Terrorist Attack in London

[Bubba136]

I awakened this morning with the frenzied comments of reporters describing the explosions that had just occurred in London. Please let me express my genuine, sincere, and heartfelt sympathy for your country's loss and to say how sorry I am that your fine country has had to experience it's own version of 9/11. I know all of my countrymen stand with me in your time of sorrow.

[sscotty727]

Hey Bubba, You beat me to it. Our hearts, minds and prayers go out to all of our brothers and sisters "across the pond". We stand with you in all this as you have stood by us. Hopefully the world can come together soon and end this madness. Scotty

[JeffM]

Agreed. My thoughts go to all of you affected directly or not about these horrible events of the last few hours. One lady I chat with regularly via another site has a son who works in Central London. He went to work early this morning and missed it all. If he hadnt ... ??? Jeff

[Pam]

I was very close to the 9/11 attacks here in NYC, we heard lots of people's stories of how their life was saved because they woke up late or they went to the mail instead of the office. It is with sadness that such great city had to go through this experience. My best regards to all Pam

[RPMindy]

my heart felt wishes for all those affected by the acts of idiots! I know what i went through with 9/11 in NYC. My prayers are with the victims of such senseless acts of cowardice! RPM

[azraelle]

With what everybody else has said, I add my prayers.

[Dr. Shoe]

Living in London, the bus that was blown up would have been the bus I would have taken to get to the West End (no.30). Next thursday, Ruth and I are planning a trip to Harley Street which would have been on that bus. Lucky we weren't a week earlier eh?

[asdf174]

Yeah no kiddin. Sucks. But nothing human beings do suprises me anymore.

[Arctic]

Too sad news again. 38 confirmed dead so far... It could be such a nice world if we would get along... Good luck to those of you in London...

[j-turbo2002]

Well said Bubba! I am standing right there with you. My deepest condolences to those living in the UK who have lost a loved one in this tragedy.

[Shafted]

At some point these assholes will piss off most of the world, and when that happens they will get what's coming them. Chin up, friends in the UK, humility is a good thing. My sincerest condolenses go out to their families and friends.

[micha]

I'm simply furious :P Many of you are talking about this massacre as if it were a natural phenomenon. For me it's the right moment to reflect our tolerant immigration politics! No secret service or police in the world is able to keep several millions of muslims under surveillance. Islamic fundamentalists in Great Britain, France or Germany are swimming like a fish in the water of our tolerant society. In my opininon Tony Blair is completely wrong when he says that only a very small minority is sympathizing with islamic fundamentalism. It's STILL a minority but it isn't a small minority. The most turkish girls and women in my neighbourhood are wearing headkerchiefs again. Some months ago I invited our EU-comissioner Guenther Verheugen for a walk on heels through my quarter rsp. in Berlin-Kreuzberg. No question that I never received an answer. He knows simply nothing about the daily reality but he is an engaged fighter for a turkish EU membership. I'm sure that the islamic terrorists are laughing about such clowns ... micha

[heelsRus]

Too sad news again. 38 confirmed dead so far...

It could be such a nice world if we would get along...

Good luck to those of you in London...

Agreed. My (and the people I spoke with today about this) thoughts go to the people there. I know they've experienced this before but still, it's got to be stressful.

I heard an interesting documentary (for lack of a better term) on our national broadcaster a while back about extremists. The premise was they are rational, logical, and, if I may paraphrase, destructive. They just don't have the same goals in mind as the rest of us. We CONstruct, they DEstruct.

It may be heartless but I can be thankful that there were only < 50 people killed. The terrorists in question, and those in general, are cowards. They hide behind civilians, in populated streets, in crowded towns and cities, don't identify their affiliations (via uniforms, etc. - are they ashamed of them???), and cause fear and loathing where ever they go. They are not honourable people in any sense. And their goals are very selfish - it's not for their God they do this but personal power. Greed. Power. All the things they blame the West for is what they suffer from. And they are willing to kill innocent people to gain it. We aren't. Maybe we should be??? (discussion point???)

We, in the West, in a democratic system (as it is), where we demand transparency of the goverrnment (so the terrorists also know what's going on), where anyone who does something "not absolutely right" (note the wording) is charged with a crime,... we are not equipped to deal with these people.

These people have killed an Egyptian Ambassador. They have killed (beheaded), murdered, many, many people who are completely innocent. Why? Because they want to instill fear. They are indiscriminant in who they kill (which religion, which race, which culture,...). They cannot be spiritual people. It's not possible.

With much! respect to Shafted, the Christian world (i.e. West) is a smaller percentage than the muslim world. We need to get serious with the extremists quickly if we are to have a chance. I have a problem with Islam in several regards, but then I have a problem with any ideology that keeps people poor and uneducated. Really... the Muslims can't even follow their own religious text (Koran) - or at least as I understand it, so if anyone can explain why women are second class (or third or fourth) I'd be happy to hear about it. Also why men can have more than one wife but women can't have more than one husband and can't work, and can't get educated, and followers can't critize the religions, and ....

Perhaps one of the things the West could do is not HARP! on the news. Report it and move on. Here in Canuck-land the national broadcaster couldn't NOT report it - in the hourly news, the half hourly news, the morning segments (the 1.5 hour morning segment was devoted to it and it ran long, followed by the hourly news where they "surprised" us with the news). Makes you wonder if the media didn't do the bombing just to report on something (yeah, I know).

I'm getting rather tired of this crap as you might be able to tell. How 'bout the entire world pick sides, duke (nuke?) it out and those left standing get to decide what happens until the next time? It's a stupid policy but fighting seems to be the only thing most people understand. Idiots.

Peace to the people affected by these heinous acts. A painful death to those that perpetrated them.

[WarrenB]

Terrible, simply terrible. I am saddened and dismayed at the killing of innocent people going to work minding their own business. My condolences to all the Londoners killed and injured.

[tal]

I'm simply furious :P

Many of you are talking about this massacre as if it were a natural phenomenon. For me it's the right moment to reflect our tolerant immigration politics! No secret service or police in the world is able to keep several millions of muslims under surveillance. Islamic fundamentalists in Great Britain, France or Germany are swimming like a fish in the water of our tolerant society. In my opininon Tony Blair is completely wrong when he says that only a very small minority is sympathizing with islamic fundamentalism. It's STILL a minority but it isn't a small minority. The most turkish girls and women in my neighbourhood are wearing headkerchiefs again.

Some months ago I invited our EU-comissioner Guenther Verheugen for a walk on heels through my quarter rsp. in Berlin-Kreuzberg. No question that I never received an answer. He knows simply nothing about the daily reality but he is an engaged fighter for a turkish EU membership. I'm sure that the islamic terrorists are laughing about such clowns ...

micha

I'm with you Micha.

Everything is possbile here, we had a few decades of positive discrimination going on, so the integration would go faster, now, after billions of euro's, and a spread and well organized european terrorist cell, we are stuck with the problems.

Fundemental islam at 'islam' schools, and mosques everywhere. Nothing has been monitored all that time.

Look at this Europen Arabic Liga thing (political movement), i mean, wtf?? Why are we tolerating this?

I'm convinced we should all be able to live together, but we know there are some rotten apples, so why not inspect them closer, or better, remove them from the basket.

London is a tragedy, i'm suprised at how little deaths there are... how lucky, it could have been much, much worse. But then 1 is 1 to many.

My prayers go out to all the family of the people and family struck by yesterdays events.

My prayers also got out to all innocent people who died in the middle east over the past few years.

[bladerunner]

Well the strange thing is that where some of the bombings occurred has a large ethnic population,just ordinary people earning a crust. Pisses me off no end. Many times we have been bombed,but no warnings.THEY ARE SICK. I am always going up town,just goes to show you only have to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and thats it.

[wheels]

Thanks guys for all your kind thoughts. One day we are celebrating the olympics and the next, we have this atrocity. We will carry on with our lives because we cannot let the terrorists win. Sadly those who died will not. We will remember them.

[Pam]

I don't think this thoughts are speaking as if this was a natual cause as it happened in Asia with the Tsunami. I can say, hopefully with no mistake, that we are all upset against radicalism and terrorism in every form. My thoughts and prayers go to all the people whose life was affetcted by this cowardly acts.

[Dr. Shoe]

About 4 weeks ago the leader of th BNP was jailed for making "racist" speeches in which he predicted exactly this kind of outrage. The Islamic "clerics" can say what they like with impunity and still take state handouts from the society they are supposed to despise! Makes one quite cross as you can imagine! :argue:

[j-turbo2002]

The attacks in London and in New York (9/11) are an attack on Western Civilization and FREEDOM. I am serious, Western Civilization and FREEDOM is a threat to these dictator thug islamics for they want everyone to live under a very harsh 14th Century religious dictatorship regieme. It has absolutely nothing to do with Bush or the wars in Iraq of Afghanistan. Hell, the majority of those who reside in the UK are opposed to the war in Irag and Afghanistan. As of yesterday, the Brittish were slowly pulling out of the region. Yet, after all of that said, London still got bombed and 40 innocent people lost their lives. I just only hope that the Winston Churchill crowd is still alive in the UK. I just hope that the Churchill sense of unity and fighting spirit to rid the world of evil are still there.

[Dawn HH]

Let me add my 2 cents here, as I side completely with all that has been said here so far. It is a darn shame,(read - DAM), that the peace loving people of the world have to put up with the likes of these terrorists doing their evil and dastardly deeds to innocents only trying to make their daily living. We all had better wake up quickly as no one is safe anywhere anymore, not even persuing our daily lives. It is a darn dirty rotten shame that things have to be this way. My heart goes out to all of those families who have suffered loss. Death is the only word that these extremists understand, but it should be their deaths not the deaths of innocents. I hate to say this, but there is only one solution here, to hunt them down individually and destroy them on the spot, no questions asked. They give our lives no consideration, why should we of them. Cheers--- Dawn HH

[Firefox]

I think the official reaction to the attacks from Blair, Bush, and the Queen was some way off the mark with regard to the motives of the terrorists. They all said something along the lines of "These people will not change our free way of life". In fact, only George Galloway got it right. He said, if we'd never attacked Iraq, these attrocities would never have happened. The officials are deliberately forgetting the fact we invaded a foreign country. The extremists gave them a bit of a clue specifically stating that the reason for the attack was "crusader" influence in their homelands. You can't win a war against terror by violence and invasions. That's been proven many times over. The only way forward is a political solution. The next time it won't be 10lb of explosive, it will be a nuclear device. The gritty blitz resolve of the Londoners won't help get things back to normal the next day because London or wherever will simply cease to exist as a habitable place for 10 years or more. Before that does happen, those in power should very carefully consider the benefits of political solutions rather than using their economic and military might to grind other countries into the dust.

[JeffM]

Please correct me if I am wrong but 911 occurred before the Iraq war. How could it be "if we'd never attacked Iraq, these attrocities would never have happened"

[Firefox]

The comment by George Galloway referred to the London bombings, not 911. Anyway, the crux of the matter is you wont beat terrorism by invasions, violence and stiff upper lips. You you will beat it by political and economic solutions. It's easy enough to condemn the mindless nature of terrorism. That much goes without saying. What we should be doing is addressing the root causes.

[Trolldeg]

Please correct me if I am wrong but 911 occurred before the Iraq war.

How could it be "if we'd never attacked Iraq, these attrocities would never have happened"

well, the US, Britain, the Soviet Union, and other countries has been meddling in that area for a long time, and the people there have had plenty of time to start to hate and develop extremist views.

[j-turbo2002]

First, the war in Iraq was justified and legal. Remember UN Resolution 1441? The UN (i.e., the whole world) approved it. Like I have said before, the attacks in London and in New York (9/11) are an attack on Western Civilization and FREEDOM. I am serious, Western Civilization and FREEDOM is a threat to these dictator thug islamics for they want everyone to live under a very harsh 14th Century religious dictatorship regime. This form of Islam is a religion of the sword and the followers of this religion will do whatever it takes to bring you under their harsh dictorial belief system. These people want control over you. It has absolutely nothing to do with Bush or the wars in Iraq of Afghanistan. These extreme islamics are just using this as bullshit excuse to bomb places like London. WE are bringing FREEDOM to places like Iraq and Afghanistan and these people know it. Like I have said FREEDOM is a threat to these people. However, if you want to go on being a mindless follower of the good-for-nothing, uneducated, socialist/communist George Galloway, you go right ahead and do so. The reason that London was bombed is that over time the UK has become nothing but a sewer of liberalism, pacifism, and outright doves. Liberalism, pacifism, and doves = WEAKNESS. The UK has shown weakness to the terrorists and hence, giving the terrorists the fuel they need to do their dirty work. Spain showed the terrorists weakness and look what happened to them. As long as the UK continues to show weakness, they are just making themselves another target for the terrorists and you can expect more bombings in UK in the months to come. This is why I mentioned previously that I just only hope that the Winston Churchill crowd is still alive in the UK. I just hope that the Churchill sense of unity and fighting spirit to rid the world of evil are still there. Terrorists do not attack countries that show unity, hence this is the reason that the U.S. has not been attacked since 9/11. For we are a unified country against terrorism. The idea that you cannot win a war against terror by violence and invasions is an emotional statement hence, does not correctly reflect that of reality. History has shown again and again that you can win wars by force, violence, and invasions. I am not going to go into a detailed analysis however, I will point out that World War II is a perfect example of this. To think otherwise is just ridiculous and I would have to say that you seriously need a history education. To win the war on terrorism you need two concepts: 1) Violence and 2) Education. I will explain. A political and economic solution is not going to solve anything – it never has solved anything. Rather, it will just lead to a bunch of worthless talking and discussion and we will be no better off 30 years form now. The problem of terrorism will still exist and we will have solved absolutely nothing. Case in point: The Israeli/Palestinian conflict. VIOLENCE I must admit that you are never going to totally wipe out the concept of terrorism because there are crazy/insane people being born every minute. Like WWII, we need the violence to get rid of the evil. This is what is going on right now in Iraq and Afghanistan. WE are eliminating the evil that exists. I do not know if anyone has noticed but we are not fighting Iraqis in Iraq. Rather, we are fighting a group of religious Islamic extremist dictator wannabe thugs from all parts of the region. We are fighting and killing those who want everyone to live under a very harsh 14th Century religious dictatorship regime. WE are fighting and killing those to who the concept of FREEDOM and LIBERTY have no meaning. You cannot talk to these people or have a nice dialogue with them because they are beyond that. For they are so uneducated to the point where all they know is that of what is preached in the extreme form of the Koran. This leads me to my second point: EDUCATION. EDUCATION I have said repeatedly that when you get rid of all of these Clerics, Mullahs, Imams, and Ayatollahs that the middle east and other parts of the world will be a better place to live. There needs to be an established free society of human beings who are not living under the harsh dictatorship of these Clerics, Mullahs, Imams, and Ayatollahs. Iraq and Afghanistan are the starting points. Because someday, other people in the region are going to look at these FREE societies and say, “See, look who great these countries are. They are great because they have freedom and capitalism flourishing. They are not living under a dictatorship or a monarchy.” Look at the people and children in the region. What exactly are they being taught? They are being placed in these extreme Islam settings with these Clerics, Mullahs, Imams, and Ayatollahs and they being taught that the extreme form of Islam is reality and that anyone who does not believe the teachings is an Infidel and must be dealt with properly. This is normal reality to them. This is why I keep saying that we need to set up some sort of Western Civilized education system in the region. Iraq and Afghanistan are the starting points. I am serious, these children and their parents need to be taught something other than extreme Islam preaching and tribal warfare. They need to be taught about ethnics, morality, right from wrong, family values, math, science, physics and that the secret to life is to live the dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. NOT to go and crash planes into buildings, bomb subways and busses, and kill thousands of innocent people just because they (FREEDOM) are a threat to YOUR dictatorship religion. What nonsense! OIL? Also, I am sure glad that this war in Iraq was about oil. I do not know if anyone else has picked up on this but oil is over $60 a barrel. Gee, I am sure glad that we are there for oil. Now, if this were really a war for oil, oil would be down to something like $25 a barrel. It just goes to show you the supreme stupidity of some people in this world.

[Dr. Shoe]

The reasons why oil is at $60 a barrel is because OPEC has scaled back production at a time when they know the demand is going to be the highest. Coupled with China's huge demand the price is bound to go through the roof.

[j-turbo2002]

Well, I would believe that however, OPEC really has not cut back anything. They have kept production at a constant for quite some time now. To be honest with you, OPEC really has not been the reason for the price of oil. What has driven the price of oil are the "other" factors in the world. China, as you correctly pointed out, is one of those "other" factors. There are more factors however, I am not going to let this topic fall into a discussion on oil.

[PJ]

I know very little about Muslims and the Quran. Can anyone explain to me just how militant Muslims interpret the Quran in order to justify the violent methods terrorists are using against their enemies? From what I have read in the media, the Quran supposedly forbids non-Muslims on Muslim land. Is this the justification?

[Bubba136]

The current problem isn’t with the “Moslems” or “Islam” in general. It’s with the interpretation of the Koran. There the two biggest sects, Sunni and Shiite, and then, there’s the sect that is causing most of the problems in the world these days, “THE WAHABIA MOVEMENT:” If you are really interested, here’s a good place to begin.

THE WAHABIA MOVEMENT: [New Window]

The Wahabi sect was founded by Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahab ibn Suleiman al-Najdi ... The Wahabi sect has two basic tenets, a declared tenet and a hidden one. http://biphome.spray.se/isllam/WAHABYA.htm