I get no satisfaction out of being right about this. The man they killed on the subway in London was innocent. He had nothing to do with the bombings. He was a Brazilian citizen.

British Promise to Investigate Killing of Brazilian in Subway

Quoted from the NY Times article by CHRISTINE HAUSER, pub today, 7/24/05:

The foreign minister of Brazil said today that he had been assured there would be a full investigation into the killing of a Brazilian citizen by the British police. The minister, Celso Amorim, held talks with British officials today after Scotland Yard admitted that the man, identified by the police as Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, had nothing to do with the investigation into the bombing attacks here.

British police officers gunned down the Brazilian man at point-blank range in front of horrified subway passengers on Friday, after apparently attracting attention because he left a building that was under surveillance and because he was wearing a heavy coat in warm weather.

[...]
The BBC also quoted the British Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, today as saying that the police accepted full responsibility for this "tragedy," and he expressed "deep regrets." But he also added that the "underlying causes" were not police action or policy.

"But actually the fact that we have terrorists using suicide as a weapon on the streets of London and below the streets of London and that is the context in which we are operating," he said. The police's shoot-to-kill policy will remain in effect.

[...]
Mr. Menezes was an electrician who had worked in Britain for three years. His cousin, Alex Pereira, who also lives in London, said: "He was a 100 percent good guy who never did anything wrong and had no reason to run. I don't think he ran from police. I don't think he would do that. They can't show anything that shows that he had," The Associated Press reported.

technogoddesss would have something to say here about gun control and/or guns. I remain neutral on the issue, although slightly fascinated by the power of firearms and very much disgusted by the availability of high-powered assault weapons for ... shooting deer? Defense against home invasion? The right to bare arms seems more important to me than the right to bear arms in this day and age.

But regarding the incedent above, it does appear that NYC cops would have been more seasoned in terms of knowing when to shoot someone and when not to shoot someone. Even after September 11 -- which I think we can all agree was substantially worse than the London bombings in terms of loss of life and general effect -- no innocent civilians were shot for wearing heavy coats on the subway.

Of course, they didn't try that shit again two weeks after September 11 either.

I vacillate.

I go to continue with my regularly scheduled day, which involves housecleaning and food shopping. If the Catholics are correct, I am clearly going to hell for breaking the Sabbath. And I liked it!