Sad real-world news

[cleolinda]

Between a massive explosion and a shooting at a Labour Party youth camp, 92 dead in Norway attacks. The victim count has been rising as recovery efforts continue. At the moment, 85 deaths, mostly kids, have been reported from the island camp alone.

Norway attacks: latest developments being added on CNN.com; Norway attacks: ‘A nightmare,’ PM says;

Comments

[profbutters]

So, so horrible on Norway. I notice a lot of self-defence in the comments: "he's not a real Christian," etc. I think the point is that not every single terrorist is an Islamic fundamentalist. Horribly, we grow them right here, and you'd think after Oklahoma City, people would know that. But it's a horrible thing to happen anywhere, no matter who did it.

As for Amy Winehouse: I think it's awfully sad that Keith Richards said she needed to clean up, and that Boy George begged her to "come to a meeting--you have no idea how loved you are." It's too bad that didn't get through to her, coming from people who have had so much trouble themselves.

[cleolinda]

I think the point is that not every single terrorist is an Islamic fundamentalist.

Exactly. And that it works the other way as well, with "real" Muslims.

[ginmar]

Well, when it's an Xitan white guy, it's always an 'isolated incident.' Eric Robert Rudolph, for example, was supported for five years by a community while he hid from the FBI for bombing Atlanta's Olympic Park. Scott Roeder conspired with convicted bomb conspiracist Cheryl Sullenger to murder Dr. George Tiller.

What's really notable about so-called Muslim plots is that forty percent of them are turned into the authorities by members of their own community. I'd be willing to bet that a lot of foreign-born Muslims who come to the US are coming here to flee exactly the same kind of crap that terrorists do.

It's funny how close fundamentalists are all over the world. This guy (the Norwegian terrorist) is starting to have all his manifestos come out and he didn't want women to be educated.

[choiseul]

I remember watching the BBC last night and one of the correspondents was talking about how Norway has been involved in the Middle East, but mostly in a contractor type way, not with troops. Which could be taken a couple of ways, but our first reaction was along the lines of "Oy! Terrorist attacks come from places other than the Middle East!" Of course, I didn't catch the whole broadcast, so they could have been saying it in a "This is why it's unlikely" type context.

They say bad things come in threes. Does the collapse of the debt talks in the US count, or are we still due another one?

[scornedsaint]

I have to admit, after watching those videos of Amy Winehouse attempting to perform from about a month ago, I had a feeling this was coming. There just had to be so many people wanting her to get clean (not to mention everyone at her record label, mostly for their own motives) but she was obviously beyond that point.

And as for the Norway news, it's just devastating. I saw an overhead picture of the island before the attacks and it's so tiny. It's a miracle that anyone was able to escape.

[malady579]

Do you know how many did manage to escape?

[stellans]

While the contortions of the conservative media to avoid naming this guy a terrorist is sickening, the almost-gloating I've seen on some lefty blogs/sites is just as repulsive.

[mirhanda]

I agree with you. I wish people would just report the facts and not jump to conclusions on either side before all the facts are in. Is that too much to ask?

[coldclarity]

I'm on a very similar count. We need new friends.

[coldclarity]

Exactly. I get that it's not a competition and you can be sad about more than one thing at once, but there was no sense of that at all. Humph. I'll be over here being a grumpy old woman.

[evewithanapple]

Counting down to people giving themselves backpats for which death they care more about in five . . . four . . . oh wait, they're already here.

[chili_das_schaf]

I thought exactly the same when I blogged about that.

[cleolinda]

I will simply quote Snacky on this one and hope that is an end to the subject:

"Newsflash: You can be sad and have sympathy for more than one tragedy."