A lot of things are used as political weapons including cyberspace, civilians and the environment to name a few. In my lifetime, terrorism has always been used as a political weapon. It’s been a highly successful one, after all it got Yasar Arafat a Nobel Peace Prize.
What we haven’t seen, for the most part in the West, is assassination used as a political weapon. In the Muslim world, yes, it has been a tactic in recent years, from Harari in Lebanon to Benazir Bhutto. In the West however, we had two major assassination attempts within three months in the spring of 1981 with President Reagan and Pope John Paul II both being shot.
I write this out of a sense of dread that I got watching this video of the Christmas Eve attack on the Pope. The video is pretty terrifying and it made me realize that there have been a series of recent incidents that could have had tragic consequences.
December 24
AP: Raw Video: Pope Knocked Down at Christmas Mass
This woman tried to do the same thing at this mass last year and yet Father Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, said, “Ms Maiolo is known to the Vatican, but she was never thought to have been of any serious danger. If anything, the poor woman needs treatment, which is what she is getting.”
What if she had a gun? Incredible.
Italian PM Berlusconi has fractured nose, broken teeth after attack
December 13
According to CNN, “The attack at a campaign rally Sunday in Milan left Berlusconi bleeding profusely from his left upper lip and cheek.”
Feds: Couple crashed Obama’s state dinner
November 24
Sure, who could argue that Tarq and Michaele Salahi are pathetic fame whores. Still, the security angle of their reality TV inspired stunt has been underappreciated by the media and the public. If they had intentions beyond 12 episodes on Bravo, who knows what could have happened.
I wasn’t sure if I should even do this post. It should go without saying, but it doesn’t, that although I oppose his policies, I wish this president, any president, absolute security and safety. We (the civilized world) have been lucky that these have all been minor incidents. Hopefully, this is just a phase and not a sign of things to come, a bad omen.