Boston: In Solidarity

On this glorious, warm and sunny Spring day in London I did something that I have never done in my life. I joined the crowd of upbeat and buoyant participants, supporters and spectators out on the Highway part of the route of the London marathon, between Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf.

London  Marathon 2013
It was my way of showing solidarity with all those innocent people in Boston whose lives have been dramatically changed by the horrendous events at their marathon event. It was bad enough dealing with some of the fall out from London’s own “7/7” but it is simply inconceivable my family and I should have to live through that kind of terror literally in our own backyard.

Also sad is the complete scuppering by the conservative right, supported by some Democrats, even of Obama’s watered down attempt to bring a semblance of gun control to America. The very modest proposal to simply expand background checks was rejected. To my mind the Legislature would be more likely to put restrictions on the sale of pressure cookers, rather than guns.

In a blog last year (When a President Cries, 16 December 2012) I predicted this outcome.  At the time I said:
“Perhaps Obama will take on political opposition as well as the extremely powerful gun lobby. He can try. Don’t think he has any chance of success during the final period of his Presidency. Not sure that Americans are yet ready to relinquish their ‘right to bear arms”.

But times there are a-changing. Some American states have embraced same-sex civil marriage, marijuana legalisation, and even more startling of all the country elected an African-American President. Hopefully at some point in the not too distant future,  America will lose it attachment to high capacity assault weapons.

Last week also saw the end of this period of a healing fast, but more about that another time.

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