As a former lurker around these parts, I'd just like to add
some trans-atlantic support for your sentiments here.
We should be deeply, deeply suspicious whenever we are told that
this is not the appropriate time for finger-pointing or political
point-scoring (as we in the UK were after the London bombs, the de
Menezes shooting, etc). Because, sure as fate, such pious
finger-wagging is immediately followed by some guy in a suit - or a
uniform - producing a 600-page dossier from under his desk, that he
just happened to have prepared for a situation like this; a dossier
that will almost invariably involve some combination of (a)
exculpation of the government from any blame (q.v. Hutton enquiry);
(b) proposals that would be highly controversial in any other
circumstaces (e.g. recent proposed amendments to UK 'terror' laws),
or (c) no small amount of finger-pointing of its own ('radical'
clerics assumed the role of 'scapegoats of the month' after
7/7).
It's entirely intelligible that certain figures with politcal
agendas of their own would rather those who noramlly seek to hold
them to account responded to such events with unfocused emoting
rather than questioning and analysis. But it's incumbent on us to
keep our eyes on the ball, & to speak what we see, more than
ever at times like this.
Sorry, this reply was longer than the original post. How rude!
C.
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