A Sad Anniversary

July has been a very hard month . Scorching temperatures are causing grief for farmers as crops wither with the lack of rain, while record high temperatures have been the cause of several heat-related deaths.

Not much good news is found this July.

News from Norway is centered around an oil and gas dispute, as the Norwegian government finalized a settlement averting a worker lockout that would have affected 6500 workers, and avoiding three hundred million US dollars in daily losses. But Norwegian minds are focused on another sad anniversary.

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Sunday, July 22nd, Norway marked the first anniversary of a bomb and gun massacre that left 77 people dead. Anders Breivik, a Norwegian accused mass murderer, terrorist and confessed perpetrator of the 2011 attacks in Norway has been kept at the Ila, Oslo prison facility since his twin terror attacks last summer that killed 77 young people. He had posed as a policeman, shooting and protesting the “Islamization of Norway.” Breivik is currently being held under evaluation.

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Prosecutors said Breivik was psychotic and should be sent to compulsory psychiatric care while Breivik's defense lawyers argued that he was sane. Under Norwegian law, a sanity finding would mean that Breivik could be sentenced to a maximum of only 21 years in prison, although he could be held longer if he is still considered a danger to the public at that time. Authorities would have more leeway to hold him indefinitely with an insanity ruling, something that would also further undercut Breivik's claims of being a right-wing revolutionary leader, saying that the nation responded to the tragedy by reaffirming its democratic and tolerant values.The Oslo district court is set to deliver its ruling on August 24.

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Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg attended a service at the Oslo cathedral, alongside the royal family, to give a speech to Labour Party youth on Utoeya. Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg stated that Breivik had failed in his declared goal of destroying Norway's commitment to being an inclusive, multicultural society.

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Survivors and families of victims gathered for a private ceremony on the island where the shooting took place. Eskil Pedersen, a survivor of the massacre and the head of the Labor Party's youth chapter spoke at the ceremony. Bjoern Ihler, another survivor of the shooting massacre, insisted that extremists must be permitted to express their ideas freely to avoid the creation of underground enclaves. Pedersen was quoted as saying: "Today we remember those who were killed. Tomorrow we continue the fight for what they believed in."

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Norwegian culture has a far more humanistic approach to people’s freedoms while compared to that of the United States. Twenty one years is a maximum sentence for most wrong-doers in Norway, while those wrong-doers are fully enveloped in many rehabilitation programs. Norwegian prison officials announced plans to hire "friends" for Breivik, because they’re unwilling to restrict him to solitary confinement, but also do not want to subject other inmates to him, worried he may try to take hostages.The "professional community" will have tasks that include playing indoor hockey and chess with Breivik. Plans have been approved to build a new psychiatric ward inside the prison specifically to house the right-wing extremist in the event he is found to be insane, as they hope he will be. If deemed insane, he may be kept in prison for a longer period of time, while being evaluated.

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Here in the U.S. July --,a 24 year-old post-graduate university student, who was in the process of dropping out of school took advantage of a crowded midnight premier of a popular Bat-Man movie. He jumped onto the stage during the movie and began shooting at the audience. After killing 12 and wounding 58 others, he quietly surrendered to police. He is currently being held in police custody pending his hearing. Motive being unknown, it will be interesting to hear the sentence, American style. If deemed insane, it is doubtful that Colorado will be building a special psychiatric ward for his prison stay.

July has been a tough month.