frobber on 16/4/2013 at 23:54
The marathon is a special day here. I've lived most of my life within spitting distance of the race course — the last 32 years 3 1/2 miles from the starting line. Ashland, like most towns along the route, is bisected on Patriot's Day, and if I have business south of that line I plan to leave early that day. Yesterday I returned home after the race and happened to be walking through town at 2:50 p.m. when an unmarked cruiser tore up Main Street faster than I've ever seen a cruiser move on a local road — not even slowing for intersections. They were heading for the Mass Pike to help out in Boston. Normally a half-hour drive from our town at highway speed, I later learned that they got there in under ten minutes.
I always thought that attacking the marathon would never make sense. It's a people-centered event celebrating individual effort. By attacking this event, it would only expose the power of individuals, and if the perpetrators somehow expected that we would be cowed or intimidated or broken, they would be wrong. It would be a personal attack on ordinary individuals, and as individuals we would take care of our own. Boston, the nation, and the rest of the civilized world would come together in solidarity. We would persevere. We would value life even more. We would work to make the world a better place in the years ahead.
We are sad and hurt and stunned, and I hate that innocent people were injured and killed, that families were torn apart, that we must all now suffer this loss of innocence. Yet people rise up in the face of extreme adversity. We do not collapse beneath its weight. Indeed some ran away yesterday. That is a natural and proper response. Yet many who felt that they could help instead ran towards the bomb sites, tore off their clothes for tourniquets, comforted the wounded and assisted the professionals. Runners ran across the finish line and kept running to hospitals to donate blood. People along the route opened their homes to the thousands of marathoners who were halted shy of the finish line and helped in reuniting families that were separated by the confusion. Horrific events expose true humane caring. I have felt this firsthand in my life. I know that this is true.
The next time a tragedy strikes — whether malevolent or benign — those who are able will again run into harms way and reach out to make a positive difference. That is what normal people do. The few twisted and hateful people of this world who represent the worst of humanity can never displace the vast majority of decent and kind and courageous individuals who walk the face of this Earth.
demagogue on 18/4/2013 at 03:33
It's interesting, but preying on people's paranoia about every little detail a bit though too.
Incidentally there was a massive explosion of a fertilizer plant in central Texas tonight, and ammonia gas spreading over the whole town. At least 60 people already reported dead, the hospitals said to expect 100-200 patients coming in. Edit: Now the term they're using is "hundreds" injured. It's still early, though; they're not confirming any numbers now. Edit2: Next day; now they're reporting 35 deaths.
What a suck week. :(
My goodness, it looks like a small nuclear bomb went off. Not even exaggerating -- (
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/164925_10151394023821795_319765994_n.jpg) photo.
PigLick on 18/4/2013 at 04:55
Holy shit:wot:
faetal on 18/4/2013 at 10:18
[video=youtube;ROrpKx3aIjA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROrpKx3aIjA[/video]
:(
Briareos H on 18/4/2013 at 10:25
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AZF_(factory)#Toulouse_chemical_factory_explosion) A similar thing happened in France close to the center of the city of Toulouse in 2001 (ten days after the twin tower attacks, mind you). There were 29 deaths and more than 2,500 wounded so, depending on the size and distance to the city, with 60 dead I'd expect the injured to be many more than 100-200 :/
You'd think that people would have learned how to store ammonium nitrate properly by then.
SubJeff on 18/4/2013 at 11:33
What's the difference between that and the one faetal posted?
Interesting that this is near Waco is it? Or not? Coincidence? Meh, we'll see eventually I'm sure.
That infowars gallery was kind of interesting.
Muzman on 18/4/2013 at 12:55
Eh, nothin' It's one of those page break things as ever.
demagogue on 18/4/2013 at 13:19
It was very near Waco; most of the injured went to that hospital.
And even the "Waco siege" was also almost exactly 20 years ago to the day (April 19, 1993).
I still do think it's a coincidence, but a lot are noticing the connection.
Edit: Also, just remembering this now -- Of course the last massive fertilizer explosion in our history was: the Oklahoma City federal building for the 2nd Anniversary of the Waco siege (April 19, 1995)... ugh, FFS :p :(
If it was planned, that would be sub-human repulsive.
The reason there aren't as many injured as there might have been is because the actual town is rather small; only 2,400 people in the whole town, and it's a rural area.
BTW, everybody knows this town because it has a strategic location on the major N-S highway for the state (called I-35) between DFW and San Antonio-Austin. I must have driven it 100s of times myself from home to UTexas during college. It's a small Czech town, and you stop there at the "Czeck Stop" or one of the bakeries for the kolaches. It's famous for that, and a Czeck cultural festival where we go to listen to polka! It's the kind of beloved, quaint little town you don't want to see something like this happen.
