Don't Back Down

Not too terribly long ago, Denise and I went to see National Treasure with Nicolas Cage. A bit on the eccentric side, and amazing how quickly some of the clues came to them after the first one fell into place, but if you can stand Cage's quasi-serious expressions without laughing, it was all-in-all a good way to spend a buck on a movie.

Two nights ago, Denise and I again ventured out, this time to see Sahara with competing hunk Matthew McConaughey (Cage is so much easier to spell). While there wasn't quite the puzzle aspect to the movie, it was just more fun. The camraderie between McConaughey and co-star Steve Zahn was simply incredible and made for many great moments throughout. I hope there are more to come, as it seems that this might be a great buddy tag-team for future sequels. While a bit unbelievable in the physical feats towards the end, and the horrible aim of the bad guys, it was an enjoyable flick and also satisfying for a buck.

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With this morning's announcement of explosions in the London subway system, you have to wonder about terrorism around us. I've long held that it's not about the act itself - just look at the word. It starts, for good reason, with terror.

I've also believed, for about the four years that have elapsed since the September 11th attacks, that the next ones won't come by plane - and they may not even come in the US. That's simple strategy. With everyone focused so much on airport security (whether or not it is effective), why waste the effort? Just look elsewhere.

It's even more interesting, and perhaps quite sad, that the attention paid to the attacks is relative not so much to the devastation, but to the (perceived) prominence in the world scene. The World Trade Center attack was hugely devastating, but it was also the US - so naturally all those US-based media teams covered it relentlessly. I suspect we'll see something similar, though on a smaller scale, for London.

But look at last year's attack in Madrid. While it received plenty of attention, it seemed to last for a day or so and quickly faded into the background of everyone's mind. That's sad. It's a worldwide problem we have, and we all need to be aware of each other - we aren't in this just for ourselves, but need to keep an eye out for everyone around us.

Meanwhile, if I were the leader of a terrorist cell, I'd be laughing mightily today as not only London scrambles, but the rest of the world - and specifically the US - rushes all their people to the train station. Perfect time for an attack at the airport, don't you think?