OK, London Then?

[NismoZ]

Quite a story and filled with that political poo, I'm sure but...Certainly gives graphic meaning to that "blood on their hands" phrase! Looked like a meat clever and a carving knife to me not a machete but accomplished their mission. They ran the kid over with a car, THEN chopped him up! About 20 min. later a female cop shows up, fires six shots, wounding both attackers then gets them a ride to the hospital? Born in the UK, made reference to "our home"...(guess he didn't assimilate)...then encouraged others to join them! Do you think they waited around to be "arrested" because they knew they would NOT be killed? If the MISSION was a success then their GOAL is something else. Anyone see a trial accompanied by violent street demonstrations in London's future?

[Elmo T]

Seemed like a couple disenfranchised homegrown crackpot wannabes rather than some organized attack. Just as deadly and just as dangerous though. :shakehead

[datachicane]

I see a whole lot of assumptions and generalizations surrounding a hideous crime.

[Elmo T]

I see a whole lot of assumptions and generalizations surrounding a hideous crime.

Is that not the VERY point of the 24 hour news channels and internet news providers?

[NismoZ]

Press is assuming and generalizing that a 48 yr. old female Scout leader saw the event unfolding as she was on a bus. She got off, CONFRONTED the attackers, screaming at them, demanding to know what they were doing! Bloody Hands told her they were "starting a war here" and was invited to join them. Both guys were known and on a terrorist watch list. Sounds sadly familiar. That video MAY have been their ultimate goal. I'm guessing more people have received the intended message that way than have or will read about it any time soon. I am assuming their actions can be classified as radical, that they are Muslim and am generalizing they are well informed as to the necessity for Jihad. If it turns out they ran down a soldier by accident, were drunk or high on drugs and essentially were declaring war only because of family problems...then I'll just apologize to the whole world. After all, Bloody Hands DID say he was sorry for hacking the kid up in front of women...but then in "OUR land (Nigeria?) they have to see that." I swear, after he declared war he looked both ways before crossing the street, too. Can't be TOO careful. Glad the London Mayor immediately called THIS hideous crime an act of terrorism, though he was quick to NOT blame all Muslims OR British foreign policy. Again, can't be TOO careful.

[Andrew Longman]

Perhaps most troubling is that this attacked didn't use airplanes or bombs or anything that was in the least bit difficult to get or easy to control. Knives and meat cleavers can be bought at any department store. We all drive cars that can run people down.

And these guys stuck around waiting to get caught. They do not care if they die or are caught.

And they targeted a person in uniform who is supposed to protect us.

Almost impossible to stop that.

If it turns out that they were indeed on a watch list, then what else were the authorities supposed to do? More is to be learned but in the UK especially without our constitutional protections there could well be a leap to more invasion of privacy and more thought policing.

Even in the USA with our constitution, we are pushing up hard against demands to stop any and all attacks at any price to the nation.

[Gnam]

Perhaps most troubling is that this attacked didn't use airplanes or bombs or anything that was in the least bit difficult to get or easy to control.
Yes. Open warfare is difficult to regulate. Science fiction is full of stories about robots, assigned to protect humanity, that decide the only solution is to destroy, imprison, or subjugate humans for their own good.

If we can't live peacefully with each other, and the governments of the world will not isolate and destroy the death cult that is radical islam, their only solution will be to further seal us off from one another.

The facts about this incident, as they are known today, are very surreal.

[NismoZ]

Lee Rigby 25, father of a 2 yr. old, Afghan vet., drummer in the British Army...targeted because "he killed us...eye for an eye" etc. Greater Jihad, Lesser Jihad, good Jihad, bad Jihad...No doubt which kind of Jihad THESE guys are into. Very interested to see/hear THIS trial...of course that may have been the point all along!

[SteveH]

Saw a sign yesterday "an eye for an eye and soon the whole world will be blind"

So true.

[gjc2]

Saw a sign yesterday "an eye for an eye and soon the whole world will be blind"

So true.

I think that was a Gandhi quote

[Indy]

I think that quote has not been concretely attributed to Ghandi, but may be a restatement of his principles.

[Indy]

If we can't live peacefully with each other, and the governments of the world will not isolate and destroy the death cult that is radical islam, their only solution will be to further seal us off from one another.


My liberal side would like to view this as reactionary, but unfortunately there is some truth to this. Tolerance is an interesting thing. I am tolerant, but should I tolerate intolerance? Clearly at some point we have to draw the line, and the time is coming when the human race will begin to reach a consensus on the evils of religion. Until then the most violent philosophies will continue to produce murderers.

Can we learn to see the evil that we do and have the courage to take the first steps toward not inciting more violence? Will those in the "death cult" see this and respond with peaceful intent, or will they see it as weakness? Not easy questions to answer.

[Insomniac]

I think that quote has not been concretely attributed to Ghandi, but may be a restatement of his principles.

It's Gandhi (pet peeve, sorry).

[Indy]

Zing! I am usually the pointer-outer. I stand corrected. :gomer:

[datachicane]

There is nothing new under the sun.
-Ecclesiastes 1:9


As long as humans have existed, we've killed each other for reasons ranging from senseless to idiotic. The thought that a society can reason that away or, worse yet, beat it into submission with even more violence is demonstrably ridiculous. No heart was ever changed at the point of a gun.

As a society, our choice is not whether or not we'll suffer from violence, but in how we choose to react to it. Becoming barbaric in defense against barbarism is not a victory against barbarism. Do we lead by example? Do we aspire to be and do better? Maintaining character and principle in times of ease means less than nothing- it's maintaining character and principle when it is difficult that shows who we really are.