The US is just weird about perceived threats. People were freaking out during World War II over a possible invasion, even along the Gulf Coast.
You can’t convince people that all of the overreaction was exactly what the terrorists want … that’s how they win. The security theater at US airports is the biggest victory al Qaeda has ever had.
]]>True Londoners largely kept calm and carried on. For a week or two people seemed to be a bit more wary on public transport but afterwards things went back to normal
]]>I was in London during the IRA campaign, and close enough to feel the shock of bombs from the ground, but people were annoyed, not frightened. There were a lot of people who remember the Blitz as children, so it wasn’t a shock, like New Yorkers who haven’t been attacked at home, or in their work places. That makes a big difference in the way people react.
What the US has done is overreact on a massive scale, but then, I put up with terrorists trying to blow me when I was stationed in Germany, as well as the IRA attacks in London, so it isn’t an exceptional situation for me.
OTOH, I would not have been happy about being penned in like you were. I was trained to react, and being unable to would have been extremely frustrating.
]]>What a contrast to the previous day when London won the 2012 games
I was never a fan of Livingstone but he rose to the occasion that day.
Three of the dead lived near me: Lee Baisden, Giles Hart and Gladys Wundowa. A terrible day but the bombers achieved nothing.
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