The SoapBoxers

It’s been more than a week since the bombings at the Boston Marathon. I’d like to share a few random thoughts on the topic.

Shortly after the bombings, I saw a tweet where someone remarked that bomb sniffing dogs were seen BEFORE the blasts – noting how strange this was. Actually, it’s not unusual at all. The next time you are at a major event, pay close attention to the law enforcement presence. It’s very likely that you’ll see dogs.

Why is the younger brother talking? I have no idea. Generally, a suspect agrees to talk in exchange for some sort of plea bargain or leniency. In this case, Dzokhar Tsarnaev is being charged with federal crimes, and the death penalty is a possibility. In fact, I can’t imagine the feds taking the death penalty off the table – there would be a lot of public backlash if they did.

I’ve seen some people say that older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s widow (Katherine Russell) must guilty because she has a lawyer. This seems very naïve to me. If you ever find yourself in a situation where the FBI is investigating you in connection with a major crime, I’d suggest that you hire a lawyer, even if you’re completely innocent. The feds are not like Andy and Barney – they play hardball.

Neil Diamond

The Boston Red Sox had their game canceled on Friday night, along with pretty much everything else on the Boston social calendar. On Saturday, Neil Diamond showed up at Fenway and asked if he could lead the crowd in their tradition of singing “Sweet Caroline”. The 72 year old singer had flown to Boston for the sole purpose of singing at Fenway. Obviously, the Sox agreed. That’s classy, Neil.

While the Tsarnaev brothers were Muslim, let’s not forget that terrorists can come from any background. James Holmes, Timothy McVeigh – terrorism is not exclusive to Muslims. Let’s also not forgot that Muslim terrorist are extremists and do not represent the vast majority of Muslims. Most Muslims are normal, peaceful people. Their customs and religious beliefs may be a bit different that yours, but odds are that they are looking for many of the same things in life. Don’t judge an entire population by the fringe elements.

Boston Strong.

Boston Marathon

An hour after the first runners cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon, two bomb blasts rocked Boston.  At the moment, two people are reported dead and 22 are injured.  I’d expect the numbers to rise as the day goes on.

The timing of the bombing was no doubt well planned.  An hour after the first runners finish is a time when the number of runners crossing the finish line is going to be growing larger by the minute (very few runners can run a marathon is less than three hours).  A marathon is also a pretty soft target – it’s just hard to completely secure both sides of a 26 mile route.  It’s always been my fear that a major sports event would be targeted by terrorists, simply due to the large numbers of people that attend these events.

Let’s do all we can to assist those who suffered due to this tragedy, and give law enforcement assistance and support in apprehending the terrorists who perpetrated this act.