… over the next few days and weeks by news reporters stenographers, ambitious politicians, radio talk show hosts, bloggers and people addicted to Twitter or Facebook or what have you. I recognize we live in a society where far too many people ignore facts which do not conform to their world view. People like to use tragedies such as the Boston Marathon bombings to push their own agendas. I saw it happen after Kent State, where people blamed the victims. I saw it after Waco and Oklahoma City and Trayvon Martin. I saw it after 911 when people blamed anyone who was a Muslim, or looked like they might be a Muslim, for the deaths of 3,000 souls.
Hey, I’m guilty as charged. I’ve done my share of jumping to conclusions since I’ve written online at this blog.
But for the moment, let’s try to focus on what we do know, which by the way is not very much. Mostly, we know that a lot of people in Boston are hurting, physically or psychologically from this act of terror. People who did not deserve what was done to them. Two people have died and more may follow in the days to come. Others will have long and difficult recoveries ahead.
For today, let’s not speculate about who planted those bombs, or what their motivations may have been, or who may have poisoned their minds with hate or who didn’t do enough to prevent this tragedy. We will have plenty of time in the days ahead, as we hopefully discover more about this evil attack on our brothers and sisters in Boston, to reach conclusions and make judgments based on evidence and facts rather than on mere suspicion or personal bias.
I say this to everyone — to the people who agree with my political views and those who do not. I’ve already seen people online jumping to conclusions. Some argue that this could only be an act of domestic right wing terrorists. Others have blamed Muslim terrorists, liberals and even the President for what happened. In short, too many people are using this atrocity as a means to attack their supposed political enemies than they are concerned for the victims of this horrific act of random murder. Let me repeat, a lot of stupid things are being said by people, most of whom are smart enough to know better.
Let’s not be those people. Let’s be the people who wait to cast judgment. Let’s be the people who send whatever love and support we can to the victims of this crime.
That’s all I got. Peace out my fellow humans.
What we know:
The New York Post has a single story template.
CNN should just quit; they can’t decide whether it was the ghost of Timothy McVeigh or the ghost of Anwar al-Awlawki.
Jane Harmon should be retired and told to stay away for bright lights and interviewers.
The PATRIOT Act will never be repealed nor the AUMF rescinded.
A “White House official” (according to Politico) thinks its “terror” but President Obama says we should wait for the facts.
Some news source thinks the culprit was so ham-handed, they were injured in the explosions.
Everywhere is on lockdown.
All that expensive security state stuff is reactive; none of the very expensive preventive precautions seemed to work. Early reports evidence a sense of panic on the part of officials.
Can they cut the cell phones off or not? The media cannot agree.
Fox News personnel are acting their normal bigoted selves.
The Boston hospitals have sufficient blood supplies.
And the US media is as effed up as ever.
Working in the cellular industry I can tell you that it is a virtual certainty that cell phone service was not shut down intentionally. While it is technically possible to shut down cell coverage in an area it would be a logistical nightmare to arrange on short notice. It’s not something that carriers practice with law enforcement and I’m not sure they’d want to – in 911 situations cell phones are a huge benefit. Probably some of the networks just got overloaded.
On the other hand, do figure that law enforcement is likely to use location tracking of people carrying cell phones at that time – something they do have ready access to and do practice frequently.
Boston, Newtown, Spokane, Tucson, Blacksburg, Manhattan, Oklahoma City, Waco…the United States is developing a geography of violence.
The jury is out on Boston. But every other one of those cities is associated with an incident that was initiated by American residents. More often than not, this is something we’re doing to each other.
You write:
Step back a notch, please.
More often than not, this is something we’re doing to each other in reaction to the things that we have been doing to others.
Guilt lies deep in the system. It surfaces in numerous ways. This self-immolation on a grand scale is one of them.
Bet on it.
AG
It’s not just that people will say stupid things.
The problem is also that we’re too upset to effectively render judgment about the stupidity of those things.
Human nature is to find containment when trajedy strikes. But fear paralyzes reason. When leaders praise the many heroes that stepped forward yesterday and fight on today, albeit more quietly and without glaring spotlights, it is a reminder to turn towards our best and away from the instant gratification of something similar to vigilanteism.
The old adage, ‘flee or flight’. Those are responses to threat but they’re not a dictum for a society or one’s life.
Here is info on the boy who died and his family. His mother and sister are injured and the father was in the marathon.
Or maybe his father wasn’t running in the marathon.
A mother has to deal with two sons who each lost a leg below the knee. One of the son’s girlfriends is burned and injured. And they are in 3 different hospitals. That’s an additional pain in the ass.
More things we know are absolute facts;
No speculation, just facts.
.
The JFK Library was not bombed; there was what appears to have been a mechanical event triggering a fire in the HVAC system, coincidentally around the same time as the bombs at the Marathon. It’s still being investigated but indications are it’s not related.
Steven, you’re absolutely right about jumping to conclusions, but we also have to accept that there’s no way people aren’t going to speculate about what, how, who, and why. It would be even scarier if we didn’t react in that ancient, basic manner. Proposing possibilities is fine; it’s the pushing of conclusions that makes the trouble.