One of the hardest parts of absorbing the aftermath of the Boston bombings is coping with how little we know. The big questions are: Who did this, why did they do it, and will they be held accountable? With no answers immediately available in those areas, let’s examine eight things we actually do know:
1. We know, for the umpteenth time, that TV networks, tasked with filling long hours with little information, will engage in wide speculation and get hammered for it.
There is nothing wrong with wondering aloud whether the culprits stem from al-Qaeda or domestic radicals. But the air thickened immediately with suspicions about whether the media were leaning toward blaming jihadists, the tea party or other possible scapegoats.
2. We know that since we cannot stand not knowing, we will dive for our calendars to cobble together possible linkage to holidays or current or past events. While we all knew Monday was the tax deadline, most Americans had little awareness of the New England-flavored observance of Patriots Day. Only slightly more knew of the April 19 anniversaries of the end of the Waco siege and the Oklahoma City bombing, or the April 20 anniversary of the killings at Columbine High School.
We apparently need occasional reminders that such grasping for early clues rarely leads to useful conclusions.
3. We know President Barack Obama’s critics will look for any syllable to jump onto to bolster a portrait of him as an insufficient leader in such trying times.
I am among his critics, especially on national security, and I know the world’s terrorists are empowered by our withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the administration’s failure to identify the Fort Hood shootings as an act of war. But as he took fire for not saying “terror” every other word in his initial comments, I got the feeling the guy can’t buy a break sometimes.
4. We know we take for granted any long stretches without such attacks. With no repeats of 9/11 or Oklahoma City, we lulled ourselves into the kind of false complacency that makes us more vulnerable.
This is hard if not impossible to cure. There is no way we are going to put ourselves on a constant Israel-style war footing.
5. We know the freedom we cherish will always bring a certain measure of risk. We could surrender all kinds of liberties to ensure safety, but we would not tolerate it for five minutes.
6. We know the ripples from Boston will spread outward to events around the world, causing sizable worry. In London alone, a city that knows well what terror feels like, there is added urgency to protecting Wednesday’s funeral for Margaret Thatcher. I can’t imagine the tension that will surround the city Sunday for the running of the London Marathon, which is substantially larger than Boston’s.
7. We know those pesky surveillance cameras, opposed by many for privacy reasons — a curious assertion since streets are public places — come in very handy when authorities need to know details of events before, during and after horrible events like these.
8. And we know that although outrageous, horrific attacks like this show us the worst in a single person or group, they also shine light on the best in us. From first responders who help people for a living, to runners and bystanders who ran toward danger rather than away, the caring hearts and hands of countless people on the scene more than outweigh the evil motives of any terrorist.
The Mark Davis Show airs from 7 to 10 a.m. weekdays on KSKY (660 AM). He can be reached at markdavisshow@gmail.com.
Mark Davis: What do we know about the Boston bombings?
