US Intelligence Agencies Warned India About Potential Attacks.

You know what pisses me off about this? It isn’t enough to increase security for a little while then ease it because nothing happens.

The chairman of the company that owns the [Taj] hotel, Ratan Tata, told CNN that security was temporarily increased following a warning. Tata told CNN Sunday that the enhanced measurers were later eased and, in any case, “could not have stopped what took place.”

People should know about these things. Citizens and travelers. We should be able to decide whether to stay at the Taj Hotel or have a business dinner there. If the Indian government had warned the public about these possible attacks, most people would have probably still visited India and many Mumbai residents and tourists would have still had dinner at the Taj Hotel. But maybe a few people would have chosen to go somewhere else. And maybe some lives would have been saved.

I’ve always disagreed with the argument that we have to continue to live the way we always do, otherwise the terrorists win. No. They’ve already won. Because they’re still killing people. And we’re always shocked and unprepared when they do. And they’ll continue to win if we remain clueless, uninformed and unable to protect ourselves. I don’t mean we should all be allowed to carry guns just in case there’s a Mumbai style attack in our respective cities. I believe governments should treat citizens like educated adults, tells us when a specific attack in a specific location has been uncovered and let us decide whether we want to avoid a certain country, a certain city, or a certain mode of travel for a while. At the very least, inform people what to do if there is an attack in a certain place.

I’m pretty sure most people will keep on going and take their chances, but there are some people who will make different choices. And I thought having a choice is what makes us different from the crazies who hate us.

Mumbai.

I’ve been watching live reports of the Mumbai attacks at NDTV 24×7 Live and following updates at TweetGrid.

TheTweetGrid is amazing. Citizens are posting updates every few seconds. Wednesday night, I had info about the Mumbai attacks that CNN didn’t report until 2 hours later. At first, I thought the information had to be false, and then I realized some the posters were getting their info from Indian news, and others were actually in Mumbai, listening to the gunfire and explosions. I clicked on a link to NDTV from one the TweetGrid posts and that was it for me. I was glued to my computer screen watching the English language news reports out if India for way too many hours.

If the TweetGrid moves to quickly for you, you can go to #mumbai Twitter where you must hit refresh for all the latest updates.

BB News Live Updates are also helpful to keep track of the situation.

Uncivil Society.

A 34-year-old Wal-Mart employee was killed this morning when shoppers at a Valley Stream, Long Island store trampled him. According to this* article, shoppers continued to stream past the emergency crews as they worked on the man.

Some of us talk about this idea that STUFF has become more important to us than human life. We have proof. A day after we lament the loss of life in Mumbai. Shame on you. All of you who killed this man, all of you who continued to shop as he died in your presence.

*I’ve deleted my original link to a NY newspaper’s article on the tragedy after reading some of the offensive comments that followed. The pictures included with the article show the group of people at the front of the mob to be Black. The comments are full of racist vitriol that try to link the tragic incident to President-elect Barack Obama. Yes, many commenters are implying that a Black president leads to Black unrest.

We knew, didn’t we, that every negative event involving a Black person would be blamed on our new president, didn’t we? Well, I did.

President Barack Obama.

Here is a look at the front pages of America’s newspapers the day after Barack Obama was elected president.

Watch and listen to President-elect Barack Obama’s victory speech.

The world reacts. (Slideshow)

Yes We Can.

Don’t Let Up!

Canvassing on Horseback for Obama.

Veterans for Obama.

General Colin Powell endorses Senator Barack Obama for President.

Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Harris and I visited soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center yesterday. We had the opportunity to spend time with a Vietnam vet and two Iraq vets. One of the Iraq vets lost both of his legs (above the knee) 6 weeks ago. He was from Flint, Michigan and was only 26 years old. We spent a long time in his room, talking to his younger brother who was friendly and very open about the ordeal they’ve been through.

While I don’t agree with the Iraq War, I support the troops. And I think one of the best ways to show that support is to visit wounded soldiers who sometimes believe they have been forgotten. I was near tears when the young men from Flint kept thanking us for coming, letting us know how much visits from strangers mean to them.

But I was struck by an elderly man we met early on while we were waiting for the escort who would take us to meet the soldiers. He asked if we were there to see a family member, and when we told him we were just average civilians who wanted to thank the soldiers for their sacrifices, he seemed pleased and began to tell us how amazing their attitudes are. And then he went on to say that everything we learn from the media is a lie. There was vitriol in his comments (which is always a shock when coming from a “sweet” looking old man), yet Harris and I remained silent. We didn’t think we were in the right place to enagage in a debate about the value of media coverage.

It was at that moment I understood the presumptions people make. Because we were in a military hospital, visiting wounded soldiers we didn’t know, we must be conservative, right wing supporters of the Iraq War. And it struck me how important it is to express that there’s no partisan monopoly on compassion for soldiers’ well-being.

You can’t start a political debate while you’re in the hospital. It just doesn’t seem respectful, in my opinion. But it’s more important than ever that right-wing, Fox News watchers know they aren’t the only people who support the soldiers and love the United States.

I recommend visiting the soldiers at Walter Reed if you’re ever in the DC/Maryland area. They really appreciate it. November and December are very busy months because politicians and celebrities visit. The hospital doesn’t allow food gifts, but we brought Starbucks giftcards and handed them to the soldiers directly. The hospital lobby has a Dunkin Donuts and Subway. We were advised that the giftcards there are best, because soldiers without arms and legs can go down on their own and buy coffee and sandwiches without relying on someone else to drive to the mall for them.