Shatted dreams (Norway)
Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 5:09 am
As those of you who have known me for a while are probably aware of, I hail from the country of Norway in Europe. Population wise it's a relatively small country, not leaving much of a mark on the world map in the grand scheme of things with a population of 5 million people. My family and my friends from growing up remain in Norway, although personally I took a leap of faith after getting involved with an American back in 2005 and making a few month long trips over to the states to check out the terrain in the year that followed. In 2006 I moved to upstate NY since we decided to move ahead with the relationship, as difficult of a decision it was to leave my loved ones, home and work behind to start anew across the ocean. I try to make it back to Norway once a year to visit, although with the baby I think I might have to skip the trip this year.
But enough of my life story, since this rant is about Norway.
As mentioned Norway hasn't left much of a mark on the world map in later years. It's a rather proud country, where people try to make due as best they can without relying too much on others aside from the necessities. Norway is one of few countries in Europe that has refused to join the European Union, valuing the sense of independence they get from that. Of course Norway still imports goods (being that far up north), contributes help in international affairs, yet it has kept this sense of independence throughout it all. Having just had a baby, I do miss Norway's 1 year paid leave of absence from work rather than the mere 6 weeks unpaid FMLA I received.
Anyway.. To get to the point..
Although the leniency of the legal system there is hard to fathom, with images of prison cells as impressive as many modern hotel rooms leaking to the public and a 'life sentence' in Norway is actually only 21 years behind bar with the chance of being released at 2/3 of the sentence served, oddly the lenient approach towards crime usually works. In fact it's been known to be a relatively peaceful country, quite fitting for the host of the nobel peace prize ceremony being held there every year. (I still say Obama only won the prize so the leader of the comity could have his picture taken while shaking Obama's hand)
Of course there's crime happening in Norway as well, like any other country, but for the most part it's not very serious. For instance; the homicide rate in Norway was 0.6 per 100.000 inhabitants (in the year 2000), which is quite low compared to other nations such as the USA with 5.0, 1.81 in Canada, and a whooping 15.0 in Russia. Seeing those numbers brings about an illusion of safety.
But that illusion was shattered yesterday, when the first terrorist attack in Norwegian history (that I know of off hand) occurred. First a building in downtown of the capital was blown up, amazingly killing only 7 people and wounding several more. A man wearing a police sweater was seen at the scene just prior to the bomb going off. That same man then traveled to a youth camp on a nearby island, posing as a police officer and telling the teenagers attending the camp to gather around him for some information.
Then he opened fire on them.
The kids scattered in panic to try to escape the madman. Many attempted to swim for safety, while others hid in the wounds or rocks near the beach. The disguised shooter killed them on sight. So far 87 or so people, mostly teens, have been confirmed killed and the number is rising.
The killer has been apprehended by the police after the slaughter and has been identified as a right-wing extremist Christian, bringing back memories of the Oklahoma bombing by Timothy McVeigh. In his wake this guy left the biggest tragedy in Norwegian history since WW2.
And I find myself doubting my own beliefs of how the justice system should work. As I mentioned, a life sentence in Norway is only 21 years in prison. Sure, if the subject is deemed 'insane' he can be held for more than that, but still.. There is no death sentence in Norway, so essentially this guy is being sent to a hotel like suite for the next x amount of years. There's not been many cases where I have thought the death sentence would be fitting, but this shooter single-handedly caused an event that killed at least 94 people as of the death toll right now. In a country with only 5 million residents, that is actually a percentage more than twice as high as the 9/11 death toll in the USA.
He took those people's lives in cold blood, and left the rest of us with a shattered illusion of the 'safety of home'. I don't foresee Norway ever being the same after this, with security like the one found in the USA likely getting implemented from now on. I am honestly shocked by what happened. Norway has never been a target before. My thoughts go out to the affected, their families and friends. It's chaotic right now, with the names of the deceased not yet having been released and people being asked to limit their cellphone use due to the network getting overwhelmed by traffic. I, too, have friends and family in the region that was affected..
But enough of my life story, since this rant is about Norway.
As mentioned Norway hasn't left much of a mark on the world map in later years. It's a rather proud country, where people try to make due as best they can without relying too much on others aside from the necessities. Norway is one of few countries in Europe that has refused to join the European Union, valuing the sense of independence they get from that. Of course Norway still imports goods (being that far up north), contributes help in international affairs, yet it has kept this sense of independence throughout it all. Having just had a baby, I do miss Norway's 1 year paid leave of absence from work rather than the mere 6 weeks unpaid FMLA I received.
Anyway.. To get to the point..
Although the leniency of the legal system there is hard to fathom, with images of prison cells as impressive as many modern hotel rooms leaking to the public and a 'life sentence' in Norway is actually only 21 years behind bar with the chance of being released at 2/3 of the sentence served, oddly the lenient approach towards crime usually works. In fact it's been known to be a relatively peaceful country, quite fitting for the host of the nobel peace prize ceremony being held there every year. (I still say Obama only won the prize so the leader of the comity could have his picture taken while shaking Obama's hand)
Of course there's crime happening in Norway as well, like any other country, but for the most part it's not very serious. For instance; the homicide rate in Norway was 0.6 per 100.000 inhabitants (in the year 2000), which is quite low compared to other nations such as the USA with 5.0, 1.81 in Canada, and a whooping 15.0 in Russia. Seeing those numbers brings about an illusion of safety.
But that illusion was shattered yesterday, when the first terrorist attack in Norwegian history (that I know of off hand) occurred. First a building in downtown of the capital was blown up, amazingly killing only 7 people and wounding several more. A man wearing a police sweater was seen at the scene just prior to the bomb going off. That same man then traveled to a youth camp on a nearby island, posing as a police officer and telling the teenagers attending the camp to gather around him for some information.
Then he opened fire on them.
The kids scattered in panic to try to escape the madman. Many attempted to swim for safety, while others hid in the wounds or rocks near the beach. The disguised shooter killed them on sight. So far 87 or so people, mostly teens, have been confirmed killed and the number is rising.
The killer has been apprehended by the police after the slaughter and has been identified as a right-wing extremist Christian, bringing back memories of the Oklahoma bombing by Timothy McVeigh. In his wake this guy left the biggest tragedy in Norwegian history since WW2.
And I find myself doubting my own beliefs of how the justice system should work. As I mentioned, a life sentence in Norway is only 21 years in prison. Sure, if the subject is deemed 'insane' he can be held for more than that, but still.. There is no death sentence in Norway, so essentially this guy is being sent to a hotel like suite for the next x amount of years. There's not been many cases where I have thought the death sentence would be fitting, but this shooter single-handedly caused an event that killed at least 94 people as of the death toll right now. In a country with only 5 million residents, that is actually a percentage more than twice as high as the 9/11 death toll in the USA.
He took those people's lives in cold blood, and left the rest of us with a shattered illusion of the 'safety of home'. I don't foresee Norway ever being the same after this, with security like the one found in the USA likely getting implemented from now on. I am honestly shocked by what happened. Norway has never been a target before. My thoughts go out to the affected, their families and friends. It's chaotic right now, with the names of the deceased not yet having been released and people being asked to limit their cellphone use due to the network getting overwhelmed by traffic. I, too, have friends and family in the region that was affected..
