Dispatch from the Razor's Edge, the Blog of Michael Stephen Fuchs
Defiance
"We have had these sorts of attacks before in our country, and we never buckle in the face of them."
- Prime Minister David Cameron

“Lee was lovely. He would do anything for anybody, he always looked after his sisters and always protected them. His family meant everything to him. He was a loving son, husband, father, brother, and uncle and a friend to many. He took a 'big brother’ role with everyone. All he wanted to do from when he was a little boy, was be in the Army.”

Well, that – the horrific stabbing murder of a British soldier wearing a Help for Heroes t-shirt in broad daylight by Islamist asshats in SE London – at least settles the question of what I run in today, and every day for the rest of the month.

I was defiant coming and going! Did my normal full circuit of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park – plus threw in bonus victory lap of the Round Pond, then straight down Broad Walk and out, just to keep the flag flying a little longer. And I definitely got one or two approving nods and solemn smiles.

Today's soundtrack is brought to you by Children 18:3 – and goes out to all serving and retired members of the British armed forces. (This just happened to play on my run, and seemed perfect – I replayed it four times.)

"Oh bravo
  You're the best
  There is no one else
  Oh bravo
  Our applause is not enough"

The killers were pretty tough when they drove onto the pavement and ran down a lone unsuspecting victim. A bit less so when it turned out they'd brought knives to a gunfight. Those SCO19 specialist firearms officers are no joke. I also slightly hate to say it, but I'm a little tickled that one or both of the blood-soaked barbarians got taken down by a female officer. Don't mess with the West – our women are empowered, and will kick your ass.

Finally, there was Cameron, spot on with his comments, and without hesitation.


Update: Lee Rigby's family spoke in public about their loss. I'm not going to embed it, as it feels too much like grief tourism. But if you want to see it, and you're prepared to get very weepy, here it is on the Guardian.


  terrorism     the uk     the military     the long war  
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Dispatch from the Razor's Edge is owned and operated by novelist, technologist, vegan, exercise junkie, classical liberal, rambler, and Londoner Michael Stephen Fuchs.

photo of Michael Stephen Fuchs

Fuchs is the author of the novels The Manuscript and Pandora's Sisters, both published worldwide by Macmillan in hardback, paperback and all e-book formats (and in translation); the D-Boys series of high-tech, high-concept, spec-ops military adventure novels – D-Boys, Counter-Assault, and Close Quarters Battle (coming in 2016); and is co-author, with Glynn James, of the bestselling Arisen series of special-operations military ZA novels. The second nicest thing anyone has ever said about his work was: "Fuchs seems to operate on the narrative principle of 'when in doubt put in a firefight'." (Kirkus Reviews, more here.)

Fuchs was born in New York; schooled in Virginia (UVa); and later emigrated to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he lived through the dot-com boom. Subsequently he decamped for an extended period of tramping before finally rocking up in London, where he now makes his home. He does a lot of travel blogging, most recently of some very  long  walks around the British Isles. He's been writing and developing for the web since 1994 and shows no particularly hopeful signs of stopping.

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