Boston Marathon bombings.......

[Toughy]

I have to say something........I'm surprised this is the first thread.........

my bet is domestic origins......

peaceful and understanding thoughts to all the family and friends....

[The Oopster]

I am too. I know scorp and ladiivina are okay. I thank the latter is Julie's screen name

[The Oopster]

Nor sure who else is in Boston but I hope all are okay

[Inked_Trinity]

“There is a saying in Tibetan, ‘Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.’ No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.”

~ Dalai Lama XIV

[Linus]

Right now, I'm tired of watching the news and seeing how graphic the news channels are being, trying to out do each other in gore. That said, I think it's too early to say that this is one kind of terror or another. Too much is still going on and until things settle down enough will they find out who is responsible. The NY Post earlier claimed that a Saudi was under guard at one of the hospitals and believed to be a suspect.

I think it may be better to figure out how we can help (e.g. blood donations, $$ donations) than anything else.

I posted this on my FB and post it here for others:

If you are trying to find out about missing loved ones, please call 617-635-4500. You can also use Google's person finder if you're looking for someone or have information: http://upwr.me/116NRcO.

If you saw or know anything about the bombings, please call 1-800-494-TIPS.

And if you've been triggered into stress by these events, please make a free call to the Disaster Distress Line: 1-800-985-5990.

[princessbelle]

Glued to the tube. Knot in my stomach. As it is, every time.

Loving and healing thoughts sent to all of those involved and to our country.

[Hollylane]

Boston Marathon, it looks like they found two other devices that have been located and are either being dismantled or are dismantled. I am so sickened by the news, and the possibility of any additional devices that have not been found.

I moved this from the Breaking News thread...

[nhplowboi]

Toughy, I have to aree with you or say it is possibly a lone wolf. Pipe bombs, really?! Very primitive (but deadly) and nothing I would associate with an organized group. They will catch this/these morons but it will never compensate for the loss of life or life altering injuries that have been incurred.

[Semantics]

Originally Posted by nhplowboi

Toughy, I have to aree with you or say it is possibly a lone wolf. Pipe bombs, really?! Very primitive (but deadly) and nothing I would associate with an organized group. They will catch this/these morons but it will never compensate for the loss of life or life altering injuries that have been incurred.

The profiling I've seen of the perpetrator(s) so far is interesting and all over the place. CNN and the NY Post are both reporting that the devices were remotely detonated. If this is true, I wouldn't describe that work as "primitive".


Regardless of who the guilty party may be, it's important to remember that they don't represent the beliefs and actions of the majority of people- no matter who they claim to identify with. I've seen so many ugly accusations flying around today. It makes me so tired.

Prayers for all affected. Violence has no place in a civil society.

[Sparkle]

Originally Posted by Toughy

I have to say something........I'm surprised this is the first thread.........

my bet is domestic origins......

peaceful and understanding thoughts to all the family and friends....

I don't know if it's domestic or international terrorism but they were definitely "small scale" bombings - meant to draw attention (international attention), not meant for mass casualties. It seems likely the bombs were placed in trash cans on the sidewalks, which is also indicative small attention getting/statement making terrorist acts.

It goes without saying that any causalities and injuries are horrific regardless of the quantities.

But if the bombers/bombing organizations wanted to cause mass casualties the bombs would have gone often earlier (at the height of the race), would have been much bigger, and likely in bigger targets (like the Prudential Center).

There have been reports out that both the start and finish lines of the race had bomb sniffing dogs and a much higher (and notable) police presence and that race organizers and volunteers stated their presence was "just a drill".

It's terrible regardless of who committed the act.

[Kobi]

Originally Posted by Sparkle

I don't know if it's domestic or international terrorism but they were definitely "small scale" bombings - meant to draw attention (international attention), not meant for mass casualties. It seems likely the bombs were placed in trash cans on the sidewalks, which is also indicative small attention getting/statement making terrorist acts.

It goes without saying that any causalities and injuries are horrific regardless of the quantities.

But if the bombers/bombing organizations wanted to cause mass casualties the bombs would have gone often earlier (at the height of the race), would have been much bigger, and likely in bigger targets (like the Prudential Center).

There have been reports out that both the start and finish lines of the race had bomb sniffing dogs and a much higher (and notable) police presence and that race organizers and volunteers stated their presence was "just a drill".

It's terrible regardless of who committed the act.

I agree. With 20,000 official runners and thousands of spectators at the starting line, and other more populated areas along the route, this could have been catastrophic.

The news reports are getting so redundant now, I can recite them verbatim.

[Corkey]

Regardless of who did it it was an act of terror. Foreign or domestic. My heart goes out to the victims and their families. Our own family has folks from Boston, and is a runner. We do not know if he ran today, and are patiently waiting for word. Will wait patiently for word of the perp when it is verified.

[Massive]

My heart, thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Boston right now.

[Ginger]

It wasn't fun getting on the subway tonight after watching the news at my desk at work. There were a lot of cops on the platform. I work a block from the World Trade Center. I expect there will be a certain amount of increased security in that neighborhood tomorrow. I said to myself, when I heard the news, It's begun. Of course, it began a long time ago.

I can't imagine how people in Boston must feel. They must be wondering if their city is about to become Haifa or Tel Aviv or Kabul or London or Belfast.

This morning I read an op-ed piece in the New York Times that made me cry. A man who has been detained at Guantanamo for 11 years, along with about 40 others, is holding a hunger strike, and he wrote about being force fed so brutally he's vomiting blood.

The news isn't his treatment, the news is that news of his treatment broke through to the Times op-ed page. That's what the media is talking about.

And now whatever huge strategic victory that op-ed piece represented for that man and others held for a decade or more without a trial or even being charged, it's now overshadowed by the attack in Boston, and I am wondering if, in fact, the bombing in Boston has triggered even more brutal treatment of the people there.

So that's what I'm thinking about. That and the parents of the 8-year-old who died in the bombing today in Boston.

[Parker]

Saw this on Twitter - people offering shelter to those stranded in Boston with no place to go or stay: I have a place to offer -- in case anyone here is in contact with friends/family in Boston who need a soft place to land.

And Google person finder can help find loved ones or report that someone is with you.

[Kobi]

Martin Richard was standing near the finish line, waiting for his father to complete the grueling Boston Marathon on Monday, when an explosion took his life.

He was 8 years old and in the third grade.

Neighbor Jane Sherman told WCVB that Martin was a typical little boy, who loved to ride his bike and play baseball.

Martin's mother, Denise, was hospitalized with "grievous injuries," The Times of London reported. She reportedly underwent surgery late Monday for an injury to her brain.

His 6-year-old sister, a first grader whose name was not made public, lost her leg in the blast, WHDH reported.

The status of his father, William, has not been released. A third child was reportedly unharmed in the explosion.

The Richard family hails from the Ashmont section of Dorchester, Mass.