Why I have no desire to see India

[astra]

I feel sorry for affected.

[vivaldirules]

This is really sad. There are innocent people being hurt by scum everywhere. We can only hope that the perpetrators of this particular event will be found and stopped soon.

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Don't you realise that by saying that, you are letting these bastards "win"? That is precisely what they are trying to achieve.

If you look at the statistics, you'll find that the change of dying in a random act of terrorism is vanishingly small - certainly far smaller than being murdered in your own country (the US has a murder rate 70x higher than that of the UK, per head of population).

Nasty things can happen to you even if you stay at home. You've told us before, IIRC, that you have personal experience of that yourself.

Yes, but at home, I don't get singled out simply because I am a tourist. I'd like to think that, while foreign tourists are from time to time hurt or killed in random acts of violence here in the States, no group who wants to simply massacre them because they are tourists will ever start operating here.

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

I hope ashkulz is ok, he's based in Bombay IIRC. Fortunately, none of my family was affected. As for RickyMaveety, a whole bunch of Bombay taxi drivers will be heart broken

No problem, Kovid. If I want to give business to an Indian cab driver, all I have to do is travel to any mid to large sized American city and hail a cab.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

This is really sad. There are innocent people being hurt by scum everywhere. We can only hope that the perpetrators of this particular event will be found and stopped soon.

Well, they probably will. However, like cockroaches, more will spring up and continue their 'cause'.

I wish there was a solution.

Were you to take the entire worlds weath, and somehow distribute it equally among its peoples, there would still be those who would find reasons to hate.

Eliminate organized religion and you will have race wars.

Eliminate all different races, make everyone the same color, and you will have men against women.

I read this story in a novel somewhere, some time.

The problem isn't poverty, religion, race or anything else.

Its us.

[vivaldirules]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

Its us.

I agree, dg. Unfortunately, it is.

[RCR]

Thank you, daffy4u. There IS danger everywhere.

There can't be many places that haven't suffered violence.

I've been to Thailand, Indonesia, the UK, the US, India, Iran, Turkey, France, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan and other countries, all of which have suffered turmoil of one sort or other. Some of those places I would be delighted to return to. If I was booked to fly to India right now, I would go with pleasure.

As it is, I'm booked to fly to Thailand again at Christmas. I've been there before when there was rioting and bombings. There's no way I would allow the current troubles in that country to stop me going there.

(Hmm, in New York once I did the tourist thing of going to the top of the World Trade Centre. I certainly won't do THAT again).

[kovidgoyal]

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

No problem, Kovid. If I want to give business to an Indian cab driver, all I have to do is travel to any mid to large sized American city and hail a cab.

Not the same thing at all, taxis in America are metered.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by RCR

Thank you, daffy4u. There IS danger everywhere.

There can't be many places that haven't suffered violence.

I've been to Thailand, Indonesia, the UK, the US, India, Iran, Turkey, France, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan and other countries, all of which have suffered turmoil of one sort or other. Some of those places I would be delighted to return to. If I was booked to fly to India right now, I would go with pleasure.

As it is, I'm booked to fly to Thailand again at Christmas. I've been there before when there was rioting and bombings. There's no way I would allow the current troubles in that country to stop me going there.

(Hmm, in New York once I did the tourist thing of going to the top of the World Trade Centre. I certainly won't do THAT again).

A very admirable statement. But let me ask you this.

By traveling to these countries as a tourist, (business reasons excluded), are you not putting yourself at risk thru your own actions?

If while in these countries, trouble breaks out and you are taken hostages, whose responsibility is it to rescue you?

I personally would not want one innocent law enforcement officer/military persons life endangered because I wanted to 'tourist' in countries with these radical idiots specifically targeting groups.

[bbusybookworm]

Its been bit or a circus, trying to get in contact with friends and relatives in Mumbai, and fortunately they are fine, a little shaken and angry, but Physically fine.

Still, watching the coverage Online and on TV, has been interesting, with the Internationals making quiet a few leaps in who could be responsible, while the Indian Channels, surprisingly have been a little restrained, at least for them .

Getting back to the title of the Topic, Ricky, while I can sympathise to a certain extent with the desire not to go to Places where you are being targeted due to your nationality, it is unfortunately a fact of life in many parts of the world, not just India.

Terrorists have long targeted American's and Europeans in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Yeman, Lebonan, etc) largely due to the fact that they've found that its an easy way to get International Attention, and in many cases get away with it.

Africa has also had its share of problems, but more to to with getting a Ransom then for political means. The Embassy bombings while horrific, were not a foreshadow of further large scale attacks, at least in Africa.

In Asia, the Bali bombings were a major wakeup calls, as they to were largely aimed at foreigners.

Anyway Any one interested in watching Live coverage can watch it unfold at IBNLive which is CNN's Indian Affliate. Its a Live stream of its coverage and is pretty comphensive.

[kovidgoyal]

Originally Posted by bbusybookworm

Anyway Any one interested in watching Live coverage can watch it unfold at IBNLive which is CNN's Indian Affliate. Its a Live stream of its coverage and is pretty comphensive.

I prefer NDTV live at http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv...ideo.aspx?id=0

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

I personally would not want one innocent law enforcement officer/military persons life endangered because I wanted to 'tourist' in countries with these radical idiots specifically targeting groups.

In the UK, the Foreign Office issues travel advisories to travellers.
Unless people are specifically advised not to go, it's considered acceptable to travel anywhere.

"Given that terrorist attacks have taken place in public areas, there is a risk that you could be caught up if there were other attacks in the future. You should therefore be particularly vigilant in high-profile public places."
From the current advice page for travellers to the U.S.A.

[bbusybookworm]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

I prefer NDTV live at http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv...ideo.aspx?id=0

I Like NDTV's coverage, but as I usually use JLC Internet TV to find and watch streaming video channels, I missed this link.

[UncleDuke]

i've seen enough india for both of us, don't go, stay home, look at the pictures, rent a film from bollywood, eat currie, run to the bathroom, save thousands of dollars, you'll respect me in the morning

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

In the UK, the Foreign Office issues travel advisories to travellers.
Unless people are specifically advised not to go, it's considered acceptable to travel anywhere.

I suspect, Sparrow, that those of us in the UK, who've grown up with terrorism being a "fact of life" throughout our lives, perhaps treat it with less concern than people in those countries, such as the US, in which it might be perceived by some as a relatively recent phenomenon.

When I worked as a government scientist for many years, we all had a "mirror on a stick" with which to look underneath our cars every morning for bombs. Thankfully, those days are past.

[RickyMaveety]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Not the same thing at all, taxis in America are metered.

True ... but I am a VERY generous tipper. Especially if the driver is willing to share the story of his/her life and why they came to the States. I love love (LOVE) talking to immigrants.