Sujal left this morning saying that he thought the bombings in London might help out both Blair and Bush in their approval ratings, and I’m sure he’ll elaborate later, but my first reaction, as I was watching CNN, was that since the British have been vehemently against the war from the getgo that they would would be extra upset about this and really want out. Of course then there’s the complexity that “we don’t want to send the message that the terrorists have won” — but I wonder how this will play out. It’s all just an icky mess. I also can’t help but notice that we seem to pay so much more attention to western lives lost than mideastern lives lost. I suppose proximity is a reason, but it’s still pretty sad.
I’m leaving for Portland, OR tomorrow, and I don’t want to be selfishly concerned about my safety, but I guess I am. NPR would have me believe that I am unsafe if I am taking the subway. I suppose I am lucky that there’s no subway between West Hartford and Portland, OR. I guess there is actually a “superway”, popularly referred to as a train. This self-focused worry perhaps illustrates why we (myself included) have a tendency to focus on western targets much more than eastern targets. At the very least, I wish for myself that I had more equitable concern for all people attacked. And I think I do (moreso than the republican faction in the US), but I suppose as humans we have to have a cut-off point of caring entiely, otherwise we’d be consumed by constant worry and concern. Ugh.
The Connecticutian 