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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Purgatory: Bombing in Boston
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bib
Shipmate
# 13074
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Posted
Once again we wake to hear that innocent people have been killed or injured by bombs placed where a large number of people has gathered. I am struggling to understand what terrorist groups have to gain by such actions. Are we supposed to 'understand' them, or can we call for retribution. Christ instructed us to forgive over and over, but I find it impossible to follow such teaching in such a situation. What can we do to prevent such attacks on the innocent? My thoughts and prayers are with the victims.
[ 18. June 2013, 13:38: Message edited by: Gwai ]
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"My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End, accept the praise I bring"
Posts: 1307 | From: Australia | Registered: Oct 2007
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loggats
Shipmate
# 17643
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Posted
Do we know whether anyone has claimed responsibility for the attack?
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"He brought me into the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love."
Posts: 245 | Registered: Apr 2013
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Porridge
Shipmate
# 15405
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by loggats:
Do we know whether anyone has claimed responsibility for the attack?
No responsibility has been claimed as yet. However, in addition to two bombs that exploded near the marathon's finish line, two more unexploded devices were found (don't know locations) which police either dismantled or are dismantling.
A reported explosion an hour or so later at JFK Library in Dorchester (part of Greater Boston) is apparently not necessarily related to the marathon incidents.
I've heard conflicting reports about an additional device found and subjected to a controlled explosion, but this may be mistaken reporting.
It could be the work of an individual; it could be the work of a group; it could be the work of organized terrorists.
There was no warning beforehand.
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Spiggott: Everything I've ever told you is a lie, including that.
Moon: Including what?
Spiggott: That everything I've ever told you is a lie.
Moon: That's not true!
Posts: 3925 | From: Upper right corner | Registered: Jan 2010
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Horseman Bree
Shipmate
# 5290
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Posted
But it will have the effect of depriving Americans of some more of those liberties that they (once) were so proud of.
This will occur, regardless of the group or person who caused the blasts.
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It's Not That Simple
Posts: 5372 | From: more herring choker than bluenose | Registered: Dec 2003
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
It seems to be a very odd target and odd method for the stereotypical Arab terrorists to pick, the use of ball bearings especially points to a US-based group for me. I think the FBI should be focusing on domestic groups for this one and letting CIA/NSA shake the trees overseas to see if anything falls out.
quote:
Originally posted by loggats:
Do we know whether anyone has claimed responsibility for the attack?
I doubt that a genuine claim of responsibility will happen if it's a domestic group that has done this, but there will be fake claims.
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Kaplan Corday
Shipmate
# 16119
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Posted
Surely there must be some way of blaming it on Mrs Thatcher.
Just kidding.
Everyone knows that like 9/11, it will have been engineered by Mossad to further the interests of those fiendishly clever Jews.
Posts: 3355 | Registered: Jan 2011
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Porridge
Shipmate
# 15405
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Posted
3 fatalities reported; about 140 injured, some critically. Apparently law enforcement have been questioning a person of interest since around 8 p.m. Boston time.
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Spiggott: Everything I've ever told you is a lie, including that.
Moon: Including what?
Spiggott: That everything I've ever told you is a lie.
Moon: That's not true!
Posts: 3925 | From: Upper right corner | Registered: Jan 2010
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Bostonman
Shipmate
# 17108
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Posted
People are pretty spooked here. Apart from those physically affected, of course ( ![[Votive]](graemlins/votive.gif) ), some of the Boston area's many universities have been locked down. There have been multiple bomb reports throughout the evening and night in Cambridge and Boston, and so far all have been checked out by police and found to be benign.
It's pretty twisted that some people's first response is political.
Posts: 424 | From: USA | Registered: May 2012
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Dave W.
Shipmate
# 8765
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by the giant cheeseburger:
the use of ball bearings especially points to a US-based group for me.
Oh? Why is that?
Posts: 2059 | From: the hub of the solar system | Registered: Nov 2004
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Belle Ringer
Shipmate
# 13379
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Horseman Bree:
But it will have the effect of depriving Americans of some more of those liberties that they (once) were so proud of.
This will occur, regardless of the group or person who caused the blasts.
And the liberties destroyed will not be relevant to what happened.
Posts: 5830 | From: Texas | Registered: Jan 2008
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Palimpsest
Shipmate
# 16772
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Posted
When I lived in Boston 30 years ago, I went to the gay bookstore that was 100 feet away almost weekly. It's on odd feeling seeing the chaos on a very familiar site. Following Super storm Sandy it feels like the east coast of my younger days is vanishing.
The Boston Marathon has a long tradition of being a Boston folk tradition. In recent decades Marathons are another international sport but a sense remains of this being a quirky civic event that the populace would come out and watch an obscure sport enthusiastically with no high price tickets limiting to the rich and with many of the runners, official and unofficial being local people who just decided to do it.
I'm feeling pretty shaken as well, even though I'm now far away.
Posts: 2990 | From: Seattle WA. US | Registered: Nov 2011
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Kaplan Corday:
Surely there must be some way of blaming it on Mrs Thatcher.
Just kidding.
Everyone knows that like 9/11, it will have been engineered by Mossad to further the interests of those fiendishly clever Jews.
Not. Funny.
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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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Boogie
Boogie on down!
# 13538
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Rosa Winkel:
quote:
Originally posted by bib:
I am struggling to understand what terrorist groups have to gain by such actions.
At this moment in time we know absolutely nothing about who caused the bombings, terrorists or not.
Surely, if they cause carnage, fear and terror, they are terrorists - wherever they come from and whatever their 'cause'.
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Garden. Room. Walk
Posts: 13030 | From: Boogie Wonderland | Registered: Mar 2008
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orfeo
Ship's Musical Counterpoint
# 13878
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Boogie:
Surely, if they cause carnage, fear and terror, they are terrorists - wherever they come from and whatever their 'cause'.
Many years ago, I remember someone pointing out that terrorism is simply a method, not an ideology.
But we've tended to rather change the meaning of the word in recent years.
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Technology has brought us all closer together. Turns out a lot of the people you meet as a result are complete idiots.
Posts: 18173 | From: Under | Registered: Jul 2008
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Kaplan Corday
Shipmate
# 16119
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by lilBuddha:
quote:
Originally posted by Kaplan Corday:
Surely there must be some way of blaming it on Mrs Thatcher.
Just kidding.
Everyone knows that like 9/11, it will have been engineered by Mossad to further the interests of those fiendishly clever Jews.
Not. Funny.
The tragedy in Boston is not funny.
In the case of loony conspiracy theorists, if you didn't laugh you'd cry.
Posts: 3355 | Registered: Jan 2011
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
News just released:
Amongst the dead is an 8 year old boy. We now hope that the rumour that a party was present from Newtown is untrue.
My first thoughts on hearing of the bombs - there were 2, the second timed (13 seconds after the first) to catch the people responding to the first explosion- was to offer a prayer for the injured and dead.
My second thought was to wonder whether this was a stunt by a pro-gun nutter: after all, Boston as a city is totemic in the fight for freedom from colonial masters but is also now seen as a spiritual home for "pinko" liberals, widely blamed by the gun-toting fraternity for wishing to part them from their beloved firearms.
No, it doesn't make sense - but then neither does claiming the Second Amendment (passed 1791 to enable self-defence in those parts of the ex-colonies far from militia or army protection) is relevant and applicable to a person living in a Connecticut small town with a fully-functioning police department.
All desperately sad.
[ 16. April 2013, 09:38: Message edited by: L'organist ]
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Rara temporum felicitate ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet
Posts: 4950 | From: somewhere in England... | Registered: Sep 2012
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Hairy Biker
Shipmate
# 12086
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Bostonman:
It's pretty twisted that some people's first response is political.
Why is that? Any bombing is a political act, whoever the perpetrator. People die all round the world, all the time, every day. There is always a human tragedy in every one of these deaths, many of which also have a political angle too. Why is it that complete strangers should be expected to react to this in a non-political way, or risk being called "twisted"? As someone has posted on the Iraq bombing thread - mourning is a political act. Your statement above is a political statement too.
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there [are] four important things in life: religion, love, art and science. At their best, they’re all just tools to help you find a path through the darkness. None of them really work that well, but they help.
Damien Hirst
Posts: 683 | From: This Sceptred Isle | Registered: Nov 2006
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IngoB
Sentire cum Ecclesia
# 8700
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Hairy Biker:
Why is it that complete strangers should be expected to react to this in a non-political way, or risk being called "twisted"?
I think that post was a response specifically to Kaplan Corday's comment. Not all political reactions are created equal, and that one was ... regrettable.
However atrocious, 9/11 made some sick sense in terms of its symbolism. The same can be said about the Oklahoma City bombing. For this one, I'm failing to see "the point" so far.
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They’ll have me whipp’d for speaking true; thou’lt have me whipp’d for lying; and sometimes I am whipp’d for holding my peace. - The Fool in King Lear
Posts: 12010 | From: Gone fishing | Registered: Oct 2004
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Moo
Ship's tough old bird
# 107
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Posted
Those of you familiar with Boston might find this map helpful in understanding exactly where the explosions took place.
Moo
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Kerygmania host
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See you later, alligator.
Posts: 20365 | From: Alleghany Mountains of Virginia | Registered: May 2001
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orfeo
Ship's Musical Counterpoint
# 13878
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Moo:
Those of you familiar with Boston might find this map helpful in understanding exactly where the explosions took place.
Moo
I wasn't familiar with it, but you've shown me I'm going to be staying about 10 minutes walk from where this happened when I visit in a couple of months.
I had thought 'Downtown' was further east.
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Technology has brought us all closer together. Turns out a lot of the people you meet as a result are complete idiots.
Posts: 18173 | From: Under | Registered: Jul 2008
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Bostonman
Shipmate
# 17108
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by IngoB:
quote:
Originally posted by Hairy Biker:
Why is it that complete strangers should be expected to react to this in a non-political way, or risk being called "twisted"?
I think that post was a response specifically to Kaplan Corday's comment. Not all political reactions are created equal, and that one was ... regrettable.
Really directed toward any response in which the first reaction is "well, this will lead them to do X" or "I wonder how this will affect Y" or "the President's poll numbers are going to Z," rather than "Oh God." Of course, I understand that some people have those initial reactions privately, then post their later thoughts online. One of the dangers of the Internet is missing out on that progression of responses, but the same is true of the newspaper etc.
It was a bit surreal for me to hear jokes or speculation about civil liberties being curtailed while the police were still investigating suspicious packages literally blocks from my home, as I stayed inside to avoid the possibility of another explosion. That's all.
quote:
However atrocious, 9/11 made some sick sense in terms of its symbolism. The same can be said about the Oklahoma City bombing. For this one, I'm failing to see "the point" so far.
My guess would be a domestic far-right/militia/white-supremacist/etc. individual, acting with encouragement or propaganda support but no tangible assistance. The symbolism could be Tax Day or Patriot's Day, both of which were yesterday. The Waco standoff, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine High School massacre, and Hitler's birthday all have anniversaries this week. In form, it most closely resembles the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing.
Posts: 424 | From: USA | Registered: May 2012
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cliffdweller
Shipmate
# 13338
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Bostonman:
It was a bit surreal for me to hear jokes or speculation about civil liberties being curtailed while the police were still investigating suspicious packages literally blocks from my home, as I stayed inside to avoid the possibility of another explosion. That's all.
there's no playbook for this, but caution is in order, and compassion should be out ahead of anything else. The world's prayers are with you and all the other Bostonians.
quote:
Originally posted by Bostonman:
My guess would be a domestic far-right/militia/white-supremacist/etc. individual, acting with encouragement or propaganda support but no tangible assistance. The symbolism could be Tax Day or Patriot's Day, both of which were yesterday. The Waco standoff, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine High School massacre, and Hitler's birthday all have anniversaries this week.
fwiw, that's what strikes me as well.
quote:
Originally posted by Bostonman:
In form, it most closely resembles the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing.
Yes. Including this cautionary tale:
Richard Jewell
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"Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid." -Frederick Buechner
Posts: 11242 | From: a small canyon overlooking the city | Registered: Jan 2008
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Crœsos
Shipmate
# 238
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by cliffdweller:
quote:
Originally posted by Bostonman:
My guess would be a domestic far-right/militia/white-supremacist/etc. individual, acting with encouragement or propaganda support but no tangible assistance. The symbolism could be Tax Day or Patriot's Day, both of which were yesterday. The Waco standoff, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine High School massacre, and Hitler's birthday all have anniversaries this week.
fwiw, that's what strikes me as well.
Same here. An attack on Boston on Tax Day has all kinds of symbolism for most Americans. It's suggestive, but not dispositive.
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Humani nil a me alienum puto
Posts: 10706 | From: Sardis, Lydia | Registered: May 2001
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
We had some folks from Old South Church visit us here in Britain last year - lovely people. Given that the first bomb went off almost exactly outside their front door, we have today sent them a brief message expressing our support and prayers.
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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Fr Weber
Shipmate
# 13472
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by bib:
Once again we wake to hear that innocent people have been killed or injured by bombs placed where a large number of people has gathered. I am struggling to understand what terrorist groups have to gain by such actions. Are we supposed to 'understand' them, or can we call for retribution. Christ instructed us to forgive over and over, but I find it impossible to follow such teaching in such a situation.
I will be happy to work very hard at understanding those responsible once they are all behind bars for the rest of their lives.
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"The Eucharist is not a play, and you're not Jesus."
--Sr Theresa Koernke, IHM
Posts: 2512 | From: Oakland, CA | Registered: Feb 2008
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by cliffdweller:
quote:
Originally posted by Bostonman:
In form, it most closely resembles the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing.
Yes. Including this cautionary tale:
Richard Jewell
Already potentially happening in Boston.
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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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Belle Ringer
Shipmate
# 13379
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by L'organist:
... the bombs - there were 2, the second timed (13 seconds after the first) to catch the people responding to the first explosion-
Actually not. Back when I lived in a war zone we were warned of the two bomb technique - bomb goes off, people rush there to help, second bomb goes off to get even more victims.
But this second bomb was a block away, so it's not the same strategy. That stuck me right away, that the second bomb was not planned to catch the rescuers rushing to victims of the first. Whoever it was, wasn't that organized.
Posts: 5830 | From: Texas | Registered: Jan 2008
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Bostonman
Shipmate
# 17108
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by lilBuddha:
quote:
Originally posted by cliffdweller:
quote:
Originally posted by Bostonman:
In form, it most closely resembles the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing.
Yes. Including this cautionary tale:
Richard Jewell
Already potentially happening in Boston.
The police are pushing back pretty heavily on the rumors about the Saudi guy, thank goodness. Poor man was just running from the scene like everyone else and gets tackled for being Arab...yikes.
Posts: 424 | From: USA | Registered: May 2012
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Belle Ringer:
But this second bomb was a block away, so it's not the same strategy. That stuck me right away, that the second bomb was not planned to catch the rescuers rushing to victims of the first. Whoever it was, wasn't that organized.
I've been a part of a fair few fun runs and other mass participation events similar to Boston as a volunteer marshal and sometimes a participant. I know quite well how congested it can get around the finishing straights and feed zones - and that's only for events in Australian scale where our biggest fun runs don't come anywhere near the scale of Boston. This is especially tricky at the time when the bulk of the "median" group are coming through and you have people jockeying for a good spot to have their photo taken crossing the finish line instead of making a finishing sprint to set a time.
The attackers in this case have done a good job of recognising this is a situation where the typical two bomb strategy that might work in a conflict zone or at a concert would have a greater impact by being changed up to target people escaping instead of people responding, thanks to their escape route being predictably defined by a narrow route hemmed in by barriers on each side. The planners have clearly amassed a good deal of knowledge about the way that mass participation sports events work, which to me makes it look quite well organised.
[ 16. April 2013, 20:29: Message edited by: the giant cheeseburger ]
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
The zone, which takes no great knowledge, yes. But not the timing. Earlier would have brought many more casualties. Given that the bomb type is designed to maximise casualties, this points to a lack of research.
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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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Tukai
Shipmate
# 12960
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by L'organist:
My second thought was to wonder whether this was a stunt by a pro-gun nutter: after all, Boston as a city is totemic in the fight for freedom from colonial masters but is also now seen as a spiritual home for "pinko" liberals, widely blamed by the gun-toting fraternity for wishing to part them from their beloved firearms.
No, it doesn't make sense - but then neither does claiming the Second Amendment (passed 1791 to enable self-defence in those parts of the ex-colonies far from militia or army protection) is relevant and applicable to a person living in a Connecticut small town with a fully-functioning police department.
All desperately sad.
I wondered that too. Maybe some 2nd Amendment fanatic reckons that the "right to bear arms" extends not just to machine guns but also to bombs.
And surely if it were "Arab" terrorists ( e.g but not limited to Al Qaeda) they would have rushed to acclaim their triumph against ordinary Americans having fun - the Boston Marathon is a very public "everyone in the district come out and enjoy" event. Much easier to target than the fat cats and others at the Masters golf tournament the same weekend.
[ 16. April 2013, 21:22: Message edited by: Tukai ]
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A government that panders to the worst instincts of its people degrades the whole country for years to come.
Posts: 594 | From: Oz | Registered: Sep 2007
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orfeo
Ship's Musical Counterpoint
# 13878
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by the giant cheeseburger:
and that's only for events in Australian scale where our biggest fun runs don't come anywhere near the scale of Boston.
Slight correction: The City to Surf in Sydney is the largest event of its type in the world. Events of Australian scale = larger than the Boston Marathon, in terms of number of runners at least.
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Technology has brought us all closer together. Turns out a lot of the people you meet as a result are complete idiots.
Posts: 18173 | From: Under | Registered: Jul 2008
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orfeo
Ship's Musical Counterpoint
# 13878
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Posted
I was just reading up on the Atlanta Olympics bombing, and the bomber's stated motivations had to do with abortions and the homosexual 'agenda'.
With THAT kind of logic possible, speculation about the precise reasons for attacking the Boston Marathon is inevitably going to be exactly that: speculation. Because hey, the Olympics is an absolute hotbed of abortions and queers. ![[Disappointed]](graemlins/disappointed.gif)
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Technology has brought us all closer together. Turns out a lot of the people you meet as a result are complete idiots.
Posts: 18173 | From: Under | Registered: Jul 2008
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Grammatica
Shipmate
# 13248
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Posted
For what it's worth: a student who has been with the US Army in Afghanistan told me today he thought this was domestic, not foreign terrorism. He had been reading up on newspaper accounts of the bombs' construction, and, in his view, they "weren't like the kind they used over there."
Like some of you, I'd also had the thought that the perpetrator(s) seemed too familiar with Boston/ New England symbolism and customs to be anything but a cultural insider.
Posts: 1058 | From: where the lemon trees blosson | Registered: Dec 2007
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Palimpsest
Shipmate
# 16772
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by L'organist:
News just released:
Amongst the dead is an 8 year old boy. We now hope that the rumour that a party was present from Newtown is untrue.
There was a team running from Newtown as part of a scholarship fund for students. The team and the parents watching were not physically harmed.
The BostonGlobe.com newspaper has details.
I think speculating on who did it is pointless until evidence is found. Such speculation tells more about the fears of the speculator than the criminals.
As for the confusion about "Downtown" Boston is a heavily modified city from an original narrow peninsula. The run ended in Copley Square in Back Bay which was a major landfill building project in the early 19th century on what was a tidal marsh. It is one of the major centers of the city.
The original city clustered around the harbor, which receded as piers were filled in to make the North End.
Posts: 2990 | From: Seattle WA. US | Registered: Nov 2011
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Kaplan Corday
Shipmate
# 16119
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Posted
I have run only one marathon in my life, here in Melbourne, and given my not very impressive time, I would have been in the category targetted by the bombs had I been running in Boston.
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Moo
Ship's tough old bird
# 107
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Bostonman:
The symbolism could be Tax Day or Patriot's Day, both of which were yesterday. The Waco standoff, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine High School massacre, and Hitler's birthday all have anniversaries this week. In form, it most closely resembles the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing.
This assumes that the date, rather than the target, was the important point. IME, the bomber wanted to cause the maximum number of injuries, and the marathon was perfect for the purpose. There were a very large number of people gathered, with free access from all directions. Other large gatherings, such as football games, have gatekeepers; here there were no gates, much less gatekeepers.
If the target was the important point, the only day the bombing could take place was the third Monday in April, which is when the marathon is run.
Yesterday was the sixth anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings. No one has suggested that the date was important to the shooter. He did it on that day because all his preparations were completed.
Moo
[ 17. April 2013, 12:24: Message edited by: Moo ]
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Kerygmania host
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See you later, alligator.
Posts: 20365 | From: Alleghany Mountains of Virginia | Registered: May 2001
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Porridge
Shipmate
# 15405
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Posted
Human beings are hard-wired to notice patterns; this ability has been critical to our survival as a species from its origins onward.
The problem is that we're so "good" at pattern-noticing, we also "notice" patterns that don't actually exist. That said, don't the better-known organized terrorist groups typically claim responsibility fairly promptly after incidents they've actually engineered? Isn't that commonly part of the "strategy?"
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Spiggott: Everything I've ever told you is a lie, including that.
Moon: Including what?
Spiggott: That everything I've ever told you is a lie.
Moon: That's not true!
Posts: 3925 | From: Upper right corner | Registered: Jan 2010
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orfeo
Ship's Musical Counterpoint
# 13878
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Porridge:
That said, don't the better-known organized terrorist groups typically claim responsibility fairly promptly after incidents they've actually engineered? Isn't that commonly part of the "strategy?"
Yes. This comes back to the point that terrorism is essentially a method, for achieving some other goal. I suppose there are some people out there who just like causing pain and misery, but most groups engage in it as a strategy to achieve something else. If no-one knows who did it and what their 'cause' is, no-one can possibly consider responding to the 'cause' in the way that the terrorists want.
Of course, the usual response, at least in the short-term, is to 'not give in to terrorists'. But well-organised groups are aiming for longer-term effects.
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Technology has brought us all closer together. Turns out a lot of the people you meet as a result are complete idiots.
Posts: 18173 | From: Under | Registered: Jul 2008
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orfeo
Ship's Musical Counterpoint
# 13878
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by kentishmaid:
I note that the conspiracy theories have started already.
Must. Not. Start. Hell. Thread. This. Late. At. Night.
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Technology has brought us all closer together. Turns out a lot of the people you meet as a result are complete idiots.
Posts: 18173 | From: Under | Registered: Jul 2008
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cliffdweller
Shipmate
# 13338
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Bostonman:
quote:
Originally posted by lilBuddha:
quote:
Originally posted by cliffdweller:
quote:
Originally posted by Bostonman:
In form, it most closely resembles the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing.
Yes. Including this cautionary tale:
Richard Jewell
Already potentially happening in Boston.
The police are pushing back pretty heavily on the rumors about the Saudi guy, thank goodness. Poor man was just running from the scene like everyone else and gets tackled for being Arab...yikes.
But sadly, today on nat'l news they were showing close up pictures of someone running from the scene after the blast in the context of discussing the search for a suspect.
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"Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid." -Frederick Buechner
Posts: 11242 | From: a small canyon overlooking the city | Registered: Jan 2008
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Porridge
Shipmate
# 15405
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by orfeo:
quote:
Originally posted by kentishmaid:
I note that the conspiracy theories have started already.
Must. Not. Start. Hell. Thread. This. Late. At. Night.
Right. Not worth it. What "terrorism" + Internet access has really accomplished is to grant ever-increasing influence to idiocy.
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Spiggott: Everything I've ever told you is a lie, including that.
Moon: Including what?
Spiggott: That everything I've ever told you is a lie.
Moon: That's not true!
Posts: 3925 | From: Upper right corner | Registered: Jan 2010
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TomOfTarsus
Shipmate
# 3053
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Posted
I might add that it's probably increased actual terrorism, too, by the ready availability of instructions, as well as providing connectivity and reinforcement to such fringe groups and cranks -they can wind each other up...
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By grace are ye saved through faith... not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath ... ordained that we should walk in them.
Posts: 1570 | From: Pittsburgh, PA USA | Registered: Jul 2002
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Karl: Liberal Backslider
Shipmate
# 76
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by kentishmaid:
I note that the conspiracy theories have started already.
NaturalNews are as mad as a bucketful of pithed frogs with CJD.
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Might as well ask the bloody cat.
Posts: 17938 | From: Chesterfield | Registered: May 2001
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Og, King of Bashan
Ship's giant Amorite
# 9562
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Palimpsest:
I think speculating on who did it is pointless until evidence is found. Such speculation tells more about the fears of the speculator than the criminals.
This quote from CNN sums up the futility of any of us making guesses as to the origin of the guilty parties:
quote:
"If your experience and your expertise is Middle East terrorism, it has the hallmarks of al Qaeda or a Middle East group," former FBI Assistant Director Tom Fuentes said. "If your experience is domestic groups and bombings that have occurred here, it has the hallmarks of a domestic terrorist like Eric Rudolph in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics bombings."
Even the experts cannot look at the information we have and know what it was for sure. Unfortunately, the internet has made it easy for anyone to access information on how to most effectively make and plant a bomb in a public area. (But then when I was growing up, everyone knew someone whose older brother had a copy of the infamous "Anarchist's Handbook," which supposedly contained just enough information to help you blow a finger off while trying to make a pipe bomb to set off in an open space for fun. So I guess you can't lay too much blame at the feet of the internet.)
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"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?" ― Walker Percy
Posts: 3259 | From: Denver, Colorado, USA | Registered: May 2005
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Alogon
Cabin boy emeritus
# 5513
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Posted
In the headlines today: authorities have so much raw data to go through that it will take days unless they get lucky. There is also so much data that they fear overlooking the needle in the haystack.
Aside from the human toll, one of the worst things about these attacks is that they make even freedom-loving people suddenly heave a sigh of relief for all the wiretappers, data miners, and surveillance cameras carrying on out there. Maybe they will enable us to catch the bastard(s).
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Patriarchy (n.): A belief in original sin unaccompanied by a belief in God.
Posts: 7808 | From: West Chester PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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Crœsos
Shipmate
# 238
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Posted
And here's a statement from the FBI:
quote:
Contrary to widespread reporting, no arrest has been made in connection with the Boston Marathon attack. Over the past day and a half, there have been a number of press reports based on information from unofficial sources that has been inaccurate. Since these stories often have unintended consequences, we ask the media, particularly at this early stage of the investigation, to exercise caution and attempt to verify information through appropriate official channels before reporting.
I'm guessing that they're getting sick of having to devote resources that are already stretched pretty thin to answering a bunch of questions on fictitious news stories.
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Humani nil a me alienum puto
Posts: 10706 | From: Sardis, Lydia | Registered: May 2001
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