Thank goodness, I got an e-mail back from my friends, Gary and Isa.  They are fine.  Gary I wasn't too worried about, as he lives in Plymouth...but Isa works in London.  She was already at work when the bombs went off.

     Everyone over there, across the pond, I'm sorry for what happened.  My heart goes out to you in your pain, fear, and bewilderment.  For those of you who were hurt, or lost loved ones, my prayers are with you today, and for the foreseeable future.

     Something from the Northern Misfit on what happened in London today.  I agree with him.  Magic Marmot too.

     After all, there is a certain type that is drawn to committing death and destruction, and many of these people are only held in check by the idea that it is wrong to commit acts like this.  They may want to, but they don’t because they know its wrong…but…give them an excuse, and they are all over bringing the death and destruction.

     Think of the surly guy in the bar who’s just sitting there stewing, waiting for someone to look at him wrong, so he can grease them.  Why’s he waiting?  Why bother?  Why not just walk up to some random person and make with the wrath?

     Because he needs a justification…however small, before he can allow himself to do what he’s already decided he’s going to do…and there’s always some poor stupid sucker who’s going to come blundering along and give him his reason.

     In the Firefly episode “Objects in Space”, the bounty hunter, Juble Early is a terribly creepy (and extreme) example of this mentality.  He likes to hurt people.  It’s a compulsive, fundamental desire.  He knows it’s wrong, and he knows it’s sick…so he concocts a very elaborate framework of ethics and chooses a profession where he is frequently allowed to hurt people.  They are often bad people, and they are people nobody cares that much about beyond if you bring them in dead or alive…and he will only hurt them under certain circumstances…but when the time comes, you know Old Juble Early is really enjoying himself a lot, and feels completely guiltless about it because he followed the rules.

     But this idea that there is a time when it is “alright” to indulge in sadistic, megalomaniacal, or destructive behavior is not just for full-on psychopaths.

     I think many ostensibly “normal” people, to varying degrees, are drawn to conditions where they feel they can relinquish responsibility for their actions and feel “compelled” or “justified” in engaging in behavior that they really want to do, but feel is wrong.  If they can say they “had to” do it, then they don’t have to feel guilt.

     Religious fundamentalism is very attractive to people like this.  I’ve met some really sweet religious fundamentalists who I honestly believe would never ever hurt anyone for any reason.  They would go down on their knees and pray while slaughtered by lions like the martyrs of old.

     But I’ve known a much greater number who I am convinced would light a fire under a witch just to watch her burn, and then use the idea that it’s for the greater glory of God and the salvation of the world that they did so.

     Just like these people who slaughtered dozens and injured hundreds.  No matter what they used for their justification, they did what they did because they wanted to, and someone gave them permission, and there is nothing that justifies what they did.  Not religion, not politics, not economics.  They did it because they wanted to, and because conditions were right for them to be able to tell themselves that it’s OK.

     This is part of what causes war crimes in any war, and then those war crimes are used to defend greater crimes on the other side, and on and on.

     I do believe in the right to deadly force in self-defense…but I believe to qualify, there must be no other option, and you know what?  In my experience, causing harm in true self-defense results in remorse.  Truly self-defensive action is the best the person feels they can come up with at the time…but that doesn’t mean they think its “right”, or “rightous” or “justified”.

     I think that the greatest tragedy of this war is all the people who are caught in the middle while people on both sides scream and yell and fire weapons about how “right” and “justified” they are.

     These bombers must be found, they must be stopped, and they must be punished for what they did…unfortunately, it’s likely that nothing short of death will stop them.  I’ve no questions about that.

     My question is, will we find and punish the people responsible, or will our leadership simply use it as an excuse to do something they have been wanting to do, but need a justification for?