Thursday 3 August 2017

Terror tactics

now seem to include possibly targetting one of our most loved events - the annual Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Show. It is an event which attracts a half a million visitors over ten days. It has a huge impact on the state's economy.
No, it is not just about the fair ground that plays on one side. It is a show case for the farmers who feed us and the many other people who are associated with such activities. 
I am involved in the event. I am a steward in the Open Art and Craft section. It's hard work but enjoyable. It is enjoyable because I see it as giving everyone a chance to show the very best they can do. No, it isn't about "showing off". It is about trying your best.
So, why would anyone want to target that? Yes, that is what a terror  threat would be targetting. Why is it that apparently anything we might enjoy is seen as sinful?
I had to bring the trike home from the  "trike hospital" - the bike shop - yesterday. It was in for an investigation after I had three flat tyres in the same left hand rear wheel. The bike shop I prefer to use is some distance away. I had to courier the bike there but Middle Cat took me down in her vehicle so I could pick it up and put it on the train to get it most of the way home. 
I just managed to catch a train by doing something I am not really supposed to do - ride it on the platform - but a transit officer was looking out the doors and gave me the nod. After all the weather was coming up and it would be nice to be home before it was raining as well as windy. 
We chatted about where I was getting off - the station at the show grounds so I could get on another train.  He talked enthusiastically about how much he had enjoyed the show last year. He was young. He had gone with a group of mates. They had seen all sorts of animals. He had a picture of  himself "talking to a sheep". "They're smarter than people think". He had bought his girlfriend a plant "And it is still alive".  He is planning to take her this year.
I listened and thought of all the other people with similar plans, of the children who are fascinated by the animals being shown and who find out where the produce on display comes from.
It is all something every child should experience - and they should experience it free from fear and from the need to go through metal detectors or any sort of security check.
Terrorists who target something like this are targetting life itself. It makes no sense. 
I just  hope more than half a million people defy them.

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