Reflections on the Boston Marathon Bombings

On April 15, 2013, a horrific terrorist attack occurred at the Boston Marathon, killing 3 innocent people and injuring at least 180 others.   Let us begin by first extending our deepest condolences to the victims of this tragedy, as well as their loved ones.  And let us hope that the perpetrator(s), whoever they are, will be brought to swift justice in the very near future.

We still do not know who is responsible for the bombings, why they were done, or even whether the terrorist(s) were foreign or domestic.  However, we do know that several partisan hacks on both sides are already trying to exploit this terrible tragedy for political gain.  The TSAP fully condemns any such opportunism, and we would have hoped that our nation, and especially its leaders and their media mouthpieces, would be mature enough not to do so.  But much to our chagrin, that has turned out not to be the case.

Finally, we must not let fear run our lives, for when we do so, the terrorists win.   And that is especially true when such fear induces us to give up our most basic civil liberties in the name of security, as Benjamin Franklin so eloquently noted.

UPDATE:  As of April 19, the two suspects have been identified and neutralized.  The two brothers were from Russia and had been living in the USA for several years, and it is still not known why they did what they did.  One was killed by police in a firefight, while the other is now in police custody.