EXPLOSIONS at the Boston Marathon!!

[dragonflies]

So heartbreaking!!! an 8 year old child was one of those killed

[Money]

It's disgraceful that some in the media are already labeling this as a terrorist attack without knowing the facts. Way to prey on the fears of the public.

[vote4llama]

They know it was bombs so how is it not a terrorist attack?

[~bl~]

It may be a homegrown terrorist and not a foreign one.

[Money]

Any fool with a personal agenda could be the culprit. We love in a society where folks can make bombs off the internet. Without knowing the facts there's absolutely no reason for the media to be so irresponsible simply to sensationalize the situation to have people even more in a heightened state of paranoia.

[vote4llama]

Right, but that would make that person a terrorist.

[ThePrinceOfSunspear]

True but even without the media my first thought was "terrorist".

I did read somewhere that they do have a suspect in custody at the hospital. But there was no mention of his nationality or origin...

While very tragic I am hoping that it wasn't a foreign terrorist. This is seems more domestic based on the target.....

EDIT: Just read another website and apparently Commissioner Davis says that there is NO suspect in custody.

[Vee]

No matter their reason or country of origin, no matter whether they're left-wing or right-wing, foreign or domestic - my suspicion is domestic - they are, unequivocally, a terrorist. This is the definition of terrorism. It reminded me of the old IRA attacks in the UK.

[Marco Dane]

UM Coach: Bomb Sniffing Dogs, Spotters on Roofs Before Explosions

http://www.local15tv.com/mostpopular/story/UM-Coach-Bomb-Sniffing-Dogs-Spotters-on-Roofs/BrirjAzFPUKKN8z6eSDJEA.cspx

[edgeofnight]

When one thinks of April, thoughts of Spring come to mind, for it is a season of renewal. In our nation's capital,

we have the Cherry Blossom trees that surround the Potomac River.

But, despite the tranquility of the season, we are reminded by the celebrated poet, T.S. Eliot, that 'April is the cruellest

month.'

Painfully, we have seen that his words are, hauntingly, prophetic. I doubt that Eliot could ever imagine the natural

and man-made disasters that have marred the pages of the April calendar.

On April 4, 1968, the civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was

assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. He was only 39 years old at the time of his death.

On April 14, 1865, less than a week after Confederate General Robert E. Lee's final surrender at Appomattox Court

House and that ended the four year long Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln was mortally wounded while attending

a performance of 'Our American Cousin' at Washington, D.C.'s Ford Theater. The 'Great Emancipator' died the

following morning, April 15, at 7:22am.

On April 15, 1912, On its maiden voyage, the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank. Only 710 of the more than 2,200

passengers and crew on board survived.

On April 15, 1920, two security guards were murdered during a robbery in Braintree, Massachusetts. Anarchists

Ferdinando Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were subsequently tried, convicted and executed for the crime.

On April 15, 1927 - The Great Mississippi Flood, the largest rainfall recorded in American History, caused the

mighty Mississippi River to overflow its banks. New Orleans saw nearly 15 inches fall in 24 hours.

On April 16, 1947 - Texas City Disaster - An explosion on board a freighter in port causes the city of

Texas City, Texas, to catch fire, killing almost 600 people.

On April 16, 2007 - Virginia Tech, the deadliest shooting spree in American history. The gun man, Seung -Hui

Cho kills 32 people and injures 23 before committing suicide.

On April 18, 1906 - The San Francisco earthquake levels 80% of the city and claims 3,000 lives.

On April 18, 1983 - A suicide bomber destroys the US Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 63 people, mostly

embassy and CIA staff members, several soldiers and one marine.

On April 19, 1993 - The 51 day siege of the Branch Davidian Building outside Waco, Texas, ends when a fire

breaks out. 81 people die.

On April 19, 1995 - Oklahoma City Bombing - The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building is bombed, killing 168

people, the greatest death toll by terrorism, up to that time.

On April 20, 1999 - Columbine (Colorado) High School Massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 13

people and injure 24 others, before committing suicide.

On April 24, 1980 - Eight U.S. servicemen die in Operation Eagle Claw as they attempt to end the Iran Hostage

Crisis.

On April 25, 1965 - 16 year old Michael Andrew Clark, using a Swedish Mauser military rifle,

equipped with telescopic sight and a pistol and a pistol he had removed from his father's locked gun safe,

along with a large quantity of ammunition, kills three and wounds six others shooting from a hill-

top along Highway 101, just south of Santa Maria, California. As the police approached Clark, he turned the

gun on himself, committing suicide.

A lawsuit was brought to the courts by relatives of the victims, complaining that Clark's parents, Forest and

Joyce Clark, were negligent in two counts: Failure of the Clarks to train, control and supervise Michael, and

Mr. Clark was also cited for failing to keep the rifle out of Michael's hands.

The case was decided in favor of the Clarks, and generally upheld on appeal, also the appeals court found

negligence on the part of Mr. Clark for not adequately securing the weapons.

On April 25, 2011 - A deadly tornado in the Southern United States claims the lives of 300 people. It was the

deadliest since the 1974 Super Outbreak.

And, now we must, sadly, add, to this list, the city of Boston, the city that saw the famous midnight ride

of Paul Revere herald the start of the American colonists' 6 1/2 year fight for independence from Great Britain.

Thousands of Americans come together, annually, to celebrate that historic night in the Spring of 1775. But, during

this year's festivities were, tragically, marred by a deadly terrorist attack.

Nearly 50 years ago, the words and music of Pete Seeger in 'Where Have All the Flowers Gone,' begged to

ask the question 'When will we ever learn.'

We can not prevent natural disasters from happening, but it is our duty, as Americans, to prevent man-made

disasters from happening, like those that have occurred in Oklahoma City, Columbine High School, Virginia Tech, Newtown

and, now, Boston.

[DRW50]

I kept reading about this but seeing it all put together is chilling.

[edgeofnight]

I am a stickler when it comes to dates, and so forth, as you know. The T.S. Eliot quotation was haunting me. I spent Tuesday morning doing research, and the more I looked, the more I found.

Additionally,

Four of our wars started in April (Revolutionary War, Civil War, the Spanish-American war and the US involvement in the First World War) all started in the month of April.

Three of the eight US Presidents who died in office, died in the month of April. William Henry Harrison - April 4, 1841, Abraham Lincoln - April 15, 1865 and Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 12, 1945.

Four US Presidents were sworn into office in April: George Washington was inaugurated president on April 30, 1789. John Tyler succeeded to the presidency - April 6, 1841, Andrew Johnson succeeded to the presidency - April 15, 1865, and Harry S Truman succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945.

Four of the most notorious villains in US History died in the month of April. John Wilkes Booth - April 26, 1865; Benito Mussolini - Apil 28, 1945; Adolph Hitler - April 30, 1945 and James Earl Ray - April 23, 1998.

It is chilling to see all of these things happening in the month of April. It really makes you sit up and take notice of the world around us.

I've always liked the month of April, and not just because my birthday is in April (23)...The Cherry Blossoms bloom in Washington, DC. Spring is in the air, and as I said, it is a season of renewal.

Personally, however, April has been the cruellest month for me, as my mother died on Good Friday, April 17, 1981; She was laid out on Easter Sunday and was buried on April 21, two days before my 25th birthday. And what are the odds of my having my father being buried on Christmas Eve, as well? Every year, I have to take a deep breath, and focus on getting through the month. My own health problems do not help matters, as you can imagine.

I will be interviewed on the natural and man-made disasters in April on Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner's radio program, later today, from 1:30 - 2:00pm EDT. Hopefully, my letter will be published in our local newspaper.

Believe it or not, I saw an article on the very same subject, this morning on ABC News, but I beat them to the punch in highlighting these dates.

[reallyhateskateonlost]

Sweet Caroline at Yankee Stadium

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKglH9BFBrw

[dragonflies]

I am so heartbroken over all this

[Max]

With ricin being sent to the president and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), it feels like deja vu all over again (i.e., anthrax after 9/11).