Terrorist attacks will not succeed
Certain events punctuate people’s lives: the stock market crash in 1929; the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941; the assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963; and the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001. All are dates that will live in infamy, if I may borrow a phrase from Franklin Roosevelt.
Another such event occurred the first week in July. Terrorists struck at the heart of London during the morning commute on July 7, killing more than 50 and injuring hundreds. At this writing, the attackers are believed to be suicide bombers, presumably with some association to al-Qaeda, the radical Islamist organization that claimed responsibility for the 9/11 events.
My publisher, Greg Smith, and I were in London that day. We had arrived the day before and, at the time of the bombings, were attending an oil and gas investment symposium sponsored by the Independent Petroleum Association of America.
Shortly after 11 am local time, one of the conference organizers went to the front of the room to announce that bombs had exploded on several London subway trains and on a bus and that dozens were believed dead and many more wounded. A few in the room had already heard about the events and were calling friends and family on their cell phones to let them know they were safe.
A hush went over the room as the significance of the events began to sink in. Some left, but most stayed. The next speaker told me later that he had planned to begin his presentation with a joke, but changed his mind under the circumstances. Greg and I talked about how hard it must be to be the next speaker following such an announcement.
Despite the horrific events, the conference went on as planned. Presenters and attendees had lunch together in an adjacent room, and the afternoon sessions began more or less on time and proceeded to their normal conclusion. In short, it was business - more or less - as usual.
And this is my point. The terrorists have murdered and maimed many innocent people and inflicted horrendous physical damage, but they have not been able to destroy the spirit of the people. If this is their goal, they have failed miserably.
Although I don’t pretend to understand the motives of these terrorists, I do know that there are millions of people in the world who risk everything they have in order to immigrate to America and Europe to enjoy our freedoms and our way of life. I’m confident that more people want to emulate us than want to destroy us.
As for the British people, they will persevere. They made it through the Battle of Britain in World War II and endured nearly two decades of bombings by the Irish Republican Army. They will easily survive this latest attack.
By Friday evening, the pubs and restaurants were again crowded in central London. People were talking about many things - not just the bombings of the previous day. Life goes on. OGFJ