To all those in shock and sadness about the tragedy in Spain

Dear Friends

I would like to publicly express my sympathy with you about the tragic
events in Spain last week. I am sure a lot of us are lost for words for
atrocities at such scale. Whilst I find it easy to answer a scientific
question quickly - to say the hopefully right words in such
circumstances which make ones mind run riot takes a lot longer.

Killing people is not a way to solve a conflict, neither the mass
killings of innocent people as in Madrid, nor suicide bomb attacks, nor
so called targeted killings, in fact not any killing at all. Conflicts
come from our inability to compromise. There is no point in pointing at
each other for blame as we all carry a bit if it ourselves by either
having done things we should not have done or having not done things we
ought to have done. However, when it comes to the deliberate killing of
civilians the blame lies clearly with the terrorists. There is a
justifiable doubt about their claims and denials of responsibility.
Those acts are irresponsible anyhow, whoever did it, could only plead
guilty - not claim responsibility. Let those murders not be a reason for
divisions in our democracy - thus helping the course of terrorists we
try to defeat.	Whoever kills people for their own perceived justice
will never reach peace. There is no point in contemplating if we should
or should not have gone after Saddam. We can not change the past, but we
can change the future.

I was quite upset about the article on the restriction of the freedom of
publication in the US as recently pointed out by Howard and than finding
the same type of comments the next day when downloading some software
from a US site. I was even more shocked about some of the comments I got
in return to my mail, which has upset some people by some
misunderstandings or negative prejudice. However, when it comes to
seeking peace and understanding, I firmly believe that the worst thing
one can do is to stop talking to each other or to help each other in
communicating. Perhaps it is the effects of restricting the freedom of
information from the German history still in my mind. And the beginnings
are always so subtle.

To me cytometry serves as a "philosophical" model in many situations. As
Howard pointed out in September 2001, the cytometry community at large
is quite outstanding in its support and help for each other and how it
transcends political differences between governments, races and
continents. To teach political leaders the basics of cytometry might be
indeed a serious advance to world peace, to remind everyone - not just
politicians - of a fact that cytometry shows so blatantly obvious : the
diversity of populations. Let us not make the mistake to group hastily
into  the Muslims, Basks, Iraqis, Iranians... or the Americans.
Cytometry tells us that all populations contain subpopulations.  And it
is those subpopulations with their actions (governments or terrorists)
that create hatred. They make people discredit entire populations unless
these people learn to differentiate. 

As scientists we can not escape our political responsibilities. In fact
we could be a role model for politicians and fellow countrymen in many
ways. Let us stop them from falling for the same trait that
characterises a terrorist - blind and indiscriminate hatred. Let us help
them to see that the problem is not religion or nationality, but
extremism. And that the key to lasting peace is  what forms the trait of
any good scientist, open debate and the never ending hunger for
understanding. Only if we show understanding for each other we can break
the power of terrorism and stop the division it wants to achieve. 

I wish and pray for those in suffering and pain in Spain as well as for
all the others who have recently suffered from loss and terror, that
they will find some peace in all their grief, that they may experience
not hatred, but comfort and friendship.

Gerhard Nebe-von-Caron
Research Scientist and Biomedical Engineer
Unipath Ltd
Priory Business Park
Bedford
MK44 3UP

Tel +44(0)1234-835474
Fax +44(0)1234-835002