# The Boston Marathon Bombing Debate Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 15, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799 "2013-04-15T23:21:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/141 "2013-04-17T00:51:36Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > Hittites, I tell you, Hittites. > On the down low from 3000 years. Ají, huh? Sounds Albanian… ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/142 "2013-04-17T00:53:20Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > Anyone know anything about [Roger Wicker](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Wicker#Committee_Assignments.2C_112th_Congress)? Is he, I dunno, a leading proponent of unrestricted drone warfare, or keeping Gitmo open, or anything like that? Conversely–he’s a Mississippi Republican, I presume pretty conservative–has he recently announced a willingness to compromise on guns; or taxes; or immigration; or some other hot-button issue? Or alternatively, is there some reason why a left-wing nutbar might choose him as the Face of Right-Wing Evil to whom to mail a ricin-laced letter? > > I mean, no offense to the junior Senator from Mississippi, but…why him? I just posted on one of the other threads – Wicker was one of the Republican votes to break the filibuster on the current gun background-check bill. If I were running Congressional security, I’d put some extra resources into mail screening for the others. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/143 "2013-04-17T00:59:49Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > I just posted on one of the other threads – Wicker was one of the Republican votes to break the filibuster on the current gun background-check bill. > > If I were running Congressional security, I’d put some extra resources into mail screening for the others. Thanks for that. I was wondering the same thing as **MEBuckner**. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/144 "2013-04-17T01:06:45Z")
Guys, aren’t we supposed to blame Canada? Shifty eyed nice people. Too polite. And Saskatchewan? Is that a real name of a place where nice people live? Why can’t you people be like those nice Manitobans. Regina sponsored a terrorist cell. It is so obvious now. How could we have been so blind!? ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/145 "2013-04-17T03:23:19Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > And Saskatchewan? Is that a real name of a place where nice people live? It’s a real place, but no one lives there. Too fucking cold. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/146 "2013-04-17T03:28:02Z")
Now they’re saying the ricin letter had a Memphis postmark. So…probably not related, I guess. Geeze–it’s certainly not as bad as 2001 (the bombs at the marathon, while horrible, don’t have nearly as high a body count as 9/11; the ricin letter didn’t actually kill anyone), but I really don’t recall wishing for a straight-to-video sequel to _2001: The Year of Terror!_ ---
**Author:** ![Blkshp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blkshp/32/7135_2.png) [@Blkshp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blkshp)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/147 "2013-04-17T04:33:54Z")
For those who are keeping score, the link below provides a pretty comprehensive list of terror attacks in the U.S. including death/injury totals plus attribution. While it goes back to the Lincoln assassination, the more recent data is interesting in that (best I can add up) since 1970, the “Left” (including environmentalists) has accounted for roughly the same number of incidents as the “right” (pretty much antiabortionists and white supremacists). The right has accounted for more deaths 230 (169 from OKC) to 33. Those attributed to “Islam” total 3,200, (289 not on 9/11/01). [http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/terrorism/wrjp255a.html](http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/terrorism/wrjp255a.html) What struck me, looking at the numbers and remembering most of the events listed going back to the 70’s, is that no political stripe has a corner on the nutjob market. In fact, to somehow imply that the nuts that do this stuff are even comparable to normal people that have political leanings one way or another is daft. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/148 "2013-04-17T04:47:00Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Really. This thread is filled with the sort of comments that say more about the poster than what he’s commenting about. Half this board is deperately hoping this turns out to be right-wing extremists. Maybe it will, but there’s been no evidence of that yet. Just a lot of people who really, really want that to be the case. I really really want it to be anybody other the Islamic extremists - if for nothing else than to hopefully start people moving away from the attitude of “Saudi Man running away from bomb is suspicious”. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/149 "2013-04-17T05:21:15Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > Now they’re saying the ricin letter had a Memphis postmark. So…probably not related, I guess. Sen. McCaskill says authorities have a possible suspect, someone described as having something like “a history of writing to senators.” ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/150 "2013-04-17T05:26:17Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Sen. McCaskill says authorities have a possible suspect, someone described as having something like “a history of writing to senators.” :o . . . Well, then, we Dopers can breathe easy. . . . allowing for the nervous sweat, and all, and more! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/151 "2013-04-17T05:34:26Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > No no. It’s the damn Albanians! Have you ever eaten at an Albanian restaurant? It must be them. > > Al-bane-ee-ahh. Al-bane-ee-ahh. You border on - the - Adri-atic. Albania’s hard to rhyme. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/152 "2013-04-17T05:36:57Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > Albania’s hard to rhyme. But easy to penetrate _snerk_. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/153 "2013-04-17T05:44:27Z")
Has the New York Post fessed up to their disinformation? What an epic fail. [http://www.newsy.com/videos/new-york-post-s-boston-marathon-bombing-coverage-epic-fail/](http://www.newsy.com/videos/new-york-post-s-boston-marathon-bombing-coverage-epic-fail/) [http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2013/04/16/new-york-post-12-still-dead-in-bombings-that-killed-at-least-3/](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2013/04/16/new-york-post-12-still-dead-in-bombings-that-killed-at-least-3/) > **[NY Post Criticized For Coverage Of Boston Bombings](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ny-post-boston-bombings_n_3092814)** > > NY Post Criticized For Coverage Of Boston Bombings > [@](#): > > NY Post _still_ has headline with 12 dead in Boston, plus IDs suspect, I know about tabloid panache but ?? > > -James Fallows ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/154 "2013-04-17T06:04:40Z")
I’ve got my money on the Romanian lesbian mail carriers. A despicable violence-loving group with an irrational hatred for long-distance running if ever there was one. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/155 "2013-04-17T06:37:53Z")
> [@Blkshp](#): > > For those who are keeping score, the link below provides a pretty comprehensive list of terror attacks in the U.S. including death/injury totals plus attribution. While it goes back to the Lincoln assassination, the more recent data is interesting in that (best I can add up) since 1970, the “Left” (including environmentalists) has accounted for roughly the same number of incidents as the “right” (pretty much antiabortionists and white supremacists). The right has accounted for more deaths 230 (169 from OKC) to 33. Those attributed to “Islam” total 3,200, (289 not on 9/11/01). > > [http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/terrorism/wrjp255a.html](http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/terrorism/wrjp255a.html) > > What struck me, looking at the numbers and remembering most of the events listed going back to the 70’s, is that no political stripe has a corner on the nutjob market. In fact, to somehow imply that the nuts that do this stuff are even comparable to normal people that have political leanings one way or another is daft. And if we go back even farther we can blame it all on Ghengis Kahn. What about if we stick to more recent times rather than cherry picking starting dates to try to prove some point? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/156 "2013-04-17T06:40:52Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [Comedian Patton Oswalt writes:](http://www.facebook.com/pattonoswalt/posts/10151440800582655) Patton Oswalt is an amazing human being. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/157 "2013-04-17T09:48:32Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > Now they’re saying the ricin letter had a Memphis postmark. So…probably not related, I guess. But it’s a hell of a coincidence. The 26th mile of the Marathon was dedicated to the Newtown victims and some of their families were sitting in the VIP stand near where one of the bombs went off (but apparently had left before then), and some of the crazier gun nuts (notice I said nuts, not owners) have verbally attacked the Newtown families; then a Senator who voted to break the filibuster on the gun bill apparently has ricin mailed to him. The letter may turn out to be a false positive, but if it’s real then it’s a hell of a coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/158 "2013-04-17T10:23:36Z")
[Havanna sends its condolences.](http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/04/16/3347680/us-foe-cuba-sends-condolences.html) Obama should use the opportunity to initiate an “[earthquake diplomacy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek%E2%80%93Turkish_earthquake_diplomacy)” rapprochement. If it is right wing terrorists that are behind the bombs, it’d piss them off ever so bad. And in general responding to terror by means that further peace just sounds like a great idea. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/159 "2013-04-17T11:27:35Z")
> [@XT](#): > > That doesn’t prove anything, of course, and still no real word on who did this, but it gives (to me anyway) a bit more weight to DT’s assertion that it could have been right wing extremists who did this. If it was, that’s going to be a huge nail in their coffins, as the backlash is going to be harsh for doing this. :mad: Hence the hue and cry on the right that it has gotta be Teh MooseLimbs – getting the notion out there serves as damage control, blunting the political effects if and when it turns out to be a right-wing nut job. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2013, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799/160 "2013-04-17T12:21:36Z")
> [@XT](#): > > I may owe Der Trihs an apology. I guess his idea that it was right wing loonies wasn’t as far off the wall as I thought. Was reading about methodology and materials, as well as attempts at bombings in the US since 9/11, and while there haven’t been many bombs actually detonated, there have been plenty of attempts. The majority have been AQ or AQ-like groups, or right wing whack-a-dos (there was one environmental left wing whacko who strapped a bomb to himself, grabbed a couple of guns and took some folks hostage, but he hardly counts). If this was AQ or an AQ motivated group, they would have used hydrogen-peroxide based bombs. Right wing whackos, however, apparently favor black powder/gun powder based bombs that are similar to the one used in this bombing. > > That doesn’t prove anything, of course, and still no real word on who did this, but it gives (to me anyway) a bit more weight to DT’s assertion that it could have been right wing extremists who did this. If it was, that’s going to be a huge nail in their coffins, as the backlash is going to be harsh for doing this. :mad: On the other hand, pressure cooker bombs are apparently popular with muslim militants. [http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Pressure-cooker-bombs-used-in-past-by-militants-4439268.php](http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Pressure-cooker-bombs-used-in-past-by-militants-4439268.php) Even so, my gut says right-wing nut; but I’m prepared to be disproved. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boston-marathon-bombing-debate-thread/655799.md?page=9)