The Pencil Today:

glabwrites

13 years ago

THE QUOTE

“Terror made me cruel.”

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A few thoughts about yesterday’s explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon:

Think of how narcissistic one (or more) must be to devise and execute a plot that would not only kill people but blow the legs right off a dozen or so people’s bodies. That’s what hit me about Boston: the eyewitness testimonies that a number of people had their legs blown off at the scene.

Assuming this act was carried out by more than one person, it strikes me as the height of improbability that these ghouls can find each other and agree on a plan of action. If I, for instance, am sitting with the Boys of Soma on a Sunday morning and someone suggests we go out to breakfast, it’s next to impossible to get the group to: 1) even agree to go out to breakfast; 2) come to a consensus on where we should go for breakfast; and 3) determine as a body precisely when we should hoist our bodies out of our chairs and go for breakfast. I have the same reaction when I hear about a gang rape. Is it that criminals and reprobates are somehow more adept at organizing than the rest of us?

A marathoner was quoted as saying the Boston event has now “lost its innocence.” I wasn’t aware the Boston Marathon was innocent prior to yesterday. Isn’t it weird how even ordinary people try to concoct sound bites for the media these days?

When the news began trickling in, some reporters said there were two “massive” explosions set off by “sophisticated” planners. Within a couple of hours, law enforcement officials and other authorities were saying the bombs, thankfully, were crude, small, and placed so haphazardly that it might be difficult to glean a “signature” or other evidence tying them to an organized gang. I’d hate to think our august Fourth Estate members were, in any way, engaging in hyperbole for the purpose of spinning a more exciting yarn.

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This morning, radio reporters and anchors are insisting on saying “improvised explosive devices” or IEDs caused the carnage yesterday. Personal to those journalists: the word bombs will do just fine, thank you.

I have absolutely no concern whatsoever with the thoughts, feelings, reactions, or observations of any celebrity regarding the explosions. Even if I agree with them.

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