Giant Blast and Summer Camp Shooting In and Around Oslo, Norway

[AOII Angel]

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

I've been talking to my family a lot and one member is married to an American but has been living in Norway for over a decade. It is really hard to see this happen at all, but to see this happen to a group of young people, essentially the future of the country and even more so that the perp is someone many held something in common with, being a Norwegian farmer who completed military service.

I'm still bothered by the initial reaction and comments (via facebook ) blaming Islam and Muslim and some really hateful and obviously incorrect things were said, especially since Anders is a white Christian Norwegian male. It has been said his m.o. was his response to Islam, and some backtracked saying Islam and Muslims were still the problem (sigh), but their ignorance and prejudice was obvious to me. I don't expect people without a stake or relationship to Scandinavia or Northern Europe to be aware of the rise of white hate groups, but many of the commentators I had a problem with live in these places and know.

A quick news snippet I read on my phone's news feed yesterday said he would only be in jail for (approximately) 22 or so years and that made me sick and angry. I don't believe in the death penalty, and the USA is the only "Western" nation that has it, but I can't swallow that this person who has abnormal thought patterns and actions will get out some day.

ETA: People have told me they think I'm crazy to consider doing my field research in Norway/Sweden because this happened, but there could also be future "terrorist" attacks. For the record I consider this man a terrorist but the gist of people has been of the Al Qaeda variety of terrorist. I actually feel like there is more of a chance of something happening to me domestically, especially after being in Spokane with the bomb planted at the MLK Jr. parade/march last January. Overall I'm more concerned about random US violence than I'd ever be in rural Scandinavia and with the economy keeping funding to do what I need to do.

I've also read that they have the ability to lengthen the sentence if it's felt that the perpetrator is at risk for repeating the offense. I have a sense that this sentence would be lengthened when he finally goes through the system.

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

I've also read that they have the ability to lengthen the sentence if it's felt that the perpetrator is at risk for repeating the offense. I have a sense that this sentence would be lengthened when he finally goes through the system.

I read some other things about 21 being a base and that laws or other situations can be changed for this crime. If the shootings and the bombing were seen as separate acts that could possibly be 40+ years and he'd be over 70 by then.

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/25/138682...-justice?ps=rs

So anyone else read about Glenn Beck using the analogy of the camp to the Hitler Youth? From his own website http://www.glennbeck.com/2011/07/25/...conservatives/ he starts about 30 seconds or so in and the Hitler Youth comment is about 0:40. he then goes on saying he warned people this was going to happen.

Anders Behring Breivik's biological father said to TV2 that he wished his son would have taken his own life http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/n...acks-shootings I can't imagine that kind of pain.

[DrPhil]

This has really been bothering me. Speechless. God bless them. I won't give the murderer infamy/fame by mentioning his name.

I was on my Fox News Geraldo-at-Large kick this weekend and they were talking about this tragedy. I can't find that clip of the episode on their site. There was a point when the potential victims realized this murderer wasn't really a police officer. He was able to not only shoot people who were running towards him, shoot people running away from him, shoot people in the water, and re-shoot people to make sure they're dead. I am paraphrasing but a guest was saying something to the effect of how shocking, yet not that uncommon, it is that 1 person is able to kill so many people. There is one person that I have read about who was able to pretend that she was dead; and at least one person who was able to save others' lives. But, what tends not to happen in such tragedies is people coming together (whatever that means in each situation) to stop the mass murderer in his/her tracks. 20+ people seem more powerful than 1 person at the surface-level but the shock of this makes it more complex than that.