The Laughing Wolf

Yale Explosion

Yes, the title is deliberate as I am for now refusing to call it a bombing. Bombing plays well, it sells, and it feeds into the feeling of insecurity in this country right now. The Media is full of “the bombing” and breathless description. It conjures up images of terrorists doing evil deeds and carrying out the “punishment” so many loonies seem to think we deserve. Well, what happened at Yale wasn’t this.

The facts of the matter are that according to the mayor of New Haven, there were no injuries, there were few if any students in the building at the time, no (significant) structural damage was done, a partition wall was knocked down, and even most or all of the windows were not blown out. If this is the work of a rabid Al-Qaeda terrorist, they need to be arrested for sheer incompetence.

Two things came to mind yesterday as the story unfolded. First, this is a building in which finals were scheduled for the next day. Now, not to speak ill of the students or faculty at the Yale Law School, but I do remember bomb threats, stink bombs, and such being used to great affect during these times when I was coming along. There is no evidence released to date to support this, but a certain degree of suspicion did cross my mind given all the circumstances.

Second, far too many people think such things either funny or a way to make a point. Just think back to all the fake anthrax letters sent as jokes or worse in the wake of the bio attacks. Some group of idiots, I mean dedicated and concerned political activists (cough, choke, wheeze), have also used such means to point out vulnerability, the evils of this or that, or whatever other concern of the moment their pointy little heads feels is not getting enough attention at the moment.

Now, my personal opinion is all those jokers who sent the sugar/baking powder/whatever letters for any reason, and the cretins who used such for political aims, are just as guilty of terrorism as those who blow things up. They waste time, resources, and more, and deserve to be shot just like any other terrorist. If nothing else, it is a much needed dose of chlorine in the gene pool.

The truth of what is going on will come out in time. One fact remains fairly clear from what is known so far: this is not an incident to be given too much concern. If it was “real” terrorists, they are incompetent and a group of cranky Brownies can be diverted from taking France and sent in to round them up. If it is a group of home-grown idiots playing at terrorism, then they can be tracked down as well.

Whichever and whomever it is, they do need to be found and dealt with as strongly and swiftly as possible. Let the finals begin.

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