It Happened on Boylston Street

2011 Boston Marathon finishing line pavillion on Boylston Street. Looking west; runners would be coming from the east. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Within the last 20 years, the days in and around the third week of April have been marked with modern-day American horror stories.  First, there was the U.S. government torching the Branch Davidian compound after a long standoff with David Koresh and his followers in 1993.  Then there was the 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building (often seen as payback for the torching).  And then there were the school shootings at Columbine High School (1999) and Virginia Tech (2007).

Now you can add Boston to the list.  On April 15, which was celebrated as Patriot's Day locally (Income Tax Day in the rest of America), two bombs exploded along Boylston Street near the finish line at the annual Boston Marathon.  Three are reported dead, and almost 200 are injured.  There have been no suspects, no motive, nor any claim of responsibility.  No one remembers who actually won the race.

Because of that distinction, it is hard to say whether this was a terrorist attack or not.  The media coverage, when they weren't looping the same video footage from shaky smartphones over and over, have been reckless in calling it terrorism.  Even President Barack Obama has been reluctant to call it a terrorist attack.
The investigation, if we may be forgiven for using a sports analogy, is going to be more of a marathon than a sprint.

There were two bombs that exploded within seconds of each other, neither of which were powerful enough to take down a building.  When you think about it, it's rather easy for somebody to slip explosives inside a building.  All you have to do is to wait for the multitudes of security, marathon organizers and spectators to focus on the finish line, play it cool, do your thing, then go disappear.  Then watch all hell break loose.

Because of what happened in Boston, the National Rifle Association and other gun rights advocates were handed a big gift.  The bombings took the grieving Newtown, Connecticut families, who had joined with President Obama in lobbying Congress for stronger gun regulations on behalf of their dead children, off TV screens and delayed debate in the Senate.  That means the NRA can start working their magic while legitimately claiming that guns don't kill people, bombs do.

Boston will go on.  It has survived the Revolutionary War, violent weather and much worse.  But now Patriot's Day and the marathon will be remembered for something other than a celebration.  Future marathons around the world will now have restricted access to the finish line, and the route runners used may be changed to avoid city streets.

Such is life in the 21st century.  You can run, but you can't hide from terrorism.