Bombs, Bullets and Bruises

It is an inescapable fact that we live in dangerous times. The bombing here in Moscow yesterday, less than a year after the Metro bombing, goes right to the heart of the issue of security. If it can happen in Moscow, where there are more police, secret militias and security agents than anywhere in the world outside of Israel, it can happen in any country.  Any free society that allows people to move about without constant checks is going to have the potential for serious acts of terrorism.  The real issue is what will nations do about it.  I can assure you that Russia will not allow the terrorists to win. They will not close the airports, they will not limit flights, and they will not impede the free movement of people on trains, buses or the Metro because of this act.

I would suspect that there will be more delays as a direct result of more security in the USA than there will be here in Russia.  I’ll let you know next Monday when I attempt to fly to Stockholm to connect to Paris to connect to Washington.  I’m going to walk over to the Metro later today to see what the security is like there, which will give me some hint as to what it is going to be like at the airports.

It is no secret that the bombing was timed to coincide with the arrival of international passengers from Italy, England and Germany.  As I mentioned before, one of the aims of the terrorist is to try and prevent events like the Winter Olympics and the World Cup from being successful. They hope to engender fear and a sense of foreboding on the part of international visitors to Russia, thinking that the Russians will negotiate with them to protect their economic interest and their sense of Russian pride.  I personally do not think that this will be a successful strategy, but I think we can look for more and more of these incidents to occur the closer we get to these major international events.

Since March, when the bomb went off in the Metro, there have been waves of anti-Muslim attacks here in Moscow.  Roving gangs of skinheads and other disenfranchised youth have violently attacked anyone who looks different.  Very few prosecutions have taken place, which of course gives a green light for expanded violence. 

Speaking of violence, what am I missing?  When six people are killed in Tucson and many others injured, the NRA uses that as a reason to argue that more people should be armed!  There were three bystanders at that event that we know were armed.  Only one had time to draw his weapon and then he almost fired at one of the two men who were trying to get the gun away from the nut job. Even he admits that it would have been horrible to have shot the wrong person.  These things happen too fast for any citizen gunslinger to respond. If highly trained law enforcement officers can’t prevent these events, yahoos with pistols that they have only fired at static targets don’t have a prayer.

Thirteen law enforcement officers have been shot since Thursday and yet in three states they want to make it legal for professors to carry guns in the classroom.  Having been a professor for thirty-five years, I can assure you that these are NOT the people you want carrying a gun!  The USA is just upside down on this issue and it is another example of political/social polarization, which will not allow common sense to prevail.

I don’t know what the big fuss is over the fact that China has been able to develop a stealth jet fighter having salvaged parts from a downed US stealth fighter.  This seems like a good situation if we play our cards right.  We’ll fill in the gaps for them if they promise to sell us the finished product. You know it will cost half of what it would cost to build in the USA.

Later today:  I would like to report that there seems to be no evidence of any tightening of security around embassies, train stations, Metros, banks or other public places.  I walked all around for ninety minutes and everything and everyone seemed quite normal.  The most dangerous things that I saw on my walk were icicles hanging from the top of tall buildings getting ready to fall. They cordon off about three feet from the edge of the building in hopes that gravity will take the six-foot ice spears directly down.  Last week a six year old boy was killed by an icicle falling onto his head.

According to the airport web pages, all flights are running on schedule. They do recommend arriving at the airport a bit earlier for departing flights, which suggests to me that there is some increased security.  Let’s hope things settle down before Monday. One of the best ways to keep informed here in Moscow is to watch Russian Television, RT, in English. You can also take a look at it online. Quite good and well balanced, from what I can see with lots of information on the bombing. http://rt.com/on-air/

With all my pious preaching about people walking while distracted on the slippery sidewalks of Moscow, you would think I would be the last person to fall, but fall I did.  I was just walking down a gentle hill and the next thing I knew I had fallen on my hands and knees and was sliding down the sidewalk like a big blue walrus sliding down a beach heading to the ocean.  No real damage, just sore knees, but I did feel stupid for a little while.

Again, thanks for all the concern, Cindy and Wm.