Our deep condolences to the good people of London. Lots of good coverage in the aftermath of the homicide bombings. I'm going to throw in a few, and encourage my fellow admins. and Marshals to add to it as we find good things:
Winds of Change.NET
"Silver Rain Was Falling Down
Upon The Dirty Ground Of London Town"
-- Sir Paul McCartney
- Bill Roggio has a fine pair of posts yesterday: London Falling offered a map and looked at the likely consequences. See esp. "Europe's Angry Muslims," a Foreign Affairs Magazine article he links. The London 7/7 Hunt Begins is self-explanatory with a fine Belmont Club link. BTW, Bill, the Brits may have a suspect already. But MaderBlog bets: they'll be British.
- Counterterrorism analyst Dan Darling talks about what the UK needs to do, in order to reduce the odds of this ever happening again.
...and Beyond
"People Pass Me By On My Imaginary Street,
Ordinary People It's Impossible To Meet,
Holding Conversations That Are Always Incomplete.
Well I Don't Know."
- Wikipedia pieces together a history and timeline as it happens. A UK blogs aggregator. And the WSJ uses Technorati to piece together a blogger's eye view. Interesting to see the medium and its uses evolve...
- The leftists at Harry's Place rock. See Letter to a Friend (Idiotartian), discussing the true nature of Islamism and the struggle for democracy. This is extended with fine links in The Bin Laden Doctrine. Then they tear into those on the left who have allied themselves with the Islamist jihadis.
- My fellow Canadian Kate notes that one of the bombers may have recently been released from Gitmo. Developing... but it certainly wouldn't be the first time. Maybe more of us need to wear these T-shirts.
- Andrew Sullivan has all kinds of good stuff up, with links to British Bloggers (see esp. "F--k, Yeah!" - maybe add your own) and trenchant thoughts. Start here - he still feels the ties to his old home keenly. This was his first post on the topic; note the bonus email from a formerly-gloomy soldier on the front lines in Iraq, with a great story. As Andrew notes: "The war in London will be won in part in Iraq. Resolve in one place is indistinguishable from resolve in the other."
- Victor Davis Hanson offers the Islamists a winning strategy, and explains how this tired game is played and what our enemies depend on. There is every reason to believe his approach would (will?) work. But as he also reminds us: "It is our task, each of us according to our station, to speak the truth to all these falsehoods, and remember that we did not inherit a wonderful civilization just to lose it to the Dark Ages."
- Plenty of pictures & poetry from Pejman. I think I liked the "Brothers in Arms" editorial cartoon best.
- Speaking of which, the British flag was raised in front of the US State Dept. in Washington, DC. Classiness engenders classiness.
- WILLisms does a nice job bringing together the 7/7 speeches of W. and Tony Blair, and discussing them.
- Steyn. Still true: "I began with a Churchill quote, so let me end with one: "Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened." That's what happened after 11 September: the brief glimpse of the reality of the Islamist scheme was too much, and so we dusted ourselves off and retreated back to all the illusions, like the Oslo "peace process". That can't save us, and it certainly can't save Indonesia. And until we'e prepared to identify the enemy and confront him as such, there will be more nights like last Saturday night, and more little girls like the Salvatoris', orphaned because their mum and her friends went dancing."
- Dave Schuler thinks about the lessons of the attack and comes to a simple conclusion: defense is impossible. Which still leaves us with viable options.
- Lexington Green of ChicagoBoyz extends the theme: "The terrorists lack the means to destroy the core of our power. And any attempt to appease the terrorists or placate them will be taken, correctly, as weakness and will only lead to further demands and further violence. They cannot be negotiated with, since their goals are effectively infinite -- the establishment of a regime like the Taliban, imposed on the entire world. So, by whatever twisted course, ongoing violent confrontation, and the ultimate defeat of Islamic terrorism, is going to be the long-term outcome. A lot of people are going to die first. Even so, fear nothing. How we live is what matters, and when we die is, by and large, out of our hands. What we make of this country and this time we live in and what we hand on to those who come after are what matters."
"Oh, Where Are There Places To Go?
Someone, Somewhere Has To Know.
I Don't Know...."
- Bill Quick: "We have got to get away from this solpsistic concentration on the things that matter to 'us' (by which I mean the politico-bureaucratic powers that be) and start actually listening to the tinfoil turban crowd." Yes, do. Then Bill provides a perfect example, courtesy of the lefty TomPaine.com.
- Meanwhile, antiwar.com's Justin Raimondo indulges in anti-Semitism and Jewish conspiracies. Justin, thanks for taking off your mask. Now piss off.
- In like vein, there's always George "Lord Haw Haw" Galloway.
- Richard Combs is a masochist who decided to read Democratic Underground's comments.
- Michael Totten is bit by the same twisted bug, but after reading Portland Indymedia he finds his way to some sane leftist voices: Drink-Soaked Trotskyist Popinjays for War! Oh, and Marc Cooper, too.
I'll close this sorry section with Dymphna at Gates of Vienna: "I have come to the conclusion that any functional philosophical structure must have, at its core, the understanding of evil...." Yes.
The attacks caused my wife to break out in tears and Photoshop
Uncle Sam is mad, god help those jihadis and God Save the Queen! We are all Brits today.
Posters/t-shirts of that image here
PS Image is licensed for unlimited non-commercial use and distribution.
The terrorist murders yesterday cannot have happened. They must have been made up. They are clearly, as Michael Moore would put it, part of the fictitious times in which we live.
Michael Moore:
"There is no terrorist threat in this country. This is a lie. This is the biggest lie we've been told."
Yesterday a Sheriffs' meeting on the Mexican border noted that over 1 million OTM (Other Than Mexican) illegal entrants had been released because there is no room to detain them, no opening in the prison space. Ordered to report back for hearings, more than 700,000 failed to do so.
We're spending billions on airline safety, 84% of the total Homeland Security spending, and we're bleeding at our borders. Maybe it's a good time to think seriously about our priorities.
I agree with Ruth. Long past time - especially when you consider that the threat of highjacking is around zero. The passengers will kill any terrorist. Problem solved. Next....
Check out CNN today, this is a link off the main page from world leaders that are expressing sympathy/outrage etc. at the London bombings. Note how there are no middle eastern countires included in the list. The death cult of islam marches on, yesterdays toll, 50 dead, 600 injured, and one egyptian ambassador without a head. Just a normal day in the moslem world.
Glad you agree, JK, as previously noted, detentions have included undocumented travelers from hostile areas in the Mexican border area even in recent weeks.
Now: Very good news. Listening to C-Span - David Heyman, Homeland Security Program Director, at Center for Strategis & International Studies - there are two devices that have been found in the London transit system, unexploded. These will be a tremendously valuable resource to track down the perpetrators.
John (#5): Odd, the British ambassador on CNN yesterday made a point of saying there were quite a few.
One thing I've learned in this war - just because the MSM isn't reporting it doesn't mean it isn't there. Might I suggest further investigation before we come to any firm conclusions?
The traditional law enpforcement paradigm is ill prepared to deal with the GWOT.
Ruth,
You and I think alike re the amount of money we are spending on Homeland Security that only provides a false sense of security.
I see Joe is picking up on the meme I started on the relative risk of a grandma being a suicidal Islamofascist terrorist is longer than winning the California Lottery. Yet who are we spending billions to harass at airport gates for PC reasons.
We are too PC and we are spending scare resources unwisely. The Israelis do a better job using "behavioral" sreening and profiling which is less intrusive but has a better chance of catching a terrorist.
BTW if an OTM is not on one of the watch lists the last I heard was they were being cited to appear in our imigrations courts on our side of the border. DAH!
Don't you suppose the enemy knows this. They will only send agents who are not on any "lists." I have some personal experiences on this that I can't go into here.
The traditional law enpforcement paradigm is ill prepared to deal with the GWOT.
Follow the links from this post in the comments section of Jihad Watch to an essay and related subjects re homeland security:
Link Here
The US taxpayer is not getting their money's worth and are only being provided with a false sense of seurity.
note - when Harrys place attacks leftists who are allies of the Jihadists, hes referring to the Socialist Workers Party, NOT to Labour or Dem pols who disagree with him on strategy.
The link to the Wikipedia article is incorrect (it just repeats the UK aggregator link). If you're looking for it, try this.
Anybody else think its odd no suspects have been picked up yet? Its been said this was a relatively weak attack and that is a good thing. True, but what would turn this into a devastating psychological blow would be if the bombers werent caught and the cell never broken. Unlikely, but a dangerous threat.
#5 john h
Iran, Syria, Hamas and the PLO have all condemned the attacks.
And if you believe that, I have a shiny new bridge you might like.
Joe, your Wikipedia link is going to the blogs aggregator.
To agree with one of Bill's niggling details, i.e. strategic mistakes by al-Queda:
http://www.prospect.org/weblog/archives/2005/07/index.html#007014
Much of this article has to do with the fact two were exploded in areas where large numbers of Muslim citizens live.
Fixed. And LH (#9), follow those links and you'll find, inter alia, an explicit parallel drawn to Michael Moore. The SWP did not get a seat of honour on the stage at the DNC. Moore did.
And what was it those "Quisling Poshos" said?
"Most Londoners (as the rest of the country) were opposed to the Iraq war. Tragically, they have suffered the blow and paid the price for the re-election of Blair and a continuation of the war."
Read around and see what kind of American company they have these days.
There's also this:
"That’s how the decent left we need will come to know itself and challenge the pro-tyrant left we have."
They are speaking in a British context, but if you've read Harry's Place consistently you know they mean a much wider group than the SWP. And there are people in the Democratic Party - and not a trivial number - whose issue with the war goes a lot deeper than "strategy." While the "pro-tyrant Left" does not encompass the Democratic Party as a whole, neither does it stop at Britain's waterline.
Hitchens:
I'll pass over the "megaphone" comment re: mirroring the demands of those who committed this atrocity. All in all, a fitting response to folks who believe these people would just be sitting around peacefully if they weren't being killed in Iraq, and being engaged by Iraq's Muslims.
Unfortunately, I agree with this from Hugh Hewitt:
And this from Henninger:
The lyrics change, but the song remains the same.
One reason the American people are largely not invested in this is that they never have been called upon to be. How has anyone without a military member of their family seen their daily life change in the slightest way? Hell, even levying a gas tax to fund the war might make me think a little bit when i lifted the pump.
It was a bad political mistake by Bush to try to fight this war based on the tenant that the bulk of the American people must feel zero pain.
That in itself spured the sloppy, slipshod, and uninspired reconstruction of Iraq that is partially responsible for our current state of affairs. The rhetoric has been lofty, the battles have been brilliant, but the nuts and bolts have been treated like a highway pothole filling project instead of a dire fight for humanity.
I dont hold much with the Guardian, but if even 10% of this is accurate (and i have no reason to think at least that much is judging by the results) it goes to show just stupidly (and possibly corruptly) the initial rebuilding of Iraq was handled.
So, Mr Bremer, where did all the money go?
"And LH (#9), follow those links and you'll find, inter alia, an explicit parallel drawn to Michael Moore. The SWP did not get a seat of honour on the stage at the DNC. Moore did."
Do you mean this?
"All I would add is a phrase from Christopher Hitchens from a review of the equally facile points made in Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. It seems good advice for the coming days:
[If you hear} one cry, in favor of surrender or defeat, feel free to join in the conversation."
thats a reference to a phrase from Hitchens review Moores film (which ive avoided seeing, and was quite convinced by Hitch IS facile)NOT a parallel between Moore and the SWP.
Again Moore is vile and stupid, AFAICT, and it was a grave mistake of Kerry to be at all close to him, rather than to sista souljah him, (and one of the reasons i did not vote for Kerry) but Im not sure that even Moore actually wants the terrs to win.
No, i dont follow Harrys place. I cant spend unlimited time on blogs.
I would note that Harry Reid has said hed approve of Gonzales for SCOTUS. Evidently putting 3rd trimester abortions in Nebraska above the rights on illegal combatants in Gitmo. Or just putting Naral above Amnesty. Thats where the Dem party is really at.
"Evidently putting 3rd trimester abortions in Nebraska above the rights on illegal combatants in Gitmo. Or just putting Naral above Amnesty. Thats where the Dem party is really at. "
Smart place to be. A lot more sympathy for pregnant teenagers than Al Qaeda thugs.
Its all politics though. Reid wants Gonzalez now because he has recalculated the math and realizes Bush can pick somebody halfway between Brown and Gonzalez and either push him and her through or force the democrats to commit ritual suicide by breaking the deal and shutting down the government.