So I think Boston passed the test.

[MannyGoldstein]

It's been a stressful week here.

The Boston Marathon has always been classic Boston to me - world-class, joyous, and relaxed. We usually walk a few blocks to watch the runners (and wheelers) pass by on Heartbreak Hill, there's usually a nice throng cheering and handing out water. Very few police, almost no supervision. People just trust each other to behave, and we do - until Monday's tragedy.

In Boston? On Boylston Street? That doesn't happen around here. It just doesn't.

An awful act had killed and maimed, and may have killed or maimed our marathon for good. And we were left with savages on the loose.

I came home from an event last night and found out about the shooting at MIT. In Cambridge? At the Stata Center? That doesn't happen around here. It just doesn't. Smelled like it might be related to the other thing that never happens around here.

I woke up a little past five this morning, pulled out my iPad, and... incredible. A firefight a mile or so from our house. Bombs, guns, deaths, fugitives. SWAT teams, military, painstaking house-to-house search. Incredible photos: Hey! That's the mall we go to! Hey! That's my barber shop! I was worried.

But our Commonwealth and our towns did the right thing. The voluntary lockdown order was a dramatic step, but probably the best way to go. Between shoe leather and technology, they got the guy. Like so many things that government does in Massachusetts, it worked well.

I was at another event tonight, down by MIT as it happens, and with a clutch of techies from out of town. As the police closed in on the murderer, one of the out-of-town techies glanced up from his smart phone and addressed the group:

"They found him - they say they'll be killing him in five minutes".

"Killing him?"

"Well, they say they're sending a robot in five minutes, but of course they'll kill him for some reason or another."

"I'm a local. In my experience, our cops don't kill people unless they really have to."

And our law enforcers did not disappoint. As angry and tired as they were, they did the right thing. Some might cheer for battlefield justice, but I'm a big believer in laws. Laws that even cops and US presidents must obey. If we don't obey laws, civilization goes away.

In any case, we're through it. And I feel damned good that I can look back and be proud of the people I live with in our Commonwealth.

Peace to us all.

[Suich]

1. Nice post, MannyGoldstein!

My hat's off to Boston!!! Great job!

[MannyGoldstein]

2. Are you a Seattleite?

I love Seattle! Good people.

I was there New Year's Eve, watching the space needle fireworks from Capitol Hill, really fun.

[Suich]

3. Yup!

Came here to college in '61. Same house for 46 years. Can't imagine living anywhere else!

[AgingAmerican]

11. I was born here in 61

My Mother was born here in 37, and my Grandma was born here in 1915. Seattle definitely has staying power!!

[karynnj]

9. +100000

Like many from Boston, your real love and affection for your town comes through. From other posts, we know the standard you hold your government to - this one shows the reason. It makes sense through this post - as you seem to hold Boston (and MA) to high standards, to make it stay the place you love it be be.

[longship]

4. We had a few "they'll kill him" posts here, too.

Or, as some phrased it, "they'll Dornan him like the LAPD".

Some people just have their wishes, or their delusions, whichever case fits.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

6. Part of it is cynicism after continuous disappointments....

To that, we can now point to Boston.

Other police departments have to be a little pissed off. There's a new standard they're now expected to live up to. Just when they thought they had the public WANTING "street justice" to "save the taxpayers the cost of a trial" there was "Taxachusetts" cheering to see the cops save a suspect from themselves so the public could have their trial.

[MannyGoldstein]

8. BTW, Mass state and local taxes are lower than the national average

Which blows my mind, we get so much good stuff from our government.


So Taxachusetts? Feh.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

17. According to "The Bubble" all of you Yankies are less free....

....because you,...like,...you know,....pay for libraries and schools to "read" and stuff.

[MannyGoldstein]

22. LOL! nt

[smirkymonkey]

26. Agreed. I moved here from NYC less than a year ago and my taxes are much lower.

I have no complaints.

[October]

5. A good read

Nicely written, well-told.

So proud of Boston. Sad, but inspired.

Peace to all of you.

[Fearless]

7. Laws indeed.

Justice for all, not just when justice is easy to give. Otherwise, it's only a platitude and doesn't mean anything.

[ReRe]

10. Boston sure did pass the test!

... I was so afraid they would nuke him and destroy all evidence, like they usually do in cases like this. And I did hear a report that the boat was burning! (Did anyone else hear that?) As soon as I heard that, I thought "Shit, they are doing it again!" I never did hear anyone else refute the fire story, but was sure glad to learn that indeed it had NOT happened.
Peace to you and to all of Boston!

[Suich]

12. I heard the boat was burning, too.

Thought it was going to end up like Waco. Glad it didn't.

[RILib]

33. I wondered how many holes there were in the boat

I assume they hit the fuel tank.

[ReRe]

34. They may have...

... hit the tank... But, when storing your boat don't you have to drain the fuel out of it? Whatever, they did get the fire out immediately. The owner will no-doubt be getting a new boat out of the deal, ya think?

[awoke_in_2003]

13. I approve this message. nt

[ErikJ]

14. now that suspect #2 is caught...

the GOP can get back to the business of cutting first responder pay

[ananda]

23. Right now they're busy gutting OT and the 40 hour work week.

But I wouldn't be surprised if many first responders are volunteers anyway;
at least they were in West.

[johnnyreb]

15. K&R!!

[Oilwellian]

16. Excellent post, Manny

Boston elicited every emotion possible this past week. I've never been more proud of an American city and its citizens. You are an inspiration to all of us.

[MannyGoldstein]

31. And we're just a bunch of shlubs

But with an ingrained sense of community.

Very interesting place.

[AgingAmerican]

18. Any city that can end 5 days of this

with cheers definitely passes the test. They get an A++

[sibelian]

19. Yes, Boston did brilliantly. nt

[Warren DeMontague]

20. Are you sure? What I mean is, is this

"more than a feeling"?

[MannyGoldstein]

37. Well it does give me

peace of mind.

[Bluenorthwest]

21. Boston was amazing this week, I am personally proud of your city

Good people. A good city.

[rasputin1952]

24. I thought the SWAT teams and gazillion cops were a bit overkill...

but I give due credit for not just taking this guy out.

What happened at the Marathon was horrific, I tried to get down there to help, but it was cordoned off by the time I tried. Friends of mine were there, one, Carlos Arredondo jumped the fence and performed First Aid, another interviewed him and his wife.

What I fear more than any "terrorist" is the state we are moving to, constant surveillance, loss of Rights, Privacy and Freedoms..."state sponsored" terrorism of the citizenry.

The incidents here are small, albeit dramatic, no where near enough to endure suppression by the state.

[pasto76]

28. how can you even bring 'the police state' into a comparison of a manhunt for a maniac?

if you see any 'police state' in this last week, I suggest you are closer to the conspiracy/paranoia bench that you want to admit.

when somebody has BOMBS, and it using them, law enforcement can not pull any punches. The lockdown is what enabled them to finally get him. 9 years of incident commander for my local search and rescue can tell you that searching for a moving target is almost impossible. He had to hole up because nobody else was out and he would have stuck out like a sore thumb. Maybe you dont see the connection and will pass it off as coincidence some dude just happened to look in his boat, but this experience manager in land search operations is telling you otherwise.

also despite the overwhelming police presence - which btw is what the US does when we need to re-establish law and order - there was still a firefight before they got him.

had there been less police, he would have had wiggle room to move. I speculate that he would have killed more people in a dozen circumstances if he was on the move.

I also put credit on the president for having an FBI director that is willing to shut down a major city to stop the bad guys. My citizens were attacked, terrorized and killed by this maniac. Stop the bastards. Difference in the east coast police forces is that no civilian vehicles were shot up in this man hunt. I think this whole operation went off swimmingly and am damn proud and glad they did exactly what they did.

[bullwinkle428]

25. Big K&R for this!

[smirkymonkey]

27. K&R, Thank You!

I'm proud of our city.

[RILib]

29. several

Boston police, Cambridge police, MIT police, Harvard police, Boston University police, Brookline police, DEA, all were there doing a great job.

[MannyGoldstein]

30. And all did a great job- individually and together.

Why can't everything else work so well?

[RiffRandell]

32. Wicked great post Manny!

Thanks!

[MannyGoldstein]

35. Pissah!

Thanks.

[carolinayellowdog]

36. my brother has called Boston home since 1975 and never once considered leaving

Getting him to visit back here in VA is like pulling teeth! Lives only a few blocks from Boylston so I was worried for him. But it turns out that my sister's kids from DC were heading into Boston on a train Monday, what a horrible experience for teen girls on the way to a family funeral.

To this sensitive southerner, Bostonians are like Parisians-- brash and brusque on the surface, but so warm and genuine on closer acquaintance.

[Fuddnik]

38. You blew your cover Comrade.

You can only walk from Moscow to Boston if you're Jesus!

[MannyGoldstein]

39. Well fat, drunk, and stupid has certainly worked for me.

You insensitive clod.

[Fuddnik]

45. I resemble that!

[motocicleta2]

40. Oh yes, Boston passed

I lived in Boston 2005-7, moved back to Oregon and although this is my home and I love it, I miss Boston all the time. Oddly, this week made me wish I was still there. Your law enforcers did not disappoint, indeed, the people who accepted the lockdown and did their part did not disappoint, the fact that they got him alive was a huge lift, and the celebration in the streets afterwards did not surprise me at all. Oh and Papi did not surprise, either. Boston strong.

[Kennah]

41. MannyGoldstein, you do NOT disappoint. Very, very, very well said, sir!

[MessiahRp]

42. Boston has ALWAYS shown us all how to do things...

Sometimes the rest of America is a bit slow on the uptick but ever since the Revolutionary War, Boston, IMO is the heart and soul of America. It can be what is absolutely the best parts about America and sometimes it can show some of our worst sides off too but in general no city has been the pulse of this country the way Boston has for hundreds of years.

[midnight]

43. I do hope that a peace will come when laws are followed by all of us.

[grammiepammie]

44. Boston

Thank you Manny. I was feeling the same way. So very proud of our city, the people, our governor, the mayor and last but not least our police, firemen and first responders. Boston is one class act if I do say some myself.