Finish Line

There will be a long discussion now about the differences between domestic and international terrorism. The Tsarnev brothers: homegrown or imported? The Russians would like to know that they are not responsible for these Chechens who came to our shores as huddled masses, yearning to breathe free. Then somewhere, along the line, all that freedom turned into discontent and then eventually murderous impulses. Should we blame violent video games and Marilyn Manson for this one?
My wife, who is somebody's mother, believes that long before Tamerlan and Dzhokhar found their way to Boston, that they had been indoctrinated into a culture of violence. For my wife, the struggle against an oppressive Russian culture that has been fought against for years was the beginning of a reality that had explosions as part of everyday life. Somehow it makes sense. It makes every bit as much sense as blaming Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2. Or rock and roll.
I don't know if it will ever make sense for me, except to become convinced that it isn't a matter of where it came from, but how to make it stop. For a long time, political statements were made via political targets. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand brought about the war to end all wars. Somewhere in the midst of the Cold War, we tried to kill Castro, but before that could happen, Lee Harvey Oswald got to JFK. Maybe he had help from the Cubans. Or the Mafia. Or Arthur Miller. Or maybe it doesn't matter, since it's all just history now. But back then there were wars and assassinations. Blowing up civilians happened as a matter of course, but these were casualties of war. Krystle Campbell, Martin Richard, and Lu Lingzi didn't know there was a war going on when they took their places near the finish line. What they hadn't reckoned on was that there is, apparently, a war going on everywhere these days. In Boston. In Bosnia. In Berlin. In Bakersfield. When did it all start? I don't know. I just want to know when it's going to end.