Brazilian reaction to MH17 downing

Well, I think that to the average Brazilian it's something they would hardly give a passing thought to since for the most part they are daily putting up with problems that, while on the global scale might not seem so much, are much more urgent and serious to them. They certainly have enough of those. Brazilians tend to be a very pacific lot as far as international politics goes and probably have a hard time understanding those who aren't.

We expats on the other hand are sitting up and taking notice of this in a big way. Unfortunately we're also being bombarded by other world events that when combined are killing more innocent people every single day than this horrible incident. I think it's hard not to become numb to it all especially here where we're so far away from any real concerns about war and terrorism on Brazilian soil.

So in that sense, yes I'm deeply saddened, angry, concerned but on the other hand genuinely happy to be here far from any dangers of this kind. We've got lots of other dangers on our plates here in Brazil, sad to say. I really think that organizations like the United Nations and NATO should have a long hard look at their role on the global stage and become more concerned with diplomatic resolutions as opposed to military ones to resolve problems. I firmly believe that military intervention in any situation only serves to make matters worse.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, EB Experts Team

Politics aside, this incident really makes my blood boil.  Bad enough that the plane was shot down, and so many families perished.  Even worst is what happened AFTER the crash.  Everybody can deny they shot it down, but what the separatist did at the crash site is unforgivable.  I mean looting, stealing, chucking the bodies on trucks, not allowing international investigators full access and even posing for photos with toys of dead children is DESPICABLE!

I honestly don't know who to believe, in the never ending propaganda war.  But pictures don't lie, not when they were taken by so many people and confirmed by locals onsite.

A letter from Australian parents who lost all their children and the kids grandfather:



"A message to the soldiers in the Ukraine, the politicians, the media, our friends and family.

Our pain is intense and relentless. We live in a hell beyond hell.

Our babies are not here with us  we need to live with this act of horror, every day and every moment for the rest of our lives.

No one deserves what we are going through.

Not even the people who shot our whole family out of the sky.

No hate in the world is as strong as the love we have for our children, for Mo, for Evie, for Otis.

No hate in the world is as strong as the love we have for Grandad Nick.

No hate in the world is as strong as the love we have for each other.

This is a revelation that gives us some comfort.

We would ask everyone to remember this when you are making any decisions that affect us and the other victims of this horror.

So far, every moment since we arrived home, weve been surrounded by family and friends. We desperately pray that this continues, because this expression of love is what is keeping us alive. We want to continue to know about your lives, all the good and all the bad. We no longer have lives that we want to live by ourselves. So wed like to take the chance to thank everyone, all our incredible friends, family and communities, and to tell you all that we love you very much.

We would also like to thank the people at DFAT; the local coordinator Claire and most sincerely, Diana and Adrian from The Hague, without whom we would not be here. We ask the media to respect the privacy of our family and friends  pain is not a story.

Yours truly,
Anthony Maslin & Marite Norris."

My heart goes out to the both of you, and pray that God will continue to give you strength.

AMEN