Spain, continued

On Wednesday I wrote about looking forward to going to Spain next month. That still applies, even after the chilling events that took place in Madrid only a few hours before I wrote that post at 4am, Pacific time. If I'd had Kevin's homepage up in another window, I'd have known by then that 10 bombs ripped through three train stations in Madrid, killing 200 people and injuring 1,500 others, and I might not have written that post. But never in a million years would I have guessed that such a thing would be happening while I was writing my first post about Spain.

In reading a related article in the Jerusalem Post, writer Barry Davis articulated what had been subconsciously bothering me about the Spanish government pointing the finger at the ETA, the militant Basque separatist group. He says, "First, ETA does not have a record of killing on a mass scale. In general, its operations have been designed to assassinate individuals - political and military - who are associated with the government. Over the past year, for example, ETA attacks have claimed three lives." From what I have read about ETA's terrorist activities in the past, they haven't engaged in any large-scale acts. It's not to say that they wouldn't be capable of this, I'm only going by their historical modus operandi. On my Wednesday post, I put in a comment that said I was shocked that the ETA would commit a terrorist act as large-scale as this, and since then the ETA has denied responsibility for it. Many theories have since been offered, but I rationalize that the Basque group would not likely commit such an act on the basis of potential retaliation from the rest of Spain... they are a relatively small cultural group in Spain, and to resort to violence at this level against civilians -- possibly even to some of their own -- for the purpose of gaining independence from a government they will continue to be reliant upon (for trade at the very least, if independence is achieved), would be an unlikely strategy for ETA.

Which begs a disclaimer at this point: I am no political pundit, such as the likes of Jay Currie or Andrew Coyne or any number of online writers who follow Canadian or global politics. Politics is my Achilles heel... I have become more and more political in recent years, but I don't claim to have any more in-depth understanding of the political process than, say, the mechanics of a car. It's not to say that I'm not trying to be more politically (or mechanically) savvy, I am definitely working on it. (Ask my mechanics.) But, Gail's Balcony does not claim to be a political blog. If a significant global event occurs, and I do not write about it, it doesn't mean in any way, shape, or form that I don't have an opinion about it. Hell, I have an opinion about everything. I just won't necessarily air my opinions on political issues because it's one area where I feel I need a great deal more information before I'll form an opinion worth writing. Everything else, however, is fair game... (cheeky ol' me)

Interestingly, a commentator on Andrew Coyne's site noted that 911 days had passed between 9/11 and the Madrid bombings, but another commentator noted that it was actually 912 because of the leap year. Don't the leap years only count in the Gregorian calendar or some such thing?? There are all sorts of calendars out there besides the ones used in the Western world, and -- hey, is this a tangent or what? -- maybe leap years are only accounted for in what we're using, the same way that Daylight Savings Time is not observed in some places (eg., some Australian states). Even more interestingly, in the time that it took me to put in references and links, those comments regarding the number of days that have passed since 9/11 have disappeared. I thought it was just my imagination, but I still had the original comments window up and saw that it was not myopia or clicking off-course.

At mytelus.com, I noted a little poll in the side window, for this question:

Will high-profile terrorist bombings in places such as Bali, and this week's attacks in Spain, dissuade you from travelling to such popular tourist destinations?

Results as of this afternoon:

29% for Definitely
24% for Perhaps
28% for Not at all
17% for I was never interested

I like to keep tabs on these little polls from time to time, to watch how the percentages change over the course of time, as more information gets released, as more opinions and theories are postulated and public opinion sways with the media breeze. Of course, the mytelus.com readership is not necessarily representative of the public -- results of online polls must always be taken with a grain of salt.

My vote is lumped in with the Not At All crowd. I am from the school of thought that considers risk a part of everyday life. When we drive around, there is a significant probability that we will be involved in a car accident at some point. All forms of travel carry inherent risks. I've gone bungee-jumping, river surfing, and other activities where I've had to sign a disclaimer. But there are so many other things we do that don't carry a disclaimer, but are taken for granted to be without inherent risk to personal safety -- riding on public transit, crossing intersections, standing in a crowd, hiking in the woods, etc. Risk is everywhere, it just depends on how you calculate the risk and how you let that affect your life. I would live life differently if I had kids, for example, I would be much more wary about my surroundings and side with caution more often. I wouldn't do arguably unsafe things such as wander around foreign cities in the middle of the night by myself to satisfy my noctural urge to explore.

Stephen Savage is one of a number of individuals who have been inspired by world events such as 9/11 and the terrorist bombing of Bali to initiate an international travel project to foster goodwill among people. He travels to remind people that the world, with all the conflict it's sustained in recent years due to terrorism and war, is not overrun with terrorists -- most of earth's inhabitants are essentially good people. Steve has been travelling since July of last year to get out there, travel and meet people and write about his experience so others may benefit. I've mentioned Steve before, but I may not have mentioned his project, which is an online shared experience. The shared part comes in by way of 'audience participation': sending him challenges, hosting him (which I did briefly in July and August), and posting in his messageboard. I bring your attention to his project from time to time not for the sake of giving someone publicity, but because I've "sussed him out" as the Aussies say, and think he is a worthy poster boy for global goodwill. Behind that occasionally scruffy exterior, Aussie humour, and broad accent is a guy who genuinely wants to highlight the good in people, not the cruelty or barbarism that is so often the content of media stories.