Reader's Favorites
Media Casualties Mount

Administration Split On Europe Invasion

Administration In Crisis Over Burgeoning Quagmire

Congress Concerned About Diversion From War On Japan

Pot, Kettle On Line Two...

Allies Seize Paris

The Natural

Gore Book Sales Tank, Supporters Claim Unfair Tactics

Satan Files Lack Of Defamation Suit

Why This Blog Bores People With Space Stuff

A New Beginning

My Hit Parade
Instapundit (Glenn Reynolds)
Tim Blair
James Lileks Bleats
Virginia Postrel
Kausfiles
Winds Of Change (Joe Katzman)
Little Green Footballs (Charles Johnson)
Samizdata
Eject Eject Eject (Bill Whittle)

Space
Alan Boyle (MSNBC)
Space Politics (Jeff Foust)
Space Transport News (Clark Lindsey)
NASA Watch
NASA Space Flight
Hobby Space
A Voyage To Arcturus (Jay Manifold)
Dispatches From The Final Frontier (Michael Belfiore)
Personal Spaceflight (Jeff Foust)
Mars Blog
The Flame Trench (Florida Today)
Space Cynic
Rocket Forge (Michael Mealing)
COTS Watch (Michael Mealing)
Curmudgeon's Corner (Mark Whittington)
Selenian Boondocks
Tales of the Heliosphere
Out Of The Cradle
Space For Commerce (Brian Dunbar)
True Anomaly
Kevin Parkin
The Speculist (Phil Bowermaster)
Spacecraft (Chris Hall)
Space Pragmatism (Dan Schrimpsher)
Eternal Golden Braid (Fred Kiesche)
Carried Away (Dan Schmelzer)
Laughing Wolf (C. Blake Powers)
Chair Force Engineer (Air Force Procurement)
Spacearium
Saturn Follies
JesusPhreaks (Scott Bell)

Biting Commentary about Infinity, and Beyond!

« Plea to Capsicum Connoisseurs | Main | The Plot Revealed »

Bystanders

Mark Steyn discusses the culture of passivity and, as usual, nails it.

I have to say though, after reading this:

On September 11, 2001, the first individual to be named among the dead was the wife of the US Solicitor-General, Barbara Olson, whom I'd sat next to at dinner a couple of months earlier. On September 11, 2003, I woke to the news of the death of the Swedish foreign minister, Anna Lindh, whom I also sat next to a couple of months ago, at a conference.

As much as I enjoy his writing, I'd be a little nervous about having dinner or sitting next to him...

Posted by Rand Simberg at September 12, 2003 09:22 PM

Comments

Steyn writes:

: This isn't an argument for guns, it's more
: basic than that: it's the difference between a
: citizen and a nanny-state baby.

What a load of crap! Steyn obviously does not know the facts at all. Nobody lifted a finger at that department store simply BECAUSE THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY WERE SEEING! It wasn't a case of "Eek! Somebody has stabbed the foreign minister! Let's do nothing so he does not attack me as well" at all.

MARCU$

Posted by Marcus Lindroos at September 13, 2003 11:37 AM

Really, Marcus? Were you there?

Posted by Rand Simberg at September 13, 2003 12:43 PM

> Really, Marcus? Were you there?

This is front page news everywhere over here, Rand. E.g. the "Expressen" newspaper happened to have a reporter (Cecilia Hagen) on the scene; she writes that she initially thought the woman lying on the floor had suffered a heart attack or a stroke, as did most of the other bystanders who didn't even notice the assassin. Other bewildered witnesses were interviewed on TV as well.
---
Right now it's difficult to find *any* news not related to the Anna Lindh tragedy in Swedish & Finnish newsmedia.

MARCU$

Posted by Marcus Lindroos at September 13, 2003 02:00 PM

So...All these people thought she'd had a heart attack or stroke. Did none of them try to help? If so, did none of them notice any BLOOD?????

She'd been stabbed. I'd think that would be obvious to the first person who examined her, medically trained or not.

Posted by FDC at September 13, 2003 03:19 PM

They didn't understand what had happened because they didn't have the mindset to interpret the signs of danger and chaos in a meaningful way. They believe that they live in a safe orderly world, where knowledge of self portection, and how violence is perpetrated need not be learned. Most of the time it works, when it doesn't they are complete clueless.

You could probably take over the country with a toy gun and a bad attitude.

Posted by Joe at September 13, 2003 08:50 PM

It's a terrible thing to be sure, but how can a person in this position not have bodyguards?

Posted by ken anthony at September 13, 2003 09:15 PM

> So...All these people thought she'd had a heart
> attack or stroke. Did none of them try to help?

They did try to help, several of them.

> If so, did none of them notice any BLOOD?????

A nurse who happened to be on the scene remarked that Lindh had received cuts on her arms, but that the extent of the wounds weren't apparent at first. They noticed she had been badly wounded once they removed her shirt.

The assassin knew what he was doing. Although the gash in her stomach was only about one inch across and not that deep, the assassin twisted and turned the knife in order to damage the liver and crucial blood vessels.

The attack was also very quick; he basically threw Lindh to the ground, stapped her twice and then immediately walked away before anybody had figured out what actually happened.

> It's a terrible thing to be sure, but how can a
> person in this position not have bodyguards?

That's what the Swedes are asking themselves as well. Lindh was very popular and never received any death threats, so nobody really anticipated a need for it. Despite the Olof Palme tragedy in 1987.

MARCU$

Posted by Marcus Lindroos at September 14, 2003 08:35 AM

Marcus, this BBC story reports the statement of a near-witness to the murder, who actually saw the crime scene and victim immediately after the stabbing. In her words, "There was blood everywhere."

She also reported that people reacted immediately:

Soon after leaving the shop, Ms Lekander heard people shouting from inside, "Catch him, catch him".

"It happened very quickly, I could see people running and I went back into the shop," Ms Lekander said.

This eyewitness report doesn't sound a lot like what you're describing...

Posted by Troy at September 14, 2003 08:34 PM

> "It happened very quickly, I could see people
> running and I went back into the shop," Ms
> Lekander said.

> This eyewitness report doesn't sound a lot like
> what you're describing...

Depends on what you mean with that. To me, the "it happened very quickly" quote is the important one.

MARCU$

Posted by Marcus Lindroos at September 15, 2003 07:26 AM

Marcus, the important points are that

There was a lot of blood, by this account -- it simply wasn't that hard to notice.

There were people who were aware that the murderer was getting away, and called for chase -- but no one acted on that call.

People ran... but did they run after the assailant? No, they did not. They ran away.

Posted by Troy at September 15, 2003 04:23 PM

> They ran away.

What is your source for this particular gem, Troy?
---
I note Lindh's best friend (who was there when it happened) is now telling the press the bystanders provided 'the best first aid Anna could possibly get'.

Doesn't sound like a bunch of scared welfare statists to me...

MARCU$

Posted by Marcus Lindroos at September 20, 2003 12:18 PM


Post a comment

Name:


Email Address:


URL:


Comments:


Remember info?