[Thanos]

There wasn't a single American right or freedom taken away in the wake of Newtown. Or even after 9/11. There hasn't been a single firearm unjustly confiscated by the police, a single weapons manufacturer shut down, a single gun dealer imprisoned, or a single gun shop emptied of it's supply of ammuntion by the MIB or agents of ZOG. The "lost freedoms" canard is played strictly by those who are following the Alex Jones playbook. And, no, taking your shoes off before boarding a plane and not being able to take a bottle of water with you is not a lost freedom. At best it counts as an inconvenience and there's nothing out there, not even the Constitution or the Bill of Rights of the United States of America, that ensures than you get to go through your entire life without ever being inconvenienced. Knock it off already, boys, because all it is is BS.

[DanSC]

WHGH in Boston is reporting that they have found a photograph of the bag containing the second bomb right before it exploded. Photos are in the link. The gore has been blurred out, but the after picture is still incredibly disturbing.

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/loca ... shows-bag/

In almost certainly unrelated news, someone tried to mail an envelope full of ricin to the U.S. Senate.

[BartSimpson]

Thanos Thanos:

There wasn't a single American right or freedom taken away in the wake of Newtown. Or even after 9/11. There hasn't been a single firearm unjustly confiscated by the police, a single weapons manufacturer shut down, a single gun dealer imprisoned, or a single gun shop emptied of it's supply of ammuntion by the MIB or agents of ZOG. The "lost freedoms" canard is played strictly by those who are following the Alex Jones playbook. And, no, taking your shoes off before boarding a plane and not being able to take a bottle of water with you is not a lost freedom. At best it counts as an inconvenience and there's nothing out there, not even the Constitution or the Bill of Rights of the United States of America, that ensures than you get to go through your entire life without ever being inconvenienced. Knock it off already, boys, because all it is is BS.

Wow. You don't get out much, do you?

In New York State their 'SAFE Act' not only restricts a panoply of gun rights, it is also infringing on the rights of patients to confidentiality in their medical records. The state is requiring doctors to tell the state who of their patients have been prescribed drugs for psychiatric conditions and they're also requiring psychiatrists and psychologists to identify all of their patients.

$1:

NY SAFE Act infringes on rights of mentally ill

Guns are on the mind of the nation, as are concerns over people with mental illnesses and their risk to society. Unfortunately, in its response to the Newtown tragedy, New York’s SAFE Act has infringed upon the rights of the mentally ill.

The SAFE Act requires that people who pose a risk to themselves or others must be reported, with their gun permits revoked and their guns permanently confiscated. On its face, this sounds rational and important for the sake of public safety. In reality, however, the new law misses the mark.

The law’s intention is to remove possible weapons from the mentally ill before they have the chance to do harm. In fact, the SAFE Act website refers constantly to the horrific events that occurred in the past two years to explain the reasoning. But many of those shooters were not fully diagnosed. And even where psychologists or psychiatrists were involved, they could not have known what would happen.

More importantly, the SAFE Act imposes a controversial duty to report on mental health professionals and strips away the due process rights of the mentally ill. Under the new law, the mentally ill are subject to search and seizure of their personal property without a warrant, probable cause or hearing. A mentally ill person, if violent at all, most likely is already supervised by the state in some capacity. Restraining the rights of individuals because of a statement rather than an action is far more overreaching and invasive. Those with a mental illness should not be presumed guilty and subjected to different standards than others.

In the aftermath of Newtown there have been several cases of wrongful search and seizure with the most recent case noted here:

http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/210343 ... zure-Snafu

A number of gun manufacturers have had to close up in states where their products are banned or are going to be banned and they're having to relocate to friendlier climates:

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/04/05/fire ... rth-texas/

I can go on here but I think you see the point.

Kindly do a little research before posting these rants, m'kay? Thanks.

[BartSimpson]

Back on topic the Saudi kid has been cleared:

$1:

Investigators have ruled out the Saudi national questioned in connection with yesterday’s Boston Marathon bombing as a suspect after a search of the man’s apartment and computer turned up nothing explosive- or terrorism-related, law-enforcement sources said.

The FBI-lead investigators are continuing to probe the man’s background but are also conducting a wider search of terrorism websites and chatter, surveillance footage, and the ball bearings and nails used in the two bombs, the sources said.

According to CNN, investigators have also found no link from the bombings to foreign or al-Qaeda connections.

[Regina]

You'd think al-Qaeda would have been bragging about this by now..........even if they didn't do it.

[Brenda]

http://principlepictures.com/blog/2013/ ... with-love/

[xerxes]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

Unfortunately, the powers that be don't take away that message from it all. They enact more draconian laws, slowly chipping away at civil liberties and conveniences we once took for granted. They claim the extra security is to protect our liberties, and we're all aware what Ben Franklin said about that well intentioned(or maybe not) path.

This event is just an excuse to take away more freedoms. The people that want to take away our liberties wanted to do that before this happened and this is just another excuse to them. Just like Newtown was an excuse and so many other events before that were excuses.

Frankly, I have less concern about terrorism than I do about the people who want to turn my country into a wall-to-wall police state.

Then you shouldn't have voted for Bush/Cheney in '04.

[BartSimpson]

Regina Regina:

You'd think al-Qaeda would have been bragging about this by now..........even if they didn't do it.

To the contrary, the Pakistan Taliban denied that they were involved. I'm guessing they don't want to attract any more drone strikes than usual.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/16/world/asi ... -marathon/

Frankly, it's more disturbing that no one has taken credit for this because that means we're looking at a terrorist(s) who appreciate operational security and they're not content with doing just one attack.

If they're keeping silent it's because they're planning on doing this again.

[BartSimpson]

xerxes xerxes:

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Frankly, I have less concern about terrorism than I do about the people who want to turn my country into a wall-to-wall police state.

Then you shouldn't have voted for Bush/Cheney in '04.

The alternative was just too awful to contemplate.

[Gunnair]

Brenda Brenda:

http://principlepictures.com/blog/2013/ ... with-love/

Nice photoshop....

[BartSimpson]

A tidy rundown of the facts so far:

$1:

As with any crisis, early information is incomplete and sometimes outright wrong. The day after the Boston Marathon bombings, a clearer picture has emerged. Let's get up to speed with where things stand right now.

What do we know about the bombs?

The first bomb went off at 2:50 p.m., a few feet short of the finish line, in front of a sporting goods store and a LensCrafters. The second went off 12 seconds later, about a block further up Boylston Street, which serves as the home stretch of the marathon. You can see the blast locations on the map above, annotated with eyewitness video of each explosion.

The bombs themselves were "small portable explosive devices." A surgeon at one Boston hospital likened the injuries treated to those caused by "improvised explosive devices." Initial reports claimed the bombs were set off inside trash cans, but authorities seem to have backed off those claims. At the very least, the inward-shattering storefront windows indicate the explosives went off on the sidewalk, as opposed to inside the stores.

An Associated Press report now says the bombs were were "fashioned out of pressure cookers and packed with shards of metal, nails and ball bearings," placed in duffel bags, and left on the ground.

What about unexploded bombs?

Contrary to early reports, there were no other explosive devices found in Boston, Gov. Deval Patrick confirmed at his press conference this morning. There were hundreds of packages left behind by fleeing spectators, and all had to be inspected, which was the source of a lot of confusion yesterday—particularly for those people following along on a police scanner. But now officials are adamant: The only explosive devices along the marathon route were the two that detonated.

And the JFK Library?

The library, several miles away from the marathon route, was the scene of an intense-looking fire soon after the bombs went off, and people naturally jumped to conclusions. But it was soon determined that it was accidental and unrelated and had started in the building's HVAC system.

How many people were hurt?

After spending most of the afternoon at two, the death toll rose to three last night. One of the dead has been identified as 8-year-old Martin Richard from Dorchester, Mass., who was near the finish line with his family. They were moving away from the first blast when the second one hit. Richard's mother (head) and sister (leg) reportedly suffered "grievous" injuries in the blast, while his brother was unhurt.

A second victim has been identified, 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, of Arlington, Mass. Campbell was at the finish line to cheer on her boyfriend, who was running the race.

At last count, Boston area hospitals reported 176 people injured in the blasts, at least 17 of them critically. Many have been released, but there are likely dozens maimed, wounded by shrapnel, or missing limbs. One man who had just finished the race when the blasts went off describes what he saw:

"These runners just finished and they don't have legs now," said Roupen Bastajian, 35, a Rhode Island state trooper and former Marine. "So many of them. There are so many people without legs. It's all blood."

Is there a suspect?

No. There is, however, a "person of interest," to use the authorities' term. For most of yesterday, the New York Post had claimed a Saudi national injured in the blast was under guard at a hospital and being questioned. The report was largely ignored, along with the Post's death toll of 12 (which the newspaper has quietly stopped citing today), but there's more confirmation now.

Despite conflicting reports, a 20-something student from Saudi Arabia, in Boston studying English, has been questioned at Brigham and Women's Hospital, where he's being treated for shrapnel injuries. Last night federal and local authorities searched his apartment in Revere.

Can I help?

The FBI has taken the lead in the investigation, and the bureau is seeking information and especially video from anyone near the finish line. You can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).

The Red Cross received more than enough blood donations to cover present needs, as always seems to be the case after a tragedy. But blood doesn't keep, and there are plenty of people around the country who will need blood in the coming weeks and months. The Red Cross encourages you to make an appointment by calling 1-800-RED CROSS or visiting redcrossblood.org.

How hard is it to get around/out of Boston today?

Things are moving relatively smoothly. Logan has no major delays, though you should expect extra security at airports and train stations. The MBTA is running close to normal, with the Green Line stop at Copley closed until further notice.

What about sports?

Last night's Senators-Bruins game was postponed, with the new date yet to be announced. Tonight's Pacers-Celtics game has been canceled, and will not be made up. The first Boston-area sporting event will be the Sabres-Bruins game on Wednesday night. It'll be emotional.

I ran the marathon. Now where's my stuff?

The Boston Athletic Association has changed the location where runners can pick up their bags. They're now at Berkeley Street, between St. James and Boylston.

Did you see that guy on the roof?

Yeah, we saw Roof Guy. The presence of Roof Guy would only be suspicious if watching marathons from rooftops wasn't an ultra-common thing to do, or if police surveillance didn't regularly keep watch from rooftop posts. But no, you're probably right. That guy's up to no good. Way to crack this case wide open.

Maybe it's Bigfoot? Maybe it's Obama?

Conspiracies theories of all kinds bloomed in the immediate aftermath of the bombings. Like the one from the University of Mobile's cross country coach, who thought it was really weird that there were bomb-sniffing dogs at the start and finish lines. Again, these are common at major events since 9/11, and they don't indicate there were any specific threats. (Authorities said there were none.)

You bet. Within a half-hour of the blasts, conspiracy-monger Alex Jones declared that the government had staged the attack. Last night, someone from Infowars asked the governor if this was "another false flag attack staged to take our civil liberties?" This morning he was asked about Roof Guy.

Any other conspiracy theories?

The timing gave rise to other kinds of speculation: Monday was Patriots' Day, after all. It's a Massachusetts holiday commemorating the opening battles of the American Revolution, one that's been co-opted by fringe groups. The Waco assault occurred on Patriots' Day, though a different date (April 19). The Oklahoma City bombing occurred on the anniversary of Waco, though not on Patriots' Day. Other anniversaries this week: the Columbine shooting, the Virginia Tech massacre, and Hitler's birthday.

Gawker has a full rundown of conspiracy theories.

[DanSC]

Officials have not released the name of the third fatality, but it was a Chinese national.

[Brenda]

Gunnair Gunnair:

Brenda Brenda:

http://principlepictures.com/blog/2013/ ... with-love/

Nice photoshop....

Still a better message than all the bullshit assumptions I have seen on here so far.

[ShepherdsDog]

If it's not real, how is it a better message??

[raydan]

DanSC DanSC:

WHGH in Boston is reporting that they have found a photograph of the bag containing the second bomb right before it exploded. Photos are in the link. The gore has been blurred out, but the after picture is still incredibly disturbing.

http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/loca ... shows-bag/

In almost certainly unrelated news, someone tried to mail an envelope full of ricin to the U.S. Senate.

$1:

...the viewer who took the pictures says there may be an hour or more between when the first and second pictures were taken.

Without confirming that this was the act of a single person planting both bombs, this would at least leave that possibility open.