Boston Marathon hit by explosions

If you know anyone who was running in the race, you can check on their last status here: http://raceday.baa.org/individual.html

suspect in custody:  http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/authorities_under_suspect_guard_y2...

The NY Post article is not accurate. According to CNN, the Bston police are reporting that no suspects have been identified. Individuals are being questined, but none of these people are considered suspects by the Boston Police.

Obama speaking now.

One of my Facebook friends pointed out that there were bomb blasts in six provinces in Iraq today, bomb blasts in northern Syria today... Bomb blasts happen somwhere in this world every day, we just don't hear about most of these attacks on the news.

josh wrote:

allah wrote:

suspect in custody:  http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/authorities_under_suspect_guard_y2...

 

Murdoch bull. At least as of now. Officials hav e denied the story. Know the Copley Square area well.  Bostonians are tough and won't let themselves be intimidated by this.

The NY Post is also saying 12 dead, while everyone else is saying 2

NorthReport wrote:

When are ever going to learn: Terrorism does not necessarily equal foreign.

The Boston Police do not have anyone in custody at the present time

Another possible line of inquiry is that today is Patriot's Day in Massachusetts.

The Oklahoma City bombing took place two days after Patriot's Day in 1995.

20th anniversary of the Waco incident which precipitated the OKC bombing is 4 days away. Plus it's tax filing day.

President Obama, I think wisely, did not use the "terrorism" word when he addressed the nation this afternoon,  as the word "terrorism" I'm sure to many Americans, means a "foreigner" and there are no public details yet to suggest who are the perpetrators of this crime.

Tragically, another person has now died, raising the death toll to 3, including an 8 year old boy.

Quote:

[Update, 8:55 p.m. ET] A Saudi national with a leg wound was under guard at a Boston hospital in connection with the bombings at the Boston Marathon, but investigators cannot say he is involved at this time and he is not in custody, a law enforcement official said Monday evening.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/15/explosions-near-finish-of-boston-ma...

The right reaction to the Boston Marathon explosions: Remember how unusual they are

Don't let fear amplify the pain of Boston. AP Photo/Charles Krupa 

http://qz.com/74750/the-right-reaction-to-the-boston-explosions-remember...

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/erik-rush-kill-all-muslims-response-boston-marathon-attack

Left Turn wrote:

One of my Facebook friends pointed out that there were bomb blasts in six provinces in Iraq today, bomb blasts in northern Syria today... Bomb blasts happen somwhere in this world every day, we just don't hear about most of these attacks on the news.

Good point. A lot of people today have been thinking that this incident in Boston is just one small example of the multitude of horrible bombings that are creating a lot of suffering in the world. The horrible bombing in Boston puts into perspective the much greater level of suffering people are enduring in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and Pakistan.

So the US has had quite a good bomb-free run on its own soil, basically since 9/11 until now

A selected list of bombings and attempts in the US

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/a-selected-list-of-bombings-an...

Boston Bombings

http://popular-resistance.blogspot.ca/2013/04/boston-bombings.html

"At first I thought I should not comment on the Boston bombings as it is obvious that we in Palestine under siege and regular bombardment would clearly sympathize.

But then I saw the usual pundits on mainstream media trying to spin the tragedy to serve racism. The Israeli Consul-General in Boston told the Jerusalem Post that 'Boston is a very quiet and calm place, especially when we come from Israel...Still, the Jewish community and the consulate are on alert and security has been increased.'

He speaks as if re represents Jews of Boston (and only them) and insinuates as usual that problems in Palestine ('Israel') are because of the native 'Arabs' not because of the Zionist colonization. CNN gave extensive time to the Zionist ex-congresswoman Jane Harman, who claimed the terrorist attack is likely linked to Al Qaeda Islamists..."

Media Rush to Judgment in Boston  -  by Barry Grey

http://wsws.org/en/articles/2013/04/16/bomb-a16.html

"The explosion of two bombs Monday afternoon at the Boston Marathon has been accompanied by a rush to judgment by the media, in which claims of a broad new terror attack are being made without any factual substantiation..."

Erik Rush: Kill All Muslims in Response to Boston Marathon Attack

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/erik-rush-kill-all-muslims-respons...

"...In response, and utterly without any evidence, frequent Fox News contributor Erik Rush tweeted out a message blaming the bombing on Muslim terrorists, saying 'Everybody do the National Security Ankle-Grab! Let's bring more Saudis in without screening them! C'mon #bostonmarathon'

That prompted another Twitter user to chastize Rush for making such unsupported accusations, which prompted Rush to respond with a call for all Muslims to be killed. @bloodonthemike Yes they're evil. Let's kill them all..."

Quote:

The Boston bombing produces familiar and revealing reactions
Glenn Greenwald   
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 16 April 2013 14.52 BST   

....
One particularly illustrative example I happened to see yesterday was a re-tweet from Washington Examiner columnist David Freddoso, proclaiming:

 "Idea of secondary bombs designed to kill the first responders is just sick. How does anyone become that evil?"

I don't disagree with that sentiment. But I'd bet a good amount of money that the person saying it - and the vast majority of other Americans - have no clue that targeting rescuers with "double-tap" attacks is precisely what the US now does with its drone program and other forms of militarism. If most Americans knew their government and military were doing this, would they react the same way as they did to yesterday's Boston attack: "Idea of secondary bombs designed to kill the first responders is just sick. How does anyone become that evil?" That's highly doubtful, and that's the point....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/16/boston-marathon-expl...

The NY Daily News now has many pictures of someone's roommate on their website, which I think under the circumstances is quite irresponsible, and could endanger people.

It is downright dangerous for people who are unfairly targeted. Lots of survivors and their families and friends are quite rightly distraught.

The other problem is that with the media storm, many people expect instant answers, and investigations don't always work that way.

North Report, I'm still pissed off about the restrictions on food and drink one can take onto planes...

5 viral stories about Boston attacks that aren't true

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/16/tech/social-media/social-media-boston-fake...

New York Post: 12 still dead in bombings that killed at least 3

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2013/04/16/new-york-p...

I hear ya Lagatta.

You no sooner have to leave your water bottle, come on folks, is just plain ole H2O, behind at security, but once past, the vendors are all there selling you back some fresh H2O. Jeesh!

Once in Dallas I forgot that I had bottled water with me- what a flippin' mess I had to go through - back out and then wait in line to go back in again.

I suppose the way to get around this is to bring an empty water bottle with you and then fill it up in the airport washroom before boarding. But do you really want to drink airport H2O these days? I don't.

lagatta wrote:

It is downright dangerous for people who are unfairly targeted. Lots of survivors and their families and friends are quite rightly distraught.

The other problem is that with the media storm, many people expect instant answers, and investigations don't always work that way.

North Report, I'm still pissed off about the restrictions on food and drink one can take onto planes...

Rebecca West wrote:

I've been watching the press conferences given by the various law enforcement agencies and have noticed that they repeatedly urge the public to be "cooperative" and to "let us do our job". The repetitive nature of these requests suggests to me that they plan to violate some civil liberties as part of their investigations. I have a bad feeling about this that extends well beyond the event itself.

It likely means, as in all circumstances, that when any of the numerous internal security organizations in the US feels the urge to barge into people's houses in the middle of the night during the course of an investigation, as the border service often does when conducting neighbourhood immigration paper checks, and as the FBI does when activist intimidation raids are launched, folks are to ensure that everyone in the affected households, including infants and children, have their hands raised in the air to where everyone pointing guns at them can see. Bystanders, neighbours, friends and acquaintances, colleagues and classmates, etc; will need to step back and not interfere with their jobs.

Not definitive yet but expects are suggesting that this incident has the hallmarks of a lone wolf

It is not very helpful to publish instructions how to make a bomb to say the least

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http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/16/live-updates-in-the-aftermat...

The Boston Marathon Bombing, Drones and the Meaning of Cowardice  -  by Barry Lando

http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/04/16/the-boston-marathon-bombing-drone...

"...After all, what could be more cowardly than for some unknown, unseen, unannounced killer to blow apart and maim innocent men, women and children, without any risk to himself? But if that be the definition of cowardice, what could be more cowardly, than the now cliche image of the button-down CIA officer agent driving to work in Las Vegas to assume his shift at the controls of a drone circling high over some dusty village on the other side of the world?

How different are the images produced by such attacks - shattered bodies, dismembered limbs, severed arteries, frantic aid givers and terrified survivors - how different from the many images of the tragedy in Boston now being broadcast and rebroadcast on TV stations across the globe?

With these scenes in mind, I would ask you to read a portion of a blog on Drone War I posted a few weeks ago, citing the fact that over the past few years, US drones have made mincemeat out of an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 people in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia. At least 200 of them were children..."

Quote:

The scale of the attack and the crude nature of the explosives, coupled with the lack of anyone claiming to have been the perpetrator, suggested to experts that the attacker could be an individual or a small group rather than an established terrorist organization.

“This could have been a one-person job,” said Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism specialist at Georgetown University. “That makes it much harder to track. When we catch terrorists, it’s usually because they’re part of a conspiracy and they’re communicating with one another.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/us/officials-investigate-boston-explosions.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&hp