Two explosions reported at the Boston Marathon (Updated: 6:50PM EST April 16 2013)

[CriticalMiss]

I'm guessing it's some punk who wants to be remembered like the kids from Columbine.
Killing a bunch of people in mid-April, targeting the families/survivors of Newton?

Oh, yeah. You're going to be remembered for quite some time.

Think of it. The Boston Tax Day Bombing.

Has a nice memorable ring to it.

The Boston Tax Bomber sounds 'better'.

It seems a bit weird to target a marathon, so I don't see this being some kind of Al Qaeda plot to destroy the heresy of fitness. I don't usually keep track of the news but I'll be keeping a beady eye on this story. I expect the tin foil hat brigade will be out in force as well as the politician spinning this in to a pro-gun anti-game campaign (fucking Bomberman!) somehow.

 

[distortedreality]

Heard about this on the radio. If this is a terrorist attack, I'm just worried that it's not even over yet. Hopefully those two explosions were the end of it.

My heart goes out to all those affected by the blasts. Damn...

Seems pretty tame to be a terrorist attack . And by tame i don't mean that it's insignificant, i just mean that i would expect an terrorist attack to be bigger and badder .

OT: well shit, who'd have thunkit . Completly random . Well it could be worst , good thing more people wasn't hurt.

It only seems that way because 9/11 was so massive. This is more in line with the scale of terrorist attacks throughout history.

Edit: CNN is also officially calling it a terrorist attack, although they're not speculating on who did it. Other sources are speculating that it might be home grown and right wing, but it's still just speculation at this point. Nobody has claimed responsibility.

Either way it's a terrorist attack - there's just the matter of whether the terrorists were domestic or international. Pretty sure the attack has inspired a fair amount of terror.

Obviously feel for all those involved - but also feel for the countless other people that fall to unreported terrorist attacks every single day in other countries.

 

[AyaReiko]

I'm guessing it's some punk who wants to be remembered like the kids from Columbine.
Killing a bunch of people in mid-April, targeting the families/survivors of Newton?

I'm predicting an extreme-right winger in the same vein as Eric Rudolph.

"watch me", I hate you, captcha

 

[Zen Toombs]

[It seems a bit weird to target a marathon, so I don't see this being some kind of Al Qaeda plot to destroy the heresy of fitness. I don't usually keep track of the news but I'll be keeping a beady eye on this story. I expect the tin foil hat brigade will be out in force as well as the politician spinning this in to a pro-gun anti-game campaign (fucking Bomberman!) somehow.

Methinks this is a domestic terrorist attack. They almost certainly targeted the Marathon for the media coverage.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Seems random, excessive and entirely unnecessary to target runners and spectators of a relatively minor event unless the motivations were simply to cause wanton violence and fear. Really wondering here what the real reasons are on this, and who did it for that matter. Was obviously a terrorist action considering that un-detonated explosive(?) devices were found and subsequently dismantled after the explosions at other locations, but I can't help but feel that more is on the way.

All in all, this was sudden and I'm still perplexed.
Goes without saying that it's a horrible thing that has happened, beyond horrible if you're actually connected to the event. Hope those affected get well in time, to the best of their ability. Going to keep an eye on the news.

Same. Tearing two people to shreds and injuring some twenty more in a marathon doesn't quite feel terrorist-like to me. Unless the Boston Marathon was perceived by someone as some kind of symbol, of course. This is just a random joe's opinion, of course, but I'm inching towards domestic terrorism too. It's some crackpot for sure.

Truly horrendous stuff. I hope those responsible eat a few consecutive life sentences in the face.

20? It was over 130, and it was only that small because the bombs were apparently poorly designed. They went off at the finish line, where there was a massive crowd gathered to watch the runners finish the race. This also isn't some small local event -- people from all over the world come to run in this marathon.

Is it a massive attack on the scale of 9/11? No. It is, however, a fairly average sized terrorist attack, if not slightly larger than average.

 

[M920CAIN]

Well, injured people is no laughing matter, but without reading anything lemme guess: some american covert ops bombed their own citizens and now some terrorists are blamed and they'be going to war again? seems like the norm for America.

Oh boy, and people say videogames are violent... nope... people are.

 

[Lionsfan]

Probably just some sociopath looking to kill people.

I see absolutely no reason yet to suspect it to be terrorism related.

(Remember, of course, that terrorism requires the intent to instill fear in others). I expect it to end up being some jaded guy that finally realized that you can kill far more people with explosives than with firearms, if you're competent.

Edit: Oh, yeah, it's tax day. This would certainly be the day for someone that has nowhere left to turn to pull something like this off.

How was this not an attempt to instill fear in others? Terrorism doesn't necessarily have to be for any particular political cause, but this is basically textbook terrorism

 

[Tilted_Logic]

My sympathies for everyone involved. Reading that deadspin article brought some joy to the boundless sadness about it all though. All those overflowing donations of blood and especially all of those strangers offering whatever space they have to people in need of a place to stay.... It's so heartwarming in the midst of such a tragedy.

I'm not sure how one thing would be better than any other, but I do truly hope this wasn't a foreign terrorist attack... The world doesn't need more nationalistic hatred. :/

 

[Varitel]

I was at work in Cambridge, right across the Charles River from Boston and a coworker and I just finished packing up some equipment we were about to go move. We headed back to our office to get the help of one of the co-ops when he asked us if we'd heard what happened. When he told us, we were shocked. Our work came to a halt for at least an hour. We just kind of sat around looking at the updates on the local and national news sites, hoping that it didn't get any worse. Unfortunately, it most certainly did. Three confirmed deaths, one an 8 year old boy, and somewhere over 100 injured. My heart goes out to those affected by it, and I hope that the bastard(s) responsible are found.

 

[Paradoxrifts]

Let us spin the wheel of absolute fuckwits to see what sort of pond scum surfaces to claim responsibility for this atrocity.

*tic tic tic tic tic tic*

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Probably just some sociopath looking to kill people.

I see absolutely no reason yet to suspect it to be terrorism related.

(Remember, of course, that terrorism requires the intent to instill fear in others). I expect it to end up being some jaded guy that finally realized that you can kill far more people with explosives than with firearms, if you're competent.

Edit: Oh, yeah, it's tax day. This would certainly be the day for someone that has nowhere left to turn to pull something like this off.

How was this not an attempt to instill fear in others? Terrorism doesn't necessarily have to be for any particular political cause, but this is basically textbook terrorism

Actually it generally does. Terrorism, properly speaking, isn't about creating terror. It's about using violence and the fear of violence for ideological reasons. I guess you can say it doesn't have to be political, but only because there are ideologies that aren't necessarily political -- for example, religious ideologies, one of which in particular[footnote]Note that it's not necessarily Islam as a whole that has this reputation, at least among people who aren't bigots. Militantly fundamentalist Islam, on the other hand...[/footnote] has become the standard image of terrorism in the minds of most Americans.

 

[distortedreality]

Probably just some sociopath looking to kill people.

I see absolutely no reason yet to suspect it to be terrorism related.

(Remember, of course, that terrorism requires the intent to instill fear in others). I expect it to end up being some jaded guy that finally realized that you can kill far more people with explosives than with firearms, if you're competent.

Edit: Oh, yeah, it's tax day. This would certainly be the day for someone that has nowhere left to turn to pull something like this off.

How was this not an attempt to instill fear in others? Terrorism doesn't necessarily have to be for any particular political cause, but this is basically textbook terrorism

Actually it generally does. Terrorism, properly speaking, isn't about creating terror. It's about using violence and the fear of violence for ideological reasons. I guess you can say it doesn't have to be political, but only because there are ideologies that aren't necessarily political -- for example, religious ideologies, one of which in particular[footnote]Note that it's not necessarily Islam as a whole that has this reputation, at least among people who aren't bigots. Militantly fundamentalist Islam, on the other hand...[/footnote] has become the standard image of terrorism in the minds of most Americans.

I don't know why, but that definition opens up a massive can of worms for me.

Not the place to discuss it though I would think, that discussion could definitely get ugly.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

Snip!

My bad, tried to remember an article I'd read earlier this afternoon, didn't have access to a decent connection to actually make sure I didn't bungle the facts while posting this. Apologies.

I guess it's time to play Pin the Attack on Someone again - unless we receive some kind of message from a faction claiming this as its work. Fun times ahead. Yessirree.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Probably just some sociopath looking to kill people.

I see absolutely no reason yet to suspect it to be terrorism related.

(Remember, of course, that terrorism requires the intent to instill fear in others). I expect it to end up being some jaded guy that finally realized that you can kill far more people with explosives than with firearms, if you're competent.

Edit: Oh, yeah, it's tax day. This would certainly be the day for someone that has nowhere left to turn to pull something like this off.

How was this not an attempt to instill fear in others? Terrorism doesn't necessarily have to be for any particular political cause, but this is basically textbook terrorism

Actually it generally does. Terrorism, properly speaking, isn't about creating terror. It's about using violence and the fear of violence for ideological reasons. I guess you can say it doesn't have to be political, but only because there are ideologies that aren't necessarily political -- for example, religious ideologies, one of which in particular[footnote]Note that it's not necessarily Islam as a whole that has this reputation, at least among people who aren't bigots. Militantly fundamentalist Islam, on the other hand...[/footnote] has become the standard image of terrorism in the minds of most Americans.

I don't know why, but that definition opens up a massive can of worms for me.

Not the place to discuss it though I would think, that discussion could definitely get ugly.

Well, there's a reason the old saying "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter" has hung around for so long. I guess I'll leave off there to prevent the kind of ugly discussion you're worried about, but yeah, it can be a fuzzy area.

 

[Lionsfan]

Probably just some sociopath looking to kill people.

I see absolutely no reason yet to suspect it to be terrorism related.

(Remember, of course, that terrorism requires the intent to instill fear in others). I expect it to end up being some jaded guy that finally realized that you can kill far more people with explosives than with firearms, if you're competent.

Edit: Oh, yeah, it's tax day. This would certainly be the day for someone that has nowhere left to turn to pull something like this off.

How was this not an attempt to instill fear in others? Terrorism doesn't necessarily have to be for any particular political cause, but this is basically textbook terrorism

Actually it generally does. Terrorism, properly speaking, isn't about creating terror. It's about using violence and the fear of violence for ideological reasons. I guess you can say it doesn't have to be political, but only because there are ideologies that aren't necessarily political -- for example, religious ideologies, one of which in particular[footnote]Note that it's not necessarily Islam as a whole that has this reputation, at least among people who aren't bigots. Militantly fundamentalist Islam, on the other hand...[/footnote] has become the standard image of terrorism in the minds of most Americans.

I guess it depends on which definitions you want to look at, but I just can't get behind the notion that it's not Terrorism, just because there's no clear motive yet.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Snip!

My bad, tried to remember an article I'd read earlier this afternoon, didn't have access to a decent connection to actually make sure I didn't bungle the facts while posting this. Apologies.

I guess it's time to play Pin the Attack on Someone again - unless we receive some kind of message from a faction claiming this as its work. Fun times ahead. Yessirree.

Oh, no worries then. I think the initial reports were saying three people dead (which didn't come true until a few hours ago, when somebody died of their injuries), and something like 28 injured. For some reason it took a while for the news to get a count of the injured that was even in the right ballpark.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Probably just some sociopath looking to kill people.

I see absolutely no reason yet to suspect it to be terrorism related.

(Remember, of course, that terrorism requires the intent to instill fear in others). I expect it to end up being some jaded guy that finally realized that you can kill far more people with explosives than with firearms, if you're competent.

Edit: Oh, yeah, it's tax day. This would certainly be the day for someone that has nowhere left to turn to pull something like this off.

How was this not an attempt to instill fear in others? Terrorism doesn't necessarily have to be for any particular political cause, but this is basically textbook terrorism

Actually it generally does. Terrorism, properly speaking, isn't about creating terror. It's about using violence and the fear of violence for ideological reasons. I guess you can say it doesn't have to be political, but only because there are ideologies that aren't necessarily political -- for example, religious ideologies, one of which in particular[footnote]Note that it's not necessarily Islam as a whole that has this reputation, at least among people who aren't bigots. Militantly fundamentalist Islam, on the other hand...[/footnote] has become the standard image of terrorism in the minds of most Americans.

I guess it depends on which definitions you want to look at, but I just can't get behind the notion that it's not Terrorism, just because there's no clear motive yet.

Oh don't get me wrong, I think it's terrorism. I think I've made my views on why this was done pretty clear in this thread -- the symbolism is just too perfectly far right nutjob for it not to be that sort of homegrown terror. But if it turns out that there really is no reason beyond "kill lots of people," it goes from terrorism to plain old mass murder under most definitions of the word.

 

[xDarc]

Then why target the Boston Marathon? Why not an IRS, or other, government building? Why not a crowded subway station in D.C.?

Why Boston? A lot of the so-called right wing extremists believe in overthrowing the government and revolution. It draws a parallel with the Boston Tea Party, an event that ushered in the American revolution, orchestrated by a group calling itself the "Sons of Liberty."

If you were a right wing extremist, or a patsy right wing extremist, the significance of Boston is tremendous.

Why a marathon? Why not? It just so happens to be an event with a large gathering of people on a significant date, the deadline to file your taxes. Which harkens back to the whole Tea Party thing in the first place. Again, there is a tremendous amount of symbolism here. To top it off, there was an event related to the Newtown incident at this event. Newtown has been used as a touchstone for gun control- stripping away 2nd amendment rights.

I don't know what more I can say about why a person bent on starting a revolutionary war with the government would choose this as a target, it's all right there, painfully obvious; maybe too obvious.

P.S.

Why not a federal building? Well a lot of good it did Tim McVeigh picking a federal to strike the federal government; the ATF agents inside conveniently were all out on exercises that day. Instead who were the victims? Children in a daycare. Terrorism isn't about who you kill, it's about creating fear and accomplishing political objectives.

I feel this bomber wants to start a revolution, and if the government goes apeshit and takes away even more of our rights, and people rebel, maybe that is giving the bomber what they want.

 

[spartan231490]

Then why target the Boston Marathon? Why not an IRS, or other, government building? Why not a crowded subway station in D.C.?

Why Boston? A lot of the so-called right wing extremists believe in overthrowing the government and revolution. It draws a parallel with the Boston Tea Party, an event that ushered in the American revolution, orchestrated by a group calling itself the "Sons of Liberty."

If you were a right wing extremist, or a patsy right wing extremist, the significance of Boston is tremendous.

Why a marathon? Why not? It just so happens to be an event with a large gathering of people on a significant date, the deadline to file your taxes. Which harkens back to the whole Tea Party thing in the first place. Again, there is a tremendous amount of symbolism here. To top it off, there was an event related to the Newtown incident at this event. Newtown has been used as a touchstone for gun control- stripping away 2nd amendment rights.

I don't know what more I can say about why a person bent on starting a revolutionary war with the government would choose this as a target, it's all right there, painfully obvious; maybe too obvious.

P.S.

Why not a federal building? Well a lot of good it did Tim McVeigh picking a federal to strike the federal government; the ATF agents inside conveniently were all out on exercises that day. Instead who were the victims? Children in a daycare. Terrorism isn't about who you kill, it's about creating fear and accomplishing political objectives.

I feel this bomber wants to start a revolution, and if the government goes apeshit and takes away even more of our rights, and people rebel, maybe that is giving the bomber what they want.

I disagree, but think what you want.

 

[Willinium]

My sympathies to the victims of this tragedy. If I had to guess I would say that this would be a domestic attack as a international terrorist group would not likely attack such a minor event as they would prefer to go after higher priority targets. A domestic terrorist would very likely pick this kind of event as it was publicized and would cause a minor shock through the nation. Once again sympathies to the victims and thier families, heres hoping that the perpitraiters get taken in to justice.