bombs

Condolences to Londoners.

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It would be nice to think that this tragedy won't lead to a greater expansion of wrong-headed policies on the part of the US or the UK (though, sadly, it seems inevitable at this point).

::BEGIN RANT: Bombings of civilians is absolutely detestable, but it's foolish to think this is all new since 9/11.
It seems the greatest Weapon of Mass Destruction wielded in the world of late may be the brutality of Ignorance. As we have so lately seen, it is abused to rationalize war; it is what nightmares are written from. It is helped along by the largest entities in American media-- issuing half-truths and lies of omission; focusing on sensational stories of lurid court cases and celebrity hijinx rather than on increasingly dangerous policies (both foreign and domestic) or even the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (oops- I forgot: "Mission Accomplished!").
The U.S. descends righteously into a new dark age, with instances of Christian fundamentalism on the rise. Superstitions are embraced with new fervor; rational thought and empathy become the onus of dreaded Liberals and Intellectuals. Here in America, "Religious" becomes patently equated with "moral," even as religion is the very thing ostensibly spreading divisive fear (oops- Terror) and hatred through both the Islamic and Christian worlds. (Isn't it clear by now that the equation goes something rather more like this: Religion = Politics?)
The clear and dire need for enlightenment and greater understanding through awareness is shunned for (blood-stained) traditions of "faith" and unquestioned "patriotism" as the world approaches its End, once again, amid fear mongering and abuses of power... :: END RANT::