La muerte es fría; llévate el abrigo

If you’re in any proximity of public transport you are apparently in grave danger of falling victim to a
terrorist attempt to destabilise the country. You could be riding alongside, or sharing the platform with a
man all dressed in home-made explosives. Look out for the perfectly shaved, meticulously cleansed
midlle-easterns, watch out for young men with nervous, concentrated expressions; in any case be very
careful. You could be hit by the full force of the explosion as you are thinking about your choice of tie
for the morning, you could be overwhelmed by debris as you chat to the woman sitting next to you
about what was on the telly last night.

The only certainty is that we live in a very dangerous age.

Maybe this thought doesn’t really bother you, perhaps you are so utterly bored of getting up every
morning and doing the same de-humanizing job you really wish someone would do something,
anything to put an end to it all. It could be you perceive yourself as invisible, so utterly alone that only
the news of your death could rekindle an albeit temporary awareness of your existence.

To some it is more appealing to become a martyr of democracy than continue being its slave.

Yet things are not that simple; it is still much more likely your last words be spent at the roadside not
far from the dented bonnet of a Vauxhall Corsa than among the tangled metal of a post-apocalyptic
London awakening. Or maybe all you have as proof of your sacrifice are a few scratches across the
face because you were in the wrong carriage and yet you are alone with nobody but the newspapers to
inform of your heroic act of being almost in the right place at the wrong time.
No, this will not do. What you need is a big heavy jacket and an instinctive fear of un-uniformed
people running at you with guns…

…seven shots to the head and one to the shoulder. Seven.

Surely this is the safest way of being killed on the Tube.

A coordinated, strategic police operation; a shoot-to-kill policy which is in the best interest of public
safety. Ruthless perhaps yet efficient, chirurgical; the work of fast-thinking, fast-acting professionals.

Eight shots.

Surely a mere five or six shots to the head would have been insufficient. Of course, to kill a man in a
detached, composed and, as afore mentioned, professional way no less than seven close range shots to
the head and one to the shoulder (for good luck) will do.

Or maybe, just maybe a certain level of panic was involved.

But no, of course not; Ian Blair assures us that the police are doing a great job and that, while he regrets
the death of the Brazilian youth, the present plan of action cannot be abandoned.
And we should pay attention to his words for while you and I are speculating on the finer points of civil
rights and police brutality a group of brave men and women prepared to shout, exhibit weapons and run
like deranged cattle in pursuit of people wearing out-of-season clothes are making the London
Underground a safer place for everyone. What’s more they will shoot the suspect eight times before
ascertaining his name, address or the small detail of whether or not he is carrying explosives. One can
dispute many of Ian’s claims but not that they are directly undermining the terrorists’ ability to strike
again; it is now clear that Jean Charles de Menezes was not a member of Al-Qaeda and had no
immediate plan to blow himself up on the Tube but he could have, at any later time in his life (he was
still quite young) have liasoned with some very disagreeable Muslim clerics and perhaps a few years
later decided to claim his 100 virgins at Piccadilly Circus or Kensington Gardens. Now, thanks to Ian
Blair and the good job the police are doing, we can be sure Mr. Menezes will never join a terrorist cell
or do anything else for that matter.

I feel much safer.

And so should you for if the police are to kill everybody who looks a bit funny or acts a bit strange I’m
pretty much sure there’s a very high probability they will get one or two ruthless terrorist killers as
well.
Some people say it’s not just; that common people should not fall victims to unprovoked violence.
Clearly these people are being very awkward hanging on to their human dignity and basic rights quite
selfishly in the wake of such a crisis. It’s just not very patriotic. Some people just have to be difficult,
set themselves apart from the rest; when the country goes to war, they ask for peace; when Blair says
“Yes, sir” to Bush, they feel the need to reply “No thanks”; when its raining, they forget their
umbrellas; when it’s hot they go and wear a heavy jacket.

Kill them all, I say!

What’s more, all this speculation has distracted many from the real problems facing our country and
our economy in these difficult times. For example, Marks and Spencer along with many leading British
clothes retailers has announced a 67% drop in men’s winter garments and the London Underground has
lamented recently extreme difficulty in selling return and daily tickets to foreigners and people of
ethnic backgrounds. One Colombian passenger commented: “Why should I buy a return? It’ll probably
turn out to be a waste of money”, he looked pretty distressed as he readjusted his woollen gloves and
headed for the platform.

a.ritroso