Originally Posted by MarylandNed (Post 10661991)

Well be careful who you share your humor with. Not many people will see anything humorous about a young woman dying after having her abdomen ripped open in front of friends and family, an 8 year boy being blown to pieces in front of his mother and sister, limbs being torn off people and blood flowing on the sidewalk. Maybe you should keep that part of your "culture" under wraps for a while.

Originally Posted by MarylandNed (Post 10661965)

I lived in Northern Ireland through the absolute worst of 'The Troubles' and I experienced things that I'm still trying to forget. I see nothing good in glorifying that period at all and I see no need for sick jokes. I don't even know how we got on this track because the suggestion that the IRA had anything to do with yesterday's events is one of the most ludicrous things I've heard.

Originally Posted by MarylandNed (Post 10661975)

Bob, I'm sure you're a good and intelligent person. I've read enough of your posts to guess that about you. You've helped many people with many really great posts. That one was just a bad one - as I'm sure you know perfectly well even if you won't admit it.

Originally Posted by Jerseygirl (Post 10662093)

The 6 year old sister of the young boy who died has lost a leg in the explosions. Their mother has had to have brain surgery.

Originally Posted by paddingtongreen (Post 10661962)

The objective me is looking at this and thinking that we effectively do the same thing with drones in Pakistan and Yemen and....on a regular basis, we kill more and injure fewer each time, but we are not horrified by it when we do it to somebody else.

We are a hypocritical society.

Originally Posted by Hiro11 (Post 10662182)

I'm uneasy with this comparison. It's certainly true that the results for innocent people affected are the same. However, I'm not sure I can draw a direct line between precise drone strikes against an enemy who deliberately surrounds himself with innocents and an indiscriminant bombing of zero military significance at the Boston Marathon. In my mind, these are not comparable or "morally equivalent" situations.

Originally Posted by MarylandNed (Post 10661975)

Bob, I'm sure you're a good and intelligent person. I've read enough of your posts to guess that about you. You've helped many people with many really great posts. That one was just a bad one - as I'm sure you know perfectly well even if you won't admit it.

Originally Posted by paddingtongreen (Post 10661962)

The objective me is looking at this and thinking that we effectively do the same thing with drones in Pakistan and Yemen and....on a regular basis, we kill more and injure fewer each time, but we are not horrified by it when we do it to somebody else.

We are a hypocritical society.

Don't be mistaken, I am as sad as any at these bombings, but I will wait till there is evidence before jumping in and blaming somebody.

The Saudi guy was badly burned and running away so they treated him as a suspect! After the first explosion, I would move away quickly because there are often additional devices to get the responders when they crowd in.

Originally Posted by kimilseung (Post 10662001)

No one said the IRA did it, someone said it reminded them of the IRA. It made me think of the bad old days too.

MaryandNed you are bringing disharmony to this thread, that is inappropriate.

Originally Posted by Gordon Barlow (Post 10662227)

And remember that drone-pilots specialise in "double taps", when they wait for rescuers to arrive at the scene and send a second rocket to kill them.

Originally Posted by Gordon Barlow (Post 10662227)

I think from the point of view of the bombers, they ARE comparable and "morally equivalent". Both sets of bombers (in Boston and Afghanistan) set out to kill and mutilate innocent people. And remember that drone-pilots specialise in "double taps", when they wait for rescuers to arrive at the scene and send a second rocket to kill them. We don't know yet whether there was a "double tap" planned for Boston.

Originally Posted by Hiro11 (Post 10662411)

Again, confused as to why you're bringing this up. Are you equating American military drone strikes with terrorism?

Originally Posted by Hiro11 (Post 10662411)

I'm really confused, are you saying that American military drone pilots deliberately target rescuers and innocents? If so, that's a ludicrous claim. Perhaps you are using "drone pilots" in some other sense? Grasping at straws here.