Dario

That said, Dario is right to point out that should there be a campaign of bombing than runs into months or years the Boston response is unwieldy, impractical, inordinately expensive and is more likely to engender paranoia and a sense of helplessness. In Israel, the only western democratic society to have dealt with systematic mass year-on-year attacks on its civilian population, the mess is cleared within minutes or hours of each attack and people just get on with their lives. The Israeli media comment, often with a note of pride, how quickly things have returned to “normal”. But in the end, each culture and society has to decide what suits them best. It is also worth pointing out the trauma endured by many as a result of these attacks. Psychological support to all affected is crucial, whatever the particular emergency response to any given attack.

Nonetheless, I believe that my thoughts on this probably represent those of a good many people at the moment. I think I made it clear in my post that I’m not so much second-guessing here as expressing the concern that, even though this may be SOP, and an effective SOP at that (they seem to have cornered the suspect as I write this), the ramifications of it and the precedent set is one that many people may question.

Some clarifications/explanations I would like to give regarding Dario’s post:

There were no paramilitary forces involved other than plainclothes officers of recognized law enforcement organizations duly authorized by the laws of the USA. There are National Guard formations who have been duly authorized by the governor of Massachusetts to support law enforcement personnel. They are wearing their proper uniforms and using properly indicated vehicles.

A reason for cutting cellphones is to prevent further detonations if the bombers were using such devices to trigger them. Further, such IEDs can be detonated, accidentally, by communication device emissions (radio, cell, etc).

Just because there are two persons identified in the field, does not, in _any_ way indicate that those two are the full extent of the cell, should they prove to be part of a terrorist organization.

Some Conjecture and thoughts:

Rapid, accurate deployment of overwhelming force (even potential overwhelming force) is its own deterrent. Showing the extent to which law enforcement is willing to go to put an end to the threat posed by such people is an effective deterrent. Anyone watching sees this, and can infer that it’s not a good idea to murder children and civilians, let alone police officers.

When officers are slain by criminals, perimeters are set and overwhelming force deployed to deal with the issue. The sole major difference in this attack is the external threat that could be linked to these two persons, making the level of response required that much greater.

With regard to our freedoms being infringed by the activities of the pursuing agencies: the people have the ability to change the policies of the government with their vote. Even before that, the courts are open and ready to hear the (I presume) multiple cases that will likely arise from this incident. I’m thinking primarily of the person arrested this morning for some activity that broke curfew, leading the media to think the gunman had been engaged.

It’s not fast, it’s not immediate, but it is the way our country (and the UK) for that matter) have survived over time. Laws are enacted. They are broken. They are changed (or not).