Tony Blair:

When they try to intimidate us, we will not be intimidated.

When they seek to change our country or our way of life by these methods, we will not be changed.

When they try to divide our people or weaken our resolve, we will not be divided and our resolve will hold firm.

If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart,
Absent thee from felicity awhile,
And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain,
To tell my story.

—Hamlet, by William Shakespeare

I visited England in May 2001, and spent two days in London. The people I met throughout England were some of the nicest people I had ever met, anywhere.

London took me by surprise, at first. Most places I visited had a relaxed small-town feel to them. London was a fast-paced, bustling, big city — one of the great capitals of the world. In the Tube, the London subway, I saw faces and heard voices from all around the world. I’d love to go back.

Hearing today’s news, my thoughts and prayers are with the people of London, and all of England.

In our thoughts and prayers, let’s remember someone else, too. According to this chart, 600 Iraqi civilians were “killed by warfare” in May. The chart doesn’t say how many were the deliberate victims of terrorist tactics like suicide bombs, or how many were “collateral damage” in the war. The chart does observe that the “average number of insurgent attacks per day” in May was 70.

I’m not making a political statement here, or minimizing the horror that happened today in London. We must not become so accustomed to violence and so accepting of daily suffering that today’s scenes from London, little by little, become part of “the new normal.” We need to shed a tear, from time to time, for all such suffering.