Going Kinetic?

In the wake of Sunday's bombings, a lot of anger threatens to blind most well meaning Ugandans. I would advise caution as to the way forward. First off, until the police produce evidence as to who the perpetrators might be, we are in the dark and every assumption is just that. The media has propagated the theory that the Somali militants, Al Shabaab, are responsible but no proof has been put forward and only their threats issued last year are being used to fan the flames of suspicion.

We also need to know who is in charge of what. The problem with most of our institutions is that they almost always fail to stand when they are expected to do so. We saw the army, police, fbi, I'm sure the cia, cmi and all those super secret agencies were there long before any others arrived (I doubt it though) but we still don't quite know who is in charge of what.

Apparently, suspects were arrested but we don't know from where and who they are because of the sensitive nature of the incident. I say that's a load of crap, and I don't use the word lightly. The idea of national security superseding basic human rights has been practiced by western governments and condoned sheepishly by many due to unwarranted fear. It is in such moments that evil men will take away the very last freedoms you possess on this earth, that men actually willingly give up their freedoms because of some faceless enemy. I'm almost certain someone is going to suggest we rush the phone tapping bill through parliament because of things like this, that we declare war on a people on one side of a conflict that we hardly understand. Why is it so hard to see that a calm, considered and measured response is what is called for here.

No, we will not slink away in the face of such reckless hatred but neither should we become that which we abhor.

Personally, I think there's a lot more sinister stuff to this attack and I for one would want an independent media that will not feed me everything the government gives it as fact. Here are the facts as far as I can tell

1. Explosive devices went off in Kampala
   
2. People of different nationalities were killed (76 in total)
   
3. The police hinted that they suspected Al Shabab militants but did not provide any proof whatsoever
   
4. Al Shabab spent Monday morning congratulating the mujahedin who had carried out the attack but did not claim any direct involvement
   
5. Al Shabab claimed responsibility for the attacks on Monday afternoon
   
6. I don't quite know why the hell people are fighting in Somalia. I know it has a lot to do with Ethiopia and Eretria, religion and of course I'm sure there's a mercantile interest somewhere
   
7. There are thousands if not millions of Somali refugees in Uganda
   
8. They are people like you and me and do not deserve to be discriminated against unjustly
   
9. Any such discrimination and the hatred it grows from will only serve to undermine our strength as a nation, our ability to bind together when we need to.
   
10. We are one nation, different peoples but one nation, if we lose that then we're doomed.
    
11. Respect Life, bind yourselves together for you will not survive the future otherwise.
    
12. The Enemy is War!
    

"Hmmm…I sense great fear in you Skywalker. You have anger. You have hate. But you do not use them."

"fear is the path to the dark side, fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering....If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will"