I'm ok!

I don’t know what to say about today’s events. Almost everything has been said. I have no interesting insights to impart as one close to the action. What happened today was an horrific tragedy that will be remembered through history but was it inevitable? Was it unexpected? I personally hope that this was the long-anticipated attack on London that we’ve been waiting for since September 11, 2001. I say “hope” because I want to believe that the worst is over and that there is not more to come. What amazes and indeed, shocks me even more than such atrocities is the amazing calm that the city has maintained. London has been waiting for this for quite some time and when it finally happened, people were prepared. Almost all accounts from people on the tube say that after some initial shock, everyone regained their cool and took control of the situation. Even with a bomb exploding 20 feet away, these people composed themselves and, in a (somewhat) orderly fashion, led themselves to safety. For the most part, people have stayed-put today. There was no bank rush, no stampede for canned goods, no wailing people in the streets. People stuck in enormous traffic jams didn’t bat an eye and didn’t sweat missing a day of work. It’s really very surreal to be faced on one side by such unbelievable disaster and on the other by such resolute calm. Of course, we must remember that these people (the Brits and Londoners especially) have been dealing with this sort of thing for almost the whole of their existence. War happens here and has for all of Britain’s recorded history. New York was, on the whole, a much larger incident with a much crazier aftermath, due in no small part to the fact that Americans aren’t used to occurrences such as these. The British faced the German bombs in WWII, IRA bombs throughout the 70s and 90s and even the missile that landed in Downing Street in 1991. Dealing with horrible events seems almost to be part of the national psyche. Unlike the American post-terrorist response, led by our inimitable president, the atmosphere here doesn’t show any signs of giving over to crazed nationalism and patriotic sentiment. People aren’t looking differently at Muslim people in the streets. I’m sure there will be a memorial service and much singing of God Save the Queen and the like but then it will be done and these people won’t then become totally xenophobic.

I believe, in his remarks today, President Bush said something along the lines of “our ideology will win over their ideology.” I hope I’m not the only one that sees something wrong here. How the most powerful nation on Earth could elect a religious extremist like George W. is beyond me. He makes me ashamed. Of course, ideology doesn’t immediately mean “religious ideology” but, given his past record, I’m sure that is how it will be taken by many of the terrorists. Why does it not occur to anyone in our government that the way to win is not to give the impression that we’re fighting a holy crusade? When up against a wall, the animal instinct says fight harder. The U.S. rhetoric lends itself very well to an interpretation of this fight as between Christianity and Islam. The terrorist cells will only continue to grow it they feel they are being persecuted on a religious ground. Naturally, their political-ideological belief system is ALSO at fault but I for one would sleep better if we had an intelligent leader who saw things on many levels and not just “good vs. evil”.

I apologize for the “stream-of-consciousness” way this post came out. I hope you’re all safe and have a fantastic evening. Do not let the events of today destroy your resolve for a better tomorrow. I will keep you posted, of course, on the way this all plays out here.
Good night!