Boston Marathon Bombing Thread

[Arctic Blast]

Amidst all the terror, shock, anger and sadness...
I was incensed that the very first question that was asked at the press conference held by local and fed enforcement was from some nutcase that asked a question along the lines of "Isn't this just another manufactured catastrophy to deny us of our civil rights?".

Speechless...

Jack Nastyface

Edit:  about 10:32, here...http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/15/watch-live-second-press-conference-on-boston-marathon-bombing/

Good grief. Until now I was thinking the question of the day was from the genius reporter who asked during the press conference this afternoon "Do you think this is an act of terrorism?"

Lessee...setting off bombs in a major metropolitan area with the idea of causing casualties and fear...let's think about that a moment.  ::)

Who are these reporters? Did they go to school...and I mean grade school?

[bayonetbrant]

Don't jump to conclusions about the brainpower of the reporters (a favorite pastime around here, I know) but keep in mind a few things:

1. Those might be sports reporters pressed into duty because they were the only ones there.  Everyone remembers Al Michaels at the '89 World Series as "the man" for how well he handled that situation, but they forget some of the cliche-ridden tripe that other sportswriters turned in about the earthquake because they were the ones on-site when the quake happened.

2.  There are times when reporters will ask what everyone else considers a stupidly-obvious question in an attempt to get an on-the-record answer of a stupidly-obvious statement from a public official.  "Do you think this is an act of terrorism?" sounds like a "no shit" question to you and me, but until you get an answer from a public official, you can't follow up with the public officials about what/how/why on their response efforts or investigations.

3.  "Terrorism" right now, to most Americans, involves a turban or a head-scarf, eyebrows, and a dark complexion.  Why?  We've been fighting a "war on terror" as a label slapped over our "war on islamic extremism" for over 10 years.  If you're in college right now, you've never really known a US without an overseas war, and you've got no clue what "domestic terrorism" - a la OKC - looks like.  Today's 22-year-old college kid was 10 when 9-11 happened, but he was 4 when OKC happened.  Asking if it's "an act of terrorism" is code for "is this a bunch of Middle Eastern fuckwits that we need to bomb the shit out of?"

4.  At some point you have to get a public official on-the-record that it's not a gas main.  It's not a science lab having a bad day.  It's not car with a mis-wired engine or a welding truck with leaky oxygen bottles.  This was intentional and designed to kill, hurt, and maim.  You've absolutely got to get a public official to give you that specific determination.

[bayonetbrant]

meanwhile, a slightly different bit of info to come out of this

http://sofrep.com/19507/what-do-you-do-if-caught-in-a-bombing/

[MuzzyDev]

I had some family members only a couple hundred yards from the blast. No one hurt, fortunately.

Note to bombers:
The last time this much blood was shed on the streets of Boston, those responsible were the most powerful empire on earth, and we thrashed them and sent then packing.  You f&cked with the wrong city.

[DeathTouchWilly]

Note to bombers:
The last time this much blood was shed on the streets of Boston, those responsible were the most powerful empire on earth, and we thrashed them and sent then packing.  You f&cked with the wrong city.

Now that is the sentiment I've been waiting to hear.

[LongBlade]

My prayers go out to all who have been affected by this. I'm concerned that this could be an opener for more attacks on open-air events that draw substantial crowds in urban areas. It is hard to secure every side street, storefront, and doorway in a city such as Boston.

Nobody would want to live like that. It's better to close the borders to the countries that spawn them.

Or perhaps that's one of the enemy goals: immigration being the sincerest form of flattery, emigration to the Great Satan ought to be shut down. How to do that? -- get the Great Satan Itself to shut down immigration from the terrorist's home population.

No, I think they do simple asymmetric warfare. They do a small operation at minimal cost that gets the rich countries to divert millions from their economies. It is the only way they can fight. You can't be led around by the nose. Even if the ring hurts.

If all goods from the rest of the world were cut off they would be a simple feudal society. Farmers crow food. Warriors take the food for protection money. Same old middle ages/ feudal Japan. The important thing would be they are not a threat. The downside is companies want to sell more goods.

If they are knocked back to north korea level of economy will the people make changes themselves? They have had a taste of higher quality goods.

If they're too busy trying to feed themselves they have a lot less time for mischief.

[Longdan]

No doubt somebody is hoping for a violent response somewhere, hopefully in the wrong time on the wrong people.
It has been awhile and it must be time to recruit more fanatics.

[bayonetbrant]

I'm hoping we're precise, and unmerciful, in our retribution.  But you're right in that someone, somewhere is hoping that we bomb the wrong guys in retaliation so they can use it as a recruiting tool.

[Keunert]

shocking news again. looks like every idiot is capable nowadays to get the means to inflict harm on an unseen level.
not only in the US but in all of the western world. that's an incredible depressing development. good luck in hunting
them down.

[bayonetbrant]

shaking my head

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

Fat boy Kim should be filling his pants. Even if his stupid video of burning cities was to impress his own people with his awesomeness, he gave other groups an opening to blame him. It went off on the 101st anniversary of his Grandfathers birth when their country was celebrating.

NYT is saying the method was similar to those used in Iraq. Its probably another middle east thing again.

There was a 3rd victim, an 8 yr old child. Tragic.

[MuzzyDev]

A great post today from Boston area author R.A. Salvatore.  Here's the conclusion:

"To everyone affected, I'm sending good thoughts. To all who rushed in to help, bravo - you represent the best of human nature, in the face of the worst.

And to anyone reading this, I implore you, do not use this to foster divisiveness. We don't know who did this; angry speculation aimed at "the left" or "the right" or "the Islamists" or any other group, does nothing more than give the bomber a little victory. You see those people lying in blood? You see those people running in to help, disregarding their own safety to try to do some good? Some are Democrats, some are Republicans, some are Christian, some are Jewish, some are Muslim, some are atheist, some are Americans, some are from other countries.

All are...people. Just people. Understand that and those who would commit such acts of terror cannot ever win."

[LongBlade]

A great post today from Boston area author R.A. Salvatore.  Here's the conclusion:

"To everyone affected, I'm sending good thoughts. To all who rushed in to help, bravo - you represent the best of human nature, in the face of the worst.

And to anyone reading this, I implore you, do not use this to foster divisiveness. We don't know who did this; angry speculation aimed at "the left" or "the right" or "the Islamists" or any other group, does nothing more than give the bomber a little victory. You see those people lying in blood? You see those people running in to help, disregarding their own safety to try to do some good? Some are Democrats, some are Republicans, some are Christian, some are Jewish, some are Muslim, some are atheist, some are Americans, some are from other countries.

All are...people. Just people. Understand that and those who would commit such acts of terror cannot ever win."

I heard someone else (can't recall the attribution) tweeted something similar. (Paraprhasing) there are more of us good guys than there are bad guys. They won't win.

[MIGMaster]

Hopefully, it wasn't some redneck militia or Timothy McVeigh style nut job. This stuff is never good, but when it turns out to be someone from within it really shakes my faith in Western Civilization.

[Centurion40]

Whoever did it needs to face justice.

I read that pressure cookers were used for the bomb's casing.  The inside of the cooker pot was filled with the explosive, along with nails, ball bearings, etc. for shrapnel; placed inside a duffel/gym bag of some sort.  It was further noted that this style of bomb has been known to be used in places such as: Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India.  We can only assume, as to the profile of the type of group that would use this kind of bomb in those countries.

So either it is the same basic group of individuals, promoting the same basic cause; or it is another group using the same bomb design.

But the bottom-line is that mass murder was committed, and the murder(s) need to face justice... wherever they are hiding.