Be careful, Colin.

First thing I thought of.

Also, while gauging White House response, I considered starting a "who will have an Al Haig moment?" poll. My vote is Condi.

our time is nigh

There won't be an Al Haig moment. Like him or not, W runs an organized ship.

So does acknowledging that an event will probably effect me personally at some stage count as solipsism now? The whole point of my post is the repercussions of exporting Western liberal democracy to other cultures is it is entirely knowable and predictable.

And with all due respect Islamist terrorist organisation aren't forcing through repressive Bills through Parliament. The National I.D scheme which will involve, if the Government has it's way, every citizen being fingerprinted and DNA sampled stands a much better chance of going through now. It is the fear of and response to terrorism that threatens freedom rather than terrorism itself. All terrorism does is introduce a level of risk to the freedom I excercise. You show a surprising lack of confidence in the resiliance of your own culture if you think a few bombs or destroyed buildings could possibly have any real effect. The only people who will alter our own society is ourselves.

I also did not say at any point that bombing subways was justifiable. It's not and never will be. All I said was it was the predictable result of the misguided foreign policy of this country. Tony Blair, almost solely, is responsible for those mistakes and therefore has to take significant portion of blame for what has happened today.

If you force someone to walk over a minefield and they are then killed you can't possible say it is not your fault because you didn't plant the mines.

I'm just glad you're ok! I immediately thought of you when we saw this on the news while getting ready for work. I was so worried.How awful! I pray that all your friends are alright!

I know there's one other London poster on the board, so hope he's ok too!

i like the grave look on tony blair's face

Neville would be so proud of you.

Wait, this isn't a music thread!

Glad you're okay Colin.

Yeah, but he's out of town. Now's the time to be "IN CONTROL!"

Maybe Andy Card? Here's to hoping its some Z Grade cabinet official like Mike Leavitt.

Is the Heart Attack Man at the G8? Because with him in the House, I don't really see many Al Haig moments happening.

Personally, I can see Rumsfeld jumping in the Apocalypse Now choppers with the big speakers on the sides and storming onto the White House lawn....

That's a stupid comment. Comparing Europe in 1939 to the present shows a complete lack of understanding of the situation.

Oh I laughed, Billze.

And actually, the main difference is that time you knew who the enemy was and still threw in the towel.

*Price is Right loser music*

Unless a Democratic senator does it.

I disagree. If there ever was time in modern history that most resemble ours it's Europe in 1939 in my opinion.

<----------------told himself he was not going to get involved in political discussions this morning.

Now that's composed.

I know of Gardener (he posted the Live8 photo-log the other day)

Hope you're safe out there, sir.

winner

This is all so fuckin' scary. Those poor, poor people -- my heart goes out to them and their families. I'm sitting here stunned with no words to say, tears rolling down my face as I hear the horror stories.

just saw this on tv but i'm so drunlk i don;t know whats going on. God bless y'all.

"[A]cknowledging that an event will probably effect [you] personally at some stage" does not make you solipsistic, but thinking first of potential personal inconveniences when people are dead and dying in the street is a solipsistic response. Isn't this the brunt of the criticism of Western foreign policy? That we think first of ourselves instead of considering the more immediate effects to those around us?

You can rightly criticize Blair for inciting the ire of the terrorists. But the people responsible are at least ostensibly connected to the same people who bombed the world trade center - people from countries which the the US was not occupying. It can be argued that US foreign policy toward the Middle East had a rocky history in the decades preceding the attack, but hardly that we had so imposed ourselves upon the Afghanis or the Saudis that we could have expected an attack. That attack was an aggression based on a violent ideology, and not a response to US occupation. Which is to say, the UK's uninvolvement wouldn't have guaranteed its safety. Which is why it is ridiculous to say that Blair should be able to guarantee that safety.

2nd in show

Guys, things have taken a turn for the worse: Sum 41 have cancelled their concert.

yeah i only caught a quick glimpse of the news, and it appears that no one knows the whole story yet. i'm glad to know our londoner obnerites are safe though.

bort