Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2009. Peter and Mattie took the sides of a colorful box and tongue depressor sticks and used them to create a suspension bridge. It was a beautiful bridge and Mattie loved being able to drive his hot wheels cars over it. They played with this bridge for hours and days! The beauty of Mattie was he had an imagination and could see structures in his head, but the talent did not end there. He not only could see the design but he could also build it!
Quote of the day: Hate is a bottomless cup; I will pour and pour. ~ Euripides
In light of the horrific national tragedy in Boston, I feel that Euripides' quote is quite appropriate. Some people in our world are filled with hate, this is a GIVEN! Hate can be cultivated by or for various reasons, but it is nonetheless hate. Yesterday we saw the true impact of hate and disregard for human life. It was hate that inspired terrorism. I have listened to banter back and forth today about whether yesterday was indeed a terrorist attack. The semantics of this debate only served to infuriate me because I could picture myself in the shoes of someone who either attended the Boston Marathon or worse had a family member or friend impacted by this devastation. If I was that mother who lost her eight year old son in the explosion or was one of the 30 who lost a limb, I most likely would want to strangle someone over the debate the media has been creating all day over the word terrorism. Let's take politics out of the equation completely! Frankly when we can do that, people seem to think straight and more logically.
I am so perplexed by this debate, that I felt the need to look up the definition of terrorism. According to the FBI, "There is no single, universally accepted, definition of terrorism. Terrorism is defined in the Code of Federal Regulations as “the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives” (28 C.F.R. Section 0.85).
Yesterday's horror was perpetrated on innocent people, civilians! It was an event (I mean the Marathon) that had no political or social agenda for that matter. Yet the aftermath of such an attack caused sheer panic and horror! Cell phone usage in Boston was stopped because of the fear of detonating more explosives, air traffic over Boston was grounded, and the chaos that ensued on the streets with limbs flying, blood everywhere, and death curdling screams were unforgettable. This was not simply an attack and I am sure if you asked anyone who at this crime scene they would most likely say that the "use of force and violence against persons" was both intimidating, cruel, and achieved many social objectives.
Living in Washington, DC, I can safely say that I am sick of everything being politicized. During a tragedy like this semantics need to stop. Call a spade a spade and move on and help the city and people during a time of crisis. A crisis I may add which will live within all of these victims and their families for an eternity. While writing tonight's blog, I received a lovely email from my Boston friend, Angie. Angie and I went to graduate school together and though she lives in Rhode Island now, she was a constant support during Mattie's battle and now in our grief. Like myself, Angie is deeply saddened about what happened in Boston. Yet for both of us, Boston signifies a time when we saw each other daily and became friends. That kind of spirit and feeling will never die. I have lived in many cities, but to me Boston was special. I made very special friends there like Angie. I have no doubt this city will rise above this act of terror, but I continue to be perplexed, disheartened, and down right disgusted that anyone could get joy, satisfaction, and feel pride over inflicting human travesty and devastation.
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