This would never happen here
Only a week after the car-bombing at the Glasgow airport, BBC Scotland aired a program which brought Muslims and local and national government leaders to the same stage to discuss terrorism, the issues facing Middle Eastern immigrants in Scotland, and the recent bombings.
Imagine that. Dialogue. What a concept.
One of the panelists, a human rights lawyer named Aamer Anwar, said this:
There is no justification for the murder of innocent people. The US and Israel, however, are equal to any 9/11 hijacker.
Why is the government so desperate to deny a link between Iraq and Afghanistan and what happened in London and Glasgow?
We should not differentiate between a Stealth bomber and a suicide bomber. The effects are exactly the same. They kill innocent people.
He was joined on stage by leaders of local and national government, none of whom shouted for him to be hauled off and tortured. Instead, they engaged in healthy debate about the real issues facing immigrants, the causes of terrorism, and the need for greater communication.
There's no way on Earth such a discussion could ever happen in this dysfunctional country of ours. Wingnut politicians and their enablers in the media would be incandescent with rage. The message would be drowned out by the noise.
So, whose democracy is stronger: ours or theirs?