For the sake of posterity, on Monday, April 15th, Patriot’s Day in Massachusetts and the day I needed to resubmit my tax payment (for the largest tax I’ve ever owed, which bounced on first attempt due to lack of funds in my checking account), 2 maybe 3 “explosions” occurred in downtown Boston near the Boston Marathon finishing line, injuring a bunch of people and killing a few. That’s all I knew on Monday, but of course further investigation has uncovered that these explosions were Improvised Explosive Devices, i.e., home-made bombs, and that more than 170 people were injured and 3 (so far) have died from the numerous sharp metal bits included with the bombs.
This Boston bombing and the news handling of it has elicited a complex mix of emotions and reactions from me. It is tragic and it happened in my adopted hometown, so it feels very sad and in a way personal, even though I didn’t know any of the victims. My heart goes out to those who were hurt and their family and friends. On the other hand, I am feeling a lot of anger at the news people and politicians, many of whom seem to be pumping fists and fears, trying to make this into another “9/11” style world-changing tragedy. And I feel proud of my city, proud of my friends and fellow Bostonians who aren’t going to let that happen.
To all those directly impacted by these violent and unprovoked attacks, I send my sympathy and support.
To those who are not directly impacted, I want to say, OK, it was sad for a few days, please continue to support the victims, but otherwise move on. Let the justice department do their job and find the perpetrators, let the hospitals care for the injured – nothing is needed from you, there are other things going on, just move on. Continue reading “Boston Bomb-Buster”
