It took almost a day for some on the left to start blaming Sarah Palin for what happened in Norway. It probably took a while for them to get over their cynical shock that it actually was a white guy this time.
I will note, though, as an aside, that like school shootings in “gun-free zones,” this was another catastrophic failure of gun control. Just a few rifles in the hands of the older kids on that island, with training, would have ended this pretty quickly. Instead, they were fish in a barrel for him.
[Saturday evening update]
Bruce Bawer:
It is chilling to read my own name in postings by this mass murderer. And it is deeply depressing to see this evil, twisted creature become the face of Islam criticism in Norway. Norwegian television journalists who in the first hours of the crisis were palpably uncomfortable about the prospect of having to talk about Islamic terrorism are now eagerly discussing the dangers of “Islamophobia” and “conservative ideology” and are drawing connections between the madness and fanaticism of Breivik and the platform of the Progress Party.
This is, as he says, doubly tragic, and a setback in the war.
Thomas, that’s interesting about the police.
Regarding the shooter: “NRK also reported that Breivik does not have a military background and, in fact, was exempt from Norway’s mandatory military service. He has not had any special military training, it adds on its website.”
From: http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/07/24/norway.suspect.profile/
Bob-1,
Interesting, since its only allowed on religious grounds.
He could have been 4-F. He could have had a medical or psychological disqualification.
I just read that a police officer was in fact stationed on the island:
“Breivik raised suspicions again moments prior to his shooting spree at Utoya, The Times reported.
“The woman in charge of organising the island camp became apprehensive after going to pick him up from the mainland in a boat. When the boat arrived at Utoya she took him to the police officer stationed on the island. Breivik shot both of them dead.”
Yeah, shooting people dead is usually a pretty suspicious act. (For once, not making fun of Bob-1 but of whoever wrote that report.)
Mike,
If that was the case then I would have expected the media account to say we was disqualified from military service, not exempt. But I am sure every little detail of his life will come out in the next few days.
NORWAY: The only nation with unarmed police.
British police too usually do not carry firearms.
MPM,
The article was just comparing how skilled in firearms different police forces were in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden so it was in the context of those nations.
Actually there are quite a few countries where police are generally unarmed when on patrol. Indeed, the firepower carried by the average U.S. police officer in their patrol unit is more the exemption rather then the rule.
is more the exemption[sic] rather[sic] then[sic] the rule.
Where do you teach again?
Yes, its exception.
Unfortunately my phone’s spell checker has a mind of its own.