Children

The following was in the WBUR e-mail newsletter sent by Dick Gordon.

There's a part of the Russian school story that's not being told.

It's not a big thing, and it's not conspiracy stuff.

In fact, it's very simple.

It all began, we are told, on the first day of school. That explains why there were so many people caught inside the school. See, in Russia, the first day of school is a really big thing. The parents go. They meet the teacher. There was a time when they exchanged gifts. So the attackers chose their target and their timing with that in mind.

What's more, if I can be forgiven a generalization, Russians love children. They love their own children of course, but they also love EVERYBODY ELSE'S children. It's part of that old collective thing. When I lived in Moscow, walking down the street was a dreary affair. No one made eye contact. No one smiled...unless I was with one of my young daughters.

Then complete strangers were cheery, they'd step aside at the metro or the bread store. And they weren't bashful either. If they thought for a moment that one of our girls was not well enough dressed for the cold weather...they rush right over and start adjusting a hat or mittens...smiling at the child, and castigating me for being a bad parent.

I thought about this when the children were attacked in Beslan. It will always be an inexcusable act to intentionally involve children in war and terrorism. It was just that little extra bit nastier, singling out Russian children on that day.

Details on the deaths at the school in Beslan can be found here. I'm reminded a little bit of Oklahoma City, especially by the pictures of bloody children being carried by frightened- and exhausted-looking adults. How could any cause be worth this? I will never understand.