Safety...

Yesterday marked a victory for us: Kristen's immigration situation was legalised. So when we hear that knock on the door at 7am, we know its not the Immigration authorities arriving to deport her. It all happened rather quickly - the phone rings @ 7.45am - can we come in for an interview? Yup, we sure can, with requested documents in hand (we needed to prove we are still happily married...) An hour later we left with a brand new Visa in Kristen's passport. A big relief. Safe at last.

Not sure how this will play out now with the hospital bill, but we are pretty sure our local member of parliament got the immigration thing moving so we're hopeful of the same result with ADHB! There's safety in numbers.

Then the day ended with the first reports from London's morning terrorist attack. I'm not one to bandy around jingoistic terms lightly - there are many who in the past have been labelled terrorists when another point of view might label them "freedom fighters". I'm afraid my tolerance ends though at the point when people attack civilian targets (and yes I know the Brits bombed Dresden in WWII) when a state of war has not been declared between sovereign states. I know for some the splitting of hairs is not an issue: terrorism is terrorism. I guess the nationality and sympathies of these terrorists will come out in due course - apparently there is already a group with Al Quaeda links claiming responsibility. But terrorism comes in many forms - remember the French governments bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in NZ waters? (not that I'm suggesting the London bombing is a French reprisal for the 2012 Olympic venue decision of the IOC).

And I hope Blair and Bush stay the course in Iraq now that they're there. The foreign forces in Iraq are not terrorists or even imperialists. Maybe it wasn't their fight and there are questions to be asked about motives. But now that civilian government is being restored in Iraq it needs to be supported through to relative stability. Even fellow Muslims are fair game for terrorists in that country - witness the Egyptian ambassador. And it wouldn't do for people to wait for Saddam to die of a Dorito overdose...

I guess safety is relative...

Jonesbore