Londoners Take Pride in 'Blitz Spirit'
"As Brits, we'll carry on — it doesn't scare us at all," said 37-year-old tour guide Michael Cahill. "Look, loads of people are walking down the streets. It's Great Britain — not called 'Great' for nothing."
The worst attack on London since World War II brought out a strength and esprit de corps that recalled Britain under the blitz of German bombers.
"I can't believe how quiet and calm the atmosphere is in the streets. People aren't panicking, they're just quietly walking," said Inga Gordon, visiting from Oslo, Norway. "It doesn't seem like they are in shock. They are just going about their business."
Mayor Ken Livingstone condemned the attacks as "an indiscriminate attempt at mass murder" aimed at "ordinary working-class Londoners."
He said the bombers would never succeed.
"I know that you personally do not fear giving up your own life in order to take others — that is why you are so dangerous," Livingstone said.
"But I know you fear that you may fail in your long-term objective to destroy our free society. Whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail."
Quotes from an article By JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press Writer
Like all caring humans, I am deeply saddened by today's act of faith-based terrorism in London. Forty innocent working-class people dead, hundreds injured, and for what? If the claims of responsibility of an al-Qaida group are correct, we have yet another case of apocalyptic violence committed "in the name of God." This kind of mayhem is not limited to a splinter sect of the Islamic faith. All the world's major religions have a violent history, and a justification of the use of violence. The ambiguity of these religion's sacred texts typically provides justification for using violence in the name of their god(s). The Islamic Jihad, the Israel/Palestinian conflict, the US abortion clinic bombings, etc. are all separate battles but they all have religion in common.
ReplyDeleteLet's call it what it is: faith-based terrorism.
Someday we will all realize that we are all in this together; we have one planet and one shared humanity. We don't need to cling to gods anymore. We don't need to kowtow to any religion. Once we all evolve to this stage, there will be no more incentive to view "those other people" as infidels.
Peace!