The loss of innocence was hardly a shock

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Hey, you blood-thirsty demons peace-loving folk! Sorry that I'm gonna occupy ya'll with such un-funny stuff particularly today (it's Friday, duh!) But this is considered big news here:

http://news.yahoo.com/israel-blames-iran-bulgaria-bus-bomb-kills-6-003630828.html

So that's what happened the other day here, something unprecedented for my tiny peaceful nation. A bomb attack at the Burgas airport. Apparently, a suicide bomber blew up a tourist bus. He was targeting several buses full of Israeli tourists who had just landed at the airport.

There were 5 Israelis dead + the local bus driver + the bomber himself. The kamikaze bomber (most probably Hamas, prompted by Iran) found a loose link in the security and managed to blow up one of the buses which was full of Israeli tourists who were headed from the Burgas airport, right to the Hrizantema hotel in Sunny Beach (which is just opposite the street from where our main hotel is, and our office!) I wasn't in Sunny Beach at the time, though. I'm currently in Plovdiv, 350 km away.

No other people were harmed. But the scene was a mess, body parts and blood spilled all over the cars nearby. The response from the medics and the rest of the services was remarkable, but the harm had already been done anyway. There's been some investigation, a bit of blame game and all the stuff we could expect in such situations. I expect there'll be some security tightening in the next days, and maybe less tourists in the next months. We'll see.

There's already video footage of the suspect: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/19/world/europe/bulgaria-israel-blast/index.html

Netanyahu is now blaming Iran, and promising to strike back at them. We may be heading into interesting times... This could be the drop that spilled the cup, and the final excuse for Israel to take some drastic measures against Iran. Unilateral measures, even.

As for our cute little country, I think it was a matter of time to lose our innocence, Norway-style. And stopped being "an oasis of peace" (words of Israeli foreign minister Lieberman). But what's hardly a shock for me is exactly how cynical Bulgarians have become, to a point where they didn't seem to care that much about the families of the dead, but rather their first reactions were, "Please, tourists, don't be scared, and please don't stop coming to our seaside! Please keep investing here! We need you! Everything will be all right, we promise!" And indeed, it took us less than 24 hours to return to life as usual, as if nothing had ever happened. No mourning, no ranting, no panic, no paranoia; sure, lots of political bickering as always, but all in all, a "Meh" sort of approach to the event. One of the biggest terror acts in BG since the communist church bomb plot in 1925.

Yeah. It's all business as usual now... If Armageddon happens, or the Cylons invade Earth, I doubt we'd even notice. Or if we do, we'd probably ask, "But, but, do they pay in cash or with credit card?"

Comments

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Oh, be sure we've been talking it to death over our 24 hr news cycle.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

If it bleeds, it leads.

Blood is pouring out of my radio. Just gobs of clotting blood. I guess I don't have to react. Just watch the wheels going round and *boom*.

[pastorlenny.livejournal.com]

Plus it's just Jews anyway -- and they deserve it.

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

I believe the preferred nomenclature is Jooz, or J00z.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Um, Juice?

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

(http://media.photobucket.com/image/thats racist kid/B_Oceander/Thats_Racist_Green.gif?o=3)

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

I was trying to help.

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

Trying to "help" is the most racist thing of all.

We really don't need your help to be racist.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Oh.

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

I hope you didn't take that more seriously than I intended it.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Drat. And I was just beginning the countdown to that intercontinental ballistic missile of mine...

(Blushes and hides starter button)

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Hey, you're not Italian.

[terminator44.livejournal.com]

I wondered when you would be talking about this. I really hope Israel doesn't do anything rash.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Well, fuck. >.<

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

This could be the drop that spilled the cup, and the final excuse for Israel to take some drastic measures against Iran. Unilateral measures, even.

Harder than playing the inside in Syria.

rather their first reactions were, "Please, tourists, don't be scared, and please don't stop coming to our seaside! Please keep investing here! We need you! Everything will be all right, we promise!"

God that as sickening as Bush telling us to keep shopping - amidst the rubble.

That video looks like he was dressed up like any american dude.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Yep, and it's not just our politicians who care oh-so-much about doing good business; it's the people themselves who think and say all this.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

I suppose there is truth to it, I guess. But in the wake, the shock, the pain of loss, it seem so cold.

I recall in that week after the towers fell, we had many arguments about how to react. One co worker screamed at me because I didn't want instant revenge.

I was still in shock. Wasn't even mourning yet. He had jumped straight into anger.

I hope you are hanging in.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

I remember 9-11. I remember where exactly I was when the news found me, all the reactions, and the pain inside my guts, and the pale faces of most people I know.

It seems we've gotten used to the feeling since then. Now, events like these don't seem to impress us so much. Even when they happen in our backyard.

The human brain is a weird thing.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

My first really bad thing was being on a train commuting from Les Ulis to Paris. 1995 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Paris_Metro_bombings). The train ahead of mine had a bomb explode.

We had to stop and manually exit the train and walk by all the shit. Then I couldn't get to my apartment because the Gendarmerie (young men in black with machine guns and serious tudes) would not let me into my block. That was freaky.

But 9/11 was shocking. I travelled to NYC to see the hole for myself. It was huge.

And yet, something like this bus bombing is still shocking to me. Beyond reason. Nothing is won with violence. We only manage loss.

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

This is scary. They could have gone for that Hrizantema hotel instead of the bus, and then... Thank goodness it didn't cross their sick mind.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Yeah, its careful targeting of the Israelis. Completely horrible.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

That hotel works throughout the whole year btw, even in winter when almost everything else is closed in Sunny Beach (it's a summer resort by the sea, after all). Hrizantema is always full to the top with Israelis who spend their time at the casino. Many of them come to BG especially for gambling. I don't expect them to stop coming, like some of the guys that I cited fear, but definitely some tighter security measures are on the way.

We've got a small number of Israeli visitors at our hotels too, and I hope the security guys at our firm will be more vigilant from now on.

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

It must be a tough thing, being an Israeli citizen traveling abroad... I don't envy those guys...

[root-fu.livejournal.com]

Doesn't Iran have anything better to do? Get a life Iran.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

They could've spent all that energy playing Counter Strike, no? It's cheaper!

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

We should have given every Iraqi a playstation and power.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

So that they could train their killers the way we train ours!

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Someone's got to fly those things (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/06/mystery-cargo/).

[luzribeiro.livejournal.com]

That's the perfect job for terrorist cats!

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

I will provide your kittens with bandwidth and cat treats.

[root-fu.livejournal.com]

This. ↑

[terminator44.livejournal.com]

Assuming they were involved, they're probably retaliating for the murders of their nuclear scientists. Nobody's sure who did that but they're convinced Israel was behind it.

[root-fu.livejournal.com]

Should it really be a surprise Israel targets your nuclear scientists if you announce to the whole world an intent to nuke Israel off the map?

[peamasii.livejournal.com]

Damn, I hope it's an isolated incident. Bulgaria is very safe in general so this is rather unusual. It's also popular with Israeli tourists. I hope BG can do more immigration profiling against potential terrorists from the middle east.

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

There are indications that those organizations recruit people from within our Muslim community.

[peamasii.livejournal.com]

In this case, it appears it was a foreigner:
" The bomber was believed to have been about 36 years old and had been in the country between four to seven days, he said."

http://www.timesofisrael.com/bulgaria-still-struggling-to-confirm-attackers-identity/

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

or the Cylons invade Earth, I doubt we'd even notice.

That would get the economy going! (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/15/paul-krugman-fake-alien-invasion_n_926995.html)

[airiefairie.livejournal.com]

This is horrible. I hope Bulgaria returns to its status of an island of relative peace. Because that is what it is, especially when compared to most of its neighbours.