This is very sad to me.  I am fortunate enough to have visited this area of the world and it breaks my heart, and possibly what's left of my hope for civilization, to see it become yet another casualty of gun terror.

This happened outside of Amsterdam; a city my wife, our son and myself visited back in '02.  Those who know me might think,"Loved them coffeeshops, ay Rick?" Yes, I did!
I also loved being in a sensible, progressive, grown-up social setting where everyone's not so anal about silly, imagined bullshit. 
But aside from that, it was such a beautiful place; hardly any vehicle traffic in town- the residents traversed their city by way of thousands of bicycles.  Picturesque canals running through the city with marvelous, old stone bridges to walk across.  Simple, common-sense people living much more simple lives than most Americans could imagine.  Friendly folks, great food, and a touchstone place for some fabulous artists like Van Gogh and Rembrandt. 

During the course of my life I've had loaded guns pointed at me three times.  I've been hearing news stories of gun violence and death-by-terror all my life. Yes, it's happened in my own country, and I grieve for all those killed by the madness.  Similarly, it's sad to hear of terror in England, or Spain, or France, or any of the more progressive, industrialized, relatively peaceful countries.  However, most of the gun-terror and suicide bombings I hear of happen in countries like Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, or Israel and Palestine- all places I've never desired to go to in the first place. 

But I have fancifully said for years now that I would love to retire and move to Amsterdam; a place I saw as the last remaining sane part of this insane world.  I used to speak of how I'd love to live out my days with my wife on a houseboat on the canals of that calm, quiet, flower-strewn city full of centuries-old architecture, and art of the masters. 
Yes, I, a 54 yr old adult, longs for a concept that is about my selfish, childish want for somewhere nice, somewhere safe, somewhere untouched by the violent actions of ignorant, self-absorbed, brain-washed, stupid people. 
Yes, I know that The Netherlands has had its historical share of violence.  However, in the Netherlands the number of weapons/population ratio is 3 weapons for every One Hundred adults; in America, it's One weapon for Every adult!

Now you might say this is just the campy, self-indulgent, bourgeoisie fantasy of a fat and happy white man from America; to which I say...So?  I loved it.
Amsterdam, to me and my slight, naive knowledge of the world, was the last quiet refuge for me to fantasize about and yearn for.  Now, sadly, even this is gone to me.  Even this beautiful place is no longer, as I imagined it, a safe haven from the rest of 'humanity'. 
Now there is nowhere in the world that I can imagine feeling safe from the despair and murderous actions of someone else's miserable life becoming dangerous or even fatal for me or my family. 

Yes, I can still function as a sensible adult; I'm not going to break down and cry like a little boy simply because someone on the other side of the world went nuts and killed innocent people.  But honestly, sometimes I feel like doing exactly that. 
Why, you ask?  Is it because I've now been shown the harsh truth about how dangerous the world really is?  No, as all Americans, I know that all too well.  And honestly, this news story is but a drop in the blood-filled bucket of violence that happens everyday all over the planet. 
But, now when I think of 'us', this human race, and our continued 'existence' on this planet, I have to say to myself- and anyone else who will listen, that this place, this society, can no longer be called a civil-ization.