I don't have much to say today. I am personally so saddened by the deaths of the children in Russia this morning that I feel a bit wrung out. Go visit this site for updates and photographs and translations from the Russian media sources.
This crime is beyond description for me. I keep coming back to the woman who had to choose between which of her two children she was going to send out of the school and which was going to remain as a hostage. The six year old or the two year old. How would you decide? She chose the two year old to go out, reasoning, or so I understand, that the six year old would be better able to bear up under the stress.
I am not a very religious person, but I feel compelled to ask: May God bless those children who died there in that school.
UPDATE:
Michael Darragh found the link to the story about the woman who had to choose between her children. Don't read this unless you really feel the need to break down and cry.
Posted by Random Penseur at September 3, 2004 10:53 AMVery sad indeed. We live in a very scary world.
Posted by: Wicked H at September 3, 2004 11:04 AMI can't believe the Chechen rebels shot children fleeing to safety! As Unicef just told CNN, it is not acceptable for adults to exploit children for adult arguments.
Posted by: mikeyinbarcelona at September 3, 2004 01:00 PMmate, can you show me the link to the original story about the woman who had to make that awful choice? was it LA Times?
Posted by: mikeyinbarcelona at September 3, 2004 01:57 PMSo very sad...and it makes me frustrated and angry, too. What a terrible choice for that woman to have to make. Rips my heart.
Posted by: Amber at September 3, 2004 02:01 PMLinks...Drecht...Links...Drecht.
Posted by: Mark D. Firestone at September 3, 2004 11:41 PMCorrection: Gerecht.
Posted by: Mark D. Firestone at September 3, 2004 11:49 PMRP,
I just added a link to a blog that has a ton of information on this. The blogger speaks Russian and has been translating excerpts from ITAR Tass and other Russian news services. [Just click on my pen name]
Immediately upon seizing the school the terrorists rounded up the 10-15 strongest looking male adults and shot them.
The pictures are not for the weak at heart.
Hug your children tonight a little bit closer. I know I did.
Ivan
thank you for posting the links...
awful
god awful
and yes - god bless the children
Posted by: kbear at September 4, 2004 02:13 AMIt didn't make me cry.
The ongoing coverage here in the UK didn't make me cry, either. The gunshots, the explosions, the people runing. None of it made me cry.
Not a thing.
Until yesterday I saw the picture on tv of a man sobbing as he hugged his young son who was wearing only a pair of underwear, as he realized that his son was spared, that his one son was alive and coming home.
That's when I lost it.
Posted by: Helen at September 4, 2004 04:13 AMThanks, Ivan. That was the link I had in the first part of my post, actually. Great minds, etc. I am relieved to say that I didn't see the pictures you were talking about. I couldn't look anymore.
My children received lots of extra hugs and kisses last night.
This could easily have been here, couldn't it?
Anyone else remember that whacko some years back who shot up a JCC in LA, specifically targeting the pre-school?
Posted by: RP at September 4, 2004 06:33 AMRP - I remember the incident in LA. I don't remember who did it, but terror is terror. There was a great letter in the SF Chronicle the other day pointing out that, contrary to the paper's assertion that the terrorist attacks in Beersheba, Russia, and one other that occurred very recently were NOT linked, they were most definitely linkedin that they were all perpetrated by fundamentalist Muslim terrorist groups. How much more of a link do we need?
BTW, this is kind of a side issue, but are you familiar with Irshad Manji?
No, Mark, I'm not. By the way, I tried to send an email to you to the address you filled in on the form but it was returned. Please send me an email at my address if you don't wish to broadcast your own address.
Posted by: RP at September 4, 2004 09:18 AM