Explosions at the Boston Marathon

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Originally Posted by Liesje

Boston Marathon Conspiracy

Clicky, it's not what you think

That's phenomenal.

[mobvok]

As the details about the bombings in Boston unfold, it'd be easy to be scared. It'd be easy to feel powerless and demand that our elected leaders do something -- anything -- to keep us safe.

It'd be easy, but it'd be wrong. We need to be angry and empathize with the victims without being scared. Our fears would play right into the perpetrators' hands -- and magnify the power of their victory for whichever goals whatever group behind this, still to be uncovered, has. We don't have to be scared, and we're not powerless. We actually have all the power here, and there's one thing we can do to render terrorism ineffective: Refuse to be terrorized.

It's hard to do, because terrorism is designed precisely to scare people -- far out of proportion to its actual danger. A huge amount of research on fear and the brain teaches us that we exaggerate threats that are rare, spectacular, immediate, random -- in this case involving an innocent child -- senseless, horrific and graphic. Terrorism pushes all of our fear buttons, really hard, and we overreact.

But our brains are fooling us. Even though this will be in the news for weeks, we should recognize this for what it is: a rare event. That's the very definition of news: something that is unusual -- in this case, something that almost never happens.

More.

[mobvok]

wait fuck that, PANIC

CNBC ‏@CNBC 5m

FBI Baltimore field office confirms: Letter to Sen. Wicker (R-MS) intercepted at Maryland mail facility & tested positive for ricin poison.

[lemonfly]

Ricin? Walter White must be behind this (bad joke aside, ricin ain't easy to come by. Maybe this narrows down the list of potential suspects slightly).

[digitize]

Nobody has any idea if this is related to Boston.

[Headache in a Suitcase]

The timing of it instantly brings back memories of the anthrax scare after 9/11... but yea, there's no evidence to suggest a link to Boston.

[Irvine511]

Times like these stir the crazies.

[speedracer]

This was the view of the MIT campus last night. MIT is in Cambridge and sits just across the river from Back Bay Boston, where the marathon ends.

[cobl04]

Are you an Australian right-wing completely fucking despicable evil disugsting pig of a human commentator? Then you have every right to comment on explosions that happened on the other side of the world with an actually inconceivable level of ignorance. Holy fuck this has made me so angry.

"I wouldn't be surprised if this was a conspiracy amongst students, left-wing radical students in Boston, and I think we have to think also very seriously here about our own student numbers," Jones said on Sunrise.
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"We're very keen to have foreign students pay the way of universities in this country without a lot of discernment about who comes in. But I think the fact that we've been spared this kind of thing, touch wood, for so long highlights, as I said, the relentless work done by ASIO and all our police organisations."

Alan Jones suggests 'left-wing radical students' link to Boston bombing

[Vlad n U 2]

Alan Jones lacks any sort of human decency. He should never be forgiven for all the shit he's said over his lifetime.

[Irvine511]

Yeah. Dumb has no borders.

[CrashedCarDriver]

team sports and sports itself is a societal construct

If anyone such as a terrorist or an 'anti-society' movement wants to make a statement, they can just set off a bomb from a large gathering when a sporting event takes place, its such an open and soft target

[cobl04]

What the hell are you on about?

[Jive Turkey]

So I guess 'soft target' is the bullshit buzzword that's going to be run into the ground for the next little while?

[IWasBored]

Originally Posted by Irvine511

I've found the only thing I can do at times like these is look to the first responders and find some hope in their bravery, selflessness, and professionalism.

We had a strip club explode due to a gas leak last year, and that, on its non-fatal, not super populated, much smaller scale, was enough of a clusterfuck I can't really imagine the level of insanity immediately following an event like this. So yeah, good job, Boston EMS, PD, Fire and all those folks.

Several people I work with go, and were out there this year, and work the first aid stations. No idea where they were during this, but it's my understanding they're all ok.

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Originally Posted by Jive Turkey

So I guess 'soft target' is the bullshit buzzword that's going to be run into the ground for the next little while?

"Soft target," and the fears of attacking so called soft targets, has been around for quite a while, and is a real concern.

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Originally Posted by cobl04

Are you an Australian right-wing completely fucking despicable evil disugsting pig of a human commentator? Then you have every right to comment on explosions that happened on the other side of the world with an actually inconceivable level of ignorance. Holy fuck this has made me so angry.

Alan Jones suggests 'left-wing radical students' link to Boston bombing

Schmucks like this only have attention because people give them attention.

Ignore, and he goes away, because he brings nothing of substance.. Kinda like Justin Bieber.

[Jive Turkey]

Originally Posted by Headache in a Suitcase

"Soft target," and the fears of attacking so called soft targets, has been around for quite a while, and is a real concern.

I realize the term isn't new, but I've heard it about 200 times in the last 24 hours. The news loves to latch on to a buzz word and use the fuck out of it.
I wouldn't say it's a huge concern though. In the grand scheme of things, there are next to no terrorist attacks. They're incredibly rare. We just magnify them when they happen because they're so extraordinary. If any is going to walk around in a cloud of paranoia, he'd be better served worrying about a more real, less sensational threat

[BoMac]

A second letter, this time bound for the White House, has tested positive for ricin, according to reports quoting the FBI.

[BoMac]

Also, authorities have apparently identified a suspect in a video provided by a Boston TV station.