Two bomb blasts rocked Stockholm yesterday. Just before the blasts, an email was sent to a Swedish news agency protesting the presence of Swedish troops in Afghanistan. (source)
I used to walk down that street every day when I lived in Stockholm. I’m delighted to hear that the only person killed was the swine who set off the bombs. (source)
Here is what is truly remarkable — the reaction of the Swedish government:
Sweden’s prime minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, has described two explosions that shook Stockholm’s central shopping district on Saturday as “unacceptable” because, in his words “Sweden is an open society.” (source)
It is nice to hear a leader reassure his country that it is an “open society” in a time like this. Although Sweden is a bit of a nanny state when it comes to alcohol consumption, the Swedes are far more committed to keeping their liberty safe from power grabbing politicians than we are.
In another statement, Reinfeldt urged Swedes to have patience with the investigation.
Mr. Reinfeldt, responding to a question about potential racial tensions Sunday, encouraged Swedes to “have patience.” He said that Sweden’s “openness is worth giving ourselves the time to get to the bottom of this,” and warned of jumping to the “wrong conclusions.” (source)
While worthy of praise on some levels, I’m not entirely sure that I would maintain a commitment to complete pluralism if I lived in Sweden. About 5 percent of Sweden’s residents are muslim immigrants. As an American, I support letting people of any ethnic group or creed, no matter how silly, into my country — that is what America is about. If I were a Swede, I’d fight to keep cult members, hell-bent against the values my country stands for, from moving into my freedom-loving nation.
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