Commentary: Boston brings us back to day 1

April 18, 2013 By Cam Savage TheStatehouseFile.com I hope by the time you read this the perpetrators of the Boston Marathon bombing will be in custody. That isnt yet the case at the time of this writing. Details about the bombing and the bombing investigation are just starting to emerge. But the relative lack of information about what really happened in Boston on Monday hasnt given pause to our national need for comment. We live in an instant gratification society. In years past, we had to rely on the media to provide us with information. Now we can make our own news. Thanks to Facebook and twitter, we all have our own channels. And because we have them, we have to use them. My favorite journalism professor in college used to say that the invention of the Internet had finally proved wrong the maxim that one million monkeys banging on a million typewriters would eventually recreate the entire works of Shakespeare. It was a playful reminder to his students that a whole lot of what is said and written, especially online, isnt necessarily worth saying. I dont blame anyone for wanting to offer a display of solidarity by changing their profile photo or by tweeting a few words of encouragement, but the popular hashtag #PrayersforBoston, just seems too small, too trivial, and wholly inadequate for the circumstances. Its not at all fitting for what theyre going through in Boston. But we all have to weigh in and share our feelings with our followers. Sum it all up in 140 characters or less. That is how we do it now, regardless of the gravity of the situation. But that isnt whats really bothering me. Like the rest of you, Im enraged about Mondays bombing and heartsick for the victims and their families. Im concerned about that most American of traditions the gathering of large crowds in public spaces exercising of our right to peacefully assemble, be it for protests or parades or baseball games or Springsteen concerts. But mostly, Im mad that after 12 years weve got to flip the numbers back to zero on our collective national safety chart. This country has now gone 1 day without a terrorist attack. There have been a lot of changes in the last 12 years. Weve spent billions to create a new federal Department of Homeland Security to keep us safe. Bomb sniffing dogs, security guards with machine guns, roadblocks, and metal detectors theyre standard in major American cities, airports and at large sporting events. We barely even notice them anymore. On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, I wasnt used to them yet.

That morning I was at work in the federal building in Evansville, Ind. By mid-morning, amidst the chaos and uncertainty, that federal building was evacuated. It seems ridiculous now, but on that particular morning, it somehow seemed plausible that a coordinated plot to highjack airplanes and fly them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon might also include an attack on a federal building in the countrys 220th largest city. It only seems ridiculous because in the intervening 12 years, there hasnt been a terrorist attack in the United States. Enough time has gone by that weve all sort of eased up a bit and started to once again take things for granted. At least I had. But on that particular morning, Sept. 11, 2001, there was genuine concern. We just didnt know. We didnt know how many of our institutions were under attack. We didnt even know who was attacking us. We didnt know why. Im not sure we still know why. And now, after the bombings in Boston Monday, were back to not knowing. Were back to looking over our shoulders at ball games and in train stations. Were back to paying extra attention to the passengers seated around us in airplanes. Were back to wondering does that guy look suspicious? The Boston attacks are a sad and bitter a reminder that we live in a dangerous world and that total safety and security is an illusion. Its been a good, quiet 12 years and it was good to forget, if only for a while. May the victims and those hurting from the loss of a loved one find comfort and peace in the coming days. May the first responders, doctors, nurses, police officers, investigators and volunteers feel the appreciation of a grateful nation. And may the inhabitants of that great American city know that across the country millions of Americans are rooting for them to put their city back together. Or, if you prefer, #prayersforBoston.

Cam Savage is a principal at Limestone Strategies and a veteran of numerous Republican campaigns and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. He is a graduate of Franklin College. He can be reached at Cam@limestone-strategies.com.