When I first read about the London bombing, I was like, "Oh, that sucks. Wait, two confirmed dead? WEAK." That was the extent of my reaction. Journalists are going to compare and contrast the reactions of Londoners vs. New Yorkers, but I think the magnitude of it kind of makes that irrelevant. I mean, this ain't no Madrid bombing and you know how much thought I put into that one? About five to ten minutes. I'm glad to see that most Londoners could really give a shit about all this, I wish that's how it had been after 9/11 in America. I mean, there are still a few annoying people doing incredibly lame things but nowhere to the same degree as America.
The most embarrassing thing has to be George Bush's reaction quote, which may be slightly better than mine, but I'm not a world leader:
"We will not yield to the terrorists, and will find them and bring them to justice."
vs. Ken Livingstone's:
"Finally, I wish to speak directly to those who came to London today to take life.
I know that you personally do not fear giving up your own life in order to take others — that is why you are so dangerous. But I know you fear that you may fail in your long-term objective to destroy our free society and I can show you why you will fail.
In the days that follow, look at our airports, look at our sea ports and look at our railway stations and, even after your cowardly attack, you will see that people from the rest of Britain, people from around the world will arrive in London to become Londoners and to fulfil their dreams and achieve their potential.
They choose to come to London, as so many have come before because they come to be free, they come to live the life they choose, they come to be able to be themselves. They flee you because you tell them how they should live. They don't want that and nothing you do, however many of us you kill, will stop that flight to our city where freedom is strong and where people can live in harmony with one another. Whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail."
