Lockdown Blues
I was at home (in Massachusetts Monday was a holiday) during the bombings at the Boston Marathon and was off (its school vacation week) for two days after. I went in yesterday to my office which is a few blocks away from the police perimeter. I visited the designated memorial area and some shops and restaurants were broadcasting the President's nearby speech at the interfaith service. but things seemed to be getting slowly back to normal. Apart from physical proximity, I have little to add. I'm glad nobody asked to search my briefcase on the commuter train but I guess old farts in suits aren't exactly the profile. While Back Bay was shut down on Tuesday, other areas were open. Our family went to the Theater District to see Book of Mormon [which was a really tough ticket here so I guess we're lucky they didn't cancel it] and except for a cursory bag search of my wife's purse, nothing seemed really out of the ordinary.
My wife and I went out to college alumni event in the city last night .About 10 minutes after we got home, I heard there were reports of a shooting on the MIT campus which developed into a series of carjackings, shootouts and explosions overnight which killed one criminal and one police officer and basically now the City and surrounding suburbs are shut down while they hunt down the remaining the remaining killer- a 19 year old Chechen who has lived in Cambridge (and received private school scholarships) for around a decade they say- is hiding out somewhere in Watertown. The dead guy was the fugitive's older brother apparently.
I am a couple towns away from the action but bordering communities have been told to "shelter in place" There is no public transportation and they seem to want folks to stay out of the city until the situation is resolved. I don't know the bombers' motivations or politics and frankly hope never to know. The bombers seem kind of nihilistic to me but their views really deserve no consideration. That's my great insight from in front of nonstop tired TV announcers - eliminate any payoff.
posted by New England Guy @ 6:36 AM
11 Comments:
Stay safe, above all.
I knew people from Newton and Watertown in college. I think people keep making the mistake believing terrorism is born out of poverty and depravation. The Columbine shooters here in Colorado grew up in fairly normal, suburban lives. Your Boston terrorists, though Chechyn, were more or less raised in comfortable, suburban Boston. We know how rich and privileged the life of Bin Ladin was. There really is no security measure or policy that could have prevented the Sandy Hook or Aurora Theater shooters, short of imposing totalitarian control on the lives of all citizens.
Good to see New England guy on the beat. If the chase goes up North Vermont guy better be ready.
Well they were born in Chechnya so I don't know if the Boston terrorists necessarily grew up in comfortable circumstances. But then again I don't care- once you undertake these actions- your views, your background, your otherwise sympathetic characteristics become meaningless.
I think a lot of people are just hoping the second guy gets killed so we don't have to go through with a trial and all that stuff.
Well if the 2d guy dies that lets all the conspiracy nuts continue in their beliefs. Better to bore us with a trial
Stay safe!
I agree with you halfway regarding not caring about their views. We all want to know "what's the reason?", but as the Boomtown Rats once said, "there can be no reason" for an act as pointless and evil as this.
But as Anon#4 said, the alternative to knowing their true motives would be endless speculation about their possible motives, and between those two options I think the former is better.
"Joe", who is the one still alive at this point, came to the US around age 9, and was out of Chechnya before that. He was a high school wrestler, had a facebook page, and apparently was a pretty normal kid in high school, by all accounts.
It seems to be ending -Bleeding out in a backyard boat.
It's clear we should start being suspicious of high school wrestlers, people with pages on Facebook and anyone who seemed normal in high school.
It won't be long now, but the guy is still dangerous. The question is will he die or be taken alive.
No matter which, there'll be conspiracy theories that they were set up.
Yes--conspiracy theories that were set up (Anon #5 comment). Wondering about the quick interception and disappearance of the first Saudi "person of interest" by Washington. Strong ties and alliances with the Saudi royals and elite, legacy of Bush administrations. Anyone else think this maneuver is weird or at least suspicious?
Please, let's not have conspiracies start on Pajama Guy.
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