One thing is certain, mainstream news is fairly unreliable in the first 24-48 hours. I have no clue why I have the telly on.
I suspect it has more to do with the race itself as a target. No one outside of Boston cares much about Patriot's Day, and a lot of people probably don't even know about it.
Sad: one killed was only eight. Interesting: The cell phone service was shut down quickly to stop any more phone triggered bombs if phones were the triggers.
Against the race or against Patriots? If it was a massive, horrible publicity stunt they need a new PR team - they're pretty slow claiming responsability. (I see the conspiracy sites are electric right now)
I think they chose the race because it is a high publicity event, with participants from many nations, and a pretty large physical area that is hard to police as far as placing the bombs.
Open Letter to Scum You have failed. You plotted terror, but all you have wrought is fury. Those who were nearest, after the first moments of shock, did not flee in panic. They cleared the area in an orderly manner, and many stayed to render first aid until emergency responders arrived. Citizens came together in solidarity, as they always do after such acts of mindless mayhem. While you slithered away to a dark hole. Any moron can destroy. What of value can you create? The only terror you have sown is that you will feel as you are tracked down to whatever rock you have crawled back under. I will nod in satisfaction when you soil yourself, when the net closes around you. May justice be swift.
The bombs were loaded with ball bearings and other items to make them worse. Has the hallmark of the type of bombs used in Isreal and elsewhere when attacking civilian targets. I'm withholding my personal opinion on the matter, but it was definitely a cowardly move. But then, when is terrorism not cowardly? Terrorism in it's core is the manipulation of the stupid. People like OBL tell young men 'kill these people and you get this reward in the afterlife..' or some other line and then send the gullible fools off. Notice, they never send themselves to do the job. Leadership then sits back and watches other people throw their lives away. The real cowards are the masterminds...
Getting it onto television cameras makes those guys pop a load in their shorts. No doubt they're using it to recruit fifty more idiots to send out later...
And they are at pains to say that the Arab guy who suffered wounds in the explosion is NOT a suspect, but they are guarding his bed anyway...
I actually don't think most terrorists are cowards. On the contrary many of them are quite brave. I do, however, think they are despicable, horrible, disgusting, and reprehensible individuals, who deserve the worst sort of punishment possible. If I believed in Hell, I'd be certain they'd rot there.
I'm flicking between BBC, CNN, Russia Today, Al Jazeera and foxnews.com - noone has mentioned bombs loaded with ball bearings and they all have interviews with runners as well as bomb experts. They are reporting the bombs were made from TATP. I googled TATP and apparently it can be made in your kitchen from ingredients on the shelf at your local Walmart. Youtube even has tons of videos on how to make it - why?????
"JFK Library was not a target, it was not a bomb! 2 bombs did explode 2 hours after the winner crossed the line, 90 minutes after all of the dignitaries had left the race. The controlled explosion was not confirmed to have been a bomb - just an unaccompanied bag" - Jim Walsh, Terrorist expert at MIT live on Al Jazeera - He says basically that all the news channels are jumping the gun, rumours are on fire and as yet they have no idea.
I've seen this (ball bearings) mentioned a few places, but it hasn't been reported on MSNBC. I haven't heard about the TATP, but it does seem consistent with a relatively unsophisticated explosive device. That's the thing these days - with the availability of information and the quick reporting of everything, anyone can make a big statement. No one knows at this point if this was just some lone nutcase, or someone inspired by some larger group. It doesn't seem like something financed by some big, well-organized group. Horrible as this was, a well-planned, sophisticated attack could have been far worse.
We do ourselves a disservice to underestimate them. They're not all crazy morons (although some are). Many have a high level of intelligence, they have a commitment to whatever cause they're furthering, and can be very brave in acting for something they believe in. Acknowledging certain skills doesn't imply any sort of endorsement or sympathy for them. They often don't care if they die, and don't care if they are caught. Or if they do care, they are nevertheless willing to die or get caught. That makes them particularly dangerous.
It's a tad early, no one claiming responsibility but believe it or not, they don't always publicly state their cause. There's one poor sop at a local hospital who has burns and is here on a student visa so he's a person of interest. I think that's pretty weak, but I'm OK with the police questioning the guy. I hope they are decent to him in case he's innocent. The injuries suggest schrapnel as does an amateur bomb.
Freedom of speech, I suppose. It's always been a double-edged sword and to eliminate the possibility of using it for evil would mean restraints so heavy, we'd end up with one form of totalitarianism or another.
Some dictionaries equate bravery with daring - they are definately daring walking into tens of thousands of people with a bomb. Another synonym is couragous - not so much. It's interesting that there is neither an academic nor an international legal consensus regarding the definition of the term "terrorism". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitions_of_terrorism
Yeah they appeared to be backpacks in trash cans, detonated via cell phone. The library fire seems to be unrelated. Guess it'll takes us a week or two to peice it all together. Also a Jordanian Muslim group has been the first group to praise the attack. It's not unexpected.
I'm not so sure that courage necessarily is associated with laudable or lofty goals. It can mean doing something despite being scared or despite the existence of danger. And yes, the definition of what constitutes terrorism can be thorny. In some situations, one person's "terrorist" is another person's "freedom fighter." And the awfulness of the underlying act that hurts and kills people is not assuaged by whether the person perpetrating the act was trying to make some sort of political statement. Regardless of whether this event was truly "terrorism" or merely a horrible mass maiming and killing, I hate that these things seem to be happening more and more.
Liz, I respect your opinion although I disagree with it. But they strike anonymously against targets of convenience, and those who destroy themselves at the same time know they will therefore avoid taking responsibility. The planning is invariably brute force, and even the devices that actually work as planned are crude and unsophisticated; It's an idiot's game played by people who lack the wit to actually solve problems. If you can't come up with anything worthwhile, tear something down or blow it up. I think you do everyone else a disservice by attributing such people with intelligence or bravery. The act itself is inherently cowardly.
