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.

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.

I don't know about you but I do believe in astrology and the supernatural. Maybe this is not coincadential? Maybe there really is a spiritual "happening (for a lack of a better word)" in April.

I even think the whole world stuff is going to end from last year is true to an extent. Of course the world didn't end but I am thinking about a lot of other people are thinking that the world is going through a massive change.

Dear Andrew, When I was interviewed on radio, yesterday, I was asked 'why I thought these things happened in April.' Having had a minor concentration in Psychology (My major was History, obviously, in undergraduate school), I theorized that the dark gloominess of winter, when many people seem to hibernate, like some animals, sets off a pent up reaction, in some people, to do such horrible things. As I told my interviewer, when I first heard about the Marathon, the first thing I thought of was TS Eliot's quote 'April is the cruellest month.' I knew of 90% of the man-made disasters that had occurred in April, and was also aware of some of the natural disasters, like the San Francisco earthquake and the Titanic. But, digging deeper, I found some other disturbing natural and man-made disasters.

Off topic, three of the eight US Presidents who died in office, died in April (William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln and FDR)

Five of the US History's more 'infamous' villains died in the month of April, most notably: John Wilkes Booth, Benito Mussolini, Adolph Hitler, James Earl Ray (the MLK assassin) and Bruno Richard Hauptmann, the convicted kidnapper and jiller of the Charles Lindbergh aby boy.

On my birthday, April 23, in addition to sharing my day with the likes of William Shakespeare, US Senator Stephen A Douglas, US President James Buchanan and Shirley Temple, April 23 is, also, the birthday of the Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. James Earl Ray, conversely, died in prison, of natural causes, on April 23, 1998.

I feel really badly for Muslims as a result of this latest terrorist incident. The continued stereotyping of them as terrorists will continue, which is grossly unfair. I can sort of relate, because any time a right-wing terrorist strikes, there are some who use that opportunity to unfairly smear the entire conservative movement. (I certainly remember this happening after the Oklahoma City bombing.)

Edited April 20, 201312 yr by Max

I feel really badly for Muslims as a result of this latest terrorist incident. The continued stereotyping of them as terrorists will continue, which is grossly unfair. I can sort of relate, because any time a right-wing terrorist strikes, there are some who use that opportunity to unfairly smear the entire conservative movement. (I certainly remember this happening after the Oklahoma City bombing.)

In all fairness, those going after " brown" people and that includes Muslims I guess, are the folks you claim are persecuted when local terrorist attacks occur. The same people who just made sure no anti gun legislation will be passed. I don't consider myself an extreme leftie, but it's the progressives in general who seem to fight for due process regardless, vs the extreme right that has no issue with people blowing up abortion clinics or killing doctors who perform them, yet profile and encourage vigilantism in cases like what happened this week in Boston.

Edited April 20, 201312 yr by JaneAusten

In all fairness, those going after " brown" people and that includes Muslims I guess, are the folks you claim are persecuted when local terrorist attacks occur. The same people who just made sure no anti gun legislation will be passed. I don't consider myself an extreme leftie, but it's the progressives in general who seem to fight for due process regardless, vs the extreme right that has no issue with people blowing up abortion clinics or killing doctors who perform them, yet profile and encourage vigilantism in cases like what happened this week in Boston.

I think it's reprehensible that some on the right are having a field day with the Muslim profiling. But, that doesn't mean that the conservative movement deserves to be stereotyped whenever a radical right wing terrorist group attacks. And blowing up aborting clinics is not something that is encouraged or condoned in the mainstream conservative movement, much like mainstream Muslims don't encourage or condone the tactics of jihad terrorists. (And while I support some gun control measures, I don't vilify many who are strongly anti-gun control. While I think they're wrong, they honestly believe that gun control measures wouldn't be helpful, as mentally ill criminals could use other means--such as bombs--to cause mass carnage in the event that they couldn't get their hands on a gun. They're also very passionate--albeit paranoid--that any gun control restrictions would lead to a huge erosion in 2nd Amendment rights. Just because they are paranoid on this doesn't make them evil people; rather, they're just misguided.)

Many liberals are champions of due process, as you suggested. But, it wasn't just some far-left internet posters who prematurely jumped to conclusions that a right-wing group was responsible. Chris Matthews (who has a history of saying many stupid things) made such a speculation:

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2013/04/15/chris-matthews-did-boston-bombing-have-anything-do-tax-day

But again, while it is wrong to smear the entire Muslim or conservative communities for the actions/statements of the crazies, so too would it be wrong to smear all liberals for the outrageously incorrect comments made by some on the fringe.

Edited April 20, 201312 yr by Max

I think it's reprehensible that some on the right are having a field day with the Muslim profiling. But, that doesn't mean that the conservative movement deserves to be stereotyped whenever a radical right wing terrorist group attacks. And blowing up aborting clinics is not something that is encouraged or condoned in the mainstream conservative movement, much like mainstream Muslims don't encourage or condone the tactics of jihad terrorists. (And while I support some gun control measures, I don't vilify many who are strongly anti-gun control. While I think they're wrong, they honestly believe that gun control measures wouldn't be helpful, as mentally ill criminals could use other means--such as bombs--to cause mass carnage in the event that they couldn't get their hands on a gun. They're also very passionate--albeit paranoid--that any gun control restrictions would lead to a huge erosion in 2nd Amendment rights. Just because they are paranoid on this doesn't make them evil people; rather, they're just misguided.) Many liberals are champions of due process, as you suggested. But, it wasn't just some far-left internet posters who prematurely jumped to conclusions that a right-wing group was responsible. Chris Matthews (who has a history of saying many stupid things) made such a speculation: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2013/04/15/chris-matthews-did-boston-bombing-have-anything-do-tax-day'>http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2013/04/15/chris-matthews-did-boston-bombing-have-anything-do-tax-day But again, while it is wrong to smear the entire Muslim or conservative communities for the actions/statements of the crazies, so too would it be wrong to smear all liberals for the outrageously incorrect comments made by some on the fringe.

You're right. In fact it was I think CNN who initially led the charge towards that Saudi victim as a suspect because he was tackled at the site by "someone" who said he looked suspicious. I just got incredibly irate when I read some of Donald Trump's tweets about "let's hang the guy in the square" yesterday after he was caught and the applauding instigated by the Boston Police at the end of all this. What happened was tragic and horrible but I'm notsurfe instigating already an emotional element of our population is the right thing to do. I also don't think the extreme right has been targeted and profiled anywhere near as close as what we're seeing here.

You're right. In fact it was I think CNN who initially led the charge towards that Saudi victim as a suspect because he was tackled at the site by "someone" who said he looked suspicious. I just got incredibly irate when I read some of Donald Trump's tweets about "let's hang the guy in the square" yesterday after he was caught and the applauding instigated by the Boston Police at the end of all this. What happened was tragic and horrible but I'm notsurfe instigating already an emotional element of our population is the right thing to do.

I also don't think the extreme right has been targeted and profiled anywhere near as close as what we're seeing here.

Thanks for your comments, Jane.

I'm sorry if I implied that I thought that stereotyping against conservatives was done to the same degree as Muslim stereotyping has been, because that's certainly not the case. I just made my initial comment--about feeling sympathy and empathy for Muslims--because it's a terrible feeling whenever a group (one belongs to) is demonized as a result of the actions of some crazies.

Edited April 20, 201312 yr by Max

Dear Andrew, When I was interviewed on radio, yesterday, I was asked 'why I thought these things happened in April.' Having had a minor concentration in Psychology (My major was History, obviously, in undergraduate school), I theorized that the dark gloominess of winter, when many people seem to hibernate, like some animals, sets off a pent up reaction, in some people, to do such horrible things. As I told my interviewer, when I first heard about the Marathon, the first thing I thought of was TS Eliot's quote 'April is the cruellest month.' I knew of 90% of the man-made disasters that had occurred in April, and was also aware of some of the natural disasters, like the San Francisco earthquake and the Titanic. But, digging deeper, I found some other disturbing natural and man-made disasters.

I think it's fairly simple. You've got tax day on 4/15, Patriots Day on 4/19 and Hitler's birthday on 4/20. The third week of April is like Holy Week for extremists and crackpots. Years ago, my company had a conference on the third week of April and I mentioned to a co-worker that I hated the idea of traveling that week because of the above and cited Waco, Columbine, and Oklahoma City. She laughed at me and told me I was being paranoid. We ended up sitting in the hotel bar watching the coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting while trying to explain to our colleagues visiting from overseas that this country wasn't filled with murderous lunatics. (An argument that I couldn't make in good conscience then or now.)