Just Before

The bombs on the Tube went off just as/after I bought this ticket - the police are saying the explosions were at around 08:50.

I'm feeling incredibly lucky.

I bought this ticket at Kings Cross just before all the chaos began. Just as I was about to go down into the station proper, I heard sirens, and saw the 'Emergency: Do Not Enter' signs on. I supposed that there had been a power failure or, at worst, a suspcious package and hurried to the next station, Euston Square.

Little did I know what was in the process of unfolding.

More here.

This photo has notes. Move your mouse over the photo to see them.

To take full advantage of Flickr, you should use a JavaScript-enabled browser and
install the latest version of the Macromedia Flash Player.

Comments

ickoonite says:

Cheers.

I just keep thinking about how unnecessary it all is, how pointless. Londoners are pretty left wing. People on that train were probably not much - if at all - in favour of the Iraq war. They had no connection with it.

Bringing the war to the cities, the streets of the West is, I suppose, an understandable tactic. It's guerilla warfare at its most ultimate. But it is the most amoral way of waging a war.

And we are powerless to stop them...
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

Huro Kitty says:

i agree with you. all of the major targets in the west tend to lean left. the major cities on both US coasts that are always in such high alert are hugely against the war. it's the arrogance of a few in positions of power that cause the innocent victims to pay with their lives. it's all so maddening.

i'm glad that fate smiled kindly on you today.
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

mariarenee says:

I'm glad you are OK
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

macwagen says:

jeez...you hold in your hand a piece of history.
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

bsdetector says:

Kitty says what?

"it's the arrogance of a few in positions of power that cause the innocent victims to pay with their lives"

BS, girl. It's the terrorists who killed these people. Shall we just "leave the poor terrorists alone"? That's what a lot of leftist want, thinking (wrongly) that they will stop attacking us.

Terrorist scum understand one thing only. Death. We should help them along their path to "Allah" by killing them and killing them and killing them.
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

RickPilot says:

ditto bsdetector
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

My Own Girl says:

ouch...all I can think of is perpetuating perpetuating perpetuating... I don't claim to understand the stupidity of their actions and I have nothing to offer in way of a solution but still...
Regardless I am glad that you are OK ickoonite!
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

ickoonite says:

I don't think Kitty was advocating that we leave the terrorists alone. But the situation is far more complex than some make it out to be.

We in the West must appreciate that the situation in the world today is largely the creation of the white man - we can share the blame for the awful state of Africa with the French - but the conflict in Palestine is largely the creation of the British and is maintained by the USA.

I'm not even slightly trying to defend the actions of those who attacked London yesterday, because they are a product of religious extremism - logic and reason do not figure in these people's worldview. But we should not forget that they are the extreme embodiment of something much more valid - a discontent with the way in which now chiefly America acts on the world stage, a discontent which exists as much in the UK (especially left-leaning cities like London) as in other Western European nations, and a discontent which is at its strongest in areas like the Middle East.

We cannot surrender, of course. It is surely the case that people are better off free than not - that is our one guiding light. But waging war is not the solution, for all it does is breed greater resentment.
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

irdial says:

ickoonite is completely correct, and his response(s) is/are almost perfect. If more people were rational, restrained, informed and intelligent like him, many of our problems would be soon over.

Huro Kitty is also right on the money. What the ignorant and those that are railing in blind rage cannot stomach is anyone telling the truth, or refusing to sheepishly go along with the group think.

Group think, overreacting, shouting about violence and revenge, blood lust, being willfully ignorant - these are the characteristics of the people who are 'part of the problem'.

Thankfully there are intelligent, and sensible people like ickoonite and Huro Kitty who are beginning to become the majority; the truth about this whole situation is now so widespread that every day it is becoming more impossible to refute it.

These people understand that we have to adress the root problems that are causing all of these events. If we refuse to do this, to face this difficult music, our lives will be utterly ruined for generations, and it will be our own fault.
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

blitzkrieg says:

You can't fight extremism with extremism. Which includes the far left and far right.
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

puddinswiz says:

ickoonite glad you are ok. I am an American i also feel we shouldn't be over in Iraq. I do believe that we should fight the act of terrorism however we are now fighting sadam husein's regime instead of the man who claimed responsibility Osama bin Ladin for 9/11. I also feel that if we are going to be fighting this war then Bush needs to get his act together and at least alot enough money to protect the soldiers we already have over there. I have friends now in Irag that say that have to fasten debris to the outside of their vehicles because the armor and supplies they needed were not included in his budget.
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

Austinsound says:

Here's the question we ought to ask when deciding our course of action in response to terror: Does the aggressive application of military force increase or decrease the propensity for terrorism? For all you tough guys out there, the answer to this question does not in any way imply that the alternative is to do "nothing" or that we should coddle terrorists. The issue is the effectiveness of our chosen response – aggressive military action -- in reducing the number of attacks in a particular place over a particular time.

In Iraq – and in the West Bank and Gaza – aggressive military tactics do not reduce terror attacks. As satisfying at it is may be retaliate, order air strikes, and launch the next offensive in Fullujah, those willing to strap on a bomb and walk into a café are not the least bit deterred by these actions. As hard as it is to face, you just can’t kill ‘em all and, even if you could, the result of a really effective killing campaign would forever stain the west.

The stated US goal in Iraq is to reduce the propensity for terrorist violence overall and lower the number of attacks in the country so democracy can advance. The evidence is clear: The aggressive application of military force in response to terror does not reduce the propensity for terrorist attacks or violence.

Whatever your political strips may be, most would agree the West should try something that works. So far we know what doesn’t work: Passivism doesn’t work, coddling terrorists doesn’t work, and massive military power doesn’t work. Hmmm, makes you wonder whether we’ve got the creative problem solving minds to crack this nut. So far, it doesn’t look too good.
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

ickoonite says:

For all you tough guys out there, the answer to this question does not in any way imply that the alternative is to do "nothing" or that we should coddle terrorists.

Thank you. I'd been trying to pen a reply to some of the earlier posts along these lines, but was unable to precisely articulate the sentiment.

The strategy of mass slaughter that the right-wingers advocate will, of course, only worsen the situation. You start out simply enough, a terrorist here, a terrorist there, but in doing so, anger another wave of people whom you move to arms. And for every terrorist you kill, there are probably five, ten, twenty people angered by this person's death. And then you're fighting a guerilla army.

America knows firsthand fighting guerillas is bad because it's the reason they lost in Vietnam. And other nations know that fighting guerillas is bad because they watched America lose in Vietnam.

Likewise, passivism isn't an option, because if exclusively followed to its natural conclusion, it can only precipitate the eclipse of Western liberal values by more restrictive Islamic ones. Simply put, if too many people think freedom is a bad idea, then freedom becomes taboo. This is one of the reasons why there is so much anxiety surrounding Turkey's possible incorporation into the EU.

I favour a more peaceful approach, because I believe that there are more people in the world who think that it is never acceptable to take a human life than those who don't. Asblitzkreig notes, extremism will not work - neither excessive passivism or excessive force is the way forward.

Ours is a world where communication is a thing very global, a thing very easy. Let words be our weapons - words of defiance, words of courage, words of strength. Let us not forget that old adage: that the pen is mightier than the sword.
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

Austinsound says:

By the way, that train ticket is a keeper. So glad you escaped the madness of these “bastards.”

When it comes to US policy, my problem is really with simplistic, bleeding heart conservatives who naively beleive that because the US is the "greatest military power on earth,” we can kick a little ass (or a lot of ass for that matter) and solve the terror problem. I'm also bugged by the tired, small-minded “patriots” that freak out whenever someone questions to “wisdom” or our current approach to the problem. These are the folks that keep us stuck in a strategy that hasn’t and won’t work because they’re too busy “supporting the president” in a time of war and lack the guts to look at this objectively and assess whether our approach is effective. As my brother, a fighter wing commander and graduate of US Army War College, says “Military power is a hammer and not every problem is a nail.” The answer? Beats me, but I suspect it’ll require a combination of political and economic power, the continued assertion of the values of pluralistic, democratic societies, and the occasional exercise of military power. Western military power alone sure isn’t the answer -- it only makes it worse – and I doubt whether it can even be the dominant factor in our response. Wonder what we could do to help persuade the predominately Muslim nations – even governments -- and moderate intellectuals and clerics to take a direct role in cooling off radical Muslim activism, rhetoric, and terror from within? I wonder what percentage of the international oil market is consumed in the G8 nations? Wonder what it would do if the G8 got aggressive in the oil market and applied consistent economic pressure to the Middle East nations using market forces? What would happen if the G8 massively reduced Middle East oil purchases? Do we have the wherewithal to offend our Saudi friends? Are we smart enough to pull that off and maintain western power on the geopolitical stage? Hmm…
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

corporatemonkey says:

Glad to see that you're alright. I spent most of 7/7 in bed watching news feeds, under a blanket. If I had been @ work in Washington DC (rather than on vacation in North Carolina), I know I would've hightailed it home via taxi.

I don't mind admitting that I am a wuss, and fearful, because I lost family in NYC on 9/11. I hope that all of your friends and family are safe, though I understand that it's a hope that won't be fulfilled for everyone in London. The worst tragedies created by these kinds of attacks are the children that will grown up never knowing their mothers and/or fathers, and that the dreams of those who lost their lives will be unrealized.

Thank you for posting your pictures on Flickr. When I got out of bed, it was the first place I thought to go for firsthand accounts of what was happening in London.
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

Kris McElman says:

Yup, that ticket is a keeper.
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

ickoonite says:

Thank you for your kind words corporatemonkey. And I can totally understand your sentiments, given the loss of which you speak, for which I am truly sorry.

I am fortunate to have suffered no such loss, but as I have said in my blog post, I still cannot help but think about the what ifs at this stage...
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

ickoonite says:

A nice summing-up of the typical London attitude to all this can be found here.
Posted 55 months ago. ( permalink )

Waterloosrain says:

nice pic,god bless uk
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

Red~Cyan says:

Very dramatic photo. Glad you are safe!
Posted 48 months ago. ( permalink )

lovexdestroy says:

Wow, one year ago tomorrow. I'm very glad you weren't harmed.
Posted 43 months ago. ( permalink )

madwithstars says:

you were very lucky. its a very powerful image
Posted 29 months ago. ( permalink )

Would you like to comment?

[?]

This photo also belongs to:

	FlickrCentral (Pool)
		0

	London (Pool)
		0

	London Tube (Pool)
		0

	London Bomb Blasts Community (Pool)
		0

22 people call this photo a favorite

Additional Information

Taken with a Canon EOS Kiss Digital.
More properties
Taken on July 7, 2005
Viewed 12,654 times

Add to your map

Yay location removed

...

(Some formats are OK.)

Or, remove it from the map.

Go to the map

You	Sign in \| Create Your Free Account
Explore	Places \| Last 7 Days \| This Month \| Popular Tags \| The Commons \| Creative Commons \| Search
Help	Community Guidelines \| The Help Forum \| FAQ \| Sitemap \| Get Help

Just Before

Comments

ickoonite says:

Huro Kitty says:

mariarenee says:

macwagen says:

bsdetector says:

RickPilot says:

My Own Girl says:

ickoonite says:

irdial says:

blitzkrieg says:

puddinswiz says:

Austinsound says:

ickoonite says:

Austinsound says:

corporatemonkey says:

Kris McElman says:

ickoonite says:

ickoonite says:

Waterloosrain says:

Red~Cyan says:

lovexdestroy says:

madwithstars says:

Would you like to comment?

FlickrCentral (Pool)

London (Pool)

London Tube (Pool)

London Bomb Blasts Community (Pool)

Tags

Additional Information