A gunman who claims to have four bombs is holding up to 20 people hostage in complete darkness at a café in Sydney’s financial district…
The siege began at 10am (local time) when [the lone wolf] – who was previously known to both Sydney police and media – entered the Lindt cafe in Martin Place carrying a pump-action shotgun.
Shortly afterwards, hostages were seen holding a black flag with white Arabic text similar to those displayed by Islamic State.
(Sky News, December 15, 2014)
The “Breaking News” is that police stormed the café after nearly 17 hours of futile negotiations. Never mind that negotiating with a Muslim terrorist is like swimming in quicksand.
Reports are that, in the conflagration that ensued, the gunman and two hostages were killed, and several others injured. But it would not surprise me to learn that the police did all of the killing and injuring – given what seemed like the thousand rounds of bullets they fired just to kill this one, lone wolf.
Meanwhile, the opportunity clearly presented itself numerous times throughout this standoff for a sniper to take him out with one bullet….
In any event, this obliges me to repeat my view that, post 9/11, it’s almost always better to take one’s chances by fighting back as soon as one of these situations arises. For example, I can’t imagine terrorists attempting to hijack an airplane today and having all passengers just cower in fear and let them have their way.
The same categorical imperative applies to terrorists attempting to hijack a café or any other place of public accommodation: think not to flee in fright, but to stay and fight! And this should be the case especially if it’s just one “lone wolf” against many able-bodied men (and women).
This reflexive action of fighting back (as most of us would if a stranger suddenly slapped us in the face) would probably have the effect of shocking the terrorist into such paralysis that it would be as if he were hit by a stun gun.
That said:
It must be understood that no matter their collective resolve, there’s absolutely nothing our governments can do to prevent such attacks. That Americans reacted yesterday as if those explosions went off in Washington or New York should compel Westerners to focus on calming our collective nerves, instead of fretting about (or worse, trying to figure out) the motivation for and timing of terrorist attacks by Islamic fanatics.
(“7/7 Terror Attacks in London,” The iPINIONS Journal, July 8, 2005)
And:
I don’t know why the media always reward these psychopaths by giving them the fame they covet; that is, by plastering their pathetic mugs all over television and reporting pop psychology about why and how they did their dastardly deeds.
You’d think that – given the record of these psychotic and vainglorious episodes… – we would have figured out by now that the best way to discourage them is by focusing our attention on the victims and limiting what we say about the [terrorists] to: May God have mercy on your soul as you burn in Hell!
(“Massacre in Omaha,” The iPINIONS Journal, December 7, 2007)
Finally:
I feel obliged to repeat my wonder that such attacks are so relatively rare. Not to mention my oft-stated and abiding fear that only God will help if/when [Islamist groups] deploy not a lone wolf, but packs of wolves to open fire at airports, shopping malls, and/or sports stadiums in the United States (a la Westgate shopping mall in Kenya).
(“Lone-Wolf Gunman Terrorizes LAX,” The iPINIONS Journal, November 5, 2013)
My thoughts and prayers go out to all Australians, especially to the families of those directly affected.
Until the next one then….
Related commentaries:
Lone wolf terrorizes Canada…
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