Explosions near finish line of Boston Marathon

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Bill_Martin said:
American Airlines grounding it’s *entire *fleet until 5 pm due to “computer problems”

foxnews.com/us/2013/04/16/american-airlines-reservations-system-down-flights-grounded-nationwide/

Sounds to me like somebody was trying to fly out of the area.
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I don’t think that is the case. I really do not think the two things are related. There is more than one airline if someone was trying to fly out. The stoppage would be of an airport where that person was believed to be, not one airline at all airports across the country.
 
CatholicGeek1 said:
I don’t think that is the case. I really do not think the two things are related. There is more than one airline if someone was trying to fly out. The stoppage would be of an airport where that person was believed to be, not one airline at all airports across the country.
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If they knew or suspected he had an AA flight it would definitely slow him down.
 
Bill_Martin said:
If they knew or suspected he had an AA flight it would definitely slow him down.
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Still wouldn’t make sense to stop flights across the country. Would make far more sense to stop flights at a certain airport.
 
CatholicGeek1 said:
Still wouldn’t make sense to stop flights across the country. Would make far more sense to stop flights at a certain airport.
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I’m thinking they might have generalized info and not specific enough to shut down a particular airport.

Then again, AA is 100% incompetent, so this could just be par for the course.
 
Another gem from the incomparable Glenn Greenwald…

The Boston bombing produces familiar and revealing reactions

Excerpt…

(1)* The widespread compassion for yesterday’s victims and the intense anger over the attacks was obviously authentic and thus good to witness. But it was really hard not to find oneself wishing that just a fraction of that compassion and anger be devoted to attacks that the US perpetrates rather than suffers. These are exactly the kinds of horrific, civilian-slaughtering attacks that the US has been bringing to countries in the Muslim world over and over and over again for the last decade, with very little attention paid.*

Regardless of your views of justification and intent: whatever rage you’re feeling toward the perpetrator of this Boston attack, that’s the rage in sustained form that people across the world feel toward the US for killing innocent people in their countries. Whatever sadness you feel for yesterday’s victims, the same level of sadness is warranted for the innocent people whose lives are ended by American bombs. However profound a loss you recognize the parents and family members of these victims to have suffered, that’s the same loss experienced by victims of US violence. It’s natural that it won’t be felt as intensely when the victims are far away and mostly invisible, but applying these reactions to those acts of US aggression would go a long way toward better understanding what they are and the outcomes they generate.

I am not attempting here to deflect or derail this discussion thread. I just believe that this commentary provides much-needed perspective when these kinds of despicable acts occur. From a catholic (meaning: universal) perspective, isn’t it important to be able to empathize with all victims of such violence?
 
gnjsdad said:
Another gem from the incomparable Glenn Greenwald…

The Boston bombing produces familiar and revealing reactions

Excerpt…

(1)* The widespread compassion for yesterday’s victims and the intense anger over the attacks was obviously authentic and thus good to witness. But it was really hard not to find oneself wishing that just a fraction of that compassion and anger be devoted to attacks that the US perpetrates rather than suffers. These are exactly the kinds of horrific, civilian-slaughtering attacks that the US has been bringing to countries in the Muslim world over and over and over again for the last decade, with very little attention paid.*

Regardless of your views of justification and intent: whatever rage you’re feeling toward the perpetrator of this Boston attack, that’s the rage in sustained form that people across the world feel toward the US for killing innocent people in their countries. Whatever sadness you feel for yesterday’s victims, the same level of sadness is warranted for the innocent people whose lives are ended by American bombs. However profound a loss you recognize the parents and family members of these victims to have suffered, that’s the same loss experienced by victims of US violence. It’s natural that it won’t be felt as intensely when the victims are far away and mostly invisible, but applying these reactions to those acts of US aggression would go a long way toward better understanding what they are and the outcomes they generate.

I am not attempting here to deflect or derail this discussion thread. I just believe that this commentary provides much-needed perspective when these kinds of despicable acts occur. From a catholic (meaning: universal) perspective, isn’t it important to be able to empathize with all victims of such violence?
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While I agree that it is important to empathize with all victims of violence, I do not think that one should blame the US for all violence around the world. Crazy people are going to do crazy things and evil people are going to do evil things. The US is just the latest reason du jour.
 
CatholicGeek1 said:
So you still think he is guilty?
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You’re putting words in my mouth, I NEVER said he was guilty. My point is and remains this 20 year old man from the Middle East was wanted as a person of interest in a bombing on American soil that left 3 dead and scores injured. Following 9/11 that should raise a red flag with any red-blooded American, it’s not a declaration of guilt or innocence.

If that makes me guilty of racial profiling, deal with it. I’ve never claimed to be politically correct.
 
garn9173 said:
You’re putting words in my mouth, I NEVER said he was guilty. My point is and remains this 20 year old man from the Middle East was wanted as a person of interest in a bombing on American soil that left 3 dead and scores injured. Following 9/11 that should raise a red flag with any red-blooded American, it’s not a declaration of guilt or innocence.

If that makes me guilty of racial profiling, deal with it. I’ve never claimed to be politically correct.
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He was never wanted as a person of interest, some media outlets called him that, but the police have maintained that he was a witness not a suspect and they stated now that he is cleared.

This is not a case of profiling. This is a case of discrimination and discrimination is immoral. There is a place for profiling, it is used by those trained in it, and let me tell you it involves a lot more than skin color. It takes into account mannerisms, race, gender, age, behavior and many other factors. This is a case of bad profiling based on nationality alone.

Discrimination is why a good friend of mine who is a SGT in the Army and a career soldier who has fought in wars for this nation, and is a citizen of this nation, is still looked at with suspicion because he has brown skin and a middle eastern accent.
 
CatholicGeek1 said:
He was never wanted as a person of interest, some media outlets called him that, but the police have maintained that he was a witness not a suspect and they stated now that he is cleared.

This is not a case of profiling. This is a case of discrimination and discrimination is immoral. There is a place for profiling, it is used by those trained in it, and let me tell you it involves a lot more than skin color. It takes into account mannerisms, race, gender, age, behavior and many other factors. This is a case of bad profiling based on nationality alone.

Discrimination is why a good friend of mine who is a SGT in the Army and a career soldier who has fought in wars for this nation, and is a citizen of this nation, is still looked at with suspicion because he has brown skin and a middle eastern accent.
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He can thank this man for that:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nidal_Malik_Hasan
 
CatholicGeek1 said:
Still wouldn’t make sense to stop flights across the country. Would make far more sense to stop flights at a certain airport.
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From WFXT-TV (Boston):
Sources told FOX 25 there was an American Airlines flight that was headed to Chicago. There were two men on that plane – not sitting next to each other – and speaking Arabic.

There were some concerned marathoners on the flight so the plane was brought back to the gate and the two men were escorted off the plane.

No other details were immediately available.
Interesting. Also this from WFXT:

A law enforcement official says it’s possible that a man who was stopped by police as he ran from the scene of yesterday’s bombings at the Boston marathon was simply running to protect himself from the blast, as many others did. The official says the man was tackled by a bystander, and then by police.
According to police, this is the man whose apartment in Revere was searched by FBI agents overnight. Investigators were seen leaving with brown paper bags, plastic trash bags and a duffel bag at about 2 a.m. Tuesday.
FoxNews.com, citing a source, had identified the man as a 20-year-old Saudi whose Facebook page identified him as a current or former student at the New England School of English. Fox News later reported on-air that the man had been “ruled out” as a suspect in the bombing.

Also, Newsweek / Daily Beast reports that this type of bomb (pressure cooker bombs) are widely used by Al Qaeda.

CBS has a story up about DHS warnings about pressure cooker bombs from as far back as 2004, including facsimiles of official DHS documents.
 
Horrendous act of evil, rips my heart out, especially the passing of one so young & innocent ! 😦
 
Fox removes ‘Family Guy’ episode from websites

From the AP:

Fox has pulled from websites a recent episode of “Family Guy” that depicts mass deaths at the Boston Marathon, and has no immediate plans to air it again.

Fox spokeswoman Gaude Paez said Tuesday the episode has been removed from Fox.com and Hulu.com.

In the episode, protagonist Peter Griffin is asked by sports announcer Bob Costas about his performance at the marathon. A flashback shows Peter mowing down runners with his car.

“I’ll tell ya, Bob, I just got in my car and drove it,” Griffin says. “And when there was a guy in my way, I killed him.”
That’s the problem with a series like Family Guy or the Simpsons…sometimes their humor is a bit close to home.
 
Thomas_B said:
I was wondering how long it would take for this thread to become politicized. 71 posts. This is why I rarely post here anymore. Three people dead, many injured and people start talking about the political ramifications of a tragedy. Sorry Hans, I’m sure you’re a good guy and all, but how cynical has our country become that we jump straight into politics after something like this…
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Puh-lease.

Nice try.
 
markomalley said:
Fox removes ‘Family Guy’ episode from websites

From the AP:

Fox has pulled from websites a recent episode of “Family Guy” that depicts mass deaths at the Boston Marathon, and has no immediate plans to air it again.

Fox spokeswoman Gaude Paez said Tuesday the episode has been removed from Fox.com and Hulu.com.

In the episode, protagonist Peter Griffin is asked by sports announcer Bob Costas about his performance at the marathon. A flashback shows Peter mowing down runners with his car.

“I’ll tell ya, Bob, I just got in my car and drove it,” Griffin says. “And when there was a guy in my way, I killed him.”
That’s the problem with a series like Family Guy or the Simpsons…sometimes their humor is a bit close to home.
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Only in hindsight does it hit close to home.

I mean really…who expects this kind of thing to actually happen? The episode wasn’t about bombs but an unauthorized car running loose on the course. Not the same thing but in hindsight a bit too close for comfort.
 
Thomas_B said:
I was wondering how long it would take for this thread to become politicized. 71 posts. This is why I rarely post here anymore. Three people dead, many injured and people start talking about the political ramifications of a tragedy. Sorry Hans, I’m sure you’re a good guy and all, but how cynical has our country become that we jump straight into politics after something like this…
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Sorry Thomas B., you broadbrush all of CAF, Catholic Answers Forum as talking about “politics” where as a degree of political speech is allowed in the World News section versus the Backfence or Moral Theology or many of the other areas of these forums. I suggest you might look up the definition of slander.
 
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