Boston Marathon - what the heck?

[Thilde]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-boston-marathon-explosion-20130415,0,641755.story

 

Just got home from a simple grocery trip, and found out about this.  I'm so sad.    This stuff is scary.  Anybody know anybody who was running in the race?

[AgentsSka]

I'm angry.  Thus far, my friends are safe and sound.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

[Thilde]

I'm angry.  Thus far, my friends are safe and sound.  Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Yeah, I hear ya.  Rage is a good word for it.  I was wondering how many NFers were there as spectators or runners, or knew someone who was there.  I know quite a few Rebels hail from the Boston area. I feel for the families of the people who were killed or injured.  The video in that article I linked is pretty intense.  I imagine even those present who were uninjured will have some psychological struggles dealing with what happened, just seeing/being nearby something like that.  

[AgentsSka]

It's my favorite day of the year.  However, I just flew back from Cali last night and had to be in work today.  Otherwise, I would have been there cheering on the runners and enjoying the revelry.  I wouldn't have likely been at the finish, but this is all so surreal.

 

And re: the psychological struggles - indeed.  I was listening to an interview with a cameraman who was relaying some of the images he saw, and it was clear he was in shock.

[Random Chic]

I have a couple of good friends in Boston that are both thankfully accounted for.  

 

Dang it.. life is hard enough without nutbars blowing people up and shooting people constantly. The shooting in VA last Friday was at my local mall.  

 

Also, I survived 911, the Anthrax killings, and the DC sniper while living in the DC metro area.  

 

The shooting and kidnapped kid in the news in Alabama recently was around the corner from my Dad's house.  

 

It's getting to where I can understand agoraphobics who are afraid to go outside!  I will go on living my life and going outside but I'm really beyond fed up with gun/bomb toting nutbars.  

 

Thanks for letting me vent on your thread.

[Thilde]

I have a couple of good friends in Boston that are both thankfully accounted for.  

 

Dang it.. life is hard enough without nutbars blowing people up and shooting people constantly. The shooting in VA last Friday was at my local mall.  

 

Also, I survived 911, the Anthrax killings, and the DC sniper while living in the DC metro area.  

 

The shooting and kidnapped kid in the news in Alabama recently was around the corner from my Dad's house.  

 

It's getting to where I can understand agoraphobics who are afraid to go outside!  I will go on living my life and going outside but I'm really beyond fed up with gun/bomb toting nutbars.  

 

Thanks for letting me vent on your thread.

 

Vent away.  I figured we might need a place to blow off some steam.  I just feel so helpless....it's surreal to be here at my house in the middle of nowhere, with the sun and the birds and whatnot, and know that in Boston it's been chaos and fear for the past few hours.  

[Unos]

it was in the Danish news as well, did not look good.. i don't hope this is going to be the "new thing"... bombing a marathon race.. come on..

[Irish Oisin]

I was watching the footage earlier, this is truly awful. Really scary shit.

[Michael_Blacksmith]

Yeah, I hear ya.  Rage is a good word for it.  I was wondering how many NFers were there as spectators or runners, or knew someone who was there.  I know quite a few Rebels hail from the Boston area. I feel for the families of the people who were killed or injured.  The video in that article I linked is pretty intense.  I imagine even those present who were uninjured will have some psychological struggles dealing with what happened, just seeing/being nearby something like that.  

As emotional and difficult as this event is, I don't know if rage is best suited. Whatever the intent of this horrific even was, playing into negativity only gives power to the hate that caused this. As difficult as it is to stay positive, showing compassion and reaching out to those injured and coming together as a community of humans will take power away from those that threaten and destroy, and give it to those that love and support. 

 

I don't mean the post to seem cold or indifferent, but I am taking it as a challenge not play into and give in to the same mentality that caused this. My heart goes out to all the people who's lives have been touched by this.

[BeautifulBeast]

Its heartbreaking. I can't imagine all those people there cheering on their loved ones and then out of nowhere they are thrown into a war zone. What statement could such pointless violence make? What point could it prove? My heart is broken and now more than ever I am determined to run a marathon if for no other reason than at least 1 person, me, will remember the victims of today's tragedy beyond the next 2 weeks.

[This is Seth]

Boston nerd checking in, I checked in with the other nerds whose numbers I have and they're all okay. Luckily all my friends were already on their way home when this happened.

It was surreal to watch the stream all day. I walk that sidewalk every other week to visit a client or the mall.

[Huntress]

The saddest thing. My thoughts and best wishes to all affected.

[Pretzle]

I saw it this morning and I have to say it really did hit me. It seemed so surreal (and even though I'm pretty much still a beginner when it comes to running) and this was the first time something horrible happened that made me think 'Wow, I could have been there if circumstances were different'.

 

Obviously these things are always ridiculous, but why a marathon? In a horrible way some targets make sense, but this one? Nope.

[Ananke86]

I would love to say something profound to soothe hurt hearts or something philosophical to make sense of the tragedy but all I can think to offer is this:

 

"Fighting terrorism is like being a goalkeeper. You can make a hundred brilliant saves but the only shot that people remember is the one that gets past you." - Paul Wilkinson, London Daily Telegraph, Sep. 1, 1992

 

I don't mean this to come across as Americans dropped their guard and this happened, I use this quote to say that this is one incident, and as much as you protect yourself and those you love you can never stop the unexpected or unseen. Offers of love and support from across the world and we are keeping you in our thoughts.

[JediNickD]

I have friends and family who were within 2 blocks of the explosions.  Luckily, they are all safe and took to helping out where they could.  Two are nurses at Boston hospitals and will be busy.

 

I'm still waiting to hear from some of my rugby friends in the Boston area.  I hope all of the Nerd Fitness community is safe.

[JediNickD]

Patton Oswalt putting the Boston bombing in perspective:

 

http://www.uproxx.com/tv/2013/04/leave-it-to-patton-oswalt-to-put-the-boston-bombing-in-proper-perspective/

 

 

 

I remember, when 9/11 went down, my reaction was, “Well, I’ve had it with humanity.â€

But I was wrong. I don’t know what’s going to be revealed to be behind all of this mayhem. One human insect or a poisonous mass of broken sociopaths.

But here’s what I DO know. If it’s one person or a HUNDRED people, that number is not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet. You watch the videos of the carnage and there are people running TOWARDS the destruction to help out. (Thanks FAKE Gallery founder and owner Paul Kozlowski for pointing this out to me). This is a giant planet and we’re lucky to live on it but there are prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence. One of them is, every once in awhile, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they’re pointed towards darkness.

But the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We’d have eaten ourselves alive long ago.

So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, “The good outnumber you, and we always will.â€

Read more: http://www.uproxx.com/tv/2013/04/leave-it-to-patton-oswalt-to-put-the-boston-bombing-in-proper-perspective/#ixzz2QdB394jP

 

 

[cline]

my cousin and her daughter were one block away. 

 

my friend finished the race but I don't know where he was hanging out and don't expect to hear from him for a while.  Am trying to find people who have phone numbers for his family.  He finished at about 4 hrs so should have been in family area.

[AgentsSka]

I've seen Patton's post on just about every social media site.  It's something everyone noticed yesterday.  From the first responders that ran towards the explosions, from the runners that crossed the finish line and continued running to hospitals just to volunteer to donate blood, to the people that volunteered to open their homes to people who needed a place to stay, to the restaurants and hotels that didn't charge a dime for food yesterday afternoon.  The good will always outweigh the bad.

 

But,

As emotional and difficult as this event is, I don't know if rage is best suited. Whatever the intent of this horrific even was, playing into negativity only gives power to the hate that caused this. As difficult as it is to stay positive, showing compassion and reaching out to those injured and coming together as a community of humans will take power away from those that threaten and destroy, and give it to those that love and support. 

 

I don't mean the post to seem cold or indifferent, but I am taking it as a challenge not play into and give in to the same mentality that caused this. My heart goes out to all the people who's lives have been touched by this.

I hear what you are saying, Michael. However, then I read things like this in the Boston Globe:

 

This is how bad this is. I went out Monday night and bumped into some firefighters I know. They said one of the dead was an 8-year-old boy from Dorchester who had gone out to hug his dad after he crossed the finish line. The dad walked on; the boy went back to the sidewalk to join his mom and his little sister. And then the bomb went off. The boy was killed. His sister’s leg was blown off. His mother was badly injured. That’s just one ­family, one story.

And, I think of how I took my kids there last year.  And, yes, I get angry.  I don't believe that I'm "playing into their mentality."  Some coward(s) came here and messed with my city, my friends, fellow runners,  fellow humans.  I'm angry.  F them!

 

So, I'll use my anger and channel it into something good.

[AgentsSka]

my cousin and her daughter were one block away. 

 

my friend finished the race but I don't know where he was hanging out and don't expect to hear from him for a while.  Am trying to find people who have phone numbers for his family.  He finished at about 4 hrs so should have been in family area.

Keeping my fingers crossed for your friend and his family, cline.

[RisenPhoenix]

And to think I was initially bummed that my company didn't give us the day off.  My coworker was 3 blocks away from the finish line, as she actually took the day off to watch the race.  Don't know any of the city's Rebels, but sent out feelers to all my non-Rebel friends to make sure they were okay.  It amazes me how fast the story unfurled through social media.  The shear number of "I'm okay" posts I saw from my friends was astounding - and extremely relieving.

[AgentsSka]

This is a great article about the spirit of the Marathon & what it means to Bostonians and New Englanders.

[JessOfAllTrades]

Patton Oswalt putting the Boston bombing in perspective:

 

http://www.uproxx.com/tv/2013/04/leave-it-to-patton-oswalt-to-put-the-boston-bombing-in-proper-perspective/

 

Patton Oswalt's quote was making the rounds with my facebook friends yesterday as well. Definitely helped me process some of the feelings that came up with this. I can't even imagine what everyone in Boston and involved with the marathon is going through.

[cline]

Keeping my fingers crossed for your friend and his family, cline.

 

thanks.  After much texting, calling, emailing, we've found out a coworker of his knows for certain he's okay but we have no other news.  So that's good.  His wife was not running it so that's also good.  We don't know about any of his friends yet.

 

And everyone is right - Boston will carry on in fine Boston tradition.  It's a great city filled with wonderful people.  We all grieve and we are all humbled.  We all stand with Boston. 

[Terinatum]

I'm just... I can't find words. I just get tears in my eyes and say WTF?!? How can someone be so harsh and cruel? What kind of statement could that person(s) possibly have that even comes close to relating to the marathon? I know, I don't want them hurting anyone. I'm just dazed by this. Even having served in the Marine Corps, getting hit at home is hard to deal with. Marines are always taught to be strong and invincible and if you are hurt it's because you were out there, serving. Damn it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fuck You killer!     

     

[AgentsSka]

They have no statement that relates to the marathon.  It was the stage with the most coverage and the easiest access.