The ringleader of the Madrid attacks is dead.

He and three other suicide bombers died yesterday morning, when they blew themselves up as police closed in on their lair.

They had other explosives all set up for future attacks.

You'd think I'd be glad that at least now those people won't be planting any more bombs, but all I can think is: Why? How does someone do that? What processes does someone have to go through in hir mind to make it okay to inflict the horrible carnage we saw in March? What the hell did they hope to achieve?

I will never understand terrorism any more than I understand war. Any more than I properly understand how other people made it okay in their minds to invade Iraq, when they knew, or might reasonably be expected to know, what the consequences of that would be.

I have increasingly little hope for this species.