h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

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"One would hope any good Bostonian worth his (her?) tea, would be checking out their first floor windows, with their trusted AK47 in their hands, in the event they spot this thug" [Stone Aart, post 102]

I don't keep weapons on hand. Granted, I have a carving knife, but I've never had it sharpened, so I doubt it would be of much use as a weapon. heck, it'snot all that great as a carving knife.

"While I understand that it's unavoidable for political reasons, I think it's fair to say that the reaction (locking down the whole city) is excessive" [Dogster, post 119]

It hasn't been clear what areas are locked down, and what areas aren't. Watertown and Somerville have policemen going door to door. In West Roxbury, all the stores are closed. In Dedham, which is next door, the Stop and Shop has long lines because everybody has to go there to get their groceries. The Stop and Shop in Hyde Park was allowed to open at 2:00. There were two messages left on my answering machine, which I did not check when I went out to get the bus this morning. I waited at the bus stop for an hour. Turns out, if I had checked my messages, I would have known the buses weren't running. The concert rehearsal I was supposed to go to has been cancelled anyway.

At the risk (as usual) of ruffling feathers and being
totally misunderstood I'd like to point out that the
wiki link posted by SA concerning the definition of
'terrorism' does not include 'industrial terrorism'.

What's that you ask. Well...

Much of the concentrated attention being paid to the hunt
for a crazy teenage killer in Boston is no doubt nothing more
nor less than political, media and police misdirection away
from the West Texas disaster where dozens of people are still
listed as 'missing'. They were presumably evaporated by a firebomb
that has destroyed an entire small town and the dangerous chemical
plant it surrounded.

Why are they not hunting down the owners of that facility?
Yes, it was an 'accident' but it was waiting to happen.
Last Federal Safety inspection in 1985.


~jwf~

Obviously. If there hadn't been an industrial accident, Boston police would've waved the bombers on their way.

>> the West Texas disaster .... destroyed an entire small town and the dangerous chemical
plant it surrounded. ... Why are they not hunting down the owners of that facility? ... <<


What I find puzzling was why people were allowed to get up close to it to video the fire just before the ammonium nitrate: there should have been an emergency evacuation procedure ... fire plus fertiliser plant ...

However it seems the plant operators didn't perhaps communicate well the fact it was storing hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate ... those fire fighters didn't stand a chance


From the web:
"The Occupational Safety and Health Administration had not inspected the plant since 1985, when it was cited for five serious violations and fined $30"

A million people in the Boston area were told to stay in their houses for 10 and a half hours today. The lockdown was imposed at 8:00 this morning and lifted at 6:30 this evening. My choral group is scurrying to reschedule our dress rehearsal that was cancelled today.

Well, at least the buses and trains are running again.

As I type the Breaking News has just reported the gunfight with 20 or 30 shots has occurred and they are reporting that 'Suspect #2' is down and still alive, he has not yet been apprehended.

There is no excuse for what they did, but I would like to learn the motives.

for the victims

F S

I would like to learn the motives too. What I'm afraid of is that they won't make sense to anyone except the suspect.

Several sources that they've caught the little nobber. Some news outlets are reporting him dead, but the police have confirmed he's very much alive.

Brought in alive. Let's see what justification the toss pot can invent.

His house is said to have contained more bombs.

>> Let's see what justification the toss pot can invent. <<

The police will be able to work out his "agenda" now, from checking his and his brother's computers, emails ... etc.

They have every right to.

Look, seriously, will you stop treating the cops like the bad guys here?

It seems to me that your understanding of some my comments doesn't match my understanding of what I thought I had written. My latest comment was just a "straight" comment. My point was who cares what this thugs says ... the police can get the answers from going over his computer and emails etc. Are you suggesting that I am saying the police shouldn't be allowed to access his computers and emails?

My mistake.

For reference, the misunderstanding stems from your use of quotations around the word "agenda." In a typed format it seemed that you were being sarcastic.

I put quotes around agenda because agenda normally implies some rational thought out process and I'm not sure that can be ascribed to this thug. I have been putting quote marks around words which I believe could be debatable (within context) of the full sense of the words meaning ... and sort of leave it up to the reader whether to accept that word, with its full meaning, within the sentence. Anyway, I will think about reducing my use of quotes in this way if it leads to too much ambiguity.

Just to add rarely do I use quote marks to be sarcastic. Personally I don't like the use of sarcasm as it doesn't progress debate. For me people use sarcasm to end debate.

Is that right?