Blast In Boston

Sad to learn yesterday's news of explosions on the home stretch to the Boston Marathon finish line.

As tragic it is that so many were injured (with three reported deaths as of this post), from my view things might have been a lot worse (thank goodness not) had the explosions detonated near grandstands filled with fans for the first-to-finish celebrity/international runners.

Not long after the Boston blasts, I noted many news outlets quickly drew comparisons to the Centennial Olympic Park bombing during the 1996 Olympics, and NBC Nightly News pointed out how a lot of counter-terrorism measures kicked in after the 1972 Munich Olympics. The Associated Press compiled a list of U.S. bombings since the 1800s, with many bomb blasts with which I was not familiar.

Of course, sitting today in the Oklahoma City suburb Edmond, memories of April 19, 1995, are on the brain. So pleased it was not worse in Boston (those days/weeks just after the OKC bombing were rough).

Comparing notes with an Olympic friend last night, I shared my hunch is that the Boston attacks are the work of a domestic attacker, perhaps someone trying to copy the Centennial Olympic Park bomber in some way. The same friend suspects the attack is politically motivated given the international field of runners in the prestigious race. North Korea comes to mind but only as a result of recent headlines (seems highly unlikely they could pull off something in Boston and then sit on it without taking credit).

It's frustrating that only time and hard work by investigators will reveal the culprits. Here's hoping this one can get solved quickly with a lucky break (like investigators enjoyed in Oklahoma, leading to a quick arrest).

One has to wonder how the Boston Marathon attacks may guide the potential beantown Olympid bid for 2024, the city's third consideration of an Olympic bid. Security updates are already announced for the 2016 Games and the 2020 Olympic bid candidate cities in response to yesterday's events.

It's interesting to note Boston's many nicknames include The Athens of America. Be safe. Keep running!

Photos via this link