I don’t make a point of watching the news. In fact, quite the opposite. It’s one of my many quirks, and certainly one of the most publicly known. So when I got home and started looking at my email, the first thing I saw was a message with the title “Explosions in Boston?”
I blinked. WHAT?!?! I did not just see that… It’s a joke. An Internet hoax. A prank.
Please, God…
So I Googled it.
My stomach plummeted as I found listing after listing, all within the previous hour, talking about the explosions. The first thing I did was turn on the TV to the first news station I could find, which happened to be ABC.
I haven’t turned it off yet.
In the last few hours, I’ve tried to go on with my work while listening to the news. I’ve gone back and forth on a nightmare seesaw between disbelief and horror and sadness and rage. Tears have pricked at my eyes, and I’ve had to fight back the urge to scream my complex and furious emotions out. Right now, I’m just trying to keep a grip as more information comes out.
One thing I’m certain of at this moment is that this was not an act of war.
This was an act of terrorism.
This was a vile, vicious, cowardly act targeted at innocent bystanders who attended an American tradition to cheer on the marathoners, those marvelously dedicated and insane people who run distances that make us mere mortals shake our heads in disbelief and thank God we have cars, unlike that first Greek messenger who hoofed it from the Marathon plain to Athens to let the city fathers know of a major victory. This was directed at civilians who had done nothing but gone out on a public street to observe athletes in action. This was the act of people who have no regard for human life and thought that blood would make fine ink for writing whatever message they were trying to send.
As of this post, 83 people have been injured. Two are dead.
One of those two was an eight-year-old girl.
God damn whoever did this to the darkest Hell any demon has to offer.
What the responsible person or persons forgot in this situation was who they were fucking with. You don’t do shit like that to Americans and expect there won’t be consequences. You don’t kill innocent people in this country and figure to walk. We fight, squabble, bicker, and scrap amongst ourselves, but something like this brings out the best…and the darkest…in us.
“Don’t start none, won’t be none” is our motto.
Test it at your own peril.
I’ll be back soon, y’all. For tonight, I’m watching the news.
Until next time,
Best,
J.S. Wayne
ETA 16 Apr 13, 8:15 am: The death toll now stands at 3, with over 150 injured. In the wake of this, I am pledging 20% of all author proceeds from my entire bibliography until June 1st to assist victims of the tragedy with medical and, God help us all, funeral expenses. Also, Changeling Press has arranged a special coupon for a 7.5% discount on available work, with 15% of profits to assist these people as well. The code is BOSTON2013, and it’s only valid at the Changeling website.
This is how Americans respond to things like this. Let the world take note.
