Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 295

Suspect IDed in Boston Bombings?

UPDATE 2:45 p.m.  CBS tweets: "Man sought as possible suspect is WHITE MALE, wearing white baseball cap on backwards, gray hoodie and black jacket."  Traced by cell calls at scene...John King back on air doing shame walk.  Blaming "sources" and "confusion." Can't even be sure now that "ID" means name or just face in video. 

UPDATE 2:20 p.m.   Poor Jake Tapper: Covering non-existent "perp walk"...CNN covering ass by saying maybe not arrest, just brought in for questioning.   Now Fran Townsend taking back HER report and blaming "mis-communication" by others....Boston Police tweet: No arrest....NBC now almost mocking other news outlets reporting arrest (see: CNN and AP).

UPDATE 2:05  p.m.   CBS joins NBC in saying NO arrest and no firm name ID.  Meanwhile, AP says he's with federal marshals and on way to courthouse.  NBC now says feds will soon "refute" reports of arrests.  Pete Williams laughs and says, "Someone's right."  Top congressional source tells NBC that FBI just told him, "no arrest."

@Newsbreaker:  "CBS' Bob Orr: sources say bomber was on phone when he dropped second backpack. Cell records led to ID."

UPDATE  1:45 pm  CNN reports suspect now "arrested," based on two videos--claim to have both a federal and a local source on this.  AP: arrest "imminent" and suspect to be brought to court.  But NBC's Pete Williams claims NO arrest yet, have not found guy yet. 

Earlier:  CNN's John King reports (based on what he calls threesources) what he calls "breakthrough"-- officials believe they have ID'd a Boston bomb suspect from TV and Lord & Taylor department store video.  Claim he may be "dark-skinned male."  No details, or where he is, but hint is that he is on the loose.  (Boston Globe also reporting same.) They say they have "clear image" of face from video.  Man allegedly shown leaving backpack (left)  behind. Official briefing scheduled for about now has been changed to 5 p.m.  Only one IDed so far.

Earlier, Gawker looked at various internet sleuthing (often Reddit-based) based on photos and people with backpacks.

Americans Back Use of Nuclear Weapons

Interesting piece here at Pacific Standard on new study finding that Americans are all-too-willing to back a U.S. nuclear attack--a first-strike--to counter a foreign threat, as outlined in five separate scenarios.  In one of them, about 4 in 10 back a nuke attack that would produce the loss of 25,000 civilian lives vs. a conventional attack might also work and only kill 100.  It's too much to summarize here, so read the piece, but let me add: This doesn't surprise me.  Polls in the past have asked similar questions and brought, usually, similar results. 

And that's why I have continued to write about the atomic attacks on Japan for over 30 years now, in hundreds of articles and two books.  Since 1945 we have drawn a line against using the horror weapons--in the sand.  The message of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is not "never again" but--these weapons can be used, and defended, by officials, the media, historians and one president after another.  This is enough to motivate me to stay on this subject.  Trailer for my recent book:

Fight Terrorism--Throw Away Our Values!

Rasmussen touting its new survey today, in wake of Boston tragedy, showing that 51% of Americans back imprisoning terror suspects--even if not enough evidence for a conviction.  Just lock 'em up.  And 23% are "undecided."  That means only 1 in 4 stand by American values.

Obama Got Poison Pen Letter

CNN and MSNBC just now reporting that the president--according to Secret Service--got a "suspicious" letter with traces of the same toxin on letter sent to Sen. Roger Wicker (rare GOPer who backs Toomey-Manchin), that is, maybe ricin.   Arrived at mail facility, away from White House,  on April 16.   FBI called in.  Details to come.  Briefing in a few minutes. MSNBC claims a second letter with substance sent to Wicker.   MSNBC also says federal source tells them the Wicker and Obama letters "very similar."  All letters awaiting definitive testing on ricin.  One report that letters mailed from Memphis.

UPDATE #1  CNN: suspicious packages at both Hart and Russell buildings on the Hill, corridors closed off but not evacuated.  Office of Sen. Richard Shelby is one site... People told to stay off 1st and 3rd floors at Hart Building. 

Jay Carney just now at press briefing with nothing new.

UPDATE #2  Haz-Mat teams at Sen. Carl Levin's office in Saginaw, MI.  

Guns Have Changed--Ads, Too

Amazing vid/TV spot by gun control group shows guy walking into office and actually firing on boss--using old-style single shot rifle that he needs to stop and reload, with message, guns have sure changed, so do laws.   But bigger problem might be something else that has not changed with the times--the fundamentally undemocratic nature of U.S. Senate where Wyoming, New Hampshire and Alaska have just as much power as California, Texas and New York.

Colbert on Boston

Warns terrorists--nothing can stop the city.  It even survived Aerosmith. 

The Media and the Saudi

As usual, The New Yorker's Amy Davidson is great on how the media puffed up "Saudi in custody" (which I mocked from the beginning) as true suspect in Boston bombing when he was nothing but a victim.  Yet he was tackled at  the scene of the crime and interviewed and his apartment raided and possessions carried out--though not merely judged "in the wrong place at the wrong time."  Like so many others.  Who were there and ran.  But were not Saudis.

It might be comforting to think of this as a blip, an aberration, something that will be forgotten tomorrow—if not by this young man. There are people at Guanátanmo who have also been cleared by our own government, and are still there. A new report on the legacy of torture after 9/11, released Tuesday, is a well-timed admonition. The F.B.I. said that they would “go to the ends of the earth” to get the Boston perpetrators. One wants them to be able to go with their heads held high.

Snopes Debunks Boston Conspiracy Theories

Snopes are no dopes.  Here they usefully explore nearly a dozen crackpot theories or hoaxes or other Internet reports that invent or twist certain elements of the Boston tragedy, some tied to advance word on the blasts.  Among other claims by nut jobs: Woman "killed" at Sandy Hook "killed" again in Boston.  That guy in now famous photo who lost two legs in Boston? Actually a U.S. soldier who lost legs in war.  Advance warnings were posted on Facebook. Video of suspect--and a "guy on the roof."  A "controlled explosion" reported in a tweet.   And so on.   Also, the Family Guy mash-up, that I also cover here.

Fox Drops 'Family Guy' Episode Over Boston 'Hoax'

A recent episode of Family Guy happened to depict someone running in the Boston Marathon and, in his quest to win, running over a contestant.  In an unrelated segment, Peter hooks up with a terrorist and maybe blows up a bridge.  This sparked dozens of YouTube vids highlighting this, and sometimes editing clips to wrongly suggest the explosions were part of the marathon story line, to  "prove" point that Seth MacFarlane "knew" about the coming blasts, etc.  Fox and MacFarlane have now angrily removed the epsiode from circulation and YouTube is cracking down, but many clips remain.  The one below is just one example.

The Wolff Who Cried 'Ball'!

The great sports announcer and host, Bob Wolff--and my near-neighbor--has just donated 1400 tapes of his decade of work to the Library of Congress, the NYT notes tonight in a piece.  Bob (with Ted Williams, left) sat for an interview at his apartment, overlooking the Tappan Zee Bridge, for my book about coaching my son in Little League, "Joy in Mudville." His own son, Rick, played ball up to college, became a book editor in NYC and hosts a Sunday morning show about youth sports on WFAN.  His dad is the nicest of men, and still working, in his late 80s.