Explosions at Boston Marathon Finish Line (Update: FBI Taking Over Investigation)

Two large explosions have disrupted the end of the Boston Marathon. CNN is reporting injuries. The attached photo of one explosion has been posted on Twitter. CNN has reported several injuries. There is a live feed here on CBS of the finish line of the marathon. The wreckage is visible. Sports blog Deadspin also has info here.

We will post updates at Reason 24/7 for those who want to continue following the story. I will endeavor to post updates here as well as more information becomes available.

UPDATE: Here is a link to CBS Boston's live coverage. Their servers have been hit pretty hard, so it may take a few tries to get a link.

UPDATE: Reason contributor Garrett Quinn has attempted to get to the scene of the explosions and is tweeting about what he's seeing here.

Shared via Twitter

UPDATE: Here is clear footage of the explosions from the Boston Globe:

UPDATE: The White House is now in contact with local authorities regarding the investigation of the explosions. The source of the explosions still has not been revealed, but there was an additional controlled explosion by authorities of a suspicious package.

UPDATE: CBS News and a Boston Police Twitter feed are reporting two deaths and 23 injuries so far.

UPDATE: Officials have told NBC News that the explosions were due to devices of some sort.

UPDATE: The FAA has ordered a no-fly zone over the site of the explosions until further notice.

UPDATE: Boston.com has raised the number of people injured to 64.

UPDATE: At a press conference, Boston's police commissioner said there has been a third explosion at the JFK Library. They don't know if it's related to the explosions at the marathon, but they're treating it as if it is. Bags abandoned at the the site are being treated as potentially dangerous, but they have NOT uncovered additional devices. The commissioner said there were no reports of injuries at the library. There will be another press conference at 7 p.m. EST.

UPDATE: Cell phone service has been shut down in Boston for fear that they could be used to remotely detonate additional explosives.

UPDATE: Police are backtracking on whether the JFK incident involved an explosion. On Twitter they're saying it appears to have been a fire.

UPDATE: Now authorities are backtracking about whether cell phone service has been shut down. (You can see why I'm being careful about some of the gossip showing up on Twitter.)

UPDATE: President Barack Obama will be speaking at 6 p.m. EST about the incident.

UPDATE: The Boston police commissioner says reports of a suspect in custody are not true.

UPDATE: President Barack Obama gave a brief speech and took no questions. The federal government is mobilizing to assist the investigation. He added, "We still don't know who did this and why and people shouldn't jump to conclusions. … Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice."

UPDATE: Boston.com is reporting that the number of people seeking medical assistance for injuries due to explosion is up to at least 107.

UPDATE: Multiple news reports are saying one of the two killed in the blasts was an 8-year-old child.

UPDATE: The FBI has taken charge of the investigation. The FBI head at an evening press conference has described the crime as a "potential terrorist investigation."

UPDATE: The Boston Police commissioner said in an evening press conference that there were three dead from the attack.

UPDATE: Boston police and federal officials have searched an apartment in connection with the attack.

Comments

[A Serious Man]

Ah Jesus, you can see pictures of blood on the sidewalk.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I was watching tv when it broke to Boston. Early uncensored images showed the carnage. The blood, a guy with a missing limbs...then the screen went blue. Awful.

[george68]

Start working at home with Google! It's by-far the best job Ive had. Last Monday I got a new Alfa Romeo from bringing in $7778. I started this 9 months ago and practically straight away started making more than $83 per hour. I work through this link, MOJO50.COM

[sablegsd]

No blood seen at sandy hook. No workers running and gesturing. No ambulances moving at all. No security camera footage at sandy hook.

[SaltySeaCaptain(LAOL)]

this

[ebony]

my buddy's mother makes $81 every hour on the laptop. She has been without a job for 6 months but last month her check was $20466 just working on the laptop for a few hours. Read more on this web site kep2.com

[The Late P Brooks]

Great. What "Do something" hysteria will arise from this?

[$park?]

Well, bombs should be made illegal at least. Maybe some tougher regulations on bomb making materials.

[John]

How many children have to die before we solve the scourge of fertilizer?

[SKR]

and hydrogen peroxide

[Drake]

And no more running! I think we can all agree on that one.

[Dweebston]

If Newton was any indication, we'll end up with stricter regulations on roadside fireworks merchants.

[Drake]

Like MA didn't ban fireworks decades ago (Not that is has ever stopped the entire state from buying them in NH and lighting them everywhere on Independence Day).

[Dweebston]

I really wanted to be joking, but as usual, you can't parody stupid.

[Ted S.]

Apologies in advance if I offend anybody, but am I the only one repulsed by the fact that the Newtown parents were guests of honor at the Marathon?

On the bright side, my sister who lives outside Worcester didn't run the marathon this year, unless she got somebody else's bib number.

[Briggie]

If only we banned chemicals earlier, none of this would have happened!

[D.D. Driver]

Speculation time. An explosion on April 15 (Tax Day). Don't be surprise if this is linked (if it isn't already) to "right-wing" extremists.

Everyone with a negative view of the government is about to be considered an enemy of the state.

[Tonio]

See downthread, DD.

[Paul.]

God damnit.

[darius404]

Not quite hysteria, but Nicholas Kristoffis already using it for political purposes:

Nicholas Kristof Nicholas KristofVerified account ?@NickKristof

explosion is a reminder that ATF needs a director. Shame on Senate Republicans for blocking apptment http://articles.washingtonpost.....nd-furious ?

Disgusting.

[Sy]

yeah like the fucking ATF isn't on full-retard autopilot raiding raw milk co-ops and licensed firearm dealers without him.

[Generic Stranger]

Raw milk raids are FDA, not ATF.

[Sy]

Yet the ATF always tags along.

[GILMORE]

Bomb goes off

NYT = "Women and minorities suffer most; Republicans somehow to blame"

[Aaron867]

until I saw the receipt ov $5855, I did not believe ...that...my neighbour woz like they say truly receiving money parttime from there pretty old laptop.. there uncle started doing this 4 only 14 months and resently cleared the depts on there villa and purchased a gorgeous Ariel Atom. I went here, http://www.wow92.com

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Too soon, Tiggyfoo. Too soon.

[Proprietist]

Trust me, that's not Tiggyfoo.

[Enough About Palin]

^^THIS^^

[neoteny]

resently cleared the depts on there villa

Is that creative dysgraphia or what?

[Enough About Palin]

"$5855"

I spend more than that a week just on tips.

[Lord Humungus]

and birch sticks to beat my servants with.

[Virginian]

Why blow up a marathon?

[John]

Why blow up anything? There is no accounting for the insane.

[db]

This. Terrorism is a cancer. But I fear this may be used to further justify crackdowns on civil liberties.

[sarcasmic]

Never let an opportunity go to waste.

[John]

God fucking help us if this is anything but some foreign group already on the drone list. If it is in any way domestic, Obama and the media will turn the country into a full blown police state.

[Nikki makes the sign of a tsp]

Aren't you just a little worried it was a tax day thing?

[SugarFree]

I am. It seems a little too neat.

[Nikki makes the sign of a tsp]

I mean considering that's why the marathon is today...ugh.

[some guy]

Worst case scenario: "It was extreme right wing anti-government tea-party-associating libertarian anarchists."

Best case scenario: "It was a gas line failure, further evidence of our nation's crumbling infrastructure."

[Rufus J. Firefly]

The latter has already been discounted by reports.

[$park?]

Huh? Today is Patriots Day in MA. The marathon is always on Patriots Day. It's just coincidence that it's on tax day this year.

[John]

That is a good point. Yeah, now that I think about it yes. Please don't let this be some anti-tax organization.

[Bones]

But if we have to ban guns when guns are a problem, shouldn't we ban the income tax when income taxes cause this kind of destruction?

Watch me be investigated just for posing the question. Ugh.

[JW]

That is a good point. Yeah, now that I think about it yes. Please don't let this be some anti-tax organization.

How could the marathon even be tied to Tax Day, beyond the money that it costs the city to put it on? Seriously, there probably a couple of dozen better targets for a tax protest.

It's either a seriously fucked up person(s) or a false-flag operation.

[Tonio]

No, Nikki, this says AQ to me. It wouldn't make sense for a domestic anti-govt group to go after innocent runners.

[Some call me Tim?]

Exactly, Tonio.

An anti-tax group would have bombed an IRS office, or a Postal Distribution Center.

[SugarFree]

There is at least one witness saying suicide bombers on either side of the street.

[Irish]

There are also witnesses claiming there was no fireball, even though all the pictures refute that.

Eyewitness reports at this point are unbelievably sketchy

[SugarFree]

Obama is monitoring it from them Situation Room. I certainly feel safer.

[Lord Humungus]

aka, from the golf cart.

[Enough About Palin]

"Obama is monitoring it from them Situation Room. I certainly feel safer."

Pity he didn't do that with Benghazi.

[SugarFree]

Pity he didn't do that with Benghazi.

No radicalizing video this time.

[Tonio]

Eyewitness reports at this point are unbelievably sketchy.

Which is why even before Loftus that English common law required the testimony of multiple witnesses to convict someone.

[Irish]

Agreed. When anti-government people do something, it's virtually always some government office or government employee.

IRS offices get bombed, or whatever.

[tarran]

If it's Al Queda, why weren't the bombs more destructive?

After the Madrid train bombings, and the London tube bombings, I think they have shown the technical ability to do really bad things.

Also there are more deadly days... July 4th, for example... the World Series etc.

Nor does the tax day thing make sense, since they blew up spectators.

My guess is that it's going to be someone who is batshit insane, like that fellow who shot up that movie theater in Aurora CO

[a better weapon]

Maybe some FBI fall guy wasn't as big a patsy as they thought.

"Got your package today. It was a dud so I made my own."

[Tonio]

If it's Al Queda, why weren't the bombs more destructive?

I'm not sure they'd need to be more destructive than they were to accomplish the desired effect.

Maybe they couldn't put together bigger bombs, perhaps there were other bombs that didn't go off, etc.

[PapayaSF]

If it's Al Queda, why weren't the bombs more destructive?

Al Qaeda partly consists of amateur wannabes who aren't always good at bombs.

[Ted S.]

Less security surrounding the marathon? The cameras are in a more easily accessible place to capture the explosion/mayhem? (Bombing the World Series would probably happen someplce outside the stadium, with more of the cameras being inside.)

[John]

You are probably right Tonio. The tax people would have blown up a government office not a marathon.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

What does it really matter?

Jihadists - dead people and more government
Nutball - dead people and more government
Militia types - dead people and more government

Gas main - not really buying that

Any way you cut it, people are dead and the government will expand itself to "protect us"

[Tonio]

True, Scruffy, but in the case of Islamists it will mean govt will react to this both domestically and overseas.

[Old Man With Candy]

Yankees fan- you left out that possibility.

[Paul.]

Aren't you just a little worried it was a tax day thing?

I am for two reasons. 1: Islamic terrorists are absolutely obsessed with transport: planes, trains etc.

So I'm afraid this isn't your run-of-the-mill terrorism.

[some guy]

But if it's 'furners' then won't this just start off another decade of invasion/nation building?

[sarcasmic]

What's left to invade?

[some guy]

I'm sure they'll find something.

[Restoras]

Re-invasion.

[Lord Humungus]

gotta invade someone /derp

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Whatever it is, it will inspire our dear leaders to expand the scope and size of gov't.

[Spiny Norman]

Speaking of Dear Leaders, it's also Kim Il Sung's birthday.

[Loki]

I was just about to wantonly speculate that instead of Al-Quaeda, perhaps this was the work of North Korea.

[Paul.]

Whatever it is, it will inspire our dear leaders to expand the scope and size of gov't.

Isn't this proof that we're not doing enough? TSA checkpoints at every public event!

[KPres]

NY Post is reporting they have a saudi national in custody.

[Invisible Finger]

The NRA didn't sponsor this race too!!??

[AlmightyJB]

I don't think anyone knows what caused the explosions yet. It's certainly possible that they were not bombs.

[Brandon]

Because of Feeney's prior post?

[Brett L]

Goddammit. What the fuck?

[Apatheist ?_??]

My parents were in the race. By their normal marathon times they should have already been finished but they haven't turned their phones back on yet.

[Virginian]

Shit....hope they're ok.

[tarran]

The cell phone network is now overloaded. Send them an SMS asking them to SMS you back.

[A Serious Man]

Damn, hope they're okay.

[db]

I hope all is well with them.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Hopefully they're alright -- wish you luck in getting in touch with them.

[Auric Demonocles]

I just got word that my cousin is OK. Hope your parents are too.

I was actually watching some of the runners around 11:30.

[Apatheist ?_??]

They're ok. Couldn't call/answer cuz everybody is connecting at once. My mom finished like 10 mins before the explosion.

[AlmightyJB]

I'm glad your folks are ok. Hopefully the folks that were injured are ok.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Good to hear.

[db]

Good to hear that. We're checking on SIL and BIL who live there and one may have been running.

[db]

Just heard our folks are OK but had a close call as three adults and three kids were at the finish line watching but they had left earlier after the top runners finished.

[Apatheist ?_??]

You can look up individual runners and when they finish here. Somebody could probably pinpoint exactly who was finishing at the time of the explosion. Of course there were certainly spectators too.

[Brett L]

4:09 (hours:mins) was the run time.

[AlmightyJB]

Well I saw a video of the first exlosion on MSNBC. It did not look like any runners were impacted just spectators. The explosion was fairly far behind the spectator line. Not sure about the second one though.

[Brett L]

The only runner I saw go down looked like he went down out of reflex earned from military experience.

[Auric Demonocles]

I was wondering if he happened to get by a piece of shrapnel.

[tarran]

It looks to me like something broke his right ankle. I could be wrong though.

[PapayaSF]

Yes. I think I could see something coming from the direction of the explosion.

[Apatheist ?_??]

Yeah I can see that now. It was spectators who were hit.

[NoVAHockey]

shit. glad they're clear.

[Paul.]

Glad to hear it. It looked in the video that runners literally ran by the explosion, and some didn't even turn to look at what happened. Looks like it was contained to the spectator area.

[Nikki makes the sign of a tsp]

Good luck to your parents, Apatheist.

[InlineSkate]

Not to be a wet blanket and condolences to all the victims and families, but this isn't just a massacre of human life. It will most likely also lead to the further massacre of our civil liberties.

=/

[Drake]

If we don't lose our freedoms, the terrorists win!

[MJGreen]

You've lost Dondero's support.

[Brendan]

Every outdoor event-bicycling, running, etc. will not have one or more extra layers of expensive, delaying, and ineffective security theater.

[rts]

Boston FD Live Audio

[Mike M.]

"Boston was the home of the original Tea Party, therefore we're going to go ahead and jump to the conclusion that these bombs were obviously set off by the TEA Party."

-The scummy vermin in the leftist media

[Fist of Etiquette]

Of all things, the Boston Marathon?

[EDG reppin' LBC]

That's why it's called terrorism.

[Fist of Etiquette]

It just seems so rando- Oh, I see what you're saying.

[Mr. Weebles]

One of the on-scene reporters said he was nearby one of the explosions and saw body parts and some people he thought were dead. I've been to the Marathon finish line and it gets packed with people there. This is bad.

[Irish]

There were definitely people who lost limbs and had to be wheeled from the scene. ESPN is reporting that their reporters are on lockdown in a nearby hotel and the explosions blew in some of the windows.

[AlmightyJB]

Oh my God. That's terrible.

[InlineSkate]

Link dead unsurprisingly.

Livestream: http://new.livestream.com/wwlp/live

[John]

"Please God let it be an angry white male who once voted Republican"

Every single MSNBC employee right now.

[Dweebston]

More interesting will be Alex Jones' ranting about false-flags and impending martial law.

[tarran]

I can assure you that this wasn't false flag; if these were bombs, they were not very big, and there will be lots of forensic evidence.

I really don't think the U.S. military would participate in any Northwinds like thing.

[T]

Already started on his twitter feed.

[Paul.]

More interesting will be Alex Jones' ranting about false-flags and impending martial law.

Impending?

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Wouldn't make any difference. Zimmerman and Nidal Hasan were cast in just that way despite all evidence to the contrary.

[RFID]

Dont forget about Loughner and Holmes.

[Hyperion]

We need a bill now to make everything illegal.

[Paul.]

They've been working on it since 2001.

[tarran]

This will be pretty serious. I don't know if it's al Queda; the blasts appear to be less destructive than the London tube and the Madrid subway bombings.

But I think the loss of life will prove pretty big.

This is probably going to be solved very quickly - bombs leave a wealth of forensic evidence.

[A Serious Man]

It could have been an infrastructure failure, so let's not jump to conclusions that this was deliberate.

[I Dug It]

Pardon my ignorance, but does infrastructure explode?

[John]

Gas mains.

[NoVAHockey]

damn metro blew something about 10 years ago and a manhole cover launched 20 feet in the air ... about 30 seconds after I had walked across it. in Roslyn.

[Lord Humungus]

13th Man on the Moon!

[robc]

Sewers.

[$park?]

Building blew up in Springfield, MA this winter from a busted gas line. So, yes.

[Mike M.]

A power substation or gas line can certainly explode. Accidental sewer explosions are not unheard of.

But the fact that this happened near the finish line of the marathon on the biggest local holiday in New England... it doesn't seem very likely to me right now that it was a mere accident.

[Proprietist]

This is my feeling. There's about a 2% chance or less this was an accident.

[Restoras]

There was a huge steam explosion in Manhattan a few years ago...

[Rights-Minimalist Autocrat]

On the day of the NY Marathon?

[Paul.]

Pardon my ignorance, but does infrastructure explode?

Not usually on both sides of the street, simultaneously. But yes, it can.

[John]

yeah. and lets not forget, initial reports in emergencies are nearly always wrong.

[tarran]

Two simultaneous explosions in different buildings? I would be shocked if it weren't malicious.

[sloopyinca]

I thought there was a slight lag time. That could signify a concussion from a gas leak explosion caused a secondary breach and a spark ignited it a few seconds later.

[Auric Demonocles]

10-15 seconds.

[Irish]

There were two explosions within seconds of each other at a crowded area right by the end of a race where there was guaranteed to be a large number of cameras on scene to capture the aftermath.

It's possible it wasn't deliberate, but this seems deliberate.

[wwhorton]

If this wasn't deliberate, it's the most diabolically lucky accident I've ever heard of. I hope I'm wrong, but this looks like an attack to me.

[Brandon]

I question the use of the word "Lucky."

[Zeb]

The accident itself was lucky.

[Enough About Palin]

"I question the use of the word "Lucky.""

Look up the word diabolically

[Drake]

The Union gas guys skipped work to get wicked hammerad and watch the Soxs?

[Auric Demonocles]

There were 2 separate explosions, which makes this less likely, though not impossible.

[Another David]

It is possible, but a random explosion in the middle of the crowd at the most crowded spot, at the most crowded time, of the biggest on-street event of the year barring a Pats/Sox/Bruins/Celtics championship parade? If that's not terrorism, it's ultimate proof that there is a God and He or She hates Boston.

[robc]

Where was Richard Jewell to find it in advance and save many lives?

Oh, yeah, hounded to death.

[InlineSkate]

So if not TERRORISTZ we'll get ROADZ.

[Drake]

Did somebody copy the end of "Four Lions"?

[sloopyinca]

Gas leak, possibly?

[sarcasmic]

Hopefully. Because if it was deliberate, the resulting legislation will be terrible for liberty.

[Drake]

Luckily there isn't much left in MA to lose.

[Paul.]

Yeah, would MA even notice?

[A Serious Man]

Possibly, but reports and video claim that their was a lack of fire/flames in the explosions.

Again, initial reports are always sketchy or mistaken.

[sloopyinca]

Then "initial reports" would contradict what I see in the picture accompanying the story, because that's a huge fireball.

[wwhorton]

If it was a gas explosion, wouldn't the fire basically "burn out" the available gas, preventing a second explosion? Granted, I've got about as much experience in this field as my cats, so maybe someone who knows what they're talking about might be able to step in here...

[Tonio]

Sewer gas, yes would burn out. Maybe some secondary fires from flammable paper, wood, etc. Generally sewer explosions blow off manhole covers, but nothing more (still dangerous).

Gas main - initial blast, ongoing fire until main is shut off.

I am not an expert.

[Tonio]

And headlines of the past several minutes are mentioning bombs.

[A Serious Man]

Yeah, there was definitely a fireball.

[Paul.]

Based on the video of the explosion I saw, no fireball.

Take military ordnance explosions: not like a Michael Bay film. Yes, there's a core 'fireball', but that only lasts a millisecond and kind of has to be captured with a high speed camera. A gas main explosion is usually a sustained fireball while things remain on fire after the fact.

This looks like something designed to blow up and hurt people.

Let's hope I'm wrong. Because my freedoms can't take any more emergency legislation.

[tarran]

It's possible, but highly unlikely.

My guess is that someone built unsophisticated bombs and hid them where they would not be detected: inside buildings.

This is, however, going to be really depressing, since the reason why this person(s) did this is going to be utterly batshit insane.

[Invisible Finger]

My guess is that someone built unsophisticated bombs and hid them where they would not be detected: inside buildings.

There's usually plenty of garbage cans and portable toilets around there on Patriot's Day, usually set up a few days in advance. Nobody would notice in either of those.

[The Late P Brooks]

You'd think bombing public gatherings would be illegal, by now.

[Brendan]

Close the bomb show loophole!

[Warty]

God fucking motherfucking damn it.

[Dweebston]

And I thought that quesy feeling I woke with this morning was a hangover.

[Almanian!]

Genius comment at Detroit News website report - "Where's the NRA?". Response - "Waiting in line for a background check..."

Fuck people. I hate everyone.

[wwhorton]

Don't get too upset. It's Detroit. They're being punished every day.

[Hyperion]

Here is a post directly from HuffPo about this:

It was the NRA trying to take the focus off of gun control

[wwhorton]

Never let a good tragedy go to waste, and so forth. I'm against capital punishment, but I'm all for summary execution for the crime of being a scummy bastard.

[Dweebston]

When they come gunning for the scummy people, who among us is safe?

[Warty]

They have built a perfectly good mental schema about who their real enemies are, and they'll be damned if they're not going to fit this into it.

[Brandon]

They also made damn sure to get a quote from Biden into the story, for some reason.

[Heedless]

I could understand why Fox would want a Biden quote in every story, but HoffPo.

[Tonio]

Because he's the proggie's great champion and savior, and they're pumping him for his 2016 run.

[Loki]

"Everything bad in this world is the work of racist, homophobic, mysoginistic, Bible thumping, bitter clinging, white tea-bagging Rethuglicans." - HuffPo commenter-tard.

[Brendan]

Don't you know better than to go there?

[Hyperion]

Now we're all going to get felt up by DHS goons, for just walking down the street.

[some guy]

Minorities Citizens of NYC have been getting that treatment for some time now.

[gaijin]

NEw York's stop and frisk is a model.

[Loki]

Well you haven't seen bombs going off during the NY marathon lately, have you? That's what I thought. /state-fluffer

[Drake]

Stop & Frisk is really going to slow down those marathon times.

[The Late P Brooks]

Has a supervillain tapped in to all teevee broadcasts simultaneously to list his demands?

[Spiny Norman]

Has anyone heard from the Mooninites?

[Bradley Strider]

This time they're not fucking around.

[BakedPenguin]

No, they left already because this planet is full of nerds.

[NeonCat]

They are giving us the finger as hard as they can.

[Lord Humungus]

Obviously Muslims and Teabaggers working together with the help of the Kochs.

We must confiscate all the guns, matches, paper, gasoline, cars, knives, pins, needles, dogs, sharp objects, razors, trucks, rocks, sticks, bows, arrows, fingers, fists, and flamethrowers - for your safety.

[VG Zaytsev]

I heard reports on the radio that they've got a Saudi man in custody as a suspect.

[Paul.]

Profiling.

[A Serious Man]

Of course if this was a substation or gas line blowing, expect Team Blue to tie this to the Sequester and blame Republicans.

[Lord Humungus]

they're to blame for everything /duh

[some guy]

Exactly. This was either "more evidence that we need to expand domestic surveillance" or "more evidence that we need to spend more on our nation's crumbling infrastructure."

Either we lose more money or we lose more privacy.

[Dweebston]

It can't be both?

[Rights-Minimalist Autocrat]

And natural gas fracing.

[wwhorton]

Oh, shit. WCVB: "The President has been notified of the incident in Boston. His administration is in contact with state and local authorities. He directed his administration to provide whatever assistance is necessary in the investigation and response."

To quote Streisand: "Send in...the drones..."

[Gadianton]

Don't bother, they're here.

[rts]

Boston FD feed reporting third explosion.

[rts]

Third explosion set off by bomb squad, apparently.

[wwhorton]

Unqualified reporters tweeting from the scene are groundlessly speculating that the sound came from the purposeful detonation of a suspicious device.

[wwhorton]

Boston EMS: We were told beforehand third boom would be water cannon.

There must be some other thing called a "water cannon" that I've never seen before, that is totally unlike what I think of when I hear the words, "water cannon."

[rts]

Maybe it was this?

Projected water disruptors use a water projectile shaped charge to destroy bombs, severing any detonating cord

[tarran]

They use water cannon to smash apart bombs sometimes. It's essentially a very high pressure stream that smashes the case. IIRC one doesn't get as much shrapnel.

[Tonio]

They were also popular with riot police in the former East Germany. Basically, it's the same as the high-pressure sprayers found on some fire trucks, so a re-application of an existing technology.

Even a plain old fire hose can give protesters a rough time; see Selma AL civil rights marches.

[John]

Yes they can. And if the cops are really clever, they put blue dye in the water so everyone who was at the riot can later be identified.

[NoVAHockey]

God. Fox reporting 10 amputees in surgery at mass gen.

[Brett L]

Rumors of 3rd device found at The Mandarin. As someone pointed out, lack of follow-on fire makes gasline explosion unlikely.

[Restoras]

And now rumors of a 4th device too.

[Paul.]

It's devices all the way down.

[The Late P Brooks]

Tax Day, is it? Do we know where Wesley Snipes is?

[A Serious Man]

Whoever is talking on Fox right now has just popped a serious warboner, he's already vowing revenge and comparing this to 9/11.

[NoVAHockey]

i think the voice is Rudy Giuliani

[SIV]

White supremacist prison gangs? Christian anti-choice terrorists? The NRA? Teabaggers? Are there any other suspects yet?

[Brandon]

That depends. Can you verify your whereabouts?

[SIV]

Enabling America's energy infrastructure.
Some people actually work for a living.

[Paul.]

So in some interconnected way, you're responsible.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

I'm sure this was a bomb free zone.

[Lord Humungus]

seriously, after 9/11, I was expecting Al-Q to do more small attacks like this. They're cheap to execute. Small targets: bus bombings, public celebrations, games, movie theaters, etc. Tie security down everywhere, crank up the paranoia and make the US government look weak & powerless to protect their own citizens.

It's SOP for "revolutionary" movements, but AQ isn't exactly a revolution.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

I would think they would have planned on a co-ordinated multi-city event.

[Hyperion]

This is obviously the work of right wing tea baggers.

[Tonio]

AQ was just following the playbook written by the IRA who did lots of bombings in England. The idea is to break the will of the population to the point that they force their govt to stop doing whatever it is that sets the terrorists off.

[Paul.]

Been discussed, Lord H. Al Q. seemed to be hopelessly focussed on mass transit. Like if you can't blow up a plane or a train, not worth your time.

[Pi Guy]

The main allure of transportation targets is that tend to be a lot of people around. I don't think there's anything special about planes and trains.

It's about people.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

12 dead now being reported

[wwhorton]

Fuck. I thought the lost limbs would be the worst and we'd get off relatively light.

[Pro Libertate]

Jesus wept. It had sounded less deadly when first reported.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

ABC says 2 dead, 23 injured. According to BPD.

[Paul.]

BPD is blaming Mooninites.

[The Late P Brooks]

Has Martial Law been declared, yet?

[AuH20]

That show never really rose above a B-, so I don't see why it would be brought back to the modern TV landscape.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Another bomb just went off

[Hyperion]

I've been reading posts around the web, and it's very clear that the majority of reactions to this, everywhere, even HuffPo, are something to the effect of 'Oh no, here goes more of our civil liberties'.

[wwhorton]

Well, if you want to take a page from the Prog playbook, you could easily envision this as a Prog conspiracy to put this on "Tea Party wingnuts" protesting against gun control legislation, then parlay it into an even scarier PATRIOT Act. After all, look how they used Newtown.

[Caleb Turberville]

Anybody know what the difference between a gas main explosion and an intentional explosive detonation? What can you tell from the live footage of the explosion?

[SaltySeaCaptain(LAOL)]

Am I the only one infuriated that the Alphabet Channels are trying to say "we don't know if its terrorism" or its a gas leak, but when its a shooting they are the first to say its a "lone gunmen with assault guns"?

[Zeb]

It's a lot harder to confuse a shooting with an accidental explosion. And often a lot easier to identify a shooter than a bomber.

[A Serious Man]

Unsubstantiated reports of fatalities, CNN says at least 19 have been injured.

[NoVAHockey]

deadspin has video of the initial blast.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

The photo they posted is gruesome. Body parts and blood. And it looks like the cops are just standing there while everyone else is helping out.

[NoVAHockey]

the vests w/ the orange stripes are FD. the cops would just get in the way.

[Enough About Palin]

^^THIS^^

[Chris Mallory]

The cops could arrest the EMS workers for crossing the police line or something.

[Paul.]

. And it looks like the cops are just standing there while everyone else is helping out.

They're waiting for SWAT.

[db]

There is not much that can be said about this that will accomplish anything good. Some will try to make political hay, others may try to expand the mandate of their agencies, others will make cynical comments (probably me included). None of it will improve life in this world. Sadly, this is the aim of terrorists.

[Tonio]

^This.

[JW]

Sadly, this is the aim of terrorists.

And our citizenry is all too eager to demand action, something, anything, to which our masters are all too happy to provide.

[sloopyinca]

Here's a decent view of the first explosion. Looks like it's right against the building at ground level.

Aw, fuck. This is horrible. Good luck and God bless to anybody there or with friends/family there.

[sloopyinca]

Here is the link.

[Fatty Bolger]

It was obviously the Norks. They were aiming for DC, missed it by that much.

[Dweebston]

No joke, I've a girl in the office convinced after last week that the Norks might attack at any moment. When I mentioned the explosion just now, that's the conclusion she jumped to.

[nipplemancer]

I'm gonna say it first. The bomb was placed by the NY Roadrunner's club in an act of intermarathon warfare. I pray congress cracks down on these psychos who think running 26 miles is a good idea.

[sloopyinca]

Wouldn't the Belfast Runners Club be more likely a culprit?

[nipplemancer]

We can't be too sure, I say round them all up and send them to Club Gitmo.

[$park?]

With the number of Irish that live in Boston?

[Xenocles]

Boston used to bankroll the IRA, so it depends on which side the BRC is on.

[Enough About Palin]

" I pray congress cracks down on these psychos who think running 26 miles is a good idea."

No one needs to run 26 miles.

[Drake]

I hear the first guy who did it dropped dead.

[LTC(ret) John]

Rejoice, he conquered.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

DERP

Alex Jones ?@RealAlexJones
Our hearts go out to those that are hurt or killed #Boston marathon - but this thing stinks to high heaven #falseflag

[Voros McCracken]

It's a good thing Alex Jones has the verified Twitter account. Otherwise someone could open up a Twitter account under his name and say things to make him look bad.

[Xenocles]

The "real" in the handle got me confused with Van Jones until I looked up the account. Looks like some anonymous moron to me.

[Dweebston]

Oh COME ON, I was joking!

[tarran]

Why am I not surprised?!?

[Episiarch]

Mother fucker. I go into a meeting that turns out to involve firing people and I come out to this horrible shit. I have two cousins who live in Boston.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Death total down to 2 as per Boston PD

[Loki]

Have they rushed to pin the blame on some racist homophobic white teabagger yet?

[Dweebston]

It's the teabaggers' fault regardless for precipitating a culture of violence and disunion.

[wwhorton]

Exactly, it's their fault for the lack of civility in today's political discourse. By disagreeing, they've encouraged terrorism.

[Loki]

Ahh, fuck! I was being sarcastic, but then I saw this at the deadspin link:

The marathon was being run in honor of the victims of the Newtown massacre. Some families were apparently watching from near the finish line

Blame to laid on "gun nuts" in 3... 2... 1...

[wwhorton]

I'm glad it'll be the gun nuts who killed people WITH EXPLOSIVES. Proving yet again that gun control laws don't prevent violence.

[Loki]

Maybe that's part of the point. We're "clearly" dealing with meta ironic gun nutters. The hipsters of gun nuts, IOW.

[Ted S.]

Artisanal gun nutters?

[Zeb]

For fuck's sake, why can't people just run a marathon to see how fast they can do it?

[Xenocles]

Because Lanza was such a sympathetic character...

[SIV]

POSTER CHILD FOR MENTAL HEALTH FUNDING AND COMMONSENSE GUN CONTROL.

[Mike M.]

Clearly we need to implement a system of background checks on made terrorist bombers.

[Andrew S.]

If this was Al-Q, why do it the way it was done (assuming it was terrorism)? The bombing was 3 hours after the first finishers finished, when it would have been mostly friends and family near the finish line. Given their track record, it'd make far more sense if it had been done 3 hours earlier when the area would have (presumably) had a bunch more people.

[Lord Humungus]

true this: bad timing devices? Or, as stated already, an gas line explosion.

[Restoras]

Or, they didn't know that the Boston Marathon is an elite event and simply looked at what time the average marathoner finishes a race in - not what time the average Boston Marathon participant finishes?

[Paul.]

Yep, we assume that this was done with crack military precision. They may have used one of those WWII era detonators where you crush the little copper tube, mixing the chemicals and the bomb blows up within 15 minutes to three hours.

[Some call me Tim?]

I'm thinking they timed it for the time when MOST runners would finish, not when the first would.

[sloopyinca]

Twitter:

Zeke Miller ? @ZekeJMiller

Pennsylvania ave outside the White House has been closed to pedestrians. People have been pushed into Lafayette park
7:58 PM - 15 Apr 13

Let the overreactions and curtailments to free passage and liberty begin.

[generic Brand]

They always do that. What's more insulting is that the White House lawn used to be completely open to everyone, and they never had the big black gate surrounding the whole thing.

[sloopyinca]

If I were President, I'd ask passers-by on the street to come in and have lunch or dinner with me and let me know how the government is fucking them over.

And I'd have a chicken coop on the fucking lawn and have goats and sheep keep the grass cut down.

[Paul.]

With a '77 Impala on the Whitehouse front lawn?

[BuSab Agent]

If it's up on cinderblocks, you have my vote.

[Slumbrew]

"And I'd have a chicken coop on the fucking lawn and have goats and sheep keep the grass cut down."

They have a lawn dedicated to just fucking? Man, that's class.

[Paul.]

Let the overreactions and curtailments to free passage and liberty begin.

Begin?

[LTC(ret) John]

Continue raging along?

[Enough About Palin]

"but there was an additional controlled explosion by authorities of a suspicious package."

Leave Jon Hamm alone!

[wwhorton]

Too soon. Funny, but still too soon.

[A Serious Man]

Public events like these almost always have beefed up security with police and even Federal agencies providing security. So if this was an intentional act of terror does this show how easy it is to plant bombs?

[$park?]

It's a state holiday, most businesses are closed. Probably not as hard as you might think to get into a building nearby.

[sloopyinca]

^^This^^ And since Boston was the takeoff point by a lot of the terrorists on 9/11 (or was it all off them?), they have had beefed up security including bag checks, random searches and other restrictive policies implemented post-9/11 that would have almost certainly caught any suspicious package or person before they got there.

Unless that explains why the explosion was far later than when the top runners would have come by, since security may have become more lax or even left as the larger crowd dispersed.

Either way, these bombings would be a lot more common if AQ had their shit together. Waiting for big events like these goes against their typical MO. Even 9/11 was on a typical travel day with little to no symbolism.

[Ted S.]

I believe two of the planes took off from Boston, and two from Newark.

[Zeb]

Unless they are searching everyone with a backpack in the area, it's probably easy to plant bombs. In fact, the thing that most convinces me that terrorism is not a major problem is that shit like this doesn't happen all the time. If there really were an organized group of terrorists out to cause mayhem in the US, there would be a lot more mayhem in the US.

[Restoras]

Apparently Wolf Blitzer speculated that this is the work of an anti-tax group...

Repeat after me: Top. Men.

[Dweebston]

Personally, I suspect a renegade cyclist wreaking bloody revenge for years of joggers clogging up OUR LANES.

Their lanes. I meant their lanes.

[Auric Demonocles]

That seems like totally responsible journalism.

[tarran]

Remember their orgasm when it turned out there was a John Holmes who was the head of a Tea Party group?!?

It was so messy!

[wwhorton]

The guy's name is Wolf friggin' Blitzer. Thirty years ago he'd be a lounge singer off the strip, or a porn actor. How can anyone take that guy seriously?

[Pro Libertate]

Or maybe not. I saw something over at BuzzFeed that said that wasn't true, though I hardly commend that as a reliable source.

[helenarther]

If you think Matthew`s story is unbelievable,, 3 weaks-ago my uncles best friend basically also broght in $4885 sitting there twenty hours a week at home and the're neighbor's sister-in-law`s neighbour done this for 9-months and earned over $4885 parttime on- line. apply the tips at this site...
http://big76.com

[Xenocles]

No sale, Aaron promised us $5885.

[Brandon]

HuffPo comment:

tallen
panem et circenses
921 Fans Become a fan
1 minute ago ( 4:02 PM)
Reports say that after the initial bomb went off a second bomb detonated as people went in to help the originally injured.
That tactic comes straight from the middle east jihad playbook.

It's also straight out of the drone warfare playbook.

[Auric Demonocles]

Aren't those bombs normally more than 15 seconds apart?

[SIV]

Yes. More like 10 minutes

[T]

It's been a standard insurgency tactic since at least the Viet Nam war.

[A Serious Man]

Fuck, some of the Newtown families were there watching the marathon as honored guests. That'll get the right-wing gun conspiracy theories churning.

[Caleb Turberville]

Please tell me they were no where near the blast. Please.

[Irish]

None of them were injured, according to reports. I don't know where they were actually sitting.

[NoVAHockey]

the report that I saw as VIP booth near the finish

[db]

One would have to be monumentally stupid to think that killing those folks would do anyone any good ever.

[John]

For the love of God, could those poor people have worse luck?

[Warty]

NY Post is claiming 12 dead. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/n.....ewyorkpost

[Caleb Turberville]

Supposing this was an intentional bombing, it puzzles me in the same way that the 1996 Olympic bombing did. Not that anybody should ever be killed, but why target spectators? These terrorist nuts think they have fighting for the common masses, but the masses are their preferred target of terror. In fact, it's almost like they don't really have a political motivation; instead, it's just a gruesome way to get their kicks.

[wwhorton]

Whatever they may say, each and every terrorist group conducts attacks to influence traditional states. Attacks like this sow discord at home because it shows that the government in question can't provide security to its citizens. A government that can't provide security loses legitimacy.

[lap83]

"A government that can't provide security loses legitimacy."

Every cloud....

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Yes Caleb. Deranged psychopaths may actually gravitate towards each other, and gain cover by nominally declaring themselves "political". They are sick people.

[db]

It's common for terrorists to attempt to incite a strong overreaction from authorities that will result in people's removing support from the authority. It's a sick logic but it has been used in Greece, Cyprus, even Vietnam. Probably lots of other places too.

[Rasilio]

No, that is actually the entire point of terrorism. The actual deaths are not the goal, the point is to inspire fear in those not killed and therefore the more random and mundane those killed are the more effective the terror attack.

Of course what this really does is show just how ineffective actual terrorists have been at using the tactic. Rather than bombing large symbolic targets they should have been hitting the local mall in Peoria Il on a Saturday in June

[Tonio]

See my upthread comment about IRA. Same thing. See The Transformation of War by Martin Van Creveld for a primer on Asymmetrical warfare.

[Trespassers W]

Peoria Il

Jesus. One wasn't enough?

[Chris Mallory]

Rudolph said his plan in the Olympic bombing was to give enough warning so the cops could clear the area. He says the first 911 operator hung up on him.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Derp Take 2:

Nicholas Kristof ?@NickKristof
explosion is a reminder that ATF needs a director. Shame on Senate Republicans for blocking apptment

[Warty]

Don't let a perfectly good schema go unused.

[Xenocles]

Without a director agents are powerless to enforce the laws and regulations on the books, didn't you know?

[Auric Demonocles]

Also, I don't think explosives fall under alcohol, tobacco, or firearms.

[Xenocles]

It's been BATFE for as long as I can remember.

[T]

Since 2002. They've been responsible for the explosives since the early 70s, but they never added it to the name until the post-9/11 madness.

I was the reponsible person on a corporate explosives license for a while. Apparently, I am a squeaky clean person on paper despite hanging out with you reprobates.

[Virginian]

It's actually BATFE now.

I say BATFEIEIO sometimes. By far my least agency. Half tax agents, half straight up jackbooted thugs.

[Generic Stranger]

BATFECES is another popular one.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

And the race for dumbest tweet is on!

[Joe M]

Wow. Just, wow. He would save time by tweeting "I have no soul."

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

@RichardDawkins #BostonMarathon My money is on this being religiously motivated. Society needs to stop 'respecting' insane, harmful beliefs.

-Justin Grant

Like Richard Dawkins really wants to be drawn into this.

[Irish]

Man, the race for stupidest tweet is really heating up.

[Mike M.]

Maybe Steven Hatfill did it.

[stoneymonster]

Because clearly the ATF director is the fucking Batman.

[Alack]

Fuck you, Kristof.

[Zeb]

Yeah, because having a director instead of an acting director would have made all the difference.

[Brandon]

Who the hell would read about this and think "This reminds me, we are missing a bureaucrat?"

[Enough About Palin]

Opposition researchers such as Nicholas Kristof?

[sloopyinca]

If it is terrorism and Obama tries to make this part of his anti-gun crusade, I see it backfiring in a big way. One has nothing to do with the other.

Also, unless it's a domestic terrorist, this will have major implications on the pending immigration bill.

[wwhorton]

Well, the gun control regulations that were supposedly inspired by the Newtown shooting would have done nothing whatsoever to prevent it, so I think we've already waved goodbye to rational thought when it comes to gun legislation in this country.

[Zeb]

Not to rational thought, but to honesty. The people pushing gun control after Newtown knew exactly what they were doing. And congress is acting fairly rationally (mostly in their own interest) in not passing the proposed new restrictions.

[A Serious Man]

Just a reminder to the Reason staff: if you cancel the PM Links because of this, the terrorists win.

[Brandon]

Take that, terrorists!

[The Late P Brooks]

Maybe some FBI fall guy wasn't as big a patsy as they thought.

"Got your package today. It was a dud so I made my own."

Who will be our modern day Jack Ruby?

[Auric Demonocles]

Officials have told NBC News that multiple explosive devices have been found.

Why didn't they go off already? Is it really than hard to make more than half (math used 2/(2+"multiple") ) of your explosives work?

[Xenocles]

I was just thinking how weird it is that so many of these seem to have been botched by incompetents. Even this, the apparently most successful attack of its type in 12 years, seems to have been stupidly executed. Where are all the competent psychos?

[tarran]

It's actually hard to make explosives go off reliably. The people who are competent enough to build something reliably tend to not be struggling with things like getting and holding down a job, etc.

The guys who think a bombing is a dandy idea tend to not be very good at it.

[John]

And even if you have the intellectual knowhow, you also have to have the technical skill. To make a bomb takes some really good machining skills. Rare to find someone who has both and is a deranged nut to boot.

[T]

Machining doesn't enter into it if you are doing straight anti-personnel. Take a block of C4 and a box of 10d nails and voila, instant anti-personnel munition.

Commercial or military grade explosives are extraordinarily reliable, but they're a bit difficult to get hold of.

The shit some loser makes in a bathtub? Not so reliable, but much easier to acquire.

You also have to consider the entire device chain. Again, comm or mil spec detonator/primers/igniters, etc., are usually pretty good (although I have seen more failure to fire with these components than the main charge). But whatever bullshit somebody with The Anarchist Cookbook or The Poor Man's James Bond comes up with is not going to be very robust.

This is all compounded by the low quality of people.

[tarran]

The guy who blew up that elementary school in Georgia(?) just planted dynamite throughout the school. And half of them didn't go off.

[John]

That is the thing, if we ever get a real popular revolt going in this country where people who work in mines and in the military who actually know what they are doing we are in a lot of trouble.

[T]

Not knowing any details, I'll go with low quality of people. That's usually a good fallback position for crazy people.

[Tonio]

Uh...

[Tonio]

"Uh" was in response to Auric. Yes, it is a good thing they aren't more competent.

[Auric Demonocles]

Of course it's good that they messed up. It's just strange that they failed with at least half of their attempts.

[Auric Demonocles]

And the governor's press conference just said they didn't find any other devices unexploded, so that resolves my confusion.

[nipplemancer]

I went to balloonjuice so you didn't have to. Behold:

The Moar You Know Says:

Domestic, right-wingers. It's tax day.
Expect massive attempts to misdirect to any other explanation.
Reply
April 15th, 2013 at 3:26 pm

Mnemosyne Says:

@Roger Moore:
A bomb blowing up in Boston on tax day. I'm pretty sure it ain't gonna be an Islamist.
Reply
April 15th, 2013 at 3:32 pm

Hill Dweller Says:

The Twitter machine is saying the 26th mile, where the bombs exploded, was dedicated to the Newtown families.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

has our short resident of lowell chimed in?

[Irish]

Fuck you. Why did you have to post this here and ruin my day? Just because you like to go diving into the toilet doesn't mean you have to drag shit in the house.

[John]

They really are jerking off to this aren't they? Fucking disgusting.

[nipplemancer]

Unlike muslims, they really do hate us for our freedom.

[John]

Yeah, they really do.

[Ted S.]

Runners are too thin to jerk off to, aren't they?

[Caleb Turberville]

Par for the course among Balloon-Juice. Come back when the MaddowBlog gets to speculating.

[John]

Did you hear them when the DA and Sheriff got shot down in Texas? They were just sure it was the Aryan nation and all white men needed to be locked up. When it turned out to be some loser employee, the disappointment was palpable.

[NoVAHockey]

was it? that's probably why that story got dropped.

[John]

Yeah. They arrested some disgruntled JOP for it. He might be innocent, but the evidence was pretty strong as I remember.

[ThatSkepticGuy]

"@Roger Moore:
A bomb blowing up in Boston on tax day. I'm pretty sure it ain't gonna be an Islamist"

And if it was, you'd blame it on the Republicans and/or Jews anyway.

[Loki]

Ugh. It would be funny if they weren't so fucking predictable. How many of us (myself included) were predicting that the prog-tards were going to fall all over themselves to blame their political enemies, without even thinking about getting the facts first? Fuck these assholes, the bodies aren't even cold yet.

[John]

When New York suffered 9-11, they had Rudy Guilliani as mayor. Sure he is an asshole but he was at least competent. Boston has Mumbles Menino. God help that City.

[tarran]

I'll have you know, Mumbles Menino has already demonstrated his awesome crisis management skills the last time somebody planted multiple bombs in Boston.

[Dweebston]

I was just thinking about this.

[Slumbrew]

I can think of no two people who inspire less confidence in a crisis than Mumbles & Deval Patrick; god help my city

[Auric Demonocles]

Are you connected to the Slumbrew company? They're a few blocks from my house.

[Slumbrew]

Nah, just a live in the 'ville, needed a handle...

[Auric Demonocles]

We should discuss this again later.

[Slumbrew]

Indeed

[Rasilio]

Hey, don't you be badmouthing Mumbles, he has been bravely protecting our fair city from the ravages of Chik-fil-A for decades now and when facing an enemy that intractable one can hardly be surprised when a little terrorist activity slips through the security.

[Caleb Turberville]

CNN is reporting that Boston PD is "definitely calling these bombs."

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Boston police confirms another explosion at JFK Library

[Slumbrew]

Nope - that was an unrelated fire

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Are you sure? I saw them in different order

[Slumbrew]

Fairly, unless something happened in the last 15 minutes:

https://twitter.com/jfklibrary

Fire in building is out, appears to have started in the mechanical room of new building. All staff and visitors are accounted for and safe.

Investigators are investigating. Any tie to Boston Marathon explosions is pure speculation. More information as we receive it.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

ok then, a relief I guess

[ThatSkepticGuy]

Com. Ed Davis just said that they are apparently lookin at the JFK incident as related.

[blackford_oakes]

I have an aunt who was running. Just found out she is ok, but she said she crossed the finish line less than a minute before the bomb went off.

[Alack]

Shit, I know people who were running that today.

[Irish]

How about this gem:

Matthew Vadum ?@vadum 6m

It could also have been Occupy Wall Street that bombed Boston. That's what they do. But let's not jump to conclusions. #tcot #p2

I mean, it could have been the lizard people in conjunction with elderly Nazi's but let's not jump to conclusions.

[Mr. Weebles]

One of the local news anchors just described the explosives as "home made bombs."

Unlike the ones you buy at the local hardware store.

[John]

Or buy on Amazon.

[MP]

Army/Navy surplus.

[Auric Demonocles]

Duh, at gun shows.

[Xenocles]

Never blown up a stump? I mean, I haven't, but that's a thing, right?

[AlmightyJB]

They're trying to play the "Home Grown" spin already. Not surprising. They said that the white smoke is an indication of a less sophisticated bomb. Of course they're just blowing smoke themselves at this point. They want it to be domestic so badly.

[NeonCat]

Smoke racism.

[KimInGA]

On CNN's landing page: "On a call about guns, Biden reacts to Boston explosions" And then it's tagged as "Gun control ? Gun rights ? Joe Biden" Maybe I'm being paranoid, but it sure seems like they're trying to make a connection that isn't there ...

[NoVAHockey]

New York Post: Authorities have a identified a suspect, who is currently being guarded in a Boston hospital with shrapnel wounds.

[creech]

If just one life is saved by banning spectator sports, then we should do it. And think of all CO2 released that harms Mother Earth by all the runners coming from all over the world, and the spectators (even if they take the T). Please won't someone think of the children?

[DK]

Our own Tony is the prime suspect!

[The Late P Brooks]

Without a director agents are powerless to enforce the laws and regulations on the books, didn't you know?

Just like the Indians; if you shoot the chief, they all just pack it in and go home.

[Brandon]

I thought that was Mangalores?

[Slumbrew]

This has a lot of info, tho some of the videos are auto-play: http://live.boston.com/Event/L.....ley_Square

[Archduke Pantsfan]

I'm reading they have a suspect in custody, a patient with shrapnel wounds

[Auric Demonocles]

I saw someone on reddit claim that too, though it was "via my aunt who works in the ER at a hospital"...

[NoVAHockey]

new york post

[The Late P Brooks]

If it is terrorism and Obama tries to make this part of his anti-gun crusade, I see it backfiring in a big way. One has nothing to do with the other.

You're joking, right?

[derpules]

Never let a good tragedy go to waste.

[John]

According to the NY Daily News

Authorities have a identified a suspect, who is currently being guarded in a Boston hospital with shrapnel wounds.

I would say it is at best 50/50 they have the right guy. Lets not forget poor Richard Jewel. And if they do have the right guy, my guess is he is not a angry white guy or the White House and its media agents would be all over it by now.

[Hyperion]

Yeah, if he was a middle age white dude in a Ron Paul shirt... can you just imagine the jubilation of the left? It would be like a mosh pit of lefties trying to jump onto the backs of the dead even before the bodies are cold.

[John]

That kind of good news would spread like wildfire. If he is some Pakistani dude mad about drone strikes, we may never find out who he is. This whole thing will become a local crime story unworthy of national coverage in a matter of minutes.

[Caleb Turberville]

"What we truly know right now is this is horrible. But be careful about retweeting things people think they know." - Ezra Klein's Twitter.

I don't like Klein, but it's a good sentiment. A week from now, we'll have a completely different understanding of the explosions than the one we have right now.

[John]

That almost makes me think Klein is a functioning human being rather than a liberal subhuman douche bag.

[Sevo]

Careful there, John. It's probably a mistake. Let's not jump to conclusions.

[SugarFree]

Does an important media big-wig like Klein even send out his own Tweets? I mean, he's out there in the trenches, making America safe for crass ignorance. There's no time for social media, dammit!

[Xenocles]

Especially the tweets more than ten minutes old, those are impossible to understand.

[Xenocles]

Especially the tweets more than ten minutes old, those are impossible to understand.

[Xenocles]

squirreled lol

[Invisible Finger]

The Boston Globe is donating money for every re-tweet. Ezra barking up the wrong tree as usual.

[sloopyinca]

Serious question: why the need to "tweet" or "re-tweet" any of this? It's all live on the TV or any news service's website. Waiting to read some pundit's 140 character rehash of it just seems silly to me.

But I think Twitter is about as useful as a diaper full of baby shit anyway, so there you go.

[Slumbrew]

For shit like this, you get reports from people on the scene near realtime - long before the media shows up, usually. But yes, at this point the regular media is likely as up to date as anyone

[Heroic Mulatto]

But I think Twitter is about as useful as a diaper full of baby shit anyway, so there you go.

No....you can compost shit.

[Somalian Road Corporation]

Holy shit, I think that's the only reasonable thing I think I've ever seen Klein say.

[MP]

I saw one report of ball bearings used in the device. Expect background checks on ball bearings any day now.

[Zeb]

And after that, small rocks.

[Trespassers W]

I'm looking at that first picture and thinking: do I finish the race or not?

[Trespassers W]

UPDATE: The FAA has ordered a no-fly zone over the site of the explosions until further notice.

Well, thank goodness someone is doing something. 😐

[John]

I feel so much safer now.

[Cytotoxic]

Thank goodness. Someone had to maximize the disruption caused by this horrific event.

[Alack]

I'm assuming they want to shut down air traffic in case the perp tries to escape?

[tarran]

IIRC unless you have filed a flight plan before hand and talking to Boston Approach Control, you aren't permitted to fly over Boston anyway.

[Caleb Turberville]

a no-fly zone over the site of the explosions

What does that even mean? What, like a no-fly zone over the greater Boston area, or a no-fly zone over the marathon finish line?

Surely, they're not enforcing such a small window of a no-fly zone.

[Slumbrew]

I think it may have been "too many news copters around"

[Zeb]

That would actually make sense.

[Slumbrew]

Whoops, I was wrong - news conf saying JFK Library was a third explosion; who do I believe, JFK Library twitter feed or dude on television?

[Archduke Pantsfan]

I'm seeing both stories still so no idea

[John]

They blew up the JFK library? If that is true, this is almost certainly AQ or some other nut bag jihadist group.

[SIV]

How many tragedies can one family endure?

[Invisible Finger]

It's named after JFK. So it's obviously Republicans doing the bombs.

[Brandon]

Maybe a die-hard Soviet?

[Caleb Turberville]

Boston PD is still telling CNN that JFK Library was bombed, which is news to the library, who keep saying that it has not been bombed.

[John]

That sounds like something out of MASH.

"You are being shelled, our maps show you are".

[Dweebston]

Help the bombardier!

[Cytotoxic]

If I have to choose I'm going to trust the non-cop over the cop.

[Auric Demonocles]

I'm listening to Gov. Patrick give a statement. He said that multiple causalities happened at each explosion. I guess that means at least 4 deaths?

Also said they are treating the JFK event as related, though they are not sure they were.

[Irish]

I've heard as many as 12.

[mgd]

Casualties doesn't necessarily mean deaths.

[phandaal]

Seems like 2 dead, 10 with grievous injuries.

[The Late P Brooks]

The FAA has ordered a no-fly zone over the site of the explosions until further notice.

The last thing we need is a bunch of newscopters colliding in midair and raining flaming parts down on the cleanup crews.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

It's also Leonardo daVinci's birthday.

[Xenocles]

Does Dan Brown have an alibi?

[Xenocles]

Does Dan Brown have an alibi?

[Brandon]

The squirrels are really not happy with you.

[Xenocles]

New laptop. The touchpad is wonky.

[Cytotoxic]

Reports I'm hearing say only 2 dead. And that the JFK fire was unrelated.

[Caleb Turberville]

Somebody needs to tell Boston PD. If they can't get that straight, why are we to believe their report that these were bombs. This is still possibly a gas main explosion for I'll I'm concerned.

[NoVAHockey]

boston PD commissioner is saying it's an explosion and related. and he looks like Gov. Christie's Boston cousin.

[phandaal]

He's saying they don't know, but they're treating is as related just in case.

[AlmightyJB]

He just said on TV that it was an explosion. They do not know if it is related but they are treating it as it is.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

The hockey game tonight in between the Ottawa Seanators and the Boston Bruins has been POSTPONED.

[MP]

Terrorists 1 - NHL 0.

[Alack]

That's a low score, even for hockey

[Sy]

DHS got pulled from net. Save percentage was abysmal.

[Enough About Palin]

Authorities have a identified a suspect, a Saudi national, who is currently being guarded in a Boston hospital with shrapnel wounds.

Authorities ID suspect as Saudi national in marathon bombings, under guard at Boston hospital

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/n.....PDGIjYBalO

[Enough About Palin]

Investigators have a suspect ? a Saudi Arabian national ? in the horrific Boston Marathon bombings, The Post has learned.

Law enforcement sources said the 20-year-old suspect was under guard at an undisclosed Boston hospital.

It was not immediately clear why the man was hospitalized and whether he was injured in the attack or in his apprehension.

The man was caught less than two hours after the 2:50 p.m. bombing on the finish line of the race, in the heart of Boston.

12 DEAD, 50 INJURED AFTER 2 EXPLOSIONS ROCK BOSTON MARATHON

NY AUTHORITIES RAMP UP SECURITY AFTER BOSTON EXPLOSIONS

PHOTOS: EXPLOSIONS ROCK BOSTON MARATHON

In addition, Boston police have has surveillance video of someone bringing multiple backpacks to blast site, according to CBS News.

Police also confirmed that there was a third explosion, at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. It was not immediately clear how much damage was done or whether it was related to the bombings at the marathon finish line.

The library bombing occurred about 4:30 p.m. and more than a mile from the marathon.

A law enforcement source confirmed to The Post that 12 people were killed and

nearly 50 were injured in today's blast.

[Hyperion]

You know, the really odd thing about that report, is why the fuck would this guy just be hanging around in the vicinity of the bombing, 2 hours after it occurred?

Either this is wrong, or they have just apprehended the stupidest bomber in all of history.

[AlmightyJB]

I'm not hearing this from any other news source. Not saying it's false but I'm withholding judgement. Also, a suspect is not the same thing as a defendent.

[Proprietist]

Many criminals return to the scene of the crime.

[Hyperion]

It sounds like he never left.

[Hyperion]

Or maybe he just typically has lunch after a bombing and then just hangs around the scene.

[Alack]

That's what happened with Franz Ferdinand, actually. The initial bomb didn't kill the Archduke in his car as planned, but the bomber saw him while sitting in a cafe and shot him.

[Harvard]

Informed sources claim the first guy that yells "ALLAHU AKBAR" gets virgins without moustaches and knowledge of deoderant. No small potatoes.....

[Dweebston]

Probably tea party sympathies as yet unconfirmed.

[Dweebston]

probable.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Yes, they do drink a lot of tea at parties to celebrate the martyrdom of mujihadeen.

Quite astute of you to notice, Dweebston.

[Dweebston]

Tragedies like these might be averted if House republicans would step aside and let our president do his job.

Boom! I should write for Rachel Maddow.

[Hyperion]

Ok, everyone get their proglodyte tear buckets and get ready for the coming monsoon.

[John]

That settles it. This is just a local crime story about workplace violence. Now lets get back to talking about Newtown.

/National Media.

[Hyperion]

Well, we aren't going to attack the Saudis, so this story is officially closed.

[Hyperion]

Although I hear that the progs are still holding out hope that he had tea bagger friends.

[Tman]

If he was a suicide bomber and he's still breathing he is apparently a terrible suicide bomber.

So much noise coming out now, I think it's safe to say at least a 24 hour moratorium on the truth is in order.

[John]

The good suicide bombers usually never live through training.

[AlmightyJB]

"So much noise coming out now, I think it's safe to say at least a 24 hour moratorium on the truth is in order."

I think that's pretty good advice

[RBS]

Absolutely.

[Chuck Dove]

Rand Paul's filibuster gave comfort and aid to these enemies.

[Heroic Mulatto]

C+ trolling.

[Andrew S.]

That's some pretty obvious grade inflation.

[jesse.in.mb]

That's crass grade inflation HM.

The F- down below is much more appropriate.

[Mike M.]

So another incident of workplace violence then?

[Sy]

Open your eyes, sheeple.
It's underground Habs fans going after

Milan Lucic.

[Auric Demonocles]

Habs fans may be Canadian, but they are bright enough to realize that Lucic being on the Bruins is in Montreal's best interest right now.

[Sy]

Haven't been keeping up with the EC. although I suppose I should since we just gave up jagr for two bruin skate sharpening prospects.

/Stars fan

[Auric Demonocles]

Lucic has 1 goal in I think the last 25 games.

[Sy]

Ouch.

[Francisco d Anconia]

FOX Business is going to "listen in" on the House of Representative's moment of silence.

[sloopyinca]

I know it's never time to "give in to the terrorists," but Boston Reasonoids, please put yourself on lockdown and don't unnecessarily put yourselves in harms way. I'd hate to hear any of you were hurt or killed by the assholes that are doing this shit.

[tarran]

Fuck that shit! We live life. I'm more likely to be killed by a car because my regular commuter route has been shut-down by the cops than by a terrorist.

[Harvard]

Actually you're more likely to just be killed by a cop.

[sloopyinca]

Maybe on a day to day basis, but not in the middle of a series of terrorist attacks in your back yard.

[Slumbrew]

Fair point; I've been assuming this is over, but perhaps not

[tarran]

Actually, there was an incident where a Boston cop threw something at me when I was riding my bike with my kid in the back seat.

To this day I don't know why he went apeshit, and I got out of there as quickly as I could. As far as I can tell, he didn't like seeing a bike riding on a bike path.

Lots of losers who abuse steroids in the bunch.

[Slumbrew]

Bravo.

[sloopyinca]

I understand, and I ain't changing my life for anybody. That said, when I'm in the immediate vicinity of what looks to be a bunch of terrorist bombs going off, I'm probably gonna sit tight unless I have to go somewhere.

[An0nB0t]

What's the old Sowell line? No one died at Three-Mile Island, but three people were killed on the highway fleeing from the accident?

[An0nB0t]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ukj8qNcj1s

[Auric Demonocles]

I was planning on trying to get one of the girls I've been on a date with the past few weeks to go out again tonight.

Now I think I'm just gonna drink.

[tarran]

Actually, take her out tonight. Seriously, just call her and say you feel like doing something nice tonight to get your mind off the news and that time with her would be just what the doctor ordered.

I guarantee that if she likes you at all, she will say yes in a heart-beat. Don't put any moves on her at all other than embracing her.

[Auric Demonocles]

Actually hadn't settled on which one to ask for tonight.

[tarran]

Pick one! Do you not have one you favor more? Do you not have a coin to flip?

[Brandon]

Do you not have a 12-sided die to throw?

[Auric Demonocles]

Not enough sides.

[Brandon]

Auric, you've managed to win a thread about a bombing. Not sure how you should feel about that.

[generic Brand]

Why can't you do both? She's not a drinker?

[Auric Demonocles]

If they weren't drinkers I wouldn't be dating them. But there is a difference between drinking during a date and getting plastered.

[Slumbrew]

Go to the Painted Burro - the house margs accomplish both those thing simultaneously

[Auric Demonocles]

That place is way too expensive for mexican food. Plus I actually like Anna's or Border Cafe more. I had really high hopes for it when it opened, too. The first date with the ex I broke up with in Feb was even supposed to be there, before there was a 2 hour wait.

[Slumbrew]

meh to Border & Anna's isn't quite a date place. Burro is also far too close to my place - fundido & margs are like crack to me.

[Auric Demonocles]

I'll just stick to Mikes. They love me there, it's cheap, and I can watch sporting events on the TV.

[Tman]

Man, is the Borders in Harvard Square still open?

I spent many an underaged drinking session there.

[Slumbrew]

Yep - that thing is a perpetual money-making machine.

[Auric Demonocles]

Yes, it is. That's the one I was talking about.

[Tman]

Wow, can't believe that's still there. They've been busted so many times for under age drinkers I can't imagine how they stay in business. We used to get margs there when we were like 16.

Is Steve's Ice Cream still there too?

[Slumbrew]

Nah, all the Steve's shuttered awhile ago.

[Auric Demonocles]

When I've gone there recently they just about always card us (us being mid to late 20s).

[Somalian Road Corporation]

Is referring to margaritas as "margs" some horrible East Coast expression that I was previously unaware of?

[Slumbrew]

dunno - maybe I'm just lazy? "house marg, salt" just rolls off the tongue. That, or I go there too much - I'll just be grunting and pointing soon.

[Auric Demonocles]

Before this thread I had never heard the expression before, and I apparently live next door to slumbrew.

[hamilton]

ditto. Christ.

[Slumbrew]

girlfriend was volunteering at runner recovery - she's locked-down in the hotel now, so it's a lot of waiting and watching every news source I've got. Bad times...

[Sevo]

AP's claiming two additional 'devices' were found. For reasons that escape me, the SF cops are 'on special alert'.

[tarran]

Maybe these devices were novelty devices that are commonly on sale in stores that cater to an adult clientele and were missing from the SF evidence locker?

[Chuck Dove]

Homegrown maybe a mentally deranged person or someone with a political agenda that doesn't like the health care bill or something. It could be anything.

[Hyperion]

Go back to HuffPo.

[Irish]

Yeah, okay Chuck.

[Otis B. Driftwood]

Yeah....a Saudi national that didn't like the health care bill. That makes sense.

[benji]

http://reason.com/blog/2010/05.....care-terro

[Jordan]

They shut down cell phone service? What the fuck? Gee, I wonder why people would want to own guns when the police become unreachable during an emergency.

[Chris Mallory]

Cell phones were one of the favored methods to detonate IEDs. Shut down the phones and you stop more bombs from going off, maybe.

[tarran]

^^^^ This.

[An0nB0t]

I wonder how many lives will be lost when cell-only families can't dial 911.

[Brandon]

Who cares about those un-pollables?

-MSM

[generic Brand]

I could be wrong, but when cell phone services are overridden in these types of events it is to prevent too many "Honey, are you okay?" calls from clogging the airwaves. Still bullshit, in my opinion, but 9-1-1 calls still go through I believe.

[Invisible Finger]

Citizens: make sure you carry your land line with you at all times.

[Sevo]

I've got a 50-mile extension cord!

[Libertywolf78Z]

Listening to the Boston Police EMS, and Fire scanner streams, seems like they are finding what they think are suspicious backpacks everywhere.

[Hyperion]

Where the suspicious backpacks, before the bombing, or only after?

[Hyperion]

Damnit, were they suspicious backpacks, before the bombing, or only after?

[Libertywolf78Z]

After, so any bag anybody left hanging round is being looked at as suspicious.

[Slumbrew]

you using this? http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?mid=13

[Libertywolf78Z]

I'm using ScanR Pro app for iPhone.

[Libertywolf78Z]

Most notably a "military style" duffle bag left in an ER.

[Jordan]

Would that be an assault duffle bag?

[Hyperion]

We need legislation to limit the size and amount of pockets in backpacks, and duffle bags. That will foil these terrorists.

[Libertywolf78Z]

It comes with a free folding stock!

[Dweebston]

Ban high-capacity duffle bags!

[Chris Mallory]

Will be an excuse to crack down on ammo and reloading supplies.

[Jordan]

By gun grabber logic, this would be an excuse to crack down on bringing duffle bags out in public.

[Heroic Mulatto]

From your lips to those idiots' ears.

[db]

So from that video there is a lot of smoke afterward. Can any ex or current military folks here speak to whether modern explosives would generate such a cloud? Would it be dust kicked up? Or would it be more likely to be a homemade explosive or black powelder to create all that white smoke?

[Slumbrew]

yeah, my first thought was "that's a lot of smoke"

[AlmightyJB]

Some journalist was saying that the white smoke indicates a less sophisticated device. Who know though. I sure don't

[Chuck Dove]

White smoke signals the election of a new pope.

[Xenocles]

So it's a Catholic plot? I knew it!

[Sevo]

Contraceptives!

[Libertymike]

You mean the Griswolds?

[Slumbrew]

Gunpowder Plot. It's the Jesuits - it's always the Jesuits.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Don't forget the Jesuit Nukkake attack of Canada!

[goneGalt]

Well... It is Boston.

[tarran]

It does. Smoke is generally the product of incomplete combustion. In general, lots of smoke would imply that the chemical reaction driving the explosion did not exhaust all the potential fuel before the explosion blew the bits apart.

[Slumbrew]

hrmpf, some half-assed "crazed right-wingers " on here - not a single explosive expert to be had

[tarran]

The BATFE infiltrators are trying not to 'out' themselves.

[Counterfly]

Or we know to keep shut the fuck up.

[Overt]

You just don't know.

It could be that the explosive did not completely detonate, but it could also be dust or smoke from secondary fires.

You just don't know.

[mad libertarian guy]

Black power nor smokeless power explode unless they are put under great amounts of pressure.

You could light a whole bottle of the shit and you'd get a big sizzle up and cool down fairly quickly, and you could probably be standing just a few feet from it with no problems.

[AlmightyJB]

The cheif said at the presser that as people were feeing they were leaving their backpacks everywhere. All of thos are being treated as suspicious which seems prudent.

[Xenocles]

On the bright side, the Sox won earlier.

[Alack]

Man, this day just keeps getting worse.

[triclops]

Just checked in with MSNBC, in under 2 minutes, Chris Matthews wondered aloud if it was right wing extremists because the JFK library was a target.

[Slumbrew]

Or, Chris, it's because he's a secular saint in these parts. What a douche.

[Alack]

Well, as long as he's not being a mendacious shit about it.

[Fatty Bolger]

Wolf Blitzer went right to tax terrorism.

[Chuck Dove]

Semi-automatic weapons are not just about gun control, they're about national security. You know that these weapons can shoot down airplanes, they can blow up railroads. This is really a whole national security issue

So why are we assuming bombs?

[Heroic Mulatto]

F- trolling

[Chuck Dove]

How is it trolling? This could have been someone firing a semi-automatic assault weapon at cars or red gasoline barrels.

Assuming it's a bomb assumes facts not in evidence.

[Alack]

A+, would read again

[trshmnstr]

Ah yes, i love how they keep red gasoline barrels at the end of all the marathons. They're really great for the cooldown.

[Andrew S.]

Mr. Dove, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this thread is now dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

[Irish]

Okay, that second post was pretty great.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

This could have been someone firing a semi-automatic assault weapon at cars or red gasoline barrels.

Sure, if you were playing Call of Duty.

[ThatSkepticGuy]

National tragedy is no excuse for missing obvious sarcasm.

[alan_s]

Based on subsequent posts, I don't think it was sarcasm. Troll's really that stupid.

[Fatty Bolger]

Everything Chuck knows, he learned from DOOM.

[mad libertarian guy]

It's a spoof troll.

He parroting almost word for word the great intellectual thinker Al Sharpton in his words to justify gun control after Newtown.

[Chuck Dove]

So all black people look alike to you?

[Scott S.]

I've replaced the video with some clearer footage from the Boston Globe.

[Alack]

Thanks, Scott.

[Auric Demonocles]

Well, that was... clearer.

[DaveSs]

Second video shows something I thought interesting.

Serious scary shit went down but I don't see mass hysteria or average people frozen in fear.

I see dozens of everyday bystanders running towards the bombed area to pull the fences and stuff out of the way, or to otherwise render aid.

[Slumbrew]

Again and again, real life shows that the mass hysteria shown in movies isn't common.

[Brandon]

It's common among the credentialed elites, who are generally horrible people. Instapundit had a series of posts on that topic like last week.

[Auric Demonocles]

It looks like several (though certainly not all) of the cops were most interested in making sure the people with cameras stayed away. Meanwhile, a bunch of plains-clothed or military personnel were rushing to get the fences out of the way.

[Andrew S.]

Both the bombing and the reaction to it are fueling my abject hatred for all of humanity.

[RBS]

Which reaction? The speculation? The faux Facebook outrage/sadness/prayers for everyone involved? The people who immediately see every act of violence as an opportunity to make a political point?

[Irish]

Cenk Uygur
?@cenkuygur
If shooter killed 17 people in Boston Marathon w/ assault rifle it wouldn't get near the reaction it would if a terrorist kills 3 w/ a bomb.

Yeah, when does the media ever report on mass shootings? They totally ignored that Newtown thing.

[An0nB0t]

You have only so many seconds left in your life, Irish. Don't waste any more of them on that moron.

[Slumbrew]

wow, what a piece of shit

[Hyperion]

Yeah, plus those killed by these bombs, would be way more dead, if there was a scary black gun involved.

[Heroic Mulatto]

The piece of shit is an Armenian Genocide denier....do you expect him to have any respect for reality?

[Jordan]

Riiiight. The reaction to this will absolutely pale in comparison to the mass hysteria that came out of Newtown.

[db]

Don't respond to the moron troll.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Some guy just said is wife is disappointed she didn't get to finish the race.

[Auric Demonocles]

I'm not surprised people have the instant reaction to fell that way, and you can't really blame someone for the way they feel as that's not something you can control. But why the hell would you actually say it?

[RBS]

I'm sure she is. I doubt anyone can really keep all of their selfish desires at bay. I probably wouldn't tell anyone though.

[SaltySeaCaptain(LAOL)]

Security cam footage won't be released just like with Sandy Hook and Aurora. This will be blamed on someone or some group other than Saudis/terrorists.

Watch and see.

[SaltySeaCaptain(LAOL)]

Fuck, I'm sounding like a Paultard

[Libertymike]

I thought you posted that you had read some of Will Grigg's work?

Once you have, you would never worry about being characterized as a "paultard".

[XM]

Here's the wikipedia entry on Kim Hyun Hui, the North Korean female spy that took down Korean air flight 858.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Hyon_Hui

We don't know who did this yet, but remember - Kim Jong Un can't touch us from the air. He can only hurt us from the inside. A NK operative with a fake Japanese or South Korean passport will fool any doe eyed American ICE agents who probably can't tell a Cuban from a Mexican. The FBI was able to fool teen jihad wannabes with fakes bombs and such, but the pros will operate on a different level.

Madmen are gunning down innocent children. Our security system is being hacked. The government is working to disarm its citizens. The president is throwing concerts at the white house while a rogue state is threatening. The party that opposed restrictive immigration policy is effectively out of power. The ruling party's convention saw a bunch of people shout down suggestions that Jerusalem be recognized as Israel's capitol (or something like that).

Everything that's been happening since last year's elections just screams "Hit us hard NOW". I'm very bitter.

[Heroic Mulatto]

We don't know who did this yet, but remember - Kim Jong Un can't touch us from the air. He can only hurt us from the inside

And the reason Kim would hand us casus belli on a silver platter is?

[XM]

Because he's insane, and America's appetite for war is at an all time low? And we would need approval / cooperation from SK for any war waged against the NK?

We'll respond with air strikes and sanctions, nothing more.

[T]

He's found Jesus and finally developed compassion for his people. If we and the ROKs invade and take over they'll finally get fed, while the security apparatus will be dismantled and him and the other apparatchiks will be tried for their crimes as they deserve.

[Fatty Bolger]

Why so sirius?

[Counterfly]

Lighten up, Francis.

[WomSom]

Why are people all surprised by this attack? The US continues to play "World Police" in hostile countries it has no business. Nothing was learned from the WTC attack I guess. Sad.

http://www.AnonGotz.tk

[Vince aut Morire]

Fuck you , you POS!

[Ska]

TiggyFoo with the insightful commentary. I'm going home now.

[trshmnstr]

Too soon, anonbot, too soon.

[Alack]

WOMSOM HATES AMERICA

[A Serious Man]

Anonbot is a Ronulan?

[Irish]

Wow, anonbot's gotten incredibly political.

[The Late P Brooks]

"It happens sometimes; people just explode. Natural causes."

[Vince aut Morire]

Saudi National in custody
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/n.....PDGIjYBalO

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Boston PD spox just reiterated they have "no confirmation" on reports of suspect under guard. "They didn't obtain that information from us."

[SaltySeaCaptain(LAOL)]

In a few hours, this guy will be said to have "not existed".

[Stormy Dragon]

Is there any actual reason given as to why they suspect this guy or is it just "blame it on the closest surviving Arab"?

[Slumbrew]

Lord knows there are no foreign folks here in Boston. Nope, no siree. Especially not during Marathon Weekend. Or, you know, attending one of the dozens of schools in the area.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Hell, I just chaperoned a trip with at least 50 Saudi international students down to Boston last Thursday.

[Auric Demonocles]

So you're saying you are leading a terrorist group?

[Heroic Mulatto]

_

_

[Heroic Mulatto]

Well...that didn't come out right.

[SaltySeaCaptain(LAOL)]

Stormy, you really are the most fucking retarded drone on here besides Tony and shreek. Go back and circle jerk with your fellow paultards at the DailyPaultard

[Stormy Dragon]

All the say is 20-something Saudi with severe burns, which makes me suspect he was just someone running in the marathon who's being singled out for his nationality. If he was a suicide bomber, he'd be more than just "severely burned". If he was a non-suicide bomber, why would he be there at all?

[SaltySeaCaptain(LAOL)]

If there was a Saudi runner,you would be able to read his nationality from the camera angle.

[Calidissident]

Talk about hypocrisy. Do you ever add anything to the discussion besides calling other people "Paultards" or "comsmotarians?" Seems like you'd fit in better at Free Republic or Red State.

[SaltySeaCaptain(LAOL)]

Yep, because Saudi Arabia and its citizens totally don't fund and execute terrorism.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Don't mind Stormy, he just has a thing about how the Musselman can't do any wrong.

[Stormy Dragon]

Yeah, it's terrible how I don't turn into a kneejerk collectivist every time something upsetting happens.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Yeah, it's terrible how I don't turn into a kneejerk collectivist every time something upsetting happens.

Actually, that's exactly what you're doing.

Funny, that.

[Calidissident]

HM, I'm not sure if you have any room to be throwing stones. If people just got their information from you, they'd get the impression that only Muslims commit inter-religious violence in Southeast Asia

[Heroic Mulatto]

Fuck you.

On this very forum I condemned those Burmese monks who were reacting to Rohingya attacks on Buddhist communities with violence of their own.

Seriously, fuck off.

[Calidissident]

Maybe you have. But the recent attacks are far from the first time violence has been committed against Muslims in the region for religious purposes, and not once (at least as in the ones I saw, which was quite a few. Perhaps you did at some point before the recent violence, and I just didn't see it, but in any case at a minimum, my statement is true for the vast majority of instances I'm talking about) in any of your countless links or discussions about Muslim violence in SE Asia did you once recognize that fact. And the context was often an argument over whether Muslims are uniquely violent compared to people of other religions.

In any case, my sole point was that if you don't want to be accused of what I said my previous post, then don't make the same kind of statements about other people. When has Stormy Dragon ever said he/she thinks no Muslim can do any wrong?

[Heroic Mulatto]

When has Stormy Dragon ever said he/she thinks no Muslim can do any wrong?

Are you autistic? That was the humorous use of the rhetorical trope of hyperbole to criticize how Stormy consistently falls over himself to sputter politically correct platitudes in an effort to earn his gold star from the Tolerance Committee.

but in any case at a minimum, my statement is true for the vast majority of instances I'm talking about) in any of your countless links or discussions about Muslim violence in SE Asia did you once recognize that fact. And the context was often an argument over whether Muslims are uniquely violent compared to people of other religions.

Oh? You want to compare the violence perpetrated by Islamist groups in the south of Thailand to the Thai government's reaction? (Hint: most of it involved dropping paper origami cranes. The horror!) As for the Rohingya, other than a few defrocked monks committing arson, how have the Burmese Buddhists retaliated against the systematic destruction of their temples, the systematic killing of their monks, the systematic rape of their women, and the systematic burning of their villages (all added and abeted by forces inside the Bangledeshi government)? The 969 Campaign. The economic boycott the vile Beeb is making out into the 2nd Krystallnatch.

[cont]

[Calidissident]

"Are you autistic? That was the humorous use of the rhetorical trope of hyperbole to criticize how Stormy consistently falls over himself to sputter politically correct platitudes in an effort to earn his gold star from the Tolerance Committee."

And how exactly is your use of hyperbole in that instance any more or less accurate or legitimate than the use of hyperbole I gave in my post (the entire point of which was to point out how easily someone could make a similar accusation against you)?

The fact that you're getting so worked up about this, posting links, and 1500 character comments is telling. The example was irrelevant to the point I was making. I never even said or implied that Muslims do not commit more inter-religious violence than other groups do, just that they don't commit all of it.

[Heroic Mulatto]

[cont]

As many Burmese have figured out, Islamic terrorism is often funded by innocuous Muslim charities. By boycotting Muslim owned businesses, they hope to a.) not provide funding to those radicals who are bankrolling Rohingya violence, b.) convince the moderate Muslims to clean their own house.

Yet, fools like you and Stormy will yowl like cats in heat that the Burmese Buddhists have the audacity to defend themselves in the same manner that the Black community of Montgomery, Alabama did, for they have not earned the official Underdog status from the powers that be.

And those BBC/Guardian-reading folk will click their tongues at the Burmese, feeling a smug sense of superiority now that the "peaceful" religion of Buddhism has been knocked-down a few pegs in the mind of right-thinking secular quasi-Socialists, yet their actions are no different than the hundreds of organizations around the world that engage in economic boycott of Israeli individuals. But if one had the cheek to suggest that these individual Israeli scholars are victims of anti-Semitism! Perish the thought!

[Calidissident]

I see a lot of assumptions about me that aren't remotely true. This is exactly my point. Do you even read any of my posts or are you projecting your caricature of a Muslim radical or Muslim-sympathizing leftist onto me?

[Heroic Mulatto]

I see a lot of assumptions about me that aren't remotely true. This is exactly my point. Do you even read any of my posts or are you projecting your caricature of a Muslim radical or Muslim-sympathizing leftist onto me?

Perhaps. But your statements are going to be judged by the company they keep.

[Calidissident]

"Perhaps. But your statements are going to be judged by the company they keep."

Let's apply that logic to libertarian beliefs. Libertarians are obviously racist because they oppose anti-discrimination laws. They obviously think doing meth is great, and hate poor people. They obviously support terrorists. Shall I go on?

And what statement that I made could be judged by company that consists of anything other than "everyone except people who legitimately blindly hate Muslims." Because the only thing I said was that Muslims do not commit 100% of inter-religious violence in SE Asia, which is something that I think anyone who is not blindly hateful of all Muslims would agree with (and which you apparently agree with yourself).

[Cytotoxic]

HM, I want to agree with you but the fact is you are giving a very misleading picture of anti-Muslim violence in Burma. There was a rampage a couple weeks ago a lot of Muslims slaughtered. The Buddhist reputation for peace is wholly unearned.

[Heroic Mulatto]

There was a rampage a couple weeks ago a lot of Muslims slaughtered. The Buddhist reputation for peace is wholly unearned.

That's true, and as I stated before I condemned those actions. Yes, they are the actions of a population frustrated by the lack of protection against continuing Islamist violence against them, but still unforgivable.

The difference is, I can point to the entirety of the Buddhist canon and state that their violent reactions go against everything Buddhism stands for; however, I cannot do the same for the radical Islamist Rohingya mobs as they are following the injunctions of Suras 2, 8, 9, and 61, not to mention the various ahadith, and the Sunna.

And like Frost's not taken road, that "makes all the difference".

[Heroic Mulatto]

And considering the fact that your only knowledge of events in S.E. Asia is the hatchet job the BBC is doing over the 969 Campaign, because this season, grey is the new black, and Rohingya is the new Palestinian, I think would approach someone who has more in-depth knowledge of the region, like me, with a bit more humility.

[Calidissident]

Why do you assume my knowledge of events is limited to what I get from the BBC (which is nothing btw)? I have a Buddhist Burmese friend who I've gotten more information about the situation than from than the entire news media combined. And in any case, I was aware of the fact that there's been violence on both sides long before the recent violence (and not just in Burma). I never called you out on it because you're usually one of the better posters here and I have nothing against you, so I didn't really see any reason to.

This really is irrelevant to the point I was making, which is that your accusation against Stormy was no less ridiculous than my accusation against you was. Don't misrepresent the views of someone else through generalization and then get upset when you feel someone else is doing the same thing to you. All I'm saying.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Don't misrepresent the views of someone else through generalization and then get upset when you feel someone else is doing the same thing to you.

Have you read a Stormy post before, right? I stand by belief that I'm not misrepresenting his views. Every time there is even a suggestion that a Muslim has done something untoward, Stormy rushes in to White Knight the thread. I refer you to Stormy's reaction to my explanation of the history of India's blasphemy laws.

And in any case, I was aware of the fact that there's been violence on both sides long before the recent violence (and not just in Burma). I never called you out on it because you're usually one of the better posters here and I have nothing against you, so I didn't really see any reason to.

I'm glad you have nothing against me, but don't feel you shouldn't call me out on something. As you can see, I'm passionate about certain and don't mind a spirited debate. But here's the thing. Be it Karen vs. Bamar or Rohingya vs. Rakhine, why does Islamist aggression get a free pass?

Buddhism is not a pacifist religion, yet when Buddhists defend themselves, people like you point and shout "Aha! You're all liars with that peace and tolerance shit!"

No, the blame isn't equal in which ideology started the violence in Thailand, or Burma, or Indonesia, or the Phillipines.

[Calidissident]

"Be it Karen vs. Bamar or Rohingya vs. Rakhine, why does Islamist aggression get a free pass?"

Where did I say or imply that they should?

"Buddhism is not a pacifist religion, yet when Buddhists defend themselves, people like you point and shout "Aha! You're all liars with that peace and tolerance shit!"

Seriously, HM, this is my entire point. Where the fuck have I said or implied anything like that? Where have I criticized Buddhism or Buddhists (aside from simply saying that *some* commit violence, which is self-evidently factual)? I don't know how much more clear I have to be that I'm not some crypto-Muslim Buddhist hater

[Heroic Mulatto]

You implied that when you jumped in to defend Stormy with:

HM, I'm not sure if you have any room to be throwing stones. If people just got their information from you, they'd get the impression that only Muslims commit inter-religious violence in Southeast Asia

Doesn't that imply that I'm guilty of the same thing I accuse Stormy of (Whitewashing Islamist ideology due to fears of political incorrectness) but in reverse (i.e. Demonizing Muslims due to Buddhist religious chauvinism)?

Where the fuck have I said or implied anything like that? Where have I criticized Buddhism or Buddhists (aside from simply saying that *some* commit violence, which is self-evidently factual)?

[cont]

[Heroic Mulatto]

Maybe that's not your intention. Still many of the arguments about Burma and Thailand take the tenor of this piece of shit, which is basically what I described above. As I said before, The Buddhists in Burma who are attacking Muslim villages are not motivated by religion, which would be impossible as a Buddhist Holy War is oxymoronic, as much as nationalism and racism, of which a nebulous Buddhist identity is a part. On the other hand, the Rohinyga (and the Pattani insurgents in Thailand) are clearly motivated by deeply-held religious belief which justifies violence in the name of propagating their religion.

[Calidissident]

"Maybe that's not your intention."

It isn't. Full stop.

[Calidissident]

"Doesn't that imply that I'm guilty of the same thing I accuse Stormy of (Whitewashing Islamist ideology due to fears of political incorrectness) but in reverse (i.e. Demonizing Muslims due to Buddhist religious chauvinism)?"

I didn't imply anything about your motivations, and if you read closely, I didn't even accuse you (even in hyperbole) of believing that only Muslims commit violence, just that one would get that impression from some of your past posts or links about SE Asia. I think that's just as fair at a minimum, as your initial assertion about Stormy Dragon.

[Heroic Mulatto]

We'll have to agree to disagree. I don't think it's fair at all to compare what I've wrote to what Stormy writes.

I didn't even accuse you (even in hyperbole) of believing that only Muslims commit violence, just that one would get that impression from some of your past posts or links about SE Asia

Obviously, I don't expect anyone to be familiar with every single comment I have ever posted, but, for example, I know have posted about the documentary "Hunted Like Dogs" and Laotian government's current campaign of genocide of Hmong dissidents. A google search of those terms on this site should bring those posts up and/or my posts of lusting after Kulap Vilaysack.

So I don't think it fair to state that I give the impression of blaming only Muslims for violence in S.E. Asia or world-wide.

The day I display Stormy's utter lack of nuance is the day I call it quits in life.

[Calidissident]

Obviously, I don't expect anyone to be familiar with every single comment I have ever posted, but, for example, I know have posted about the documentary "Hunted Like Dogs" and Laotian government's current campaign of genocide of Hmong dissidents. A google search of those terms on this site should bring those posts up and/or my posts of lusting after Kulap Vilaysack.

So I don't think it fair to state that I give the impression of blaming only Muslims for violence in S.E. Asia or world-wide."

To be clear, I was referring specifically to inter-religious violence involving Muslims on one side or the other. And as I've said, I never seriously thought you believed that, just that it was more or less equally fair to draw that conclusion from your posts as it is to draw the conclusion from Stormy's posts that he doesn't think Muslims ever do anything bad. If you disagree, fine, but just know that I'm not disagreeing with you because I'm a crypto-Muslim/Western apologist who hates Buddhists or you personally.

[Calidissident]

"Have you read a Stormy post before, right? I stand by belief that I'm not misrepresenting his views."

Didn't you admit you were being hyperbolic? Likewise, I never seriously believed that you thought only Muslims committed violence in SE Asia.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Didn't you admit you were being hyperbolic?

Yes, it's hyperbole to say Stormy states that "Musselmen can do no wrong", but it's not hyperbolic to say that Stormy engages in pro-Islamic apologia every time the topic comes up, because that's fact.

[Old Man With Candy]

HM, I now owe you two drinks.

[Heroic Mulatto]

OMWC, my preferred Springtime/Summertime tipple is a Tom Collins. 🙂

[Stormy Dragon]

Unless the entire country has been crammed into that hospital room, that's totally irrelevant. The question isn't whether Saudis finance terrorism. It's whether this specific Saudi does. And based on the evidence given so far, his profile fits a victim of the attack more so than the perpetrator of it.

[Irish]

You can't assume either way. This speculation is fucking stupid. It's stupid that people are assuming the guy is guilty, and it's equally stupid that you assume this is racial profiling because the cops saw a Saudi wandering around and yelled 'GET HIM!'

Of course you haven't seen the evidence they have yet, it's been like 2 hours.

[Stormy Dragon]

Right, because cops would never inappropriately jump someone out of a surfeit of emotion.

[Cytotoxic]

This.

[Calidissident]

I'm referring to you calling Stormy a troll and telling him to go to the "Daily Paultard." Stormy sometimes posts thing that make me think he/she loves being a contrarian, but you are one of the last people (aside from Tony/shrike/American, etc.) that has the credibility to call him out on it.

And all he did was ask if there was good reason to believe this guy was responsible. The fact that Saudi Arabia finances terror and that a lot of terrorists are Saudi doesn't mean any Saudi guy in the area is a terrorist. And according to the latest reports, it looks like the NY post jumped the gun and that there isn't anybody in custody.

[SaltySeaCaptain(LAOL)]

Who said he was guilty?

But to say that a Saudi found within feet of the explosion isn't a person of interest is certainly being willfully ignorant.

[Stormy Dragon]

No, it's just going on past history. There's two profiles for muslim bombers, neither of which is likely to be found a few feet from the explosion. If it was a suicide bombing, they'd be in little pieces all over the area. If it was remotely detonated they'd be well away from the explosion. The guy a few feet away from the explosion is probably the least likely person to be the perpatrator, barring some more specific evidence to explain.

[Not an Economist]

If he is being guarded maybe it is because he saw something?

[Calidissident]

Are you saying being Saudi, in the vicinity of an attack (where he suffered injuries), is reason be put under guard? Now according to the police, the NY Post apparently jumped the gun on this story. So this discussion may be completely hypothetical. All I'm saying is I think the police need a little more to go on than nationality if they want to put someone under guard or in custody.

[Brandon]

Paultard? Stormy is your standard-issue liberal.

[SaltySeaCaptain(LAOL)]

He and Proprietist have always been a leftist-"libertarian" stable in these parts.

[Calidissident]

Not as familiar with Stormy's total ideology, but from the posts I've read where Proprietist explains his philosophy in detail, even though I don't agree with 100% of what he believes, it sounds like he's a lot closer to "pure libertarianism" (if such a thing exists) than you are. How exactly are you different from a garden variety conservative? I can recall a bunch of posts of yours criticizing libertarians for being "comsotarian," "Paultards," spending too much time on culturally liberal issues, etc. but I really can't recall a time where you've advocated something outside the norm of conservatism, or criticized a prominent conservative. Didn't you vote for Romney?

[SaltySeaCaptain(LAOL)]

Just because I wear the "LAOL" badge does not mean I'm Tulpa's bitch.

"libertarians for being 'comsotarian',"

You mean I called out Barton Hinkle and Nick "scared of guns" Gillespie? Ok...

[Calidissident]

Tulpa coined the term (at least on this site), so I'm not sure why you would adopt the label otherwise. I'm pretty sure you've thrown the "cosmotarian" label at commentators, in addition to columnists, and in any case, you're not exactly in great company when it comes to the people who use that term to insult people.

[darius404]

What, are all you cosmos [insert disorder here], or what? The only way you could POSSIBLY disagree with me would be that you have a mental issue.

/HM-SSCmashup

[Heroic Mulatto]

Yes, because people with autism don't often exhibit symptoms of semantic-pragmatic disorder, and so when someone refuses to pick up on the rhetorical tropes of hyperbole or understatment, it's pure biogtry to point that out and not just busting balls.

[Calidissident]

It's pretty ironic that you post that, when I responded to your hyperbole with a two line hyperbolic comment, the entire point of which was to point out how you could just as easily be accused of the same sort of thing, and then you responded to my comment with multiple huge posts about violence in SE Asia, and accused me multiple times of being a fool, a Muslim-apologist, a Buddhist-hater, as well as autistic.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Well, I'm busting your balls. What do you expect?

[darius404]

For you to be an asshole? And I guessed right!

[darius404]

Yes, because people with autism don't often exhibit symptoms of semantic-pragmatic disorder

Because ANYONE who disagrees with your point of view or misunderstand you MUST have a disorder? You're so retarded HM, it's the ONLY way you could act like such a dumbass. It's not as if there could possibly be ANY other explanation!

it's pure retardation to accuse people of a mental disorder as a knee-jerk reaction to disagreement

Fixed. Did you have to get your mommy and daddy to help you with that post? Or do they have a helper live with you?

[Heroic Mulatto]

Fair enough. I lol'd.

[Stormy Dragon]

Everywhere I go, the liberals all accuse me of being a fascist and the conservatives all accuse me of being a communist.

[Brandon]

There is not all that much difference between fascism and communism. Maybe you're not some persecuted independent thinker, but just an authoritarian dickhole?

[Stormy Dragon]

Hey, I'm not authoritarian.

[Brandon]

Well played, SD. Well played.

[lap83]

Do you see a lot of news reports that give detailed reasons for every suspect or do you just assume they're profiling?

[Archduke Pantsfan]

His Obamaness will be addressing the nation at 6PM (ET)

[An0nB0t]

Thank God, as I was concerned the day would pass without seeing Jug Ears on television for some reason or another.

[Chuck Dove]

Now is not the time to oppose this country. It's time to come together and obey the President as he protects us.

[Sevo]

Chuck Dove| 4.15.13 @ 5:50PM |#
"Now is not the time to oppose this country. It's time to come together and obey the President as he protects us."

OK, that's FUNNY!

[Heroic Mulatto]

Let me save you some time: "ummm...ahh...let me be clear, our hearts go out to those affected by the tragedy in Boston...umm...common-sense regulation....ahhh....the future must not belong to those who would defame Islam...ummm...Newtown we still grieve with you...ahh...ummm...clinging to guns and religion. Thank you, and God bless America."

[RBS]

I was wondering when he was going to make this about himself.

[Chuck Dove]

Picture of the terrorist?
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BH67QVeCMAAnvPv.jpg

[Alack]

Pretty sure that's bigfoot

[Heroic Mulatto]

I knew it! The Slender Man!

[Bam!]

Looks like he's standing on the building that is being bombed. Why would you stand on the building you're targeting?

[Brandon]

The Wile. E. Coyote school of terrorism?

[Some call me Tim?]

Probably not...

[Chuck Dove]

NYPD protecting its citizens:
http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BH7CUZVCQAA8Gou.jpg

[Archduke Pantsfan]

They're arresting a guy on the common.

[SaltySeaCaptain(LAOL)]

There's talk of several abandoned, idling cars/vans on the police scanner.

[Slumbrew]

Sounds like they're back-peddling on the JFK Library thing... first it was a "bomb", now it was a "uh, incendiary device, but we got that information right before the last press conference"

[Slumbrew]

Police spox says nobody is in custody - NY Post jumping the gun

[Paul.]

They're already in Guantanamo.

[Chuck Dove]

Patton Oswalt:

Boston. Fucking horrible.

I remember, when 9/11 went down, my reaction was, "Well, I've had it with humanity."

But I was wrong. I don't know what's going to be revealed to be behind all of this mayhem. One human insect or a poisonous mass of broken sociopaths.

But here's what I DO know. If it's one person or a HUNDRED people, that number is not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet. You watch the videos of the carnage and there are people running TOWARDS the destruction to help out. (Thanks FAKE Gallery founder and owner Paul Kozlowski for pointing this out to me). This is a giant planet and we're lucky to live on it but there are prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence. One of them is, every once in awhile, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they're pointed towards darkness.

But the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We'd have eaten ourselves alive long ago.

So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, "The good outnumber you, and we always will."

[Slumbrew]

Ah, el presidente is on - my cue to go to the packie

[Chuck Dove]

Our President Speaking: http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKm3DBnYEa0

Hopefully he lays out a strong legislative agenda to prevent these types of tragedies.

[Chuck Dove]

Watching moments like these make me so proud to be an American.

[Sevo]

Who are you and what have you done with Chuck Dove?

[Otis B. Driftwood]

I considered watching the President's remarks and then decided to keep working this crossword puzzle.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Hopefully he lays out a strong legislative agenda to prevent these types of tragedies.

No. Hopefully he does nothing.

Let the local police treat this as a crime, and find the criminal. Arrest the criminal. Try the criminal in court.

[Bam!]

Well that was a pretty pointless press conference.

[Sevo]

True to form?

[Libertywolf78Z]

They said no one in custody, but on scanner said someone was detained and questioned by JTT (Joint Terrorism Taskforce?) and was going to be questioned further. No indentification of who was detained.

[Otis B. Driftwood]

Probably the proprietor of the closest falafel stand.

[Paul.]

They probably just re-arrested those mooninite kids.

[lap83]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?f.....aJUEtiW-ik

CNN's Natl Security Analyst Warns Of "Right-Wing Extremists" Behind Boston Bombings

[Otis B. Driftwood]

Man, Chomsky was right about these repugnant rape babies. They are the scourge of all humanity.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

I recommend watching BloombergTV instead. The level of news is a little better. Especially when it comes to speculation as to suspects/motives.

[A Serious Man]

Honestly, ESPN has had some pretty good, non-hysterical coverage of the event. I'm impressed.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Yeah, I was watching ESPN at first, too. They were using the ABC News and local ABC for details. It was good, but I wanted to find a different source.

[Paul.]

Peter Bergen is English. To him, everyone's a right-wing extremist.

[Chuck Dove]

It makes the most sense. Tax Day. Patriots Day. Black Man in the White House. Going after the "Atheist Libruls" in Boston.

No other explanation even makes sense.

[Cytotoxic]

F

[Otis B. Driftwood]

"Sen. Feinstein: 'It could be foreign, it could be home grown'..."

Californians were elated to discover that their senator possessed sleuth skills matched only by Hercule fucking Poirot.

[An0nB0t]

Look out, Senator, you're drooling all in your cream of wheat...

[Bam!]

US official: 2 more explosive devices found

[Chuck Dove]

Congressman are valid sources now? http://i.imgur.com/WUVvL4C.png

[SaltySeaCaptain(LAOL)]

Boston Police Scanner: Backpacks underneath bridge.

[An0nB0t]

Have they found any backpacks in Widener Library yet?

[SaltySeaCaptain(LAOL)]

/sarc tag?

[Chuck Dove]

Has anyone done any study on the effects of the sequester and GOP Fiscal Cliff crap and how it's harmed our Homeland Security Department? I hope this at least gets Congress to start an investigation into what harm it's done to our nation.

[Alack]

Republicans defund America's only defenses; liberals, marathoners hardest hit.

[Otis B. Driftwood]

I'm just glad the budget cuts didn't impact their procurement of 1 billion 5.56mm rounds.

[Cytotoxic]

Or their willingness to give F-16s to Egypt.

[Slumbrew]

They're going over how to collect evidence on the scanner - that's the sort of thing I figured they'd already know how to do. Doesn't fill one with confidence.

[Otis B. Driftwood]

They used to teach this as a standard course at the police academy before replacing it with a 15 hour seminar on assaulting Haitian immigrants.

[Xenocles]

To be fair, on the boat we used to break out the book for everything that wasn't an immediate necessity and read each step - even if it was something done several times a day. When it's important to get it right I could see slowing things down and going over procedure as a means of focusing.

[Sevo]

Like a checklist when you're flying; you may remember it all, but the penalty for missing one thing is too damn high.

[Xenocles]

Very similar principle I'd imagine.

[Slumbrew]

Bah, 8 year old kid killed. Sucks.

[Chuck Dove]

National Guard arriving hopefully to round up suspected terrorists: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BH7RngmCUAAg-qx.jpg

[SaltySeaCaptain(LAOL)]

I'm afraid to click the link, can anyone with a bulletproof laptop do it instead?

[Alack]

Just a bunch of uniformed National Guardsmen standing by a hill.

[Slumbrew]

just a .jpg of nat'l guard dudes on the Common

[Andrew S.]

A liberal friend of mine on Facebook posted inviting speculation. All of his friends (liberals it seems) were going with the theory that this was done by vile right-wing terrorists. The stupidest speculation on that feed said that it was probably "Domestic ... somebody that lost their job due to sequestration". I'm assuming whoever wrote that had to be kidding, and they cannot be that stupid in reality.

[Sevo]

..."probably "Domestic ... somebody that lost their job due to sequestration"...

So ex-gov't employee?

[Otis B. Driftwood]

Here is a Youtube clip of the initial footage showing a guy with his legs blown off: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....1366067244

Terrible.

[Slumbrew]

No thanks

[db]

Same here.

[Sevo]

I'll take you word for that.

[Cytotoxic]

Can they be reattached?

[BuSab Agent]

Quick look, no. The meat was shredded off.

[Slumbrew]

"Good news, everyone! - Sec State Kerry is OK!"

Thanks, local news.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Would you be able to tell a difference if he wasn't ok? I mean, the guy looks like a fucking zombie, anyway.

[Slumbrew]

http://www.horsenation.com/wp-.....x10003.jpg

[Alack]

I like the cut of your jib, Slumbrew

[Slumbrew]

Awesome, love the phone going off during the House's moment of "silence"

[db]

The NY Post as of 19:55 is claiming that a suspect has indeed been identified and is in custody per LE sources.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/n.....0RQfVsH1yI

[Sevo]

Looks like the (uncorrected) earlier claim.
and then, this from the article: "It created a mad rush of bystanders, who frantically dashed away from the scene."
Well, no. Some ran away, others ran toward, and one vid I saw showed them helping to remove impediments to access. And doing quite well, thank you.

[Kurbster]

just when the american public was starting to snap out of supporting neocon-ism

here comes patriot act mk2

[culvery50]

Nolan. if you think Edith`s blog is something, yesterday I bought a great Jaguar XJ since getting a cheque for $7846 this last four weeks and more than ten thousand this past-month. it's actualy the most-comfortable job I've ever done. I started this 10-months ago and straight away was making more than $78 per hour. I went to this website, http://www.wow92.com

[Sonderegger]

At a press conference, Boston's police commissioner said there has been a third explosion at the JFK Library. They don't know if it's related to the explosions at the marathon, but they're treating it as if it is. Bags abandoned at the the site are being treated as potentially dangerous, but they have NOT uncovered additional devices. The commissioner said there were no reports of injuries at the library.At a press http://www.basketballchaussure.....t-c-4.html conference, Boston's police commissioner said there has been a third explosion at the JFK Library. They don't know if it's related to the explosions at the marathon, but they're treating it as if it is. Bags abandoned at the the site are being treated as potentially dangerous, but they have NOT uncovered additional devices. The commissioner said there were no reports of injuries at the library. There will be another press conference at 7 p.m. EST. There will be another press conference at 7 p.m. EST.

[sandrajacob2]

Cameron. if you think Kyle`s storry is cool... on sunday I bought themselves a volvo after making $5268 this past four weeks and in excess of ten grand this past-month. without a question it is the coolest job I've ever had. I actually started 7-months ago and almost immediately started to bring in more than $77... per hour. I follow the details here,,
http://www.big76.com

[Avery56]

David. if you, thought Valerie`s blurb is really great... last monday I bought a brand new Mitsubishi Evo from earning $5506 this past 5 weeks and-more than, ten-grand last month. it's by-far the most financialy rewarding I have ever had. I began this 8-months ago and right away brought home minimum $78 p/h. I follow the details here,, http://www.wow92.com