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During tragic times like these, it's time to place politics to the side

Like with any national tragedy, the bombings at the Boston Marathon yesterday brought about much fear, pain, grief, and confusion. Also, while the tragedy prompted many to place others before themselves and showcase the selflessness most people seem to possess in such dire situations - coming together in times of need, others have taken the tragedy to spread conspiracy theories and place blame on the federal government, claiming yesterday's tragedy was a "false flag" operation, orchestrated by the government. The tragic school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut was met with a similar reaction by some. Like with the conspiracy theory surrounding the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting being proven false, it's likely that the conspiracy theory surrounding the Boston Marathon bombing will be proven false as well.

On the other side of the political spectrum is Chris Matthews, the host of Hardball on MSNBC, who insinuated that if the bombings were an act of domestic terrorism, they were likely perpetrated by far-right extremists. To this point, there has been no proof of this either.

I understand that in most tragic situations such as the one in Newtown a few months ago or in Boston just yesterday, most people want quick answers for the chaos that ensued. We tend to want a reason for the madness. This can often times lead people to prematurely cast blame on an individual or group they particularly don't like, as was showcased just yesterday with a right-wing conspiracist casting blame on the federal government led by Democratic President Barack Obama and a left-wing talk show host casting blame on right-wing extremists, without any evidence to back up either claim.

To this point, all the facts are not known, including who is responsible for the atrocious acts. So, as much as I can understand wanting an immediate answer to all of one's questions surrounding the tragic events which unfolded yesterday, those "answers" will be clouded in bias and speculation until all the facts come to light. The facts we know at this point are: Three people have died, including an 8-year old boy, and 176 others have been injured, including 17 whom are in critical condition. Now is not the time to be playing politics and casting blame on an individual or group one may not much care for, especially at this juncture, when such accusations are clouded in bias and speculation due to limited evidence. At this time, the only individuals and groups we should be focusing our attention on are those directly impacted by the tragedy - the individuals whom were lost, the families whom were affected, and how we can all reach out to them to provide the necessary aid to help both the city of Boston and the residents of it move forward once again.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/guns/newtown.asp

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/04/what-is-false-flag-attack-boston-bombing/64260/

http://twitchy.com/2013/04/15/detective-chris-matthews-speculates-on-tax-day-jfk-connection-to-boston-bombing/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2309545/Martin-Richard-Boston-Marathon-bombings-victim-aged-8-waiting-father-hug-finish-line.html

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