This Will Never End

I really want to say something enlightening and intelligent about what is happening with the bombings in London this morning, but I just can’t. I’m just stunned and overwhelmed and swimming in that strange surreal sea of confusion, just as I was on that September 11th. It all seems so unreal and yet I can’t deny it happening. It’s like something out of an action thriller and any moment Keanu or Arnold or Vin Deisel is going to appear and save the day…and yet, there aren’t heroes like that in the real world. The real heroes are the rescue workers, the medical folks in the field and hospitals, the troops, the police, the every day people who helped strangers despite their own fears and injuries. It’s not like the movies. There is no happily ever after right before the credits. London and the rest of the world will have to deal with the aftermath for a long time to come.

And the saddest part is that I think that this will never end. There will always be some group or another that wants to wage a holy war against someone or some country or some ideology or whatever. You can’t wipe this sort of thing out. The War on Terrorism isn’t like any war we’ve fought. There’s no capital to storm, no country to embargo, no real cities to drop bombs on. These fanatics have infiltrated everywhere and every one we kill or capture is a martyr and a recruitment tool.

Iraq has become the ultimate training ground for terrorists because of us. We opened the borders to them. We made ourselves targets. We killed innocent men, women, and children and left relatives and friends with vendettas. We made this mess and we should take responsibility. We have to stop lying to ourselves. The world is not a safer place because of anything we’ve done since 9-11. If anything, we’ve made it worse by fueling the fire and giving them reasons to justify their hatred of us.

This is never going to end. There’s not going to be an action hero to save the day for us before the credits roll.

tags: London bombing, Suicide Bombers, Terrorists, terrorism

2 comments

1. on July 7, 2005 at 4:48 pm

   Andy said:

   As a Londoner I thank you. I have not lived there for many years now but when I was young we were used to this. The IRA mounted several bombing sprees on the capital and many the time I was subject to bomb scares. You almost got used to it. Routine. Since then we have had the mortar attack on Downing Street, The Iranian Embassy siege and a handful of well organised riots. London survives. Perhaps so many bombs have not been detonated together like today but we were expecting it.

   However, I am not sure I agree that there is no Action-Hero. They may not be in place yet but the role is open and available for someone to step in and take a great step. And he/she probably has to be American because of the power base.

   Firstly, they have to stand up to the Jewish lobby back home and sort Israel out. Israel has the right to exist and long may it do so but it’s treatment of Palestinians has been outrageous - almost as if they have forgotten their own history. There has to be a proper State of Palestine without Israeli interference and that has to include access to Jerusalem. This is the critical path.

   Secondly, make a promise to keep American noses out of other countries business. If you don’t like the way they behave then lobby, use the UN properly, give the UN ‘teeth’ even, boycott, cut off aid. But keep the CIA out of regime change and support. And keep your military at home.

   Thirdly - learn about the rest of the world. The Reagan administration did NOT destroy the Soviet Union no matter what they thought and said. The rest of the world knows this - accept it. China IS a superpower - stop believing you are the only one. Europe might well become one over the next generation.

   Fourthly - apologise to all the countries you have insulted or mistreated - starting with Iraq and moving on to France and Belgium.

   And finally, re-instate proper democracy and freedom in your own lands before trying to export it and foisting it on others. It went wrong in 2000 and is still sliding gradually away.

   Any American President who sets out to achieve these tasks can become an Action-Hero.

2. on July 7, 2005 at 5:27 pm

   nmallory said:

   Preaching to the choir, I’m afraid. I hope my fellow Americans wake up and see the true state of things before the next Presidential election if not sooner. I’m tired of feeling like I have to appologize to every one of my international friends for the behavior of this administration. I shouldn’t have to; after all, I wasn’t the one making the decisions. This is why it’s so important that American’s vote when elections come around. So many don’t and to me, it is our duty as Americans to make a intelligent, informed choices about the direction of our government — even if I don’t agree with everyone else’s choices. It’s time for Americans to stop allowing themselves to be led like sheep and start questioning everything.

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