Explosion at the Boston Marathon.

[LashL]

The guy is worse than pond scum.

Indeed, he is, and he is almost as disgusting as the lowlife creeps who will pretend to have been first responders in Boston this afternoon when they weren't there at all. I fully expect that to happen. Just like the lowlife scumbags who pretended that they were FDNY on 9/11 when they were no such thing, and just like the lowlife scumbags who pretended to have had military honours when they had no such thing, I expect that today's incident in Boston will garner yet another wave of similar "stolen valour" claims by similar lowlife scumbags.

I expect that it won't take long, but I sincerely hope that I am wrong.

 

[Doghouse Reilly]

It definitely could have been. The fact that there were medical facilities, ambulances and so many medical personnel already close by undoubtedly saved lives.

Absolutely. Another "fortunate" circumstance is that the bombs appear to have been at ground level, so there were fewer torso wounds and more lower extremity wounds, as the blast and shrapnel appear to have been primarily near the ground. These types of wounds are less life threatening. In the photos it appears that very few people have torso or head wounds.
That's probably why the poor 8 year old was killed, because a child is so much closer to the ground.

 

[AdMan]

I won't lose my faith in the human race just because a small minority of nutcases do stuff like that.

This ^

Also, just think of all the people (first responders plus good Samaritans) who ran into the carnage to help save people. I'm going to hold onto that fact.

Boston. *********** 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."

https://www.facebook.com/pattonoswalt/posts/10151440800582655

My bolding.

 

[gumboot]

Sorry if this has been raised already, but has anyone else come across people online posting this old Daily Mail article and implying it happened yesterday?

I've come across a lot of examples of people having a rant that goes something like: "the media gets all upset at a couple of dead Americans but meanwhile Americans bombed a tonne of Arabs on the same day and none of the media care".

It doesn't look like the Daily Mail have actually reposted the event as new news or anything - the page source indicates it was last updated in July 2002 and you'll note the article says the US war in Afghanistan started "last year". But because they haven't dated the article itself a lot of people are buying into it.

An eye-opening glimpse into the fallability of web-based news reporting, perhaps?

 

[Sam.I.Am]

I know it might sound terrible but they were the first suspects in my mind. My reasoning was that:

1) Why would a foreign terrorist cell target Boston, a city almost no one outside of America is even aware of?
2) Massachusetts is often considered a Liberal nexus of some sort.
3) Running is often considered a past time of the left (at least according to some who think "true Americans" use gas powered vehicles only to get around)
4) Boston has a history with Tea Parties

Now in reality it could have been anyone including someone with a grudge against the marathon or someone that just really hates molasses based recipes. We need to let authorities sort this out. I wouldn't doubt the reason the Saudi national was under guard was because someone with a brain realized he might be targeted for a reprisal by someone who just decides to blame Arabs and goes looking for some that were there.

I'm not targeting you specifically here but I thought that this was kind of relevant to your and others initial thoughts on the possible background of whoever did this.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/of_massacres_media_myths_iwxYulFJ9jKcrBTk50kpOL

It was written soon after the Aurora shootings but it has relevance in regards to what you said regarding first suspects and possibly why that was.

 

[SezMe]

Here's a Google Doc with people offering places for others to sleep.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AoXVKFw1Uci5dFNpRGdWd2pXZTN4a3Fza0VhVTRVaGc&output=html

Wow.

I got this when I clicked on your link:

We're sorry, but you have sent too many requests to us recently. Please try again later.

I'm gonna assume, under the rubric that there are more good guys than bad guys, that this is a good sign of lots of people going to that site.

 

[Cl1mh4224rd]

Sorry if this has been raised already, but has anyone else come across people online posting this old Daily Mail article and implying it happened yesterday?

[...] But because they haven't dated the article itself a lot of people are buying into it.

Bolding mine. This is a pet peeve of mine. It's infinitely more annoying when it's on a damn news website.

 

[Cain]

Then stop being a hack.

I wish you would put me on ignore.

OK, it's been 8 hours now. Any good jokes yet?

I overheard someone say that we can expect fierce competition at the next Paralympics.

 

[Travis]

Sorry if this has been raised already, but has anyone else come across people online posting this old Daily Mail article and implying it happened yesterday?

I've come across a lot of examples of people having a rant that goes something like: "the media gets all upset at a couple of dead Americans but meanwhile Americans bombed a tonne of Arabs on the same day and none of the media care".

It doesn't look like the Daily Mail have actually reposted the event as new news or anything - the page source indicates it was last updated in July 2002 and you'll note the article says the US war in Afghanistan started "last year". But because they haven't dated the article itself a lot of people are buying into it.

An eye-opening glimpse into the fallability of web-based news reporting, perhaps?

Even if it was really from yesterday it wouldn't matter. There is a world of difference between accidentally killing innocent people and deliberately blowing up a bunch of them at a marathon.

 

[Doghouse Reilly]

3) Running is often considered a past time of the left (at least according to some who think "true Americans" use gas powered vehicles only to get around)

As a runner, I don't think this is true at all. Running has a long history in the U.S. and is a traditional sport. It used to be extremely popular.

 

[angrysoba]

Even if it was really from yesterday it wouldn't matter. There is a world of difference between accidentally killing innocent people and deliberately blowing up a bunch of them at a marathon.

That always reminds me of Carry on Up the Khyber when Kenneth Williams plays the Khasi of the Kalibar and Bernard Bresslaw is the Ghilzai warrior Bung Ditdin. Bresslaw's warrior show their approval of Kenneth Williams' words by firing their rifles towards him. Bresslaw reassures him, "Don't worry that is a sign they approve of your words. If they hit you it will only be an accident."

 

[AdMan]

I wish you would put me on ignore.




I overheard someone say that we can expect fierce competition at the next Paralympics.

You don't even merit a click on the Ignore button.

 

[Caper]

The video is so crazy at making you feel like you are there. There's an explosion, and it is confusing what just happened. And the the screaming starts. And then there is a second explosion, and you realise what is going down. And you don't know what is coming next.

The "suspicious Arab man" is probably going to be an issue later on. I wonder if there is a way to prevent the rumour/speculation overdrive that always happens, at least in the news.

Like it or not.... If you're young and Arab and find yourself near the sceen of a terrorist attack, you are going to be looked at with suspicion.... At that moment people don't give a damn about being politically correct.

 

[Caper]

Aw, well this was my first thought:

Holy crap I hope this wasn't some nutbag associated with any cause I care about!

....

In fact somewhere around 5:00 local time I cracked this joke with my roommate:

If only there had been good guys with bombs there!

He laughed.

So, yeah, a little snark and humor is a good thing as it reminds that the terrible events of the present will pass and there will be a tomorrow.

Honest post. It's pretty much the way it goes. People want to blame the people they hate or dislike. I'm pretty right wing, so I wouldn't want it to be some insane suvivialist type that the left typically then tries to use to slam an entire political stripe...... The right might be more inclined to want it to me Muslim radicals.... I don't think the far far left does this kind of thing....

The only joke I tell is the one I've told a few times today. "Thank god, I decided not to run the marathon"..... If you knew me you'd know why it's funny.

 

[L.Y.S.]

Like it or not.... If you're young and Arab and find yourself near the sceen of a terrorist attack, you are going to be looked at with suspicion.... At that moment people don't give a damn about being politically correct.

Mob justice has and always will frighten me.

 

[RemieV]

By the by, the guy in the hat who is holding the guy in the wheelchair's tourniquet - I was interested to see if I could find out who he is. His shirt says 'Tough Ruck 2013' and the paper pinned to him says 'Ruck on!'.

After some Googling, it looks like he's military, and part of this group:

http://www.militaryfriends.org/partnerships/tough-ruck/

if you'd like to send out a message regarding him.

 

[AdMan]

By the by, the guy in the hat who is holding the guy in the wheelchair's tourniquet - I was interested to see if I could find out who he is. His shirt says 'Tough Ruck 2013' and the paper pinned to him says 'Ruck on!'.

After some Googling, it looks like he's military, and part of this group:

http://www.militaryfriends.org/partnerships/tough-ruck/

if you'd like to send out a message regarding him.

Looks like the guy in the cowboy hat is this guy:

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

 

[RemieV]

Looks like the guy in the cowboy hat is this guy:

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

Wow. He has had a seriously rough life.

 

[Sam.I.Am]

Looks like the guy in the cowboy hat is this guy:

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

That's him. Not the most stable of people but I'd buy him a beer, he has experienced/endured more than a normal person should ever have to.

 

[Doghouse Reilly]

Something that just came to me, the timing of the attack seems 'off'. It would make more sense (In so far as doing something like this would make sense.) to do it for maximum publicity/casualties (eg As close to the time the first runner crosses the line.)

So why wait for until the four hour mark, was it to get the bombs passed security, and is that 13 second timing (13 States?) between the blasts significant or as is much more likely just a co-incidence?

I mentioned this early on in the thread, too, wondering what it meant in terms of the sophistication and planning abilities of the attackers, and now I found a quote from a law enforcement officer addressing that issue (reported on the CNN web site):

"But the fact that the blasts took place near the end of the race "seems to indicate this was not geared toward maximum damage," said a former federal law enforcement official who now works in the intelligence community.
"It may speak volumes about the (level of) planning that went into this," the source said. "It raises questions ... why didn't the bombs go off when the crowd was packed in like sardines when the winners were crossing the finish line? It could mean the people behind it couldn't get access to the area when they originally intended."