The Swamp

AB_skin_test wrote:I think there is a pretty good chance that they panicked. Tried to wait until dark and then get the hell out of town.

Yeah. But why last night? The only thing that makes sense to me is that they really thought there were no photos of them anywhere, and they might get away with it. So they didn't want to disappear and become suspects. But then when the public photos were released, they knew they had to scatter.

But what that doesn't answer is this: if they were trying to get away with it, why was the second guy not even remotely concealing his identity at the Marathon?

J-lo... I don't know, so this is a legit question... Do the Chechen rebels/terrorists blew themselves up, as a rule?

It might be that they've kind of modified the martyr thing a bit, and these kids just picked up on that.

Again, not that they were coordinating with them, or were trained by them, but more that they were just using their "playbook."

=-=-=-=-=

Now I gotta go figure out the answer to that question.

Nonlinear FC wrote:J-lo... I don't know, so this is a legit question... Do the Chechen rebels/terrorists blew themselves up, as a rule?

It might be that they've kind of modified the martyr thing a bit, and these kids just picked up on that.

Again, not that they were coordinating with them, or were trained by them, but more that they were just using their "playbook."

=-=-=-=-=

Now I gotta go figure out the answer to that question.

Ok, looks like a mix of suicide bombings (beginning in 2000) and hostage situations. So... nothing definitive.



And I need to stop.

Well that's nice...

By the way, from my limited perspective, I'd say 99.9% of people are complying around here.

I have seen one non-official car on my street all day, and no one is walking.

Jerloma wrote:Well that's nice...

because shooting a guy strapped with explosives is a great idea.

I've seen that on Facebook, too, just without the cowering liberal aspect.

My response, "yeah, because what we need now are a bunch of panicked citizens taking shots at everything that moves in their backyard."

I tried CNN. I lasted almost 8 minutes.

howard wrote:I tried CNN. I lasted almost 8 minutes.

Rules.

garyclark wrote:The alleged wife.

Why the fuck are they describing her as "middle class?"

By the way, the Daily Mail is about 58 steps down from Gawker in journalistic integrity.

Nonlinear FC wrote:

Scottie wrote:

It just seems extremely bizarre that these seemingly well-adjusted kids just up and decided to pull something like this off on
their own. And that's not to say anyone helped them plan it. But planted the seed?

Not by any means the first time:

viewtopic.php?p=4130#p4130" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Right, sure... there was the American captured in Afghanistan right at the very beginning of this entire GWOT. He and those kids joined something.

The question I'm raising is, basically, where these guys "got religion."

In the case of the Canadian high-school kids, it was quite likely that they became interested in Islam and Al-Qaeda simply because, particularly the latter being anti-social, they thought it was "cool".

The Chechen angle is odd. Attacking, say, a Russian consulate (or a similar entity) is one thing. But the Boston Marathon? That sounds more Jihadist than East-Euro political.

Scottie wrote:

Johnnie wrote:Suspect 1: Mike Mulugeta.

Johnnie wrote:Police scanners said the 2nd dude is Sunil Tripathi, the missing Brown student.

And that's precisely why you should not repeat unsubstantiated rubbish. Those two guys, whoever they are, had their names reditted, tweeted, facefucked, name it, a million billion times last night. Hell, reddit went nuts over some photo of "Sunil" because it was definitely confirmed to be the same guy! as the FBI photo.

As always, dead wrong.

True. But there's a difference between me saying it on the Swamp and me being paid to say it on TV.

AB_skin_test wrote:

howard wrote:I tried CNN. I lasted almost 8 minutes.

Rules.

No one wants to see that, trust me. Rules suspended.

Maybe I am unfair to single out CNN. Each network is worse than the last.

howard wrote:I tried CNN. I lasted almost 8 minutes.

They have to be the worst. Constantly framing everything under the sun as "BREAKING NEWS"? Like Wolf Blitzer is taking over for Anderson Cooper at the top of the hour and that itself is BREAKING NEWS!

CNN has had little but a constant stream of maybe possibly could be. But, hey, it's BREAKING NEWS that the suspect may possible could be perhaps hiding, or maybe he's laying in wait, or maybe he was shot by the cops last night, he could have been. Possibly maybe! It's CNN!

I never did find a good American network for this. There is a 24-hour cable news network in Canada that has reported this with remarkable restraint. Typically they'll say "we'll return to this story if any substantiated information comes our way", no rumor mongering, and then they move on to a story about some maple syrup crises.

Johnnie wrote:

Scottie wrote:

Johnnie wrote:Suspect 1: Mike Mulugeta.

Johnnie wrote:Police scanners said the 2nd dude is Sunil Tripathi, the missing Brown student.

And that's precisely why you should not repeat unsubstantiated rubbish. Those two guys, whoever they are, had their names reditted, tweeted, facefucked, name it, a million billion times last night. Hell, reddit went nuts over some photo of "Sunil" because it was definitely confirmed to be the same guy! as the FBI photo.

As always, dead wrong.

True. But there's a difference between me saying it on the Swamp and me being paid to say it on TV.

The Swamp, sure. Few read it. And I'm not calling you out; I quoted that only because it had the names posted (errantly).

How many people read those names on so-called "social-media"? Or heard those names on local Boston TV stations? Or saw them from countless "news sources"? Or tuned into the BPD scanners? Millions. And . . . how many apologies or corrections have you heard? None.

While we are slamming the media, I'll relate an anecdote from the 1990s. I was at O'Hare airport in Chicago, waiting to board a little puddle-jumper plane to Dayton. As it would happen, there had been a plane crash in the area the day earlier - the exact same type of little puddle-jumper plane. One of the local news teams had sent a reporter and cameraman to the airport gate area, and lo and behold, I was asked if I would talk. The (gorgeous) news reporter asked me on-camera if I was concerned about flying in that plane. I truthfully responded that I wasn't concerned, because I assumed that if there was a problem with that particular model, it would have been grounded. Not the answer they wanted. To the trashcan with that bit of tape. So, they cut my interview short and went looking for somebody who would express concern and anxiety for their interview.

Speaking of CNN . . .

Just flipping through the networks a couple of moments ago. Within the same minute I heard:

"This is the suspect's Twitter account; here's what he said on Twitter . . . " (CNN)

And:

"We stress that it is impossible to verify that this is the Twitter account of the suspect." (CTV News)

There are a number of "profile" stories coming out now (I read a very long piece on boston.com) saying the older brother was of the angry, domineering sort. There's a lot more to it, but here... http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/04 ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Today's MacKinnon cartoon:

garyclark wrote:But what that doesn't answer is this: if they were trying to get away with it, why was the second guy not even remotely concealing his identity at the Marathon?

He's a nineteen-year-old guy.

He's a moron.

'Lockdown' lifted, transit resumed.

8-10 hours or so of extreme precautions is not the worst thing in the world wrt liberty, I suppose. It still bugs the shit out of me. A lot of armor, firepower, drastic measures and most of all fear over one dude. It sure invites more of the same.

My bet is dude is dead. Hit by a slug last night, bled out (or internally) and will be found in some cellar or hole in a day or two.

So at some point this turns into "embarrassing clusterfuck," right? I see the amount of assets to devoted to one 19 year old for the last 15 or so hours and I can't help but think that this is a failure.

During the scenes last night it all seemed warranted. Now that the T is back and people are leaving their homes, all of these up armored vehicles and tactical SWAT teams roaming around looks crazy.

sancarlos wrote:While we are slamming the media, I'll relate an anecdote from the 1990s. I was at O'Hare airport in Chicago, waiting to board a little puddle-jumper plane to Dayton. As it would happen, there had been a plane crash in the area the day earlier - the exact same type of little puddle-jumper plane. One of the local news teams had sent a reporter and cameraman to the airport gate area, and lo and behold, I was asked if I would talk. The (gorgeous) news reporter asked me on-camera if I was concerned about flying in that plane. I truthfully responded that I wasn't concerned, because I assumed that if there was a problem with that particular model, it would have been grounded. Not the answer they wanted. To the trashcan with that bit of tape. So, they cut my interview short and went looking for somebody who would express concern and anxiety for their interview.

I had a similar experience when I was in New Orleans a few years back, except the "reporter" led me so far down the path that she was essentially coaching me on what to say. The subject was strippers petitioning BP in order to be included in the big payout, and I was drunk at the time, so I was happy to say how much I supported them in order to get on the news.

Also, to backpedal another step, there is a report of seven explosive devices recovered by the cops. If they had credible info to suspect some placement of some other bombs around the city, sure that changes things.

I will not give in to fear. I want our society to do the same; I fear we are doing the opposite. That's my point, succinctly.

ETA: Well, one little fear. I fear no Jeopardy! for me again tonight.

I'm not happy that I'm literally a couple of blocks outside the area where they just finished doing a house-by-house search, and this guy is fleeing by foot ... Just sayin'.

Grab a cell camera and go hunting.

Gunfire in Watertown.

Keep yr head down, garyclark.

howard wrote:Gunfire in Watertown.

Keep yr head down, garyclark.

My wife and I were torn. On the one hand, we're out of gin. On the other hand, a great way to get this kid out of his hiding spot is for the cops to lift the stay-at-home ban.

We decided to stay at home and drink vodka.

Town Diner - i used to eat there every week when i lived there. just bizarre.

serious shit going on right now for sure - police and ambulance flying.

They got him.

Fox reporting suspect is down; live camera shot shows a dude lying motionless.

They started to roll an ambulance up, then reversed. Now they are rolling up a bomb-disposal armored truck.

He was hiding in a boat, under a canvas cover. Franklin Street, I believe, near Birch.

ETA: sorry, near Center Street. Birch doesn't intersect Franklin.

Body language of cops def changed. Relief, and crime-scene security now.

Please, don't have kilt the wrong dude.

Fox reporting suspect is alive, but surrounded, and moving.

Other tv channels are losing (if Fox's reports hold up).

ETA: I'm sticking with he's dead. Cops look way too relaxed.

@CBSNews BPD are asking social media users not to post information they hear on police frequencies/scanner channels.

Because it is usually wrong?

Yeah, Howard, "dead" is a darn good bet.

Boston Globe reporting that he's not moving.

CNN currently speaking with Christina Aguilera regarding her thoughts on the manhunt.

Scottie wrote:Yeah, Howard, "dead" is a darn good bet.

Even in the Schroëdinger sense.

BBC showing ~10 cops at the ready presumably near the "boat" - i don't see any bodies or talk of such.


it'd only be slightly funny if it were a raccoon or a fishercat in there

Johnny Hotcakes wrote:Boston Globe reporting that he's not moving.

CNN currently speaking with Christina Aguilera regarding her thoughts on the manhunt.

The real scary thing is that I have no idea if you're joking or not. I assume you are, but it's entirely possible you're not.