Reflections on The 10th Anniversary of The Boston Marathon Bombings

It was 10 years ago today when two terrorists inspired by al Qaeda detonated two bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killing three people. The two perpetrators later shot and killed a M.I.T. police officer before one bomber was killed and other was captured in nearby Watertown.

The Boston Marathon by tradition is held on Patriots Day which is observed in Massachusetts and in Maine (as Maine was once part of Massachusetts). Patriots Day observes the beginning of the American Revolution when the first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord. 

In the years I had this day off I would either attend a Red Sox game at Fenway Park which always commenced at 11 a.m. and then watch the Marathon or I would take a train to Concord to visit Walden Pond and Minuteman Historical National Park. Ten years ago, I chose the latter plan, and it might very well saved my life. As it turned out, my mother in Thunder Bay, Ontario knew about the bombings before I did and called to see if I was alright. 

While it was readily apparent this was an act of radical Islamic terrorism, President Obama was unwilling to describe it as such. His former top advisor David Axelrod revealed that Obama actually thought that Tea Partiers were responsible for the attack in protest of "tax day". In the pre-Trump age, such thinking was sheer nonsense. If such a thing were to happen today the possibility could not be disregarded. Then there was Alex Jones who insisted it was a "false flag" operation as first responders tried to render aid the injured. Both theories were equally preposterous as if to absolve the responsible parties of their actions and the religious ideology which guided their attack. 

It is all well and good to be Boston Strong, but we cannot truly remember such a heinous act unless we acknowledge why it happened. While such attacks have receded in recent years, nevertheless, a critical mass of the Muslim world is perfectly happy to wantonly kill civilians in order that we submit to their will including among some Muslims who live in the United States. Of course, imposing "Muslim bans" are immoral in principle and unworkable in practice. After all, one only need an internet connection to transmit ideology. We must remember this when it happens on U.S. soil the next time be it tomorrow, in 10 years from now or in 100 years from now. Let us not pretend otherwise.

I don't have much confidence in this coming to pass given the sympathy the surviving terrorist evokes when it comes to implementing the death penalty where none is deserved not even on account of his relative youth. Under the circumstances, death is the only appropriate sentence for the Boston Marathon bomber.