Mark Steyn watch

Here's Mark Steyn, putting into perspective the current British war on terrorism, fleshing out details about Mr. de Meneze's death, and making it clear that the British constabulary needs to figure out its goals and get its act together. BTW, the new information from Steyn regarding de Meneze's death tells me that the first insubstantial stories gave the police too much credit for acting appropriately, albeit wrongly. Basically, they f'd up:

With that in mind, we turn to Jean Charles de Menezes, the supposed "suicide bomber" who turned out to be a Brazilian electrician on his way to work. Unfortunately, by the time the Metropolitan Police figured that out, they'd put five bullets in his head. We're told we shouldn't second-guess split-second decisions that have to be made under great stress by those on the scene, which would be a more persuasive argument if the British constabulary didn't spend so much time doing exactly that to homeowners who make the mistake of defending themselves against violent criminals. And, if summary extrajudicial execution was so urgent, why did the surveillance team let him take a bus ride before eventually cornering him in the Tube? *** [A]lthough I've had a ton of e-mails pointing out various sinister aspects of his behaviour - he was wearing a heavy coat! he refused to stop! - it seems to me there are an awful lot of people on the Tube who might easily find themselves in Mr de Menezes's position. I happened to be passing through London on Friday. It didn't feel terribly warm, but I spend half a year up to my neck in snow so when it climbs to a balmy 48 I start wearing T-shirts. But I can understand why a Brazilian might find 61 and overcast no reason to eschew a heavy jacket. So a man in a suspiciously warm coat refuses to stop for the police. Well, they were a plain-clothes unit - ie, a gang - and confronted by unidentified men brandishing weapons in south London I'd scram, too. *** If the defence of what happened to Mr de Menezes is that it was the right treatment but the wrong patient and we'd better get used to it, perhaps the British Tourist Board could post signs at Terminal Four: "BIENVENUE A LONDRES! WE SHOOT TO KILL!"

Still, I'm not going to go haywire blaming the British police. They're new to this game, and they need to figure out how to handle it. One hopes, though, that the British will use this opportunity to stop haranguing the Israelis for "slaughtering" Palestinian terrorists, and begin to copy their exceptionally humane, and carefully targeted, approach to terrorists.