BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING !

4/15/2013
It broke my heart today to see what happened at the Boston Marathon, terrorists bombs,
two people dead ( a little boy,) 100 wounded...Are we going to be like the other countries
now ? Living with constant security, like Israel...

Joe......

Situations in other countries may appear similar, but one can't make judgments without having all the facts. We don't know who committed the crime in Boston and until we do, I'm sure some nut will blame it on North Korea or say that if everyone had guns, it wouldn't have happened.

We do know that the US is a target. It is a target for various reasons, none of which can be pointed to as the cause. There are so-called terrorists that simply want publicity while others are fighting for a cause. In many instances the cause requires publicity to gain attention so that action can be taken to resolve the problems.

Security cannot possibly prevent these crimes. With thousands of participants and then the thousands of on-lookers, it is an impossible task. When an arrest is made, I think it just as important to learn "why" as it is to punish.

Israel is not a good example. They are an occuping force and resistance is expected. Asking for security while commiting crimes against humanity is a farce.

I am wondering--who even wishes to go to a public event and subject their
children or grandchildren to this kind of violence?
America has changed and it has not been for the better.

I see an "America" responding with courage and compassion to a violent act committed by unknown individual(s) or group(s)s.

Violence has always been the means for those who see themselves as powerless to get, at least temporarily, am illusion of control. We are not becoming more violent. We are becoming more aware of the horror of violent acts, whether random or planned.

What I do not see is how anyone could use this incident as a means of expressing clearly prejudicial condemnation of a single group, especially when it is too soon to know any details.

4/16/2013
I think any day now they'll announce who it is..
I cannot in my mind figure out why anyone would be so cruel
and in-human to do this to innocent people, I cried all night
last night for that little boy ..God Bless Him...

Joe

We need to cry for all of them. We also need to wait for the authorities to investigate before we get into a discussion of what happened.

I don't see the US as being the target. There were people from all over the world impacted,

4/16/2013
Today I saw my compound manager, very nice lady, she asked
me: " Do you think it's domestic terrorists ?" I said: " I don't think
so, because the FBI knows about all domestic terrorists groups. We
have many, many enemies outside of the USA who are trying to
terrorize us. I say show your American spirit and don't let these
bastards get to you !"
Joe....

It is still far too early to tell. The instructions for this particular type of homemade bomb, according to several articles that came out today, are available on the internet. This could all be the work of a single individual - or not. We just have to let the FBI do its job. They cannot tell us everything they know without making it easier for the perpetrator(s) to get away. The technology available to them for analyzing the evidence is incredible. I feel certain they will have the answers soon.

4/19/2013
" IT"S OVER ! HE'S CAUGHT ! THANK GOD !"
Now for the info he must have, the trial, then the
execution for murder !!!
Cheers..Joe...

I have watched bits of the news today. It occurred to me that just because the older brother did this deed (perhaps) that the younger one may not be so much as a shadow. I know that no one will think that because they are out for blood....anyone's blood. I do not watch much news. Sometimes it is in my face, but I feel that most of what is reported is a tabloid kind of thing, designed for the kind of soap opera mentality to be snared by the histrionics of the reporters.

It is all a mind game...if the government wanted you dead, you would be dead and no one would know why or how or where your body is.

Love,

Betty

I don't believe in executions. Obviously he is very misguided. Killing him for killing others just makes more dead people.
Put him in jail forever. He can think about what he did.
I feel remorse for the way I used to think. I have changed my mind. Kill no one
for anything.

4/20/2013
I say he'll have to be put in solitary confinement, put on
a large wall in his cell the photos of the victims and the
victims who lost limbs. Next audio tape the victims families
at the funerals, the sound of the crying, waling should be
played in his cell 24/7 ! I have no sympathy for this sociopath !

Joe.......

Thank God it's over. I talked with a friend in Boston last evening and they were still under lock-down. This morning I heard the news that the second suspect was captured alive. That's a relief. Perhaps we can learn more about "why".
The relief and celebrations of Bostonians were evident everywhere as people poured into the streets. Applauding the police was also an expression of appreciation.

Betty Fasig wrote:

I have watched bits of the news today. It occurred to me that just because the older brother did this deed (perhaps) that the younger one may not be so much as a shadow. I know that no one will think that because they are out for blood....anyone's blood. I do not watch much news. Sometimes it is in my face, but I feel that most of what is reported is a tabloid kind of thing, designed for the kind of soap opera mentality to be snared by the histrionics of the reporters.

It is all a mind game...if the government wanted you dead, you would be dead and no one would know why or how or where your body is.

Love,

Betty

I have had a hard time trying to go about "business as usual" this past week. I wanted to follow the news, but could not find a news shannel that was not more into creating drama than to accurate and objective reporting. It seems to me that the media is still trying to control what we see and believe.

Betty and Ann: I concur. The problem is that even if we are on the scene, we will see through our own paradigm and have three different views of the same facts. What makes it worse is the purposeful misleading news reporting. The reporters are trying to be stars - to be picked up by the next largest market. Ratings are the god, not the news.

Has anyone asked why the two boys were living on their own and why their parents returned to their homeland when they came here seeking asylum?

I didn't hear anything about how the boys received their income. Did they have jobs? Attend school?

Once again, I believe this points out the very poor mental health options in this country. The costs, the quality and the availability of quality mental health options is pitiful. I know people who should have counseling but have no insurance. They cannot spend $100 an hour to "talk it out," Instead, they "act it out."

Additionally, seeking mental health resources is a detriment to many careers and career advancement. For a young person to seek help is considered a sign of weakness - an inability to "buck up."

The brain is just another organic part of the body. Break a leg and get it fixed; have a broken brain and there is no acceptable fix.

You're absolutely right, D.K.

Medicine should be holistic. When I visit my doctor, he inquires about my mental health in various ways. So many people are suffering from stress and don't consider the cause. Getting treatment for mental or stress-related problems is considered a weakness. Many have become workaholics to a point of obsession. Every minute must count for something. No time to relax or even to take a proper vacation. Many work instead of taking a vacation for the extra money. Obsession with making money and/or having possessions is causing much sickness. In my view, it starts in the mind. Heal the mind and you heal the body. Why must one separate the brain from other body parts? Health insurance should cover all of it.

4/20/2013
Thank God for The FBI, State, Local Police and the great
reporters who kept on top of it all without sleep....We are
a great powerful nation and we as a nation will not tolerate
this kind of behavior................Cheers..Joe...

I don't know that health insurance would have helped these two young men. Children growing up need heroes.

Quote :

Rollo May asserts that the hero symbolizes “the highest aims of the community,” as he explains how, “Heroes are necessary in order to enable the citizens to find their own ideals, courage, and wisdom in the society….We hunger for heroes,” he continues, “as role models, as standards of action, as ethics in flesh and bones like our own.

(from "Introduction" A Myth in Action)

If our cultural mythology doesn't provide positive role models, we will find find someone or something to replace them, and without responsible adults to help us, we may very well find them in the shadows. This, so far, seems to be the tragedy of these "boys" who apparently had no real guides to help them. Now, their tragedy is our tragedy.

This situation hasn't ended. It has barely begun. It will not end until we understand why it happened. And that could be a very long story.

4/20/2013
Young people who have no guidance are lost souls,
their looking for a purpose and many times certain
groups of people look for this and they twist and brain
wash these young people into their beliefs, it's sad........
Cheers..Joe..

joefrank wrote:

4/20/2013
Young people who have no guidance are lost souls,
their looking for a purpose and many times certain
groups of people look for this and they twist and brain
wash these young people into their beliefs, it's sad........
Cheers..Joe..

Very sad.

I remember the priest telling the fathers at a fathering teens class, "bury them at 14 and dig them up at 22." He said that in jest then went on to explain that teens are ruled by their hormones at a time when they think they are capable of rational decision-making. Rational decision-making is a mature adult skill. The introduction of drugs, alcohol and other addictions limit the brain to adolescent decision-making.

Terrible things happened in the past, too. People just didn't know about things outside their communities. A global world has compounded the range of aberrant behaviors possible.

4/20/2013
Sympathys should be for the three innocent dead people,
the 170 people especially those who lost limbs, the officer who
was shot to death, why should anyone have even one once of
sympathy for a murderer, rapist, or someone who does a terrorist
act, I have no sympathy for these people, they knew what they were
doing....Just like the girl who shot, stabbed 27 times and slit her boy
friend I have no sympathy for her, to me she's toast..........The
victims are the innocent ones .........Joe.....

Nearly a thousand years have past and yet the Crusades continue!

joefrank wrote:

4/20/2013
Sympathys should be for the three innocent dead people,
the 170 people especially those who lost limbs, the officer who
was shot to death, why should anyone have even one once of
sympathy for a murderer, rapist, or someone who does a terrorist
act, I have no sympathy for these people, they knew what they were
doing....Just like the girl who shot, stabbed 27 times and slit her boy
friend I have no sympathy for her, to me she's toast..........The
victims are the innocent ones .........Joe.....

It isn't an either/or choice, Joe. Seeing the tragedy in the lost lives of these young men does not negate or lessen the feelings we have for the victims. We can choose to feel for both.

If someone had been there when they were children, if they had a positive role model, then we might not be mourning the victims, because the bombings might never have taken place.

Have you listened to the voices of their elders? They are angry voices, either in denial of what happened, or in condemnation. That uncle who called them "losers" was hardly expressing unconditional love for his nephews. Even the parents and aunt, who keep saying the young men were framed, seem to be looking for someone else to blame.

I don't remember where I read about the woman who would go into that home to get facials from the mother after she was fired from a job at a salon, but she described an angry house, one that made her uncomfortable even though she kept going because she liked the facials.

How can we ever put an end to violence if we do not have compassion? We cannot control these potentially violent people through instigating fear. It is their fear that makes them do these unconscionable things. We cannot go backwards and save those victims, but we can help to create a world where people like these brothers do not feel so marginalised and powerless - so afraid and angry that they have to lash out as they do.