Michael Maiello's picture

    Keep Calm and Friedman On

    Headlines are generally written by editors, not writers, so maybe I can cut Friedman some slack for today's, "Bring on the Next Marathon," with its obvious reference to George W. Bush inviting Iraq's insurgents to "bring it on."  Iraq's insurgents did, in fact, bring it on.  By the time Bush said that, it had already been broughten.

    What Friedman meant, of course, is that we should go about our lives in a free civil society and continue to hold public events.  We should clean up quickly, he argues, in the manner of the Israeli authorities, and not dwell or over memorialize terrorist acts.  No problem, Tom.  This is the public that reacted to 9/11 by going shopping while its government launched two wars, built out its flying death robot program and granted itself unchecked powers for domestic and international espionage while establishing an extralegal prison system that has so far survived two presidents.

    Friedman seems worried that the public will let the Boston attack damage the national psyche.  That is unlikely.  The bigger threat is that the public fails to question the way the government ultimately deals with this.

    The real issue is that people might react to this as Thomas Friedman did to 9/11, should this attack have its origins outside of America.  I'd hate to find us globetrotting again in search of "terrorism bubbles," and people who we can tell to "Suck.  On.  This."

    Contemporary Friedman admits that the U.S. may have "over-reacted" to 9/11.  But he doesn't say this definitively.  He doesn't address his own over-reaction from a decade ago.

    Also, though he doesn't quite say it, he writes as if he assumes that the attack was, indeed, connected to international terrorism or some sort of political terrorism.  At this point, we don't know it's those things are true or not.  We don't know if this is part of the continuum of our post 9/11 politics or whether it stands apart.  It's just too early for Thomas Friedman to start lecturing the public about how to react.

    We should hold out for some information, first.  A measured response to Boston, whatever its cause, will at least prove that we've learned something since 2003.

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    I've narrowed it down to either Lance Armstrong or the cigarette-smoking man. Or both.

    I've read that Alex Jones immediately called it out as a false flag operation, but then he sees nearly everything as a false flag operation. I do think that certain headlines are manufactured, or at least played up, to take our attention away from all the dilbit spilling here or the onerous legislation pending there, but this is something else again.


    I've narrowed it down to either Lance Armstrong....

    Excellent thinking, Sherlock. If only there were more outside-the-box guys like you at the FBI....


    Friedman's numerous analogies in the cited piece to Islamic terrorists are unsupported, unwarranted and can only work against 'what it is that makes us Americans'. This was not a Hamas suicide bomber or 9/11, to which he says "We probably overreacted". 'Probably'? He's still on the fence on that one?

    It's as likely as not that our wars over the last ten years gave whoever did this either the idea and information how to make bombs, and/or pushed them over the mental precipice into action.

    Perhaps the guy didn't want to change our way of life. There is absolutely no evidence of any political or ideological objective in this crime.

    Maybe he just wanted to kill and maim people. There are people out there like that, fortunately not many. Maybe it's not a good idea to aid them by allowing the unregulated unrecorded sale of the explosive that was used, at gun stores, or over the internet.

    An insightful and worthwhile piece of writing by Mr. Friedman would truly be a black swan.


    There are people out there like that....

    The Onion takes that and rolls with it ....

    (Warning for the conventional: unconventional "humor;" actually, maybe no humorous intent at all)


    So 'rolling with' jokes about this heinous act are OK the day after? Unconventional or disgusting and sick?

    Why am I not laughing? Death and dismemberment are not funny, nor is satire about FBI agents seeking help from the public in solving this crime. If you want to know what FBI agent Deslauriers really said it is here.


    Maybe you're not supposed to laugh. Maybe the essay is trying to get across the same thing you basically said, only doing it with satire.


    True but poor in taste.

    Funny no news/opinion site I've seen connects the fact that the last mile of the Boston Marathon was dedicated to the Sandy Hook victims, 26 miles and 26 victims, and the last mile is where the terror blast occurred....? Could this be a motive, frustrated gun nuts striking out? I guess we may know soon as post below says arrest has been made.

    We also know the Republican Senator who was mailed the ricin letter (sent from Memphis) had just last week voted against the gun filibuster of Rand Paul and assorted wingnut right wingers. We know these people can be violent crazys who can kill.


    Speaking of headlines and calm, The Boston Globe has a huge headline on its home page right now: AUTHORITIES I.D. POSSIBLE SUSPECT

    An official briefed on the Boston Marathon bombing investigation said today that authorities have an image of a suspect carrying, and perhaps dropping, a black bag at the second bombing scene on Boylston Street, outside of the Forum restaurant.

    Investigators are “very close” in the investigation, said the official, who declined to be named.

    That official said authorities may publicize their finding as early as this afternoon.

    The same official also said a surveillance camera at Lord & Taylor, located directly across the street, has provided clear video of the area, though it was unclear whether the image of the suspect was taken from that camera.

    Authorities planned to brief the media on the progress of the investigation at 5 p.m. today [....]

    I'm getting Richard Jewell dejas vus allover again. That said, we shouldn't expect them not to publicize this, as public tips are part of the crime solving process.


    And CNN TV has breaking right now that an arrest has been made. Double sourced, Boston law enforcement sources. (They're treating this like North Korea just bombed Guam, mho.)


    Now the Feds are denying that anyone has been arrested. 


    Anonymous source tells NYPost that everyone has been arrested.  We're all in custody but we don't realize it!


    Probably more true than you think!


    He's brown, no he's white.. no... he is an Oreo Cookie!


    As I noted somewhere that the crazy right wingers are out there calling for the death of all Muslims again.

    I am going to wait and see.


    Maybe he should wait to see if this is an actual issue, given that there are so many actual issues from which to choose. Watching the coverage of Lakers and Jazz games tonight to end the NBA season, it would seem to me that this particular issue may not materialize.

      The Afghan war wasn't an over-reaction to 9/11. When we do the moral arithmetic, it may prove to be unjustified, but it was a reasonable course, at least with what we knew at the time.


    The Afghan war? I dunno.

    There certainly is a reason for us to 'enter' that country.

    But why not Saudi Arabia?

    Iraq?

    We are goin into Iraq, find a way says w.

    I really am wondering what 'reasonable' means anymore.

    And to some extent, my choice for President has duplicated the sins of the  previous Administration.

    We saw the USSR go into Afghanistan and lose their asses. To say nothing of losing their entire nation.

    I'm just thinking.

    If I had the answers to all of this I would not be where I am right now.

    But then again, like 300 million plus Americans, I have not read the entire file on this subject.


    Uh, because Osama bin Laden was holed up in Afghanistan, not Saudi Arabia.

    But we could have removed the government, cleared out the camps and left, with a stern warning we'd be back if needed. Didn't need to stay for 10-13 years.


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