use satellite phone or a Micro-Blogging System as aids for his terrorist activities. So, the experts say, we must now look at how to keep those high-tech tools out of the hands of terrorists. Oh dear!

Now how do they think that is going to be feasible? Only if they make the use of emails and such illegal or by monitoring all the emails that you and I, who are not terrorists, send across the world, whether for business or other reasons. In addition to that, I am certain, they would like to censor all Blogs and Bloggers. That would suit the authorities anyway, would it not.

We only need to look with regards to Blogging to Italy where the courts have, basically, ruled that Blogging is illegal, and that Bloggers require a government permit.

© M Smith (Veshengro), December 2008
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