Climate activists are gathering in a perimeter area outside Heathrow Airport to stage a camped protest (Camp for Climate Action) against Heathrow's operating authority, BAA, and raise awareness of the harm that the aviation industry contributes towards the catch-all phrase that is global warming. I am usually tolerant and even respectful of some of these protest activities that are carried out around the world, but this particular camp does not sit too well with me.

In the organisers' own words: there will be a day of mass direct action aiming to disrupt the activities of the airport and the aviation industry.

Catchy? Quite so.

Plausible? Definitely.

Chaotic? But of course.

Superimpose this potential disruption against the fact that Heathrow experiences one of its largest traffic volumes during this period of time.. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise that this compounds the already difficult task of counter-terrorist vigilance at this very busy airport.

Surely it is something good to have an ideal in mind, and campaign for it. No harm done there, and I support the benevolence of the intention. However, in the case of these camp organisers and supporters, what has happened to the consideration and respect for air passengers who are fellow human beings? And in the light of the current global terrorism threat, are they truly being responsible towards fellow global citizens?

I know there will be some people who will smirk at my ideological brand of "for the greater good", but seriously give this a think. Terrorism is a real and ever-present danger. The camp organisers can easily shift their venue and proposed activities elsewhere; it is not all that hard to swallow. But once the camp is up and running, and a terror threat suddenly emerges, what may happen? I leave you to paint your own scenarios.

Yes, we do live in an age of unrivalled democracy and individual rights, but that only applies in certain contexts, and I must emphasise the word "context" over and over again. In this particular circumstance that we find ourselves in, it is crucial that individuals concede certain private rights for the benefit of humankind and society as a whole.

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The Malaysian Salsa Festival was a blast and I am sure that most, if not all, the participants had a smashing time there. A short review to be up, hopefully soon, depending on when I manage to finish clearing a backlog of work.. :p

Meanwhile, a big thank you to Lin and her organising committee for doing such a wonderful job with the event management! :)

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And it is a more-than-words kind of situation yet again. Bah.