rubinville

That's a picture taken from a camera phone of London commuter as he climbed up to safety after the bombings earlier today. I normally like to think of the Daily Dave as a comedy journal, but today I'm going to go in another direction...

I ride on the NYC subway every day of my life. When I'm on the train I see white people, black people, asian people, gay people, homeless people, business people and every other type of people. I often find great inspiration on the subway because of this crazy mix of people, and I probably write more ideas down while in the subway than anywhere else.

So earlier today, in London, as all those types of people went to work or wherever else they were headed, they suddenly found themselves climbing out of the underground, praying for their lives.

Terror is really an amazing tool. It makes nations choose their destiny instead of avoiding it. When America was attacked, we chose to go on the offensive. When Spain was attacked, they chose to retreat. Now England will have their choice, and we'll see what they do. I have a feeling they'll go on the offensive, but Europe is a strange place, and there are many people who think that if you appease the bad guys that they will stop hating you as much.

A month from now Israel is going to pull out of the Gaza Strip. I can't help but think that the same guys who attacked us on 9/11, and the same guys who hit London today, are the same guys who will be thrilled that Israel is leaving because of an unrelenting campaign of terror. I'm not saying that staying just because they will feel rewarded if you leave is enough to stay, but I am wondering if leaving emboldens them to fight even more.

This is the challenge of all free nations in the 21st century. How do we keep our freedoms and our liberties while at the same time stopping backwards minds from turning us into the barbarians they they themselves are?

I was down by the Statue of Liberty on July 4th, and as I watched the fireworks while standing amongst so many different types of people I kept thinking about how much I love New York City. And by an extension of that I supposed I really was thinking how much I love this country.

Today, I'd imagine every person in England is thinking about how much they love their country.

And that powerful feeling is stronger than what a few fundamentalist fuckers can ever blow-up.