Thanks guys. I am fine. A friend of mine was in the area (working as a reporter). He ended up being stuck there for several hours just because he could not find a route out that he trusted. Another friend of mine typically runs in marathons, but he apparently (and uncharacteristically) skipped this year's event.
Generaly replies:
Two bombs went off. A third was reported to have been found and destroyed. A friend of mine knows a number of first responders. He heard of at least 4 more devices in/around the Back Bay. There was also a suspicious package found in/near Harvard Yard in Cambridge (about a mile or so away). The fire reported at the JFK library is confirmed as being unrelated.
3 dead, including a kid. As it turns out, the kid was affiliated with UFO (one of the wrestling promotions that I help with). I do not recognize the name or face, but it is entirely possible that I have seen that kid more than once.
There have been all these stories in the last few years about would-be bombers being caught before they could carry out the bombing, or the FBI finding them out and giving them fake explosive devices. Not that we know who did this yet, but it was only a matter of time before someone somewhere would succeed. It's terrible.
Agreed, police/security organizations have no margin for error. There have been reports of somebody dropping off backpacks around the area that was bombed. But, I recall reports about car bombs at the State Department when the WTC was destroyed back in '01. There is more than enough miscommunication during and immediately following an attack that we have to be willing to reconsider initial reports.
A back-pack ban is all but impossible to enforce in Boston, espcially in May. The city is pock-marked with college campuses. In a few places, one can only travel a few blocks (or less) without crossing from one campus to another. Students commonly use back-packs. Additionally, the city has a *huge* homeless population, and they often carry one or more bundles.
I carry a large backpack, and I dress "ghetto fabulous". I more than fit the profile of a suspicious person. But, i was not stopped on my way in this morning because there are so many people with bundles who ride during rush hour. (If everybody is speeding, who does a cop pull over.)
During the DNC in 2004, there was a backpack ban in place around the (then named) Fleet Center and significant restrictions on at least two of the train lines (the ran track by/under the Center). I went in to Boston once that week, and I saw more than a few back-packs in the vicinity of the venue. Just outside of the cordon, backpacks were ubiquious, and there were enough people to make an attack "worth it".
Boston is ripe for "Palestine Tactics". By this I mean causing general and decentralized mayhem over a broad area. Palestinians have done very well for themselves by taking out the odd pizzeria or mall store. While the small attacks may not kill as many people or cause as large of a disruption, they do enormous social and economic damage over time. I hope that yesterday is not a sign that we will be seeing more of that sort of thing, here or abroad.
I've never understood these sorts of attacks. Even from a Devil's Advocate's perspective.
Terrorism is essentially the use of fear to encourage or discourage action from a target group. Setting off a bomb in a crowded place is going to scare the hell out of people.
It looks like they're shutting down Bostonian cell service to avoid cellphones setting off more bombs, either on purpose or accidentally.
We probably won't hear from Dom again for hours through that method, glad he was able to relay his status before that so we could all know, because you're right, that's what really matters.
There was also a question of keeping comm lines open for officials. (Remember, texting was allowed. In mechanical terms, text signals could be triggers as well.) I did not lose service, and actually made two phone calls (one on a cell the other on a landline) while checking on people. My uncle (who is not comfortable texting) lives further outside of the city on the same side (north) as I do. I was able to get through to him no problem. And, I made another call (using my cell) to a friend who lived about as far west of the area as I am north. That call went through as well.
It's the kid who acts out for attention.
Exactly.
The best thing to do is punish that child.
As bad as yesterday was for those who were immediately affected, I am personally dreading the inevitable conspiracy theories and childish thinking that tend to follow this sort of thing.
It was suprising how fast things got back to normal locally. Within 4 hours (maybe less) local stations were more or less back to normal programming. Entertainment blocks were running normally and such. When I went to get coffee after dinner, a pop station was playing in the background. I would not expect constant national coverage, but I did expect more coverage locally.
Dom