Sad Day

I don't mean to get philosophical or political as neither is my strength, but how do you not mention the attacks on London? I think it's just so sad that things like this happen. The real core-shaker, if you will, is not the death toll in my opinion. In all honesty, not as many were hurt and killed (at least by latest counts) as were in the Madrid attacks in March 2004, even more were in the US attacks of 2001, but still... all those numbers pale in comparison to the death tolls that occur in countries I don't even know about, let alone things like the Sudan that I am more aware of. The death toll in itself isn't the scary part, it's how they attack. They, terrorists in general, seem to want to disturb the general perception of reality. I hate thinking that a cities like NYC, Madrid, or London can be affected -- they are my stereotype of civilized, stable places. Attacks like this remind the masses how temporal our everyday reality is. These comfortable lives we live are not our right, nor are they guaranteed. I think that I squirm, along with the rest of the civilized world, with that reminder.

Secondly, I am upset with the reactions people have to this sort of thing. I hate seeing the comments on away messages, in blogs, in casual conversations with people (sorry for the language, my blog is usually clean): "Let's bomb the bastards! Let's bomb the whole lot!" It amazes me that these comments can be made without the slightest hint of irony. That's what the terrorists think; you can see that, right?! No one deserves to have their country blown to bits. Bombing a country that you think might be the country of origin for the terrorists is just like terrorists bombing London for being upset with Tony Blair. I hear the debate over what the response should be politically which I think is a totally different issue. Sometimes ugly things need to happen to preserve a greater peace in the future. Maybe not. That decision remains in the hands of politicians who can make an unemotional, logical response to the whole situation. Still, the general attitude of bombing a whole race of people because "the bastards deserve it" frightens me almost as much as the original terrorist attacks.

My heart goes out to London; what an utter tragedy.