Reply #81: I've been here all morning, and this is about the 5th time...

[ms liberty]

I've seen someone start a thread expressing that exact sentiment.

My answer is: NO, we can't...

I've already emailed the British Consulate in DC to express my sympathies and support.
I've posted several times in threads expressing same, at least two of those to British DU'ers who started those threads.

I doubt there is anyone who is thrilled about people being injured or killed in these horrible attacks. But if we "take the day off to grieve" what good will it accomplish? Will it help the Brit's who've been injured or killed? Will it help the innocent dead or injured Iraqis? Will it help bring our troops home?

NO IT WILL NOT.

All it will do is to allow those wingnut's who are ultimately responsible for these attacks to frame the issue - and to frame us as the enemy and take political advantage. And they will - we all know this to be a fact.

We can still discuss, speculate and argue about the issues - and we need to in order to come to an understanding of this tragedy. For us it is contrary to our nature to sit around wringing our hands, and decrying the injustice of it all. It's part of our nature to think about this and to want to discuss those thoughts. And a lot of us have no other place we can go to discuss it, no other place where we can express our thoughts, no where else we can trust and know others who understand and share our beliefs.

We're all emotionally shaken by this horror. But our brains don't just shut off because we're upset, in fact I believe the opposite to be true.

I understand where you are coming from, and I appreciate your sentiments, but I can't stop being critical of our so-called leaders because of those awful bombings. We shut up after 9-11, and it got us into Iraq. It's their fault, and the world should know it - and if we shut up now, where will we be in four years?