Boston Marathon Explosion — Two Things to Bear in Mind

[Valin]

National Review:

 

Andrew McCarthy

April 15, 2013 4:21 P.M.

 

We have learned two things about the early stages of this kind of horrific event, and they ought to be operative here.

 

First, it is a mistake to get too far out in front of the initial reports, which are almost always wrong in some details — sometimes, in some major details. It is Patriots’ Day, and that could be significant. It is also Tax Day, and that could be significant. And let’s not forget that it’s Monday and we are living in a country that has been the target of hellacious terrorist attacks by jihadists who proclaim that they intend to continue attacking us — any day, any time. Any of those things could be relevant, or maybe none of them will be. We just will not know until investigators get further along in the scut work they have only begun doing.

 

Second, the government and the media have demonstrated a disturbing tendency to withhold and massage facts in these incidents. Some delay in disclosure is obviously necessary, on the law-enforcement side of things in particular, in order to conduct a competent investigation — you want to capture the culprits, and that becomes much harder to do when information gets publicized that gives conspirators a motive (or I should say, even more of a motive) to flee. But government officials and journalists who are invested in fairy-tale narratives often use the need for reasonable law-enforcement secrecy to stanch the normal flow of information or try to manage it in the service of the narrative — see, e.g., Fort Hood. It is important to press the pertinent officials to give us the facts straight and let us figure out what to make of them.

 

(Snip)

 

 

Thank you Andrew!!!

[Pepper]

@Valin

 

I feel confident knowing that Obama will get to the bottom of this and bring the full weight of justice to those responsible - just like Benghazi.

[Valin]

@Valin

 

I feel confident knowing that Obama will get to the bottom of this and bring the full weight of justice to those responsible - just like Benghazi.

 

Apples and oranges.

[Valin]

An Al-Shabaab Link to Boston Marathon Bombings?

Bridget Johnson

4/16/13

 

A series of Twitter gloats today raised questions about the possible involvement of Somali terror group Al-Shabaab in the Boston Marathon bombing.

 

No person or group has yet directly taken responsibility for the attack that killed three and wounded 176, 17 of those critically. The FBI issued a be-on-the-lookout for a dark-skinned or black man in dark clothes, perhaps with a foreign accent, who tried to enter a restricted area moments before the first blast. Authorities were also questioning a Saudi national here on a student visa and searched an apartment in Revere, Mass., last night.

 

Terror groups have shown a fondness for Twitter in recent years, and last night al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab posted three tweets around 2 a.m. Eastern time:

 

Don’t you just hate it when you can’t make it to the finish line #BostonBombings

 

— HSMPress (@HSMPRESS1) April 16, 2013

 

(Snip)

[Valin]

Just 2 Bombs in Boston. Does That Make Things Scarier?

Mollie Hemingway

4/16/13

 

This morning, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick repudiated earlier reports of five incendiary devices (two that went off, three that didn't). He said there were only two bombs. Full stop.

 

Nobody has come forward to claim responsibility and any persons of interest or suspects, at this point, are just that. So we don't know who was involved or why.

 

But if there were only two bombs, and they were very crude bombs, that could have been carried out by a single individual.

 

If the terror in Boston yesterday required a handful of people to accomplish, would it be easier to thwart future similar efforts? Would the inability or lack of desire to develop a team mean that current efforts to stop acts of terrorism such as this are working pretty well?

 

(Snip)

[Valin]

Two quick points

 

A. "You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."

Rahm Emanuel

 

B. Dr. Henry Sinopoli has really grasped point A.

"The Boston bombing presents a great opportunity for Barry Obama to campaign to ban bombs...It's also a great opportunity for doofus Biden to let people know that people don't need bombs. All they need is to stand on their back patio with a shotgun."

 

We really need better stronger laws against putting bombs where innocent people can get hurt/killed. No longer can we just have this kind of thing illegal...NO we must make it really REALLY illegal!

 

In fact we at the American Society of Steve's are even now forming a high level blue ribbon committee to study the writing/passing & and implementation of a law banning bad things. We're thinking of titling this study..."Bad Things...Who Wants Them?" This Bill could be called The Comprehensive Bipartisan Anti Bad Things Act of 2013. I believe the People are ready to outlaw bad things. We at A.S.S. are more than ready to lead to way!

[righteousmomma]

I feel confident knowing that Obama will get to the bottom of this and bring the full weight of justice to those responsible - just like Benghazi.

 

Oh me too, pepper.

[nickydog]

Two quick points

 

A. "You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."

Rahm Emanuel

 

B. Dr. Henry Sinopoli has really grasped point A.

"The Boston bombing presents a great opportunity for Barry Obama to campaign to ban bombs...It's also a great opportunity for doofus Biden to let people know that people don't need bombs. All they need is to stand on their back patio with a shotgun."

 

We really need better stronger laws against putting bombs where innocent people can get hurt/killed. No longer can we just have this kind of thing illegal...NO we must make it really REALLY illegal!

 

In fact we at the American Society of Steve's are even now forming a high level blue ribbon committee to study the writing/passing & and implementation of a law banning bad things. We're thinking of titling this study..."Bad Things...Who Wants Them?" This Bill could be called The Comprehensive Bipartisan Anti Bad Things Act of 2013. I believe the People are ready to outlaw bad things. We at A.S.S. are more than ready to lead to way!

 

Yes! Lead the way People of the American Society of Steve's!