a thought about london after today's horror

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 7/7/05 at 11:29pm

i was tooling around the internet today afetr getting off work and found a little piece on one of the blogs i frequent that i quite liked and thought i'd share. i'll include a link, but warn you that it's part of the vast right wing conspiracy and much of the content might make the more liberal folks around here a bit less than contented. but this piece really resonated with me so along with my thoghts and prayers for those who have suffered today and will continue to suffer the after effects of this barbaric assault i offer:

Dafydd: The Battle of London

One reason I have such faith in the British is that I remember my history.

Great Britain did not simply endure the Battle of Britain, the attempt by Nazi Germany to subjugate the British people. They fought back. The RAF was in the air every damned day and hellish night, fighting, killing, and defying the enemy.

In 1940, while America still slumbered in splendid isolationism and Stalin was still allied with Hitler, Great Britain became the very first country to refuse to join the Nazis, to refuse to surrender to the Nazis, and actually to defeat the Nazis and drive them off.

Adolf Hitler was dumbfounded. After Dunkirk, he made the same mistake the terrorists make today: he thought Great Britain was defeated and would quickly offer her surrender. But instead, the British dug in and fought back, despite staggering losses -- more than 20,000 dead and 30,000 wounded -- and the Brits shot down literally hundreds of Luftwaffe bombers and escort fighters. In the end, "Operation Sealion" was a catastrophic defeat for Hitler, the first time the Nazis had ever been thrown back. The first but not the last; Britain led the way.

History tells me that the British will continue to lead the way, right alongside us, just has they have since 9/11. I have faith today's generation will live up to yesterday's, just as they have here in America.

dafydd @ the captain's quarters

[Marquise]

Posted: 7/7/05 at 11:30pm

papa, i have to inform you as someone that is so much better than you are things like this don't affect me. but that was a cute read.
Updated On: 7/7/05 at 11:30 PM

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 7/7/05 at 11:33pm

eh, what can i say, marquise? i inherited my father's misty eyed nature and never know when something's going to start the doggone waterworks.

[Marquise]

Posted: 7/7/05 at 11:36pm

it's okay. i can always hand you a crying towel....

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/7/05 at 11:38pm

Is that what the kids are calling those nowadays?

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 7/7/05 at 11:38pm

I love British people. My friends tell me I commit treason because I love British people more than Americans.....

"History tells me that the British will continue to lead the way, right alongside us, just has they have since 9/11. I have faith today's generation will live up to yesterday's, just as they have here in America."

I like!

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 7/7/05 at 11:39pm

i keep kleenex next to the computer for just such occasions.

[Marquise]

Posted: 7/7/05 at 11:42pm

:sniff sniff::
:: HONK ::

[ConvinceMe2]

Posted: 7/7/05 at 11:43pm

Why do you love the British more than Americans?

[Marquise]

Posted: 7/7/05 at 11:44pm

I'm too self-centered too get emotional. I'd rather look in a mirror.

[London Boy]

Posted: 7/8/05 at 12:01pm

London will be unperturbed. Steady and steely indifference is the only thing terrorists understand. Go to work. Use the tube. Ride the busses. Nothing will stop us.

[Sister George]

Posted: 7/8/05 at 12:33pm

One thing you will not find in London today I'm afraid papalovesmambo is any desire to attack or fight. We want those responsible captured and brought to justice but we do not want a war.

I'm pleased to report there is a wonderful business as usual approach today. We are back in Central London working, quietly yet defiantly travelling on tubes and buses, all theatres are open and life goes on.

I have been very pleased to see that we are trying hard to enjoy our multicultural city and are actively avoiding recriminations against any community.

Personally the only strong feeling I have is not to fight back but to question why?

Why must it always be the civil civilians who get caught in the crossfire?

Why did our leaders ignore us when we told them we had no appetite to launch a war with a leader they had previously supported?

Why are we surprised when we kill thousand of 'their' civilians that they should try to kill 'our' civilians.

Am I justifying the attacks yesterday? No of course not, the people who carried out the attacks yesterday are inhumane cowardly bastards.

I just wish instead that those who have the need to carry out cowardly air bombing attacks or wish to cowardly leave bombs on tubes could instead fight each other in private and leave the rest of us to do what we want to do; Get on with living our lives.

Updated On: 7/8/05 at 12:33 PM

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 7/8/05 at 12:37pm

ConvinceMe2- I don't even know why. I've just always liked them more... Plus, now, the way they're dealing with this situation is incredible. Orderly, gracefully..even through all the terror.




Sister George- thank you for the update. It's good to know.

"Why must it always be the civil civilians who get caught in the crossfire?"

My thoughts exactly.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 7/8/05 at 1:10pm

I have another question Sister George. Why did the US waste its resources attacking Iraq instead of spending those billions going after Al Qaeda?

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 7/8/05 at 2:07pm

"Why did the US waste its resources attacking Iraq instead of spending those billions going after Al Qaeda?"


Another very good point.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 7/8/05 at 10:06pm

Any answers?

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 7/8/05 at 10:46pm

marc, since no one seems willing to step up to the plate, i'll direct you to a thread where i answered why i thought we were in iraq. i'd suck as a politician since i hate to repeat myself, so it's a link. suffice to say that i thought iraq was a necessary step to shatter the status quo and give hope a chance.

it's in response to dgrant's valid question, "why there, why no?"

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardname=off&thread=856859#1189871

[amasis]

Posted: 7/9/05 at 2:56am

thanks for the update, Sister George.

A bit from the interview today with Tony Blair, from the BBC:
Full article here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4666311.stm
----
Mr Blair says the terrorists would have won if the UK became an illiberal society.

Instead, it was proud of being open, liberal, multi-racial and multi-religious, with strong restrictions on government powers.

...

The prime minister says debate will continue on measures such as identity cards to help counter illegal immigration and crime.

But he argues: "Probably with this type of terrorism the solution cannot only be the security measures. I have never really doubted that myself."

Ultimately, the government had to protect people but "the underlying issues have to be dealt with too in terms of trying to get rid of this dreadful perversion of the true faith of Islam."

That meant people within the Muslim community standing up and saying they abhorred violence which was "wholly inconsistent" with their faith, he said.

He welcomes the fact that such efforts are already taking place.

...

Mr Blair says there also has to be a drive to create a fairer and more just world and to foster peace in the Middle East.
---
Updated On: 7/9/05 at 02:56 AM

[Forester]

Posted: 7/9/05 at 7:22am

I'm sure amasis know what I'm talking about. As a Jakarta resident, we've had our fair share of terrorism. It have become second nature to us to the point that the market isn't effected by a terrorist threat or even bombing. I remember being in Jakarta after the Australian bombing. People were walking as if nothing happen.

It also made me happy that the government didn't try to do a Patriot Act after the various bombing. Instead, they used laws already in the book to hunt down the bombers and prosecute them to the extent of the law. What was the result? All the Bali bombers were caught and the Australian embassy bombers were also caught. I hope Tony Blair doesn't use this to try to rush in a Patriot Act kind of legislation.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/9/05 at 1:10pm

The Patriot Act, Guantanamo and the war on Iraq itself will go down in history as shameful, immoral and ultimately un-American responses to a serious situation, much as the HUAC and McCarthy hearings have.

[paradox_error]

Posted: 7/9/05 at 5:10pm

"In 1940, while America still slumbered in splendid isolationism and Stalin was still allied with Hitler, Great Britain became the very first country to refuse to join the Nazis, to refuse to surrender to the Nazis, and actually to defeat the Nazis and drive them off."

A slight historical error - Poland refused to join the Nazis, refused to surrender, and fought with all their might. Poland lost for two reasons, a) Russia was invading from the other side, b) France and England refused to act, despite the fact that Germany had mobilised more than 80% of its Army to invade Poland, leaving Germany like an apple, ripe for the taking.

So except for the last point (they were defeated), Poland was that first country...

But why would you teach that in America?

[wink]

Posted: 7/9/05 at 5:27pm

PalJoey,

How long do you think it will take before these events are considered un-American? Because I don't think it can be soon enough.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/9/05 at 5:40pm

Some of us Americans know the bravery of Poland--and also the butchery it suffered.

On a lighter note, if you have never seen the great Ernst Lubitsch film about a Polish acting troupe during the Nazi occupation, you must, you must, you MUST!

TO BE OR NOT TO BE--rent the original, with CaroLombard and Jack Benny, not the Mel Brooks remake.

[paradox_error]

Posted: 7/9/05 at 6:41pm

And don't forget abandonment PJ. It suffered badly from abandonment...