JULY 10, 2005 --

Throngs of people gathered on the banks of New York City's East River -- from below the 59th Street bridge to the tip of Manhattan -- for the annual July 4th
fireworks display presented by Macy's.

And this commemoration of our 229th Independence Day could be found throughout the in cities, towns, villages
hamlets. (People told LPR that they have been most impressed by the fireworks spectacle in Boston along the banbks of the Charles River.)

LPR watched the fireworks at a spot in Long Island City visited by the International Olympic Committee, last February, at two high-rises looking towards Manhattan from Queens, rising above an old Long Island Ferry slip (whose silhouette is visible in some of the
photos of the Macy's fireworks).

Some boats had water-level views between the firewrorks barges and the 59th Street bridge. The crowd was treated to a water spray display from fireboards before the fireworks lighted up the East River sky. The spectacle lasted half an
hour, somewhat shorter than driving time back to The Bronx -- and next, waiting to see which city would be awarded the Olympic Games for the Summer of 2012:
Moscow, Madrid, Paris, London or New York.

From what LPR had heard during the IOC commission visit to New York City, Paris seemed to be the favorite, having beeen passed over twice in recent years. It was something of a surprise to LPR when
London was named as the site of the 2012 games. LPR was impressed
by tv scenes of the euphoria in London to the choice made in Singapore.

Yet how terribly short-lived the spontaneous joy in London, on July 6.

The all-too-brief joy was so tragically and quickly replaced by grievous shock the next day, that terrorists had attacked London killing scores, injuring hundreds.

The purpose of this murderous deed was not clear. Perhaps it is time to agree that all that matters is that people have been murdered, atrociously so.

Whose cause can be promoted by atrocities? -- provided there is concensus that these are atrocities, no more no less.
The atrocious violence in London occured while the world's leading insudtrial powers -- the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Canada, and Russia -- the Group
of 8 -- were meeting in Scotland.

Was the intent to demonstrate how no industrial power is safe from terror's murderous hand? Could the murder have been intended to demonstrate how swiftly terror can attack the next designated Olympic venue?

For LPR, the evil deed is enough to work
on -- speculation as to cause is not productive. The New York Times, for example, in an editorial July 8 cited "the bestiality of people" bombing a crowded bus and subways to create "scenes of mass murder in the heart of London yesterday."

The Times, however, in noting that "Fear was another inescapable response..." to the London bombings, asked not only "why the British security agencies did
not anticipate the attacks...."

The editortial continued: "...why the wealthy nations have not done enough about the root causes of terrorism and why Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden continue to function after almost four years of the so-call war on terrorism."

For LPR, if The Times has knowledge that Al Qaeda committed the atrocities in London, July 7, where is the unqualified denunciation of these thugs and the
call on the world to join together -- to root them out.

For LPR, that, and that alone, is the way to deal with "the root causes of terrorism"

Protect Civilized Society
Root Out Terrorism