Beating Terror with Calm

[marmar]

from Der Spiegel:



In the years since 9/11, the response to acts of terror has been disproportionately strong in the United States. After Boston, President Obama took pains to remain calm, breaking with a deplorable tradition. The more routine our response to these crimes, the weaker they become.

The flashes of two explosions, severed limbs, three dead, including a child, thousands of innocent people attacked by murderers who transformed a cheerful day in the worst way possible. That's what happened in Boston, and the bad news is: It will happen again, sooner or later, in another place and at another time, because this is the world in which we live today.

What happened in Boston is part of everyday life in Baghdad and Kabul, a constant threat in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and a nagging fear in Moscow, Lahore and Islamabad. Major acts of violence have become traumatic events in Beslan in the Russian Republic of North Ossetia, in Balinese and Tunisian villages, in Egypt, Algeria and Norway. They have engraved themselves into the history of large, proud cities like London, Madrid, Mumbai and Marrakesh, Istanbul, Jakarta and New York.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, these places have all seen terrorist attacks committed by murderers motivated by the delusions of Islamism or right-wing extremism, or the master plans of nationalism and separatism. Of course, none of these -isms can ever amount to more than half-baked palaver because, in the end, their proponents will never be able to explain why it makes sense to indiscriminately kill children. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/essay-bombs-and-terror-can-t-destroy-our-way-of-life-a-895734.html

[ProSense]

1. "Calm" was

not seeing dozens of administration officials and Democrats on TV flogging the terror aspect to death.

Biden is not Cheney.

Several Republicans and officials up through the top echelons of the Bush administration would be out in force right now hyping the threat of terrorism in between news reports of color-coded terror alerts.

[JaneyVee]

2. Oh, those color-coded terror alerts, how happy I am they are not being touted anymore.

That was ridiculous.