Atlantic Monthly Contributors's Blog, page 1089

While You Were Watching Boston, All of This News Happened, Too

As the world turned in the 24 hours since two explosions went off around 3 p.m. Monday, most of the world's attention turned to the aftermath in Boston. But other things were happening, believe it or not, so here's a quick primer on what you may have missed. 

Hope You Weren't Flying American Airlines Today! American Airlines grounded all of their flights — until 5 p.m. Eastern Tuesday, at the very least — while they figure out what is going on with their computer system. Their booking system, Sabre, which other airlines also use, wasn't working for them, so they couldn't do simple things required to get you on your flight like, say, print a boarding pass. But the technology company maintains it's not a problem on their end; that it was all American Airlines's fault. So, who knows what's going on here? Maybe Johnny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie are having a little reunion fun with your travel plans right now.  The Immigration Bill Is Ready for Its Close-Up... The bipartisan Gang of Eight — the senators working on a comprehensive immigration overhaul — are finally unveiling their deal after months and months of bickering and dealmaking and delays. It has some funny math. Once the bill is unveiled, it has to be debated and voted on before it ever reaches Congress, let alone the President. So there's that.  ...but the Gun Bill Is Not Senators Joe Manchin and Patrick Toomey are desperately trying to whip up votes for their proposed background check gun bill. Right now, they're just a few votes shy of passing the bill in its current state. They're considering adding an amendment — one of many to come — that would make people who live further than hundreds of miles from a gun dealer exempt from the bill's new provisions in order to lure on-the-fence legislators from rural areas.  An Earthquake in Iran Happened There's an unknown number of deaths in Iran and at least 34 in Pakistan after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck in a sparsely populated area in Iran's southeast region. Original reports said 40 people died in Iran, but government officials are now saying no deaths have been reported.  Everything We Knew About GDP Is Probably Wrong So, the guys who originally did GDP research and concluded that having a high debt-to-GDP ratio would slow economic growth were probably really wrong. A new study argues that an Excel spreadsheet error and an ignoring of certain information in the original research messed up the results in a major, major way. When corrected, their -0.1 percent decline in growth becomes a 0.2 percent increase. This has to mean something, right?  The U.S. Tortured Some People After 9/11 A new study released Tuesday concluded it was "indisputable" that the U.S. tortured people after the September 11 terrorist attacks. The 577-page report, which you can read here, is one of the most comprehensive unclassified investigations performed on potential torture use by an outside, independent group. The study was carried out by a task force from The Constitution Project and led by former members of Congress including Asa Hutchinson, the NRA guy. ...and a Pop-Culture Moment of Joy They're making a sequel to Pitch Perfect, and it will be out in 2015 and not much else has made anyone happier in these godawful dark times but that. Now go outside and smell a flower.        

What Is a 'False Flag' Attack, and What Does Boston Have to Do with This?

During the Boston Police Department's final press conference of a confounding and deadly day, someone in the audience asked if Monday's bombing was a "false flag" attack. We can both explain and answer that question.

The questioner — who appears to be Dan Bidondi, a radio host for InfoWars — asked:

Why were the loud speakers telling people in the audience to be calm moments before the bombs went off? Is this another false flag staged attack to take our civil liberties and promote homeland security while sticking their hands down our pants on the streets?

To which Governor Deval Patrick, at the mic to field questions, flatly responded:

No.

What is a "false flag" attack?

The term originates with naval warfare. For centuries, ships have sailed under a flag identifying their nationality. During times of war, ships would sometimes change the national flag they flew in order to fool other vessels that they sought to attack or escape from. They would fly, in other words, a "false flag." The term then expanded to mean any scenario under which a military attack was undertaken by a person or organization pretending to be something else.

What the questioner was asking, then, was: Did the United States government orchestrate this attack, pretending to be a terrorist organization of some sort, in order to justify expanded security powers?

Is There Historical Precedent for Such a Move by a Government?

There is.

The most famous example, however, is contentious. Conspiracy theorists (of which there are a lot in America) often suggest that the 1933 fire at the Reichstag in Berlin was a "false flag" operation by the Nazis to consolidate power and undermine the Communist Party. This is still a subject of debate among historians, some of whom think the man convicted of the crime, Marinus van der Lubbe, was actually responsible. In 1998, a German court exonerated van der Lubbe.

The nexus of fascist government manipulation and phony disasters has proven difficult for theorists to resist. Following most attacks similar to Monday's bombings, there have been accusations that they serve as a tool of government oppression.

For example, the murders at Sandy Hook Elementary were quickly labeled a "false flag" operation by conspiracy theorists, the implication being that the Obama administration wanted to use the tragedy to tighten gun restrictions. If that was the president's goal, the Senate wasn't on board with it.

Who is calling the Boston bombings a "false flag" operation?

Unsurprisingly, Bidondi's colleague Alex Jones, the founder of InfoWars, who tweeted this within an hour of the bombings to his 180,000-plus followers:

Our hearts go out to those that are hurt or killed #Boston marathon - but this thing stinks to high heaven #falseflag

— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) April 15, 2013

Alex Seitz-Wald of Salon noted that Jones went further on his afternoon radio program.

On his radio show, Jones speculated that it may have to do with the sudden drop in the price of gold, a favorite commodity of paranoids everywhere. “With gold plunging, what could this signify?” he asked rhetorically. He also noted that Boston has special significance in American history, and because it’s where one of the planes took off from on 9/11. “I said on air that they’re getting ready to blow something up. To fire a shot heard round the world like at Lexington and Concord, and then they do it at this same place on the same day!” he said.

This is the thing about conspiracy theorists: any and all explanations are considered viable.

Nor were InfoWars the only conspiracists; as of 10:30 p.m. Eastern on Monday night, a search for "boston marathon false flag" returned more than 85,000 hits on Google.

Why were loudspeakers asking everyone to remain calm prior to the blast?

There are no credible media reports or public law enforcement comments that they were.

Are elected officials legally obligated to reveal that they're participating in a "false flag" operation, like how cops are with entrapment?

Well, first of all, undercover police don't have to identify themselves if asked.

And second, no. If the Boston attack had been a "false flag" attack, Gov. Patrick would have responded "no" anyway. Asking the question reveals nothing about the situation, but an awful lot about the questioner.

So, was the marathon bombing a "false flag" operation?

No.

       

What Happened at Boston's JFK Library?

In the chaos following a pair of explosions at the final stretch of the Boston Marathon on Monday, a wild report suddenly appeared: another, possibly related explosion had gone off around 3 p.m. at the John F. Kennedy Library, located on the shore of the Boston Harbor, approximately 3.5 miles southeast of the initial explosions in Copley Square. (Check out the Wire's map to get situated with the geography of today's events.) But the "explosion" later turned out to be an unrelated mechanical fire. So how did word of a third explosion spread?

A quick review of Twitter isolated the first report of an explosion at the library: a publicly available audio feed pulled from a police radio band employed by officers dispatched to downtown Boston. As personnel blanketed the area, an unnamed officer, speaking into his radio, described a "confirmed explosion" at the library's facility:

"We're going to need to deploy resources over [JFK Library] - confirmed explosion over there." - Boston PD scanner

— Seth Mnookin (@sethmnookin) April 15, 2013

Despite the off-the-cuff nature of police radios — they're used to organize and deploy personnel, not verify and promulgate news — the unconfirmed comment was quickly picked up:

Confirmed explosion at JFK Library: cmplx.it/ZlZxIH That's two uncontrolled, one controlled, JFK explosion control unconfirmed.

— Foster Kamer (@weareyourfek) April 15, 2013

Boston Police Scanner: confirmed explosion at JFK library

— Lee Stranahan (@Stranahan) April 15, 2013

Shortly thereafter, the director of the JFK Library told the Dorchester Reporter, a local newspaper, that the damage onsite "was confined to a mechanical room near the archive section of the library" and the library's Twitter feed described the damage as a "fire":

Fire in building is out, appears to have started in the mechanical room of new building. All staff and visitors are accounted for and safe.

— JFK Library (@JFKLibrary) April 15, 2013

Investigators are investigating. Any tie to Boston Marathon explosions is pure speculation. More information as we receive it.

— JFK Library (@JFKLibrary) April 15, 2013

Here's what people onscene were looking at:

Here's photo of damage from apparent explosion/fire at JFK Library, via @davewedge twitter.com/DaveWedge/stat…

— HuffPost Politics (@HuffPostPol) April 15, 2013

THERE IS A FIRE AT THE JFK LIBRARY twitter.com/Pritt/status/3…

— ☕ vicky ☕ (@flirtnarry) April 15, 2013

Photo of JFK library but its unclear whether it was an explosion or just a fire! twitter.com/fr33man95/stat…

— Ben Freeman (@fr33man95) April 15, 2013

Within an hour, the Boston Police Department began spreading reports, via statements to the media, that the damage to the library was actually caused by an explosion which may or may not have been linked to the earlier explosions. One press officer for BPD told the Talking Points Memo that "There was another device, confirmed at JFK" that went off around or after 2:55 p.m.; another said the same to the New York Post, which noted that "Boston fire officials previously said that the third explosion was linked to the ones that occurred at the Marathon but later updated their information to say that the explosion was not related."

Then, at a press conference with Governor Deval Patrick at 3:50 p.m., Police Commissioner Edward Davis, based on his department's latest intel, announced that an explosion did take place at the JFK Library — contradicting reports by the library's own staff that the damage was caused by a small fire limited to a room housing the building's HVAC equipment. Davis indicated in one statement that he did not yet know whether the two incidents were related, but that "we are treating them as if they are." Later in the same press conference, Davis said they may be related.

The story soon changed as investigators conclusively determined that an explosion — accidental or planned — had not in fact wrecked the library. At 5:22 p.m., BPD's Twitter feed announced that the damage onscene was limited to a fire:

Update JFK incident appears to be fire related #tweetfromthebeat via @cherylfiandaca

— Boston Police Dept. (@Boston_Police) April 15, 2013

Commissioner Davis, “The preliminary investigation indicates JFK incident may not have been an explosion. It may have been a fire."

— Boston Police Dept. (@Boston_Police) April 15, 2013

At 6:23, the library announced on Twitter that the fire had been put out, and that there were no injuries to report:

The fire in the building is out. Appears to have started in mechanical room. All staff and visitors are safe & accounted for.

— JFK Library (@JFKLibrary) April 15, 2013

The Boston Globe soon reported the details of the fire: "The fire started just after 3 p.m. in the vicinity of HVAC equipment in a section of the building opened in 2011 that houses offices, a classroom, and some archival material, said library spokeswoman Rachel Flor. The fire was quickly extinguished." (While it's still unclear how exactly the fire started, it was nothing like the explosions at Copley Square.)

Thus ends — for now — one of the stranger subplots of Monday's events, which took the lives of at least two people and appears to have injured more than 100. On one hand, the concern was understandable: smoke doesn't exactly billow out of libraries every day, and the coincidence was plausible enough, given the number of unexploded devices found lying around downtown Boston. On the other hand, it wasn't exactly clear why a group or a single individual, if wishing to target human beings, would place an explosive device in a library's maintenance room. The open disagreement between two very official sources — the Boston Police Department and the staff of the JFK Library — only added to the chaos that each was trying to dispel.

To keep up with news as it comes in — and the array of reports, both confirmed and unconfirmed — be sure to keep up with our live updates tonight and going forward.

       

Why Was the New York Post the Outlier in Boston Marathon Coverage?

The New York Post is either the most well-sourced newspaper in the country, the luckiest paper in the country, or an awful rag stirring up hate for Muslims. It depends on who you ask on a wild Monday in Boston, really. And whether or not they can prove a controversial report is correct.

The Post reported around 4:28 p.m. that a 20-year-old "Saudi national" is "under guard" by police at an undisclosed Boston hospital, according to "law enforcement sources." They did identify him as a suspect. They also reported 12 people were killed in the attacks, even though only two victims have been reported by Boston police so far.

Initially, it seemed there wasn't a hope in hell the Post's report was accurate. A Boston police department spokesperson told Talking Points Memo's Hunter Walker that they didn't know "where [the Post was] getting their information from, but it didn't come from us." And the news about the Saudi Arabian suspect seemed to infuriate many observers on Twitter. "Friends: please try to refrain sharing information from NY Post. Great headlines, poor reporting standards," said one. "Remain calm and don't report anything from the NY Post," said another. "Its better to be right than be first. The New York Post is learning that the hard way today," someone opined. "The New York Post's writing today has been criminal. Reporting that a Saudi was responsible is yellow journalism at its worst," and so the pile on went. Others were a bit more measured with their criticism. There is, after all, a chance the Post is right: 

The New York Post seems like it's going to either be very right or very, very. very wrong.

— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) April 15, 2013

No one in custody means no one yet arrested/charged, but NBC and NY Post both reported man under guard at hospital.

— Evan Hill (@evanchill) April 15, 2013

For NY Post Superfan @batemanny: If it comes out in the wash that 12 people were dead and a Saudi was in custody three hours ago, mea culpa.

— Sean Gentille (@seangentille) April 15, 2013

So the Post is either so far ahead of the story the story or wrong in the worst possible way. The truth likely lies somewhere in the Post's choice of words, as it now seems they may be vindicated in the end. Reports are still foggy right now, but it seems the Post was more right than wrong about everything. NBC News is now reporting Boston Police are "guarding" a wounded man at a Boston hospital. CBS' John Miller is also reporting a Saudi national was taken into custody after the bombing. Miller also said the suspect is denying any involvement with the bombings. The L.A. Times adds that a Saudi national was taken to a hospital and questioned about the attack, according to federal law enforcement sources. "The person was not identified as a suspect," they add, though. 

       

Stories of Kindness After the Bombing

In all the horror in Boston Monday, there are also heartening stories about how kindness emerged from tragedy: people on Twitter urging others to note the people who run towards the explosions, not a way from them, to help; stories of heroism from runners; journalists who ran the marathon, springing into action to cover the story; the first responders. As we remember to be good to one another in the face of this event, here are some of those initial reports. 

There have already been staggering images of the first responders helping: 

First responders (Photo: Kylie Atwood/CBS News) twitter.com/pourmecoffee/s…

— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) April 15, 2013

Police react in aftermath of explosion #bostonmarathon #boylstonst (John Tlumacki photo) twitter.com/BGlobeSports/s…

— Boston Globe Sports (@BGlobeSports) April 15, 2013

The NBC Sports Network tweeted about runners who kept running to just to aid those left behind: 

Reports of Marathon Runners that crossed finish line and continued to run to Mass General Hospital to give blood to victims #PrayforBoston

— NBC Sports Network (@NBCSN) April 15, 2013

Some runners offered their jackets to help keep people warm: 

At copley. Runners offering each other jackets to keep warm. Even in heartbreak there is good in people.

— Megan Johnson (@megansarahj) April 15, 2013

But it was also the residents of Boston, who stepped up to help in the aftermath. The Boston Globe's Martine Powers talked to a woman who explained that she was in the tunnel heading to the race's "last stretch" when runners were stopped by police, after they heard there were explosions "Residents from the houses along the route brought out food and water for the runners."

Ramsey Mohsen—who has been chronicling his experience at the marathon, including his time in the sidelines before the bombing— posted a photo of a local Bostonian giving people a bathroom to use and orange juice.

Later, Ali Hatfield, who was with Mohsen and appeared to have been running the race, tweeted: 

People are good. We met a woman who let us come into her home and is giving us drinks.

— Ali Hatfield (@AliHatfield) April 15, 2013

Mohsen wrote: 

Our Bostonian host Margaret is telling us stories about her husband who was a writer for Time Mag #bostonmarathon twitter.com/rm/status/3239…

— Ramsey Mohsen (@rm) April 15, 2013

At this point- all of us are just trying to laugh, find the good, and make this best of this situation. #BostonMarathon

— Ramsey Mohsen (@rm) April 15, 2013

The number of people who are opening up their homes to the displaced has also been evident, in the number of people who have  put down their information on a Google Doc, offering shelter for runners via Boston.com. 

And there were other isolated tales of kindness from the community: Boston Globe reporter Chelsea Conaboy noted two pastors with Bibles offering comfort: 

Two Lutheran pastors walking Commonwealth, Bibles in hand. For those who need comfort, they said. #marathonbdc

— Chelsea Conaboy (@cconaboy) April 15, 2013

In other cases, there were just simple moments of love, noted amid the chaos: 

Couple just reunited. twitter.com/megansarahj/st…

— Megan Johnson (@megansarahj) April 15, 2013

And intercity love, too:

(Click here for news updates from the darker side of a very dark day.)

       

After a Bombing in Boston, All Quiet In Washington

President Obama addressed a nation uneasy from a long day (click here for updates) of viewing photos of bloody Americans and did not tell them much. "We still do not know who did this or why. And people shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all the facts," he said on Monday evening. "But make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this, and we will find out who did this, we'll find out why they did this." Unlike CNN, which was defending their coverage moments before the President spoke, Obama did not use the word "terror" to describe the attacks. 

Obama was not alone. Most of Washington, where tragedy seems to be habitually followed by political posturing, did the same. Political officials were quiet after the bombings, with no elected officials rushing to politicize the tragedy, unlike some pundits. The House and Senate had moments of silence. Official statements were mostly perfunctory expressions of sympathy -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he was "shocked and saddened," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said her prayers were with the victims and first responders. That was true across the country, from Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "Praying for the victims of the Boston Marathon tragedy and their families #PrayforBoston," House Speaker John Boehner said. The offices of both Obama and Boehner released photos of the men somberly getting the news by phone.

Pundits, of all leanings, who used social media to inch out in front of the news, were quickly shouted down. The New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof initially said on Twitter that the event demonstrated why Senate Republicans ought not block the confirmation of a nominee for director of the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms bureau, but relented soon after in the face of criticism: "I take it back." The Wall Street Journal's James Taranto at first reacted to the announcement that Obama would make a statement by tweeting, "Obama is going to make a statement. Boehner is going to have a moment of silence. Advantage GOP." He deleted the tweet minutes later: "Critics of my last tweet have a point. Deleted."

"We've reaffirmed that on day like this there are no Republicans or Democrats," Obama said once he finally addressed the cameras. "There are only Americans." For an afternoon, that was true.

       

The Best Ways to Contact Loved Ones After the Boston Marathon Bombings

There is at least some relative calm amidst the panic that is the "ongoing event" in Boston right now: Cellphone service is overwhelmed in the area, but there remain important ways for people to reach loved ones online.* (The Boston Globe is reporting "at least 100 people" injured as Mass General and local hospitals became flooded with a gruesome scene pouring out from the finish line of the Boston Marathon.) Text messages appear to be getting through sporadically, but family and friends have been connecting on social media all Monday afternoon, as thousands descended on Twitter and Facebook to confirm the good news, share the bad, and sort out the mess of an explosive and horrifying day when seemingly everyone knew someone in Boston.

Tweets were difficult to parse amidst all the swirling news reports, but prayers and well wishes shone through — another example of how disaster can "slap the silly" out of Twitter, and transform it back into a useful platform, when things of this nature unfold:

Everyone. I'm ok! No cell service & this is first I could get to wifi. Very Close call...rattled but lucky. Praying for #Boston love u all

— Nick Gismondi (@NickGismondi) April 15, 2013

Guys I'm home now and safe. Thank you for checking. Cell service is totally jammed up. Friends in #Boston: use texts, they are going through

— Matt Kurkowski (@mkurkowski) April 15, 2013

Facebook has proven perhaps an even more useful resource, as an easy way to update many close friends at a time, especially as text messages stopped going through clearly and efficiently. The social network's own version of "at" messages has allowed Boston area residents to send good news to multiple people:

It's unclear if these messages are making their way live to the web via data networks or wireless working, but Twitter via text message is another option, since text messages seem to be working every now and then.

In addition to social media, Google has released an extremely useful "person finder" for the Boston Marathon explosions, which is useful for those in Boston and elsewhere, as it has widgets for people with information about others — as well as those looking for people. Indeed, we've come a long way since the posters of loved ones taped on New York City buildings eleven Septembers ago.

Still: Don't panic if you can't find the person you're looking for — the Google database may not have all the information, and it's running slowly. The Red Cross's Safe and Well System serves a similar purpose, where people can register information about yourself or someone you're looking for. There are also these Boston hotlines for families of victims: 617-635-4500. And, for tips: 1-800-494-TIPS.

For those not getting any signals from people they know down at the event, this marathon tracker will tell you how far along in the marathon registered runners had gotten.  The explosions started happening at 2:50 p.m., for reference.

Stay tuned right here for live updates.

*Cell phone service was not shutdown, as the Associated Press had reported. The Boston Globe cites cell carriers and volume issues.

       

Map: Key Locations in the News of the Boston Marathon Bombing

We're mapping locations central to the Boston Marathon bombing. If you have suggestions for additions, please leave them in the comments. The map is zoomed in on the location of the explosions; zoom out to see other items.

Race course and finish line. The race came in from Commonwealth Avenue, down Hereford Street, then turning left onto Boylston Street. The finish line was in front of the Boston Library. Blast locations. The two blasts occurred along that final stretch, the first closer to the finish line then the second near the intersection of Ring Road and Boylston. Additional devices. The Times reports that several additional unexploded devices were found. One, near the explosions, was destroyed in a controlled detonation. Another was reportedly found in Newton, Mass., which hosted part of the race — though that report has been disputed. The Fairmont Copley Hotel staging area. The hotel, near the Plaza was cleared and used for treating the wounded. JFK Library fire. After a police scanner reported an confirmed explosion, JFK Library officials tweeted that the fire there was not related to the bombing. Evacuated buildings on Boylston Street. A hotel and the nearby convention center were evacuated.        

A Reminder to Be Good to Each Other

Something terrible has happened in Boston, this is clear from television and from the Internet, from photos on Twitter, from the news reporters on the ground, and from the images of those left bloody and wounded by what's currently being reported as two explosions located near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, near Copley Place. We don't, of course, know exactly what happened—this story, like all breaking news stories, will continue to unfold and will certainly continue to upset and horrify us as it does so. For now, we do know that something's dreadfully wrong. 

Personally, I'm furious about this. I'm disgusted, I'm heartbroken, and I feel sick. And I want to take my rage out on someone or something, I really do. 

Today is Patriots' Day in Boston, which makes what happened in a seemingly safe place, where people were doing something positive and life-affirming that they've trained and worked to do for months or longer, even more heartbreaking. The Boston Marathon is run on Patriots' Day every year; the two days—Marathon Day, Patriots' day—are nearly interchangeable in that way. And as someone who has lived in Boston very near the spot where the explosions occurred, and enjoyed my own Patriots' Day off work to cheer on Marathoners, I can say that I am sure the streets were full of happy people just before this happened, people who had no idea what was about to happen, and that adds to my heartbreak and sense of futility. We don't know who or what or how this occurred; what exactly it was, or if there's any chance that it could be other than a purposefully devastating act (as more reporting comes through, that chance seems increasingly unlikely). Newscasters have been careful to point out that it could be an accident of some sort, and reporters who've covered similar stories are quick to say that we shouldn't jump to conclusions. We know this. At the same time, everything coming through on Twitter, online, on TV, is enough for us to know that it's awful. And that whoever did this, if someone did this—that person is the worst sort of reprehensible coward there is. But again, we don't know yet. We know so little.

When the news began to emerge, like many others, I was listening to the Pulitzer Prizes being awarded. So were a lot of people around the Internet, around America. It was a thrilling moment, full of hope and positivity, too—and suddenly, with this news, everything is changed. In an instant, everything is different. It's brutally, horribly different for those 2 currently reported killed, for the 23 now being reported injured (a number that's since gone up to 100 or more), for loved ones of those people, for people who were there, for people who are trying to track down those they care about. It's different if we're police or emergency workers. The situation is far less different for those of us safe in our offices, watching the news from afar. But we all feel it; if we have feelings, we feel it, and we are angry. We want to know, and we want to blame, as if that will help our anger dissipate. We're also scared. Are there more devices? Could something else happen next, in another town, in the same one? Emotionally we are vulnerable and terrified, grieving for those whom we may have lost, grieving for the national innocence we have been slowly but surely hoping we might someday reclaim, despite setbacks, despite tragedies.

I am angry that the tragedies continue. 

And in anger, safe behind our computers, some people snark or troll or do truly nasty things. (If this is something you have done, shame on you; really. You need to be better.) Less deplorable—or more understandable, perhaps—are those reactions toward people who we feel have done the wrong thing, when we say this media organization shouldn't have tweeted this, or that we can't believe so-and-so kept talking about the Pulitzers after the news broke. It's reasonable as a complaint, maybe, but it's not necessary, and it's not helpful. None of that's going to make us feel better, because honestly, who cares about that, at a time like this? If there is a time we should care about each other, and try to find the best in humanity in general, it is now. We are not enemies, here. Whoever—whatever—caused this is. As we try to find out what happened, let's be good to each other. There will be plenty of time for outrage later. There are more important things right now than getting angry at each other. 

       

The Boston Marathon's Final Mile Was Dedicated to Newtown Victims

Adding further heartbreak to utter tragedy, the last mile of Monday's Boston Marathon, which was rocked by at least two explosions resulting in an unknown number of injuries and casualties Monday afternoon, was dedicated to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting massacre. Boston Athletic Association president Joanne Flaminio said before the race that had a "special significance" because it was 26.2 miles long and there was 26 victims in the Newtown attack. There was also a group of Newtown parents running as part of a group called Team Newtown Strong who were raising money for local charities. A banner honoring the victims, hung at the end of the 26th mile, can be seen in the photo above. 

"In the first twenty miles we're honoring the twenty Sandy Hook first graders," Laura Nowacki, a spokesperson for Newtown Strong, explained to WBUR Boston. "When we crest Heartbreak Hill, and we're coming back towards Boston, we run the final six for our six fallen educators, including their lives, to protect our children." 

There was a 26-second moment of silence for the victims before the race started. 

Update, 4:07 p.m. Eastern: Newtown families were reportedly seated in the VIP section right by where the explosions went off. There's no word whether they are among the 23 injured and two dead from the explosions. Click here for updates.