On a couple of occasions over the past couple of weeks I have given thought to the Madrid Train Bombings which happened on March 11, 2004 - five years ago today.
I was reminded of this terrorist attack two week ago when I watched Geert Wilders' film Fitna which shows a clip of the actual bombing which claimed the lives of 191 people and injured more than 2,000.
I was reminded again two days ago on my way to work. As I entered the train station there was an advisory from the Department of Homeland Security that police were planning to search bags at random. I'm not sure if a specific threat was made but it is a reminder that these things are a part of our lives and that an act of terrorism can occur just down the street as easily as it can oceans away.
More importantly it is a reminder that there are people who are prepared to kill other people who they deem to be non-believers. Some people respond by refusing to be intimidated and standing up to evil. Others respond by attempting to mollify evil it in the hope that it won't strike again. Like anyone else I would rather not think about terrorism and the ideology that drives it. But as long as it here it will not leave us alone if we simply play nice with it and wish it away or by blaming ourselves.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
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The political aftermath of the event was even more sickening. While the initial suspects were ETA, the government was investigating to see who truly was the culprit. This occurred three days before elections were held, and in Spain, it is illegal to campaign the day before the election to give the people time to reflect.
The Left pounced on the opportunity to make it look as if the PP-led government was lying to the people and essentially won the election as many on the Left kept demanding the truth. Those demands went away once the PSOE won the elections.
Fortunately, when 9/11 occurred, it gave the US a time to gather strength in itself and united its citizens, even if only for a short time. Things like party lines didn't matter, we were all Americans. It was unfortunate that the Spaniards were unable to do the same.
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