Mood: Rage.
Music: The sound of wailing sirens.
Game: This isn't a game.
Book: Fearful Warriors, Ralph K. White
Muffin: None.
Punchline: None.
As you've heard (or more unfortunately, been near,) explosives set with timers detonated within minutes of each other on public transport in London yesterday afternoon; 4 explosions inside of 19 minutes.
So far, 30 killed, hundreds wounded, over 150 seriously.
I spent a lot of time after 9/11 trying to understand, reconcile, remotely comprehend, how someone or a group of people could and would kill people at random, merely to provide a "message" of some sort.
What is that message? That you're deranged psychopaths? That you don't have a sane, rational way to explain your position? That you are so fucked up that the only way you communicate is by killing people, who may or may not agree with you, merely because they happen to be in proximity of your outlashing?
Every time some lunatic or group of lunatics does something like this, all it does is strengthen the resolve of the people they're bombing. They're using language that everyone agreed not to use, and now, everyone puts aside their differences and pushes against the common threat. Instead of convincing people to leave your country, your religion, your region, you're convincing the ones who were on your side that the other side may not be perfect, but they're not crazed lunatics.
London went through a series of bombings in the 70s and early 80s. The IRA was pretty ticked off about somesuch and decided that randomly killing people seemed like a good idea. There were lots of bombs. People in London were literally in fear for their lives. Some arrangement or agreement was made with the IRA, and the IRA stopped bombing London and started bombing Ireland.
While I lived in London, it wasn't THAT uncommon of an occurrence for a bomb to detonate in a pub or place of business. It happened at least four or five times in the 4 years I lived there. People just shrugged and shook their heads at the senseless violence. They were pretty much desensitized to it, and the bombs that went off rarely killed anyone...they just did a mess of property damage, and people would be hurt, and once or twice, a few people died. They usually caught the ones who did it.
There's so much in my head, and I can't seem to straighten it out to write about it. The following is just a series of fragments and thoughts, since I can't seem to stay focused enough to remain linear.
I lived in London, that I've been through those stations, I've ridden on those trains. I know the shock of being through this experience, and I know that Londoners will be on the tubes and trains and buses this morning, as they can. I know they will be apprehensive, but they'll keep showing up.
Londoners lived through the Blitz. They lived through the IRA bombings. And they'll get through this.
I noticed that these fuckers used timers...didn't blow themselves up. Must be realizing that the whole martyr thing is overrated.
I believe that all my friends are safe and unharmed. My heart and strength goes out to the people of London.
They will find these people. You can count on that. And I hope they hurt them badly when they do.
And these assholes just gave Blair and Bush another free pass for the wars they're playing in the Middle East for the next few months. Thanks a lot. I wish these people would think.
I am not afraid of such things happening here...because I can't control it, any more than I can control the weather. I can prepare, vaguely, and I can learn first aid and what to do in an emergency, which I've done. Other than that? Live my life the way I always have. I'm not one of those chicken fucks who refuse to ride the subways after such an event. There are car accidents every day in New York...do those people stop driving, too?
Anyway, I'm sorry, London. I'm sorry that they've decided to fuck with you, too. You're in good company.
Posted by Glenn at July 8, 2005 01:06 PM