Little Blue Suitcase

Thoughts on the Boston Marathon Bombing Aftermath

Little Blue Suitcase ♦ April 22, 2013 ♦ 4 Comments

Last week was  pretty tense. I was relieved when the second suspect of the Boston Marathon bombing was captured alive Friday evening. Now there is a better chance for answers, and hopefully there will be justice for the families affected by this tragedy. My husband and I bought a case of Sam Adams Light to celebrate as we watched the people of Boston celebrate on TV.

Samuel Adams: because Boston-brewed beer is better than the shit you drink.

However, the entire week was frustrating for me. Perhaps some of it had to do with my new diet. I just want to punch everyone in the face right now because I can’t have cream in my coffee, eat a doughnut, or order a burger at a restaurant without burning a near impossible amount of calories at the gym. God.

I just want a doughnut, okay?!

But my frustration also had a lot to do with people on social media following the events in Boston. For those who aren’t aware, I’m a Bostonian living in Kansas.

First, there was the lady I argued with about racial profiling. (Yes, I argue with random people via social media, because I’m that kind of douche). A friend of mine posted a link to this New Yorker article, which discusses the Saudi man who was arrested following the Boston bombing. The poor guy was injured and was trying to escape the area of the blast like everyone else, when he got tackled by some dumb fuck who thought he looked suspicious. Then his apartment was searched. Then a Fox News Producer followed the man’s college roommate, asking him over and over if he was sure he wasn’t living with a killer.

So my response to the article was that people are dumbasses and that I hate Fox News.  I also explained that I’m from Boston and there are so many people who are Muslim or of Middle Eastern descent who live, work, and go to school in the Boston area. So, having grown up in the area and being used to these people being, you know, everywhere, my first reaction to them is not “terrorist.” Actually, I don’t react to them at all, because they are usually just going about their business like everyone else.

I’m from Boston. I may not be the friendliest person, but I won’t think you’re a terrorist unless you’ve committed an act of terrorism.

So this random lady on Facebook  jumps down my throat, saying that I wasn’t there and am in no position to judge the situation from the safety of my home. She also noted that the last people that attacked our nation on our soil were Saudi Arabians, and that people still make that connection. So, essentially, racial profiling is okay in her book.

So I told her that I believe the last people who terrorized  people in the U.S. did so in Newtown, Conn., and Aurora, Colo. And they were both white dudes who were born in the United States, raised Catholic and Lutheran (respectively). And I said that automatically assuming a Muslim or a person of Middle Eastern descent is a terrorist in the Boston area is just dumb. You might as well assume that every 10th person you pass on the street in Boston is a terrorist. This woman reiterated that I wasn’t there at the scene of the blast and was in no position to judge. Well you weren’t there either, honey.

*sigh*

Then there was the lady I know who asked everyone to pray for President Barack Obama. Which I thought was great! Our President needs prayer. But in the midst of her prayer request, she threw in, “What a difference it would make if we had a president who was a follower of Jesus.”

So I looked at this lady’s name again, and realized that I’ve heard her call President Barack Obama a Muslim in a previous conversation. I left it alone the first time because I didn’t want to appear rude or get into a political argument. But since it happened twice, I felt the need to correct her, explaining that President Obama IS a follower of Jesus.

The Obama family engaging in what appears to be Christian prayer.

The lady’s main point was to pray for our President, which is a good thing. But, living in Kansas, I hear “Obama is a Muslim” pretty regularly, and it’s frustrating. I know he is a Christian and goes to a Christian church with his family. When he spoke at the Interfaith Service in Boston last week, he invoked Christian scripture and the Christian God several times, because that is what he believes in. He also invoked “One Nation Under God” during his speech following the capture of the second suspect. He may not be completely flashy about his faith all of the time, but if he was, wouldn’t he be the same as the Pharisees in the New Testament?

There is absolutely NO sound evidence to support the belief that President Obama is a Muslim. And even if he was a Muslim, I wouldn’t care, because it’s not a requirement for U.S. Presidents to be Christian.

But as a Christian, I am glad President Obama is also a Christian. And like all Christians, President Obama isn’t perfect. He is doing his best. And yes, he does need our prayer. I felt the same way about George W. Bush when he was our president, even though I didn’t agree with his decisions all of the time.

I felt a little bad about making an issue of it, but I’ve heard enough negative comments about Muslims while living in Kansas, and frankly I am tired of hearing them. One woman I used to eat lunch with at work even said that we should put all Muslims in concentration camps like we did with the Japanese during World War II. This was following the shooting at Fort Hood a few years ago. I was literally speechless for a few moments. Then I calmly disagreed with her and left the table. I never sat with her again. I just cannot stomach such ignorance.

This is generally how people feel about President Obama in Kansas. And I’m fucking tired of it.

Then there were the idiots in Malden, Mass., who attacked and harassed a Muslim woman who was walking with her infant daughter. Long before law enforcement identified the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, these assholes KNEW that Muslims were responsible for the bombing and felt that attacking an innocent Muslim woman carrying her baby was merited.

My friend Mike G. is from Malden, and wrote a hilarious post about the ignorant comments made on the local news article following the incident. He pretty much said everything I wanted to say on that subject.

Then there was the gun-toting ignoramus from Arkansas who tweeted this:

Oh geez. So I visited this guy’s Twitter page and noticed that he deleted the offensive tweet and replaced it with an apology to the people of Boston. So, because this guy will OBVIOUSLY give a shit about what I have to say, I replied to him,” Thanks for the apology, but the people of Boston don’t need guns to defend themselves. We’re not afraid to use our fists.”

Seriously… we will fuck you up if you mess with us or any of our friends.

Then there were the idiots who were convinced the U.S. had turned into a police state, even though the actions of law enforcement saved lives and led to the capture of the second suspect alive. Then there were the other idiots who were complaining that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev wasn’t read his Miranda rights. Well, dumbasses… he was pretty unresponsive and disoriented when he was captured, so I’m sure he wouldn’t have understood his rights if they were read to him anyway.

In closing, I’d like to say that the negative that came out of this ordeal shouldn’t overshadow the positive, even though sometimes it’s hard to view things in a positive light. I admire the people of Boston, law enforcement, and marathon runners who did everything they could to help people affected by this and to find those responsible.

A tweet from @TheBatman pretty much summed it up for me: “When Gotham needs a hero they look to Batman. When Boston needs a hero they just look to the person standing next to them.” I believe that is so true. Boston people can be very guarded and reserved, more out of respect for other’s space than rudeness,  but if they are on your side you don’t have a better friend in the world than a Bostonian.

I am proud to be from such an extraordinary city.

Boston Love <3