What did Norway do to deserve devastating attacks?

[Rhiannon12866]

It would be a terrible shock in any capital, but Friday’s attacks were particularly devastating in Oslo, a city that has made peace a major industry. It is, after all, only a few blocks’ walk from the government square where a car bomb exploded Friday to the headquarters of the Nobel Peace Prize.

This is a quiet and orderly city built on deep foundations of order and tranquillity. It is the site of countless peace-treaty summits, UN peacekeeping initiatives and large-scale aid projects funded by the vast oil wealth of Norway, a country of five million that has around 40 murders per year – a figure that has barely changed since the Second World War.

Beneath this surface, there are tougher undercurrents: a country that eagerly participates in military missions; that has been warned by the United States and other countries about extremist movements within its borders; and that has a small but surprisingly vocal and active extreme-right movement whose members are often furious with the government over immigration policies.

Still, it should be no surprise that Norwegians seemed stunned and inarticulate after the attack and the news that it appeared to have come from within their own community. And it shouldn’t be a surprise that their Prime Minister responded not with anger and vengeance but with a call for “more openness and more democracy."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/europe/what-did-norway-do-to-deserve-devastating-attacks/article2107346/

More pix (and video) at site (a few are GRAPHIC)

[JI7]

1. these things don't happen because anyone deserves it

[Rhiannon12866]

7. Well, that's just the title of the article, explores why this may have happened.

Though I imagine that it'll be a long time before we have all the answers. This was so tragic, they're comparing this to our Oklahoma City, and I thought this site contained a lot of information, including pictures. ;(

[Luminous Animal]

2. More openness and more democracy. I have faith that Norweigans will step up to the challenge.

[Rhiannon12866]

10. Did you see this part?

Norway’s politics are considered tame enough that the Prime Minister’s office has no concrete or metal security barriers outside to prevent a car-bomb from approaching. There have been warnings about jihadist groups and some far-right extremists organizing within Norway, but these were often dismissed: Norwegians didn’t want to adopt the invasive surveillance policies of other countries.

I'm hoping that fear doesn't cause them to overreact, like we did with the Patriot Act and the color-coded alert system, but you really can't blame them for being fearful now, since this has to shatter their sense of safety. ;(

[Bluebear]

3. Nobody deserves anything like this

[Kennah]

4. Definitely not deserved

One could argue they should have been watching their RW nuts more closely; however, given the choice of a permissive, open, democratic society or a fascist overreaching government, I'd choose the former.

[patrick t. cakes]

5. undoubtedly this tragedy is the result of "gods" anger...

When will people learn gawd ain't a fan of progress



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Norway

[JDPriestly]

6. Norwegians did nothing wrong.

This was totally uncalled for. -- Inhuman.

Just plain mean.

[Gabi Hayes]

8. did you see these? he was a ''right wing blogger,'' influenced by, among others "Pipes and Geller"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1555190

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1555107

[Rhiannon12866]

9. Yes, thanks for the links!

I chose to post this because it had a lot of information, especially the pix. They're comparing this terrible attack to our Oklahoma City... ;(

[alphafemale]

11. What did Norway Do? What did Baylee do do deserve THIS?

She should have just turned 17, thinking about where she wanted to go to college and worrying about the SAT's.

But a right-wing fuck asshole terrorist took all that way and she died in the arms of a heartbroken gentle stranger.

[a la izquierda]

28. Have you ever been to the Memorial?

It's beautiful and horrible at the same time.

[alphafemale]

31. No. But I've seen the pictures. It is a very unique tribute. nt

[Dennis Donovan]

12. k&r... the scope of the carnage is incredible

[Diclotican]

13. Rhiannon12866

Rhiannon12866

This is just, mindblowind to say at least. Im living maybe 5 miles from Downtown of Oslo, have walked the gates true "regjeringskvartalet" many times, as it is a libary right down from where the government offices are. This should just not happend in Oslo, Norway.. The pictures shown here, and many others who are not shown here, is like looking at pictures from Iraq, or other places in the world..

First, the scare, that it could be from abroad - but it looks like it was some from inside our own that did that.. Horrible as it seen, it was a right wing extremist who desided to make a statement.. A Statement we wil never forget I guess...

Diclotican

[Rhiannon12866]

16. Thank you so much for your perspective, my friend.

This is incredible, since the city of Peace is the last place anyone might expect such a horrific event to happen. I cannot imagine how devastating this must be, and the hearts and sympathies of all Americans are with you. Take good care of each other. ;(

Rhiannon :hug:

[Diclotican]

22. Rhiannon12866

Rhiannon12866

The whole thing is sureal, becouse for the most part, norway is a peacefull country where even police are not using weapons for the most part..

This is really devestating, and a deep shock for most of us.. And far to many peopole is killed by this lone madmen who killed so many young ones.. It is just hard to understand why this could happend..

And it is good to know, that over the pound, many are feeling the same, and wish us all the best. We have to care for eatch other now, and I belive it to be the right thing to do..

Diclotican

[Rhiannon12866]

30. I cannot imagine how surreal this must be for you.

I imagine that most who live and work in the area are still in shock. This came out of nowhere and is Norway is known for tolerance and peace, not a likely target. It must be shocking to see the landscape change so suddenly, let alone to learn that this violence came from within. ;(

It's going to take awhile to process this, but I hope that the fear that this causes doesn't result in the overreaction that we've experienced in the U.S., the blind passage of the Patriot Act (only one senator even read it before voting) and the color coded alerts that just served to scare people. :(

The sympathies of the world are now focused on Norway. In recent years, so many Western countries have also experienced this kind of terrorism, both from without and within. I hope that the healing has already begun, but Norwegians are a tough and resilient people. Our thoughts are certainly with you... :)

Rhiannon :hug:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

19. I was hoping you'd post - glad you are safe.

We are so sorry this happened in your country.

[Diclotican]

24. The Velveteen Ocelot

The Velveteen Ocelot

I was never really in any harm, as I live outside Oslo, but off course this is a horrible thing to experience, even tho I was never really in harms way..

Police got the culpit, and Police and other authorites wil do it the right way, and put him between bars for many, many years to came.. He can not be excecuted under the law in Norway - but he can be keept under lock and key for 21+21 year if it is nessesary to do it.. So he would be a really old man when he eventually is coming out from prison..

And even then he have to look over his shoulder for the rest of his life, becouse most norwigians would turn their back on him, and never talk to him again..

For the moment, it is hard to grasp the idea, that someone want/ed to kill so many innocents, who have never been doing any harm to him.. As it stand, more than 90 persons, maybe ut to 98 persons are killed as we speak.. Many is harmed, some critical wounded, and some is even maybe on the brink of die now.. This is just not the country Im been growing up in... :cry:

Diclotican

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

25. It is tragic

and would be tragic anywhere but Norway is one of those places many of us envy and would like to live in. It's pretty shocking that such a thing would happen there. I hope your government is more sensible than ours has been and doesn't overreact with fear, and start doing stupid, repressive things.

Some of my ancestors came from Norway (Stavanger). Many times I've wished they'd stayed there.

[Diclotican]

26. The Velveteen Ocelot

The Velveteen Ocelot

True, Norway have been seen as a place of peace and order, in a often chaotic world.. Therefore it is more shocking when this happend, it should not happend..

Hopefully the government and our parlament would not overeact with fear and do stupid, repressive things. This thing have just not happend in Norway before. We are all in unsharted vater, never seen before.. What we need now is a government who is calm, clearheaded and do the right thing.. Hopefully Norway would not do as in US, make our own form of "patriot act" who can be used to repress everyone.. But for the most part it looks like our government have doing the right thing, our prime minister have been acting in a way no one belived to act.. He is a REAL PRIME MINISTER today.. Even tho it is just 3 days since the horrible act, it is still early one.. But our Parlament and government, have a habit on working slowly, and I guess that is the best that can happend today, do it the right way, and work out eventually new laws who can make Norway safer than it is today.

Even our King have had a speatch, where he spoke about what happend, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRrYZtzE3EE as our prime minister did right after the attack http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwdZs0GqWHA

Diclotican

[SoCalDem]

14. dupe

[SoCalDem]

15. There are nutty people everywhere.

This guy was apparently a right wing wacko with an axe to grind regarding the Labour Party.

Probably not very different from the nutcases who shoot doctors at church, or who wear guns to "tea parties", or who want to shoot undocumented immigrants, or who hate Obama for daring to be Black & living in "THEIR" White House.

These are seriously unhinged people who just cannot stand the fact that not everyone can be made to agree with them.

At some point, many of them just crack & do something really awful.. They do not all live here.. Every country has its share of this type of person..

[AsahinaKimi]

17. Message from the Prime Minister of Japan..

Kan, Matsumoto express outrage at massacre in
Norway

TOKYO —

Japan on Saturday expressed outrage over a deadly bombing and shooting spree in Norway that left at least 87 dead.

“Such violent acts cannot be tolerated,” Prime Minister Naoto Kan told reporters of Friday’s carnage.

Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto said in a statement: “We are strongly shocked and outraged” by the violence.

The twin bombing and shooting attacks targeted Norway’s government and ruling party Friday, with a deadly explosion ripping through ministry buildings in the capital and a gunman opening fire at a youth camp run by the ruling party.

more...
http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/kan-matsumoto-express-outrage-at-massacre-in-norway

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. The same thing the US did to deserve this

Which is absolutely nothing.

Yes, these things fester and we have extremists who are willing to blow things up. We need to realize that these groups have to be dealt with for what they are, INTERNAL terrorists. But until we all wake up to the reality that we have terrorists in our midst.

Oh and not the other, but our own.

My heart goes to the victims of this and the parents of those kids...

hug:

[pampango]

20. In the eyes of the attacker, their liberal government allows too much (Muslim) immigration,

endorses multiculturalism and promotes "internationalism" rather than nationalism.

None of that, of course, means that Norway "deserved" anything like this. But it's good to understand what the "bad guys" think are the causes worth killing over.

[alarimer]

21. The lesson is that they were not watching their right-wing terrorists closely enough.

It is a lesson we ought to learn too. Those TeaBagging shitheads are only a stone's throw away from this nutcase, yet when Napolitano declared that we needed to watch out for right-wing terrorists here, they had a complete hissy fit.

[Cleita]

23. They let their guard down.

In every society there are a few spoilers, which is why we will always need police and a military, to protect ourselves. I'm wondering where he got a gun? Don't they have strict gun laws. Maybe not. They seem to have gun laws similar to ours since they are a nation of hunters like we are.

[idiotgardener]

27. We are not a nation of hunters.

I don't know if you meant that to be sarcastic, but less than 6% of this country hunts and that number is going down, which is why you see hunting clubs desperately trying to interest women and children in "harvesting" animals as a part of "appreciating nature".

[Cleita]

29. Oh never mind. Our gun laws are geared toward

the desires of the 6% not what the rest of us want. I was sure you understood.