Yay!

Yay I say, for British Police, Scotland Yard and my fellow countrymen who helped apprehend the 4 bastards who didnÂ’t get to blow themselves. I was first alerted to the arrests when a colleague of mine cancelled a teleconference we had scheduled due to police activity in the financial district where he works.

In checking the London Times online I read the account of the arrests and how they tried to coax these bastards out of the flats. It was then I began to create elaborate revenge fantasies for these 4. To hell with their rights. In this I want the old West kind of JusticeÂ… no wait, worse than that. As I entertained different ways of handling retribution my way, all of the scenes in my head seemed too bloody unsatisfying.

In discussing the arrests with one of my neighbors this evening she shared with me what she would like to see happen, To start, “Tazer electrodes should be shot directly into and attached deep in their testicles. Metallic clamps should then be applied to their nipples that connect with metal wires to the metal rods on their testicles.” [cringe.. shiver... now we’re getting somewhere!]. She continued, “After a light mist has been sprayed on their bodies, they should be strapped at the neck, arms, wrists and legs to a table so they’re unable to move when the electodes are activated at different intensities and for different lengths of time. They should do this in order to enhance the terror and anticipation of their next shock. Only after a few hours of this should the interrogation begin. One hour of torture should be given for each bombing death; only then will I be happy.”

Yes, now IÂ’m satisfied!

As for my neighbor, I just kept looking at her as she walked away with a satisfied smile. There has always been something that has both intrigued and terrified me about this woman. ItÂ’s the reason IÂ’ve held back from asking her out. As I touched my chest on the elevator going up to my flat I wondered if her fantasy could be modified slightly to provide pleasure instead of inducing pain. Hmmm, something to discuss the next time I run into her.

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Today's Terror Headlines:

- A man was shot today in a London subway station who was believed to be a terrorist

- The same Al Qaeda related organization who claimed responsibility for London's bombing on the 7th claimed responsibility for yesterday's bombing.

- 14 of the 16 provisions in the Patriot Act were indefinitely extended. The two remaining articles- giving the government the power to demand business and library records and to conduct roving wiretaps - were extended only 10 years. The Senate is working on their own version.

- NYC transit system, the largest system in America transporting 6 million riders daily, began bag inspections on their system yesterday evening.

The city is under heavy criticism from the ACLU & NYCLU and threatening an injunction to stop the searches. However, their first day of inspections netted an arrest of a man acting suspiciously who possessed a cache of weapons.

The House version of the Patriot Act essentially leaves intact many of the antiterrorism powers that critics sought to scale back. This now sets the stage for some difficult negotiations with the Senate, which is considering several very different bills to extend the government's counterterrorism powers under the act.

Of course, Hillary was unusually quiet during yesterday's Patriot discussion and last week's Senate vote which increased the surveillance component of the act. Carolyn Miller, on the other hand, was one of the more eloquent proponents of passing indefinitely all the provisions of the House version of the Patriot Act. I wish she were a Representative here in NY instead of Michigan!

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Citizens throughout the world joined others to observe 2 min of silence in memory of the victims of the London bombing. I was at Ground Zero with a few others from our firm, as representatives of the largest lease holder of the WTC. Ironically, I was at Ground Zero on Saturday to honor a friendÂ’s birthday after not going down there in over a year. It was an emotionally intense moment for me. In a sense, it was a good thing I did go Saturday as I was able to hold myself together during the NY ceremony on Thursday. It did however, take an emotional toll on me to have to stand there and do the social niceties, as I was being introduced. I felt a myriad of emotions coming up but had to squash them all down as the 20 min event took place.

Its been an emotionally challenging week for me all around. Last night I accepted an invitation to go out to one of my single parentÂ’s friendÂ’s beach house in the HamptonÂ’s this weekend. IÂ’m the only one in the office today and have been told to leave at 2pm. An enormous wave of relief washed over me at hearing this. I desperately need to commune w/nature and create a mind shift within me that will enable me to get through next weekÂ’s schedule of events at my job.

I want to do nothing this weekend but bury my feet in the sand as I watch sun sets, sun rises and listen to the meditative force of the waves as they come in. That and build lots of sand castles with my son. I hope all of you enjoy your weekend plans.

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1 I plan to spend time with my daughter and unpack from my trip.

Posted by: _Jon at July 15, 2005 05:27 PM (sSrI9)

2 mmmm... sandy feet... Sounds nice :-)

Posted by: Harvey at July 16, 2005 02:21 PM (ubhj8)

3 Oh, that was good of you (New York), and brave (you). Thank you so much. Have a great weekend!

Posted by: Sally at July 16, 2005 06:22 PM (vJb9l)

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In memory of those taken, in thought of those left behind

"What is our aim?... Victory, victory at all costs,
victory in spite of terror; victory,
however long and hard the road may be;
for without victory, there is no survival."
- Winston Churchill

A big thank you goes to Laughing Wolf for his post. Please leave all comments at his site. Thanks!

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''But to make concessions to terrorism or to bow to terrorism undermines democracy'' - President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia, quoted as he oversaw a massive counterattack against leftist rebels who had murdered 25 soldiers guarding a village.

After spending last night waiting to hear about my British colleagues, I learned a short while ago that 2 of them were badly injured. I am now angry as all hell. I think ArmyWifeToddlerMom has the right idea by posting each week what she has done to help fight terrorism. What I did yesterday was contact a few British Bloggers, friends and coworkers to lend my support. I also contacted a few bloggers and friends in Madrid, knowing they too would be reliving memories of their own bombing as they watched the tragedy unfold in London.

Today I will continue to focus on work and help prepare my boss for some high level economic meetings she will have in DC shortly after G8 talks end. Some of the material has to do with global debt and loans, etc., which brings me to my own personal opinion about debt forgiveness of some developing nations, which is currently being discussed at the g8 summit.

My view is that we should not forgive debt of countries whose leaders are corrupt embezzlers and thieves. Government officials who are lining their pockets through the sale of their country's resources and appropriating portions of aid and loans, rather than using that money to help develop sustainable economic growth and improvements in medical care for their people.

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Yesterday, upon hearing that London was selected as the site for the Summer 2012 Olympics, my first thought was saying to myself that I must go and visit London before terrorists destroy it.

Today, after learning the news of the explosions my stomach notted up, I had some momentary flashbacks and my thoughts immediately went to my colleauges in London who use the Kings Cross Station to go to work.

Part of me dreads seeing the names on our corporate website, for the reminder it poses after 9/11, but part of me has the need to know that everyone I know is safe. That doesn't mean I don't care about the rest of the population. For me dealing with a tragedy is easier when there is no connection to friends or family. More later, I have to leave for work and get on the subway.
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Update: It took me an hour to get to work instead of the usual 30min. I work with WTC survivors, so theirs was a quiet somber mood most of the day. Because I'm a single mom and have a young son, I was encouraged to leave early so I could pick him up and work from home, avoiding the anticipated rush hour delays. I thought that was really thoughtful. It seems that a lot of people had the same idea, as the train stations wer very crowded at 3:30pm.

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