Here is a list of things I don't understand, questions I'd like answers to, and miscellaneous things that make no sense to me about the official and media accounts of the events surrounding the Boston marathon bombing.
I haven't linked to anything below but you can find it all easily enough, reported throughout the mainstream new media. None of this is culled from conspiracy websites.
I don't purport to have any answers and I am not trying to create sympathy for these young men, or in anyway minimize the utter horror of what happened in Boston. But the official story doesn't make any sense, on any level.
These shots of people celebrating in the streets worries me. Politicians are calling for this kid to be tried as an enemy combatant. His Miranda rights are being debated. We need to be very careful.
- Updates 4-21. It's interesting, on this subject, how quickly many will leap to put the questioner on the defensive, because they don't like the implications of the questions. This is a common rhetorical technique of people on the other side of the political fence: go for the personal and emotional, change the subject, put the questioner on the defensive, kick up a fight. (And of course, I fall for it below). Or, find one particular question in a long list that is the weakest and focus exclusively on that one, using it to discount everything else that has been asked. Or, since CT is well known to be banned, demand that I post my theory. Or, accuse the writer of being beholden to nutty internet rumors while haughtily passing along unfounded assumptions or theories of their own - not based on the facts as reported, but based on the starting position of presumption of guilt.
For the record, I find it entirely implausible that the U.S. government and law enforcement are trying to pull off a large scale, coordinated "false flag" operation. I am neither rooting for that nor suggesting it, and I hope all of these questions are eventually explained in a way that is plausible. I also realize it is very, very early. What I've written is simply a sample list of questions that don't add up right now, and are bothering me. I only posted it because the more I read, things don't add up.
I stand by my questions - and I stand by the fact that the MSM is not asking the authorities about these conflicting statements - and we are now 2 days later. Lessons are out there to be learned from.
- Specific updates / comments inline.
• Two young men who have lived in America for years and are - by all accounts - nice, stable, kind, average young people suddenly decide to bomb a marathon in the city they've called home for a decade. Not one person interviewed who knew them can say a bad word about them, or that they showed any signs of being able to do this sort of thing. In fact, they are universally praised as kind, smart, functional, athletic, happy young men.
- Commenters are objecting to this characterization, particularly because the older brother has been reported to have turned towards conservative Islam in recent years and a visit overseas. But, so far that seems like a leap to conclusions that the reporting doesn't support. If you actually read this article carefully, CNN is saying
But there is so far no evidence of active association with international jihadist groups.
The NYTimes also reported the authorities don't have much to go on right now, nothing to suggest this level of violence. Everyone is reporting - and the FBI has said - they looked into the brother and there wasn't anything there.
Furthermore - and this should be obvious to people around here who are normally sensitive to stereotypes - just because Tamerlan Tsarnaev moved in a more devout, religious direction doesn't mean he's a terrorist. Posting religious videos, even conservative posts with political overtones doesn't equal murderer. That's not evidence of a crime.
• There's an effort to tie them to Chechnyan / Muslim radicalism - particularly Tamerlan, the older brother. A young man with a small child, married toa Christian-born woman, decided to bomb spectators at a race in the name of Allah?
- I will be relieved if and when they find this clear link, but there's no fit right now, imo. Others have pointed out that having a family doesn't preclude suicide bombing which is true. However, having radical beliefs or living in a war zone do seem to be required, from my perspective. Those people also typically go out in "martyrdom". Just because he may have written at one point that he feels like he doesn't fit in with mainstream American culture (a sentiment, by the way, that I bet many around here have expressed), that doesn't establish motive to murder.
- Fixed reference to wife's religion to make it more accurate
• Dzhokhar's twitter feed reads of your average, American teenage boy - talking in hip-hoppy youthspeak, lighthearted and benign. Obviously very connected to a local clique of average American friends who speak of him universally as a popular, smart kid. He decided to bomb spectators at a race in the name of Allah because his brother wanted to? And then went back to school to go to class and party with his friends?
- If you want to talk about CT, CT is people pulling selected posts from this feed to demonstrate intent that simply is not there: "our conclusion has been reached, now we just have to find a post that could be evidence."
• These two young men had enough brains to pull off this bombing at an event that ostensibly had some level of security. And they obviously decided not to blow themselves up as martyrs. Why did they have no plan to get out of town, much less the country that they hated so badly?
- The response to this is that they didn't think it through, they thought they would get away with it and just go on pretending life was normal. This has happened with other random, spontaneous acts of violence. But it doesn't really fit terrorist acts and it doesn't fit with something that required a lot of planning.
• The FBI - only after both suspects have been removed - says that they interviewed Tamerlan as a potential extremist a few years ago. His family goes much further and says they were keeping tabs on him for years. Why is it they could not identify him from many photos the day of the bombing? Why did they have to release the photos to the public for help identifying them?
- The response to this is because one of them was wearing sunglasses the software didn't work, or that they knew but just wanted everyone else to know. I don't think the first one holds up technically, but I will admit I am not an expert on facial recognition. The second one doesn't make sense, strategically.
• Why did the police initially report that they robbed a 7-11, and then later retract?
- The response to this is that the carjacking was at the 7-11. This sounds plausible. However, this is still being reported otherwise, and current reports have the carjacking being reported at a gas station. The current, official story seems to be that they were there, in the 7-11, and there was a robbery, but it was co-incidence.
• Why did they kill the MIT security guard? Why hijack a vehicle? According to the police, they had two vehicles during the shootout, so they already had a vehicle, why would they hijack another? If police were looking for the other car, then why continue to drive both...much less draw attention to themselves by attempting a hijack a car a few blocks from where they just murdered an officer?
- Not yet explained.
• As murderous, hunted terrorists who had already tried to kill a bunch of innocent people, why would they confess their identity and crimes to their car jacking victim and then set him free?
- Not yet explained and this man remains unidentified. Thankfully, Fox News has it all wrapped up for us.
• Why were there early reports - quoting police scanners - that the suspects had hijacked a State police SUV/truck? At the time, the police already had the report of the hijacked vehicle from the victim himself. That victim's report is how they tracked them down (there are conflicting reports of car GPS vs. cell GPS).
- Not yet explained. Could just be miscommunication during the chaos.
• The suspects were fleeing in vehicles from the police. Somehow, while fleeing in a moving car, they were lobbing home-made pressure cooker bombs at the police? Some police reports say they threw "a grenade".
- Not yet explained.
• At some point, they apparently decide to stop their cars in unison, get out, and confront the police on foot. The police then open fire on them, shoot the older brother, and tackle him to the ground. They are "distracted" with that while the younger of the two gets back in black SUV and drives over his brother. Six officers on the scene, an official says - presumably dozens more seconds away - and no one gives chase? According to the police, he then drove a couple of blocks and ditched the car.
- Not yet explained.
• The surgeon at the hospital reports that Tamerlan died from multiple gunshot wounds and shrapnel wounds consistent with an explosive device. No mention of injuries consistent with being run over by an SUV.
- Partially explained. Some reports say that the FBI limited what the surgeon could say to the press. Though that's odd.
• 200 rounds were reportedly fired in a 5 to 10 minute stretch? That's a lot of bullets.
- Some people disagree. Fine.
• Both the police and media reported that 15 officers were treated for minor injuries sustained during the shootout. But there only were six police on the scene?
- Not yet explained. Could just be miscommunication during the chaos.
• Why the reports that they found the getaway car later in the day and it was a gray Honda CRV? The police officers at the shootout said he was in the black SUV when he ran over his brother. The gray Honda CRV was the other vehicle they were driving.
- Not yet explained.
• The chase, shootout, and escape all occurred in westbound direction from Mt Auburn and Dexter to Laurel to Spruce, in Watertown. Dzhokhar was eventually found a couple of blocks over, just due West. How did the police not search this area? They claimed it was just outside their dragnet? Look at it on a map. This makes absolutely no sense. Out of the entire army they had going door-to-door, not one thought to look under a covered boat? One that the owner immediately saw had been disturbed, cut, and had bloodstains on it?
- Not yet explained.
• Maybe he was hiding somewhere else. But Dzhokhar was shot at least twice and therefore bleeding profusely. There was blood all over the boat, the homeowner said. The police presumably found the getaway car since it was reportedly dumped a couple of blocks from the shootout. There was no blood trail to his hiding spot? No scent for a police dog to follow?
- Not yet explained.
• The suspect was too weak to attempt any aggressive action towards the unarmed homeowner who discovered him. One might safely assume he was barely conscious from blood loss. Yet when police show up, they report he engages them in a gun fight. And then suddenly decides to go peacefully.
- Not yet explained.
• Finally, it's over and the authorities are quite confident they've got their men and everything can return to normal. How do they know that already? And what, if anything, about the suspects justified moving in an army, shutting a whole city down while engaging a manhunt for a wounded, 19-year old kid?
This one, if this account is accurate, to me, is explainable. If the police had legitimate concerns that there was a weapons cache with more bombings planned, then I can understand shutting down Boston. In light of that, however, it is quite odd how vocal the public pronouncements that it is all over and they have everyone. Especially in light of how little they publicly admit they know.