This is horrific beyond words in the same way that 9/11 was.

The current article in the NYT puts the toll at "More than 340 people, including 155 children..."

Muslim fundamentalist terrorism is casting it's long, dark shadow once again. Even if non-Chechnyan Arab terrorists actually are proved to have been among the hostage takers, as the Russian government is claiming, it won't change the face of terrorism being a Muslim fundamentalist face. The Chechnyan separatists are also fighting for a Muslim fundamentalist state.

Little Hawk, the entire Arab world is denouncing not just this despicable act, but the Muslim fundamentalist terrorist response to US and Israeli imperialist aggression in the Middle East. This isn't the way to fight. It just isn't the way to fight.

The Arab press has also pointed out that jihad warriors are ultimately responsible for the destruction of one of Islam's holiest cities, Najaf, where they intentionally entered the city and the shrine to create a stand-off between themselves and the American forces by holding an entire city and one of Islam's holiest shrines hostage.

You are right to point out that the US is not alone in it's repression of the Arab and Muslim peoples of the Middle East in the wars for oil. Russia is complicit in that war, as is Israel, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, China, and all the other major oil consuming nation players.

But this jihad terrorism simply must be stopped. Unfortunately, it is also playing right into Putin, Sharon, and Bush's hands. Those fascist leaders will all benefit in popularity at home, from the barbarism the Muslim fundamentalist terrorist keep exhibiting with their more and more desperate measures.

There is no defending any of them, but there is especially no defense of taking a school full of children and their parents hostage.

BTW, I believe the Russians couldn't be worse at dealing with these hostage crises. Incredibly, NO amubulances were at the scene. The Russian security forces hadn't established a perimeter around the grounds, apparently, as some of the terrorists are believed to have escaped. There didn't seem to be any high government or military level involvement on the scene. It was just appalling, on so many levels.