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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Boston bomber arrested?

Boston bomber arrested?

by Tim F|  April 17, 20131:51 pm| 247 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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Apparently the Lord & Taylor store had a surveillance camera facing the bomb site. Depending on the news outlet authorities either have a picture of the likely bomber, his name, or they already have him in custody. No doubt more to come soon.

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Reader Interactions

247Comments

  1. 1.

    Joel

    April 17, 2013 at 1:52 pm

    Fingers crossed…

  2. 2.

    the Conster

    April 17, 2013 at 1:53 pm

    Please please please let it be the actual guilty person.

  3. 3.

    PeakVT

    April 17, 2013 at 1:53 pm

    L&T still exists?

  4. 4.

    JPL

    April 17, 2013 at 1:54 pm

    They are bringing the suspect to the federal court according to local boston stations.

  5. 5.

    dmsilev

    April 17, 2013 at 1:54 pm

    There being camera footage doesn’t surprise me at all; that area is lined with retail stores, most or all of which probably have some security cameras. Going from that footage to a suspect in two days, that’s kind of surprising.

    Assuming that the story is true, of course.

  6. 6.

    James K Polk, Esq

    April 17, 2013 at 1:54 pm

    Worthless surveillance state…

    Obviously the only functional solution is private companies watching the populace’s every move.

  7. 7.

    ranchandsyrup

    April 17, 2013 at 1:55 pm

    U.S. Atty’s office sez no arrests yet.

    ETA: found on twitters Dave Wyllie ‏@journodave 2m

    US Attorney’s Office in Boston says no arrest has been made –

  8. 8.

    aimai

    April 17, 2013 at 1:55 pm

    Wow. That was fast.

  9. 9.

    Just Some Fuckhead

    April 17, 2013 at 1:55 pm

    Praise Jesus for our private security state.

  10. 10.

    Mnemosyne

    April 17, 2013 at 1:55 pm

    A surprising number of people in the Yahoo! comments are referencing Richard Jewell. I guess regular Americans remember that fiasco better than the media does.

  11. 11.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2013 at 1:56 pm

    @PeakVT: Oddly, that was my first reaction as well.

  12. 12.

    Emerald

    April 17, 2013 at 1:56 pm

    My right-wing neighbor just told me with smug satisfaction that it’s a “dark-skinned male.”

    I feel smug satisfaction too if they’ve got the bastard, but I think he was smug about the “dark-skined” part of the description.

  13. 13.

    dmsilev

    April 17, 2013 at 1:59 pm

    @Emerald: One wonders how your neighbor knows that, since the news stories right now just say ‘arrest imminent’ with no details as to gender or skin hue.

  14. 14.

    ranchandsyrup

    April 17, 2013 at 1:59 pm

    @Mnemosyne: The Yahoo comments are a heck of a place to get out of the boat, Mnem. You are brave. :)

    ETA: excellent tips from the onion on how to find a suspected terrorist. My fave: Is your suspect an Arab? If not, you just have to start again. Yes, it’s frustrating, but you just have to.

    http://www.theonion.com/articles/the-onions-tips-for-finding-a-suspected-terrorist,32085/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=standard-post:headline:default

  15. 15.

    Trentrunner

    April 17, 2013 at 2:00 pm

    On CNN just now Fran Townshend AKA Jackie Bauer just said that, with this arrest, we could now be facing the ticking time bomb scenario.

    And then she came on camera.

  16. 16.

    Emerald

    April 17, 2013 at 2:00 pm

    @dmsilev: My neighbor did not identify his source. We’ll see.

  17. 17.

    mike with a mic

    April 17, 2013 at 2:01 pm

    @dmsilev:

    CNN said dark skinned male and said they didn’t like that they had to mention he was dark skinned.

  18. 18.

    Elie

    April 17, 2013 at 2:02 pm

    I doubt that they could have his name yet. Not surprised that they have his picture from the surveillance camera.

    I dunno — while I am sympathetic about fears regarding the police state, I AM glad that we have the opportunity to apprehend this horrible person using surveillance information. Like the driver’s license, I guess that could be seen as an invasion of privacy, but there is a tradeoff we need to live in such a complex society. Would you rather have no means to track this or anyone? I think its needlessly paranoid to just complain about the police state while not acknowledging that we need some means to track people in our crazy times. Lets have the conversation about the real trade-offs that make sense — not absolutist bullshit that would have us never using surveillance of any kind…

  19. 19.

    El Tiburon

    April 17, 2013 at 2:02 pm

    I did read a report it was a dark skinned male.

  20. 20.

    Trentrunner

    April 17, 2013 at 2:02 pm

    This is amazing. CNN says arrest has been made. NBC says definitely it has not.

  21. 21.

    scav

    April 17, 2013 at 2:04 pm

    @Trentrunner: amazing possibly but not unexpected, not anymore. Rumour Roulette with very large platforms.

  22. 22.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    April 17, 2013 at 2:05 pm

    CNN: “TASTES GREAT!”
    NBC: “LESS FILLING!”

    Jeeeesuskeeeeristonabike I hate the 24/7 news cycle.

  23. 23.

    MCA1

    April 17, 2013 at 2:05 pm

    @dmsilev: I’m not all that surprised, myself, given the resources apparently brought to bear here. You get a hundred FBI agents poring through videotape, you can get through a lot of evidence pretty quickly. Tracking and nabbing the suspect once identified, I guess, is a little surprising in such a short amount of time. Maybe they were stupidly overconfident they’d gotten away with it. Or maybe it’s the guy they picked up on Monday and were monitoring at a hospital, the reported Saudi national, who never would have had the opportunity to go into hiding.

  24. 24.

    the Conster

    April 17, 2013 at 2:05 pm

    Helicopters over the federal court house in Boston.

  25. 25.

    beltane

    April 17, 2013 at 2:06 pm

    @PeakVT: I haven’t been in a Lord & Taylor in decades. I figured they were one of the many department stores that bit the dust in the 1980s and 90s.

  26. 26.

    Helmut Monotreme

    April 17, 2013 at 2:06 pm

    This whole speculate on who did it and why crap that has been going on since the bombings is at least instructive in one way. It shows us what groups are most hated and by whom. If Austin Powers was a media celebrity, he’d either blame Dr Evil or Carnies. Kemal Ataturk would have blamed the Armenians. Joseph McCarthy would have blamed communists. Everyone just takes the opportunity to smear #1 on their own personal shit list.

  27. 27.

    Trentrunner

    April 17, 2013 at 2:06 pm

    CNN is reporting that US Marshalls are taking him the Federal Courthouse.

    NBC is now denying the bombing ever happened. Also, they said I don’t look fat in these jeans.

  28. 28.

    mk3872

    April 17, 2013 at 2:07 pm

    Apparently the Lord & Taylor store had a surveillance camera facing the bomb site

    And now it’s time for Glennwald, ACLU and his Libertarian flock to poop their pants because … LIBERTY!

  29. 29.

    beltane

    April 17, 2013 at 2:07 pm

    CBS is reporting that NO arrest has been made at this time http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/04/17/1202548/-CNN-says-officials-believe-they-have-identified-bomb-suspect#20130417110610

  30. 30.

    Cassidy

    April 17, 2013 at 2:08 pm

    @mk3872: Now you went and did it.

  31. 31.

    SatanicPanic

    April 17, 2013 at 2:08 pm

    @Mnemosyne: I noticed that too. Amongst the usual- “torture him on live TV” and “Must be a muslim” comments.

  32. 32.

    geg6

    April 17, 2013 at 2:08 pm

    @mike with a mic:

    CNN said dark skinned male and said they didn’t like that they had to mention he was dark skinned.

    I guarantee that Wolf Blitzer has a cum-filled handkerchief in his suit pocket as we speak.

  33. 33.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    April 17, 2013 at 2:08 pm

    @the Conster:That was my first thought as well. And remains my fervent hope.

    @Omnes Omnibus:Three of us were caught off guard with that news.

  34. 34.

    Roxy

    April 17, 2013 at 2:08 pm

    CBS just posted No arrest has been made

  35. 35.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2013 at 2:09 pm

    @Trentrunner:

    Also, they said I don’t look fat in these jeans.

    They were being kind.

  36. 36.

    Scott S.

    April 17, 2013 at 2:09 pm

    They better be praying they’re not about to Richard Jewell someone.

  37. 37.

    SatanicPanic

    April 17, 2013 at 2:09 pm

    You mean the DRONEZ haven’t got him yet? What are we paying taxes for?

  38. 38.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 17, 2013 at 2:10 pm

    @Mnemosyne: I think Richard Jewell is in some libertarian circles a martyr to big gov’t incompetence

  39. 39.

    dmsilev

    April 17, 2013 at 2:11 pm

    @Trentrunner:

    Also, they said I don’t look fat in these jeans.

    The surveillance footage disagrees.

    (sorry)

  40. 40.

    LanceThruster

    April 17, 2013 at 2:11 pm

    @the Conster:

    We can only hope. But if not, let it at least be an Iranian national so we can get our war on again.

  41. 41.

    Roxy

    April 17, 2013 at 2:11 pm

    AP now saying arrest has been made. Don’t just love the 24/7 news cycle ;)

  42. 42.

    PeakVT

    April 17, 2013 at 2:12 pm

    @Just Some Fuckhead: Having a largely private (video) security state might be better than a government one, at least at this stage. Most of the footage currently recorded is ditched unless there is a crime. OTOH, people in the government would be tempted to hoard it for no particular reason. And they probably will after a couple of more cycles of storage density improvement.

  43. 43.

    Cassidy

    April 17, 2013 at 2:12 pm

    @Scott S.: WHY YOU HATE FREEDOM!

  44. 44.

    Cervantes

    April 17, 2013 at 2:12 pm

    @beltane:I haven’t been in a Lord & Taylor in decades. I figured they were one of the many department stores that bit the dust in the 1980s and 90s.

    They have at least four stores in the Boston metropolitan area.

  45. 45.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2013 at 2:12 pm

    @Roxy: I have my doubts that CNN waits for a second source before reporting.

  46. 46.

    Comrade Jake

    April 17, 2013 at 2:13 pm

    Obligatory Monty Python sketch.

  47. 47.

    Trentrunner

    April 17, 2013 at 2:14 pm

    OMG: On CNN, you could just hear John King say, off camera, presumably into his phone: “OK, I had a source, Fran had a source, but I’ll double back. I’ll double back.”

    Tune in NOW to watch John King eat some shit.

  48. 48.

    dmsilev

    April 17, 2013 at 2:14 pm

    So, at this point the suspect has/has-not been identified and has/has-not been arrested.

    Got it.

  49. 49.

    beltane

    April 17, 2013 at 2:14 pm

    At least this has diverted attention from Margaret Thatcher’s funeral. All the hagiographies were too much.

  50. 50.

    Mike E

    April 17, 2013 at 2:14 pm

    “Schrödinger’s Suspect”, heh. Indeed.

  51. 51.

    The Dangerman

    April 17, 2013 at 2:14 pm

    Dark skinned male doesn’t mean much (see Boehner, John).

  52. 52.

    nellcote

    April 17, 2013 at 2:14 pm

    There’s no arrest at this time. The msm just smells blood in the water, so to speak.

  53. 53.

    Scott S.

    April 17, 2013 at 2:14 pm

    @Cassidy: ‘CAUSE FREEDOM NOT FREE, IT COST LIKE THREE DOLLARS, UNLESS YOU GOT COUPONS

  54. 54.

    beltane

    April 17, 2013 at 2:15 pm

    @dmsilev: Hunter at DKos has referred to the suspect as “Schrodinger’s suspect”.

  55. 55.

    dmsilev

    April 17, 2013 at 2:15 pm

    @beltane: Clearly, the whole thing was a Liberal Conspiracy(tm) to distract from the funeral.

  56. 56.

    Trentrunner

    April 17, 2013 at 2:15 pm

    I do believe CNN has now outdone their Supreme Court ACA Ruling coverage. Wow.

  57. 57.

    scav

    April 17, 2013 at 2:16 pm

    This is like watching the Keystone Kops, only it’s Big Media running about.

  58. 58.

    Eric U.

    April 17, 2013 at 2:16 pm

    @PeakVT: Seagate shipped 2 billion drives, half of them in the last 4 years. So the capacity is growing faster than it ever has even with the slowdown in desktop sales. They have special drives for video recording applications

  59. 59.

    Trollhattan

    April 17, 2013 at 2:16 pm

    @The Dangerman:
    Orange-Americans shake their tawny fists at you, sir!

  60. 60.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 2:17 pm

    A U.S. law enforcement source told Reuters that a suspect had been identified and that a formal announcement would be made later in the day.

  61. 61.

    beltane

    April 17, 2013 at 2:17 pm

    @raven: Identified but not in custody?

  62. 62.

    mouse tolliver

    April 17, 2013 at 2:18 pm

    @geg6:

    CNN said dark skinned male and said they didn’t like that they had to mention he was dark skinned.

    I guarantee that Wolf Blitzer has a cum-filled handkerchief in his suit pocket as we speak.

    So very dark. So very skinned.

  63. 63.

    Anoniminous

    April 17, 2013 at 2:19 pm

    @PeakVT:

    A 137 terabyte storage pod can be picked-up for $5,000. Storage space is no longer that big a deal.

  64. 64.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 2:19 pm

    @beltane: They quote CNN on the arrest.

  65. 65.

    Cassidy

    April 17, 2013 at 2:19 pm

    @scav: At least Benny Hill gave us cool music and hot women.

  66. 66.

    The Dangerman

    April 17, 2013 at 2:19 pm

    @Trentrunner:

    …but I’ll double back. I’ll double back.

    Word wasn’t “back”; it was “hack”. John King soon to be on a street corner with a “will report for food” sign.

  67. 67.

    Trollhattan

    April 17, 2013 at 2:20 pm

    @Eric U.:

    Did a billion of them fail? Because I had to return the last two Seagate drives I bought for replacement–one the same day and one a couple months after purchase (and what a pain in the arse that process was). Will be avoiding them for the time being, even as I’m keeping a digital eye on y’all.

    Yes, I’m tooootally off topic.

  68. 68.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 2:20 pm

    CNN woman is backtracking on “arrest”.

  69. 69.

    Suffern ACE

    April 17, 2013 at 2:20 pm

    @Trentrunner: I had a source. It was Fran. Fran had a source. It was me!

  70. 70.

    Tumbrel For Hire

    April 17, 2013 at 2:21 pm

    CNN seems to be walking back the arrest announcement. Clowns, all.

  71. 71.

    Comrade Jake

    April 17, 2013 at 2:21 pm

    Fox News is reporting that Saddam Hussein has been arrested.

  72. 72.

    Heliopause

    April 17, 2013 at 2:21 pm

    Somebody help me with the running score. CNN & FOX say arrest, NBC says no.

  73. 73.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 2:22 pm

    The Associated Press reported this afternoon that a suspect had been taken into custody in the bombing case, citing a law enforcement source. The suspect was to be brought to federal court, the news service reported.

  74. 74.

    Trentrunner

    April 17, 2013 at 2:22 pm

    John King just said his sources were Judy Miller and one Mr. Curvacious T. Ball.

  75. 75.

    Kay

    April 17, 2013 at 2:22 pm

    @The Dangerman:

    Heads will roll, to be sure. The source(s) will all be fired.

  76. 76.

    LanceThruster

    April 17, 2013 at 2:22 pm

    It matters not being right…but being first.

  77. 77.

    Scott S.

    April 17, 2013 at 2:22 pm

    @Comrade Jake: Time to invade Guam.

  78. 78.

    ladybug

    April 17, 2013 at 2:22 pm

    So what exactly does ‘dark skinned’ mean anyway? John Boerner-orange? Kim Kardashian hue? Eddie Murphy?

  79. 79.

    MCA1

    April 17, 2013 at 2:22 pm

    @Trollhattan: Look out!

    http://syracusestateofmind.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/tops-1.jpg

  80. 80.

    Trollhattan

    April 17, 2013 at 2:23 pm

    Beeb reporting suspect “held” and says there will be a three-o’clock (EDT) press briefing.

  81. 81.

    mouse tolliver

    April 17, 2013 at 2:23 pm

    Didn’t the whole “dark skinned male” hysteria lead to an innocent man getting shot after the London bombing?

  82. 82.

    beltane

    April 17, 2013 at 2:23 pm

    @Heliopause: It’s like election night 2000.

  83. 83.

    Comrade Jake

    April 17, 2013 at 2:23 pm

    Facebook for the win!

  84. 84.

    MattR

    April 17, 2013 at 2:23 pm

    The only good thing to come of this is that we are not being inundated with coverage of Margaret Thatcher’s funeral.

  85. 85.

    Full Metal Wingnut

    April 17, 2013 at 2:24 pm

    @Mnemosyne: what happened to that man was absolutely despicable. Honestly, a lesser man would have become a mass murderer from the shit he went through.

  86. 86.

    Tonal Crow

    April 17, 2013 at 2:24 pm

    @Trentrunner:

    On CNN just now Fran Townshend AKA Jackie Bauer just said that, with this arrest, we could now be facing the ticking time bomb scenario.

    And a dinosaur-killer asteroid *could” be on target for 10 seconds from now t*&^$&#*&&&)(()@NO CARRIER hahahaha had you there.

  87. 87.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 2:24 pm

    @Trollhattan: Ooo, the other weenies are saying 5!

  88. 88.

    beltane

    April 17, 2013 at 2:24 pm

    @mouse tolliver: Yes, a Brazilian man was shot dead by police for the crime of riding the Underground while brown.

  89. 89.

    bryan

    April 17, 2013 at 2:25 pm

    For what its worth, WBUR Boston is reporting an arrest, confirmed by their reporter David Boeri.

  90. 90.

    Davis X. Machina

    April 17, 2013 at 2:25 pm

    @Trentrunner: Apropos of which, Mean Jean Schmidt (ex-R OH) was a runner in Monday’s Marathon. Finished safely shortly before the explosions….

  91. 91.

    Trollhattan

    April 17, 2013 at 2:25 pm

    @Comrade Jake:

    Is the Spider Hole Vittles and Spirits near the finish line? I understand it’s Guy Fieri’s latest joint.

  92. 92.

    Scott S.

    April 17, 2013 at 2:25 pm

    It occurs to me that one could start a whole lot of trouble by standing outside network HQs and yelling random scoops at reporters.

    “They caught the bomber!” “They didn’t catch the bomber!” “Obama is a Scientologist!” “Kim Kardashian is running for the Senate!”

    They’d all have to be reported. There’s a source out there…

  93. 93.

    Trentrunner

    April 17, 2013 at 2:25 pm

    Thanks to CNN today, Jon Stewart has material for 2-3 shows.

    Amazing. John King is now gone off the screen. AC, Cuomo Jr., and NotChristianeAmanpour are now backpeddling furiously.

  94. 94.

    Suffern ACE

    April 17, 2013 at 2:25 pm

    @Tonal Crow: Wait. So we need to torture him?

  95. 95.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 2:26 pm

    I think this jerk on CNN who is singing the praises of the heat is the same one that was screaming yesterday about
    no progress”

  96. 96.

    beltane

    April 17, 2013 at 2:27 pm

    @Comrade Jake: I don’t see a dark-skinned man; I see a balding, middle-aged white guy.

  97. 97.

    Tumbrel For Hire

    April 17, 2013 at 2:27 pm

    CNN rodeo clown: “Probable cause…uh…is a significant legal standard.”

    All of you are now qualified to fail out of law school.

  98. 98.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 2:27 pm

    @Trentrunner: Oh, it’s Cuomo? My bad,

  99. 99.

    Trollhattan

    April 17, 2013 at 2:27 pm

    @raven:

    Well there you go–a screen refresh and now they have it at five, also, too. HOW CAN i FUNCTION IF i HAVE TO WAIT THAT LONG?

    I blame this on Obama.

  100. 100.

    ranchandsyrup

    April 17, 2013 at 2:27 pm

    Did Ted Nugent miscalculate how many days it takes to mail ricin to Obummer CNN?

  101. 101.

    eemom

    April 17, 2013 at 2:27 pm

    Once there was a world where news traveled on horseback and was written on papers.

  102. 102.

    Tonal Crow

    April 17, 2013 at 2:27 pm

    @mk3872:

    And now it’s time for Glennwald, ACLU and his Libertarian flock to poop their pants because … LIBERTY!

    And you’re done…what to impede government from running cameras up our asses 3 times a day? Without the ACLU, we’d be living in Singapore, at the very best.

  103. 103.

    ericblair

    April 17, 2013 at 2:28 pm

    @PeakVT:

    OTOH, people in the government would be tempted to hoard it for no particular reason. And they probably will after a couple of more cycles of storage density improvement.

    It depends on how you approach data privacy. The US model tends to be that you are restricted in what data can be collected and how, but then you can do whatever you feel like with it. The EU model tends toward being pretty free with what data can be collected and how (to the surprise of Americans sometimes), but the restrictions are on how you use or disseminate the info. I think the EU model will age better.

    This is all a lot of fun when you’ve got multinational cloud computing deployments and these models start conflicting. And this is to do with Personally Identifiable Information, not copyright/licensing bullshit.

  104. 104.

    Comrade Jake

    April 17, 2013 at 2:28 pm

    THERE IS A WHITE BRONCO ON THE HIGHWAY

  105. 105.

    Calouste

    April 17, 2013 at 2:28 pm

    @Heliopause:

    Somebody help me with the running score. CNN & FOX say arrest, NBC says no.

    That means the score is 1-0 in favor of no arrest.

    At least, I assume you only want credible sources to count.

  106. 106.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 2:29 pm

    No arrest according to HIGHLY PLACED CNNN source.

  107. 107.

    LanceThruster

    April 17, 2013 at 2:29 pm

    As long as Rudy G. can continue his ‘noun-verb-and 9/11’ narrative like he did on Morning Joe…all will be right with the world.

  108. 108.

    YellowJournalism

    April 17, 2013 at 2:29 pm

    I get more accurate and resourced reports about playground arguments from four-year-olds than what’s happening here with The MSM an international news story.

  109. 109.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 2:29 pm

    @Comrade Jake: There’s a killer on the road.

  110. 110.

    Trentrunner

    April 17, 2013 at 2:29 pm

    Unbelievable. CNN is just now had another former FBI dude on saying there have been NO arrests, don’t know identity of the person. Have photos of the person.

  111. 111.

    Tonal Crow

    April 17, 2013 at 2:30 pm

    @Suffern ACE: No. I couldn’t resist the joke, which in retrospect rather spoiled the point. I will resist the urge to blame the atmosphere of snarkiness and accept full responsibility.

  112. 112.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 2:30 pm

    BREAKING NEWS ON CNN: “Conflicting Information!”

  113. 113.

    Heliopause

    April 17, 2013 at 2:30 pm

    FOX and CNN now saying “conflicting reports.”

    I have an idea for a drinking game. Take a drink every time a coiffed moron on TV uses the exact phrase, “my sources…”

  114. 114.

    SatanicPanic

    April 17, 2013 at 2:31 pm

    Guardian:

    A spokesman for the FBI at their national office in Washington DC confirmed to the Guardian’s Matt Williams that “no arrests had been made” in the Boston case.

    CNN= self-immolaters

  115. 115.

    Alex S.

    April 17, 2013 at 2:31 pm

    Oh my God, I grew up during the Gulf War (the Bush Sr. one) and CNN was THE news source, the name stood for something. And now, they’re all desperate clowns with the credibility of TMZ.

  116. 116.

    Trollhattan

    April 17, 2013 at 2:31 pm

    Globe is saying “arrest imminent.” That’s the same as somebody’s been arrested, amirite?

  117. 117.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 2:31 pm

    @Trentrunner: Fran too.

  118. 118.

    The Dangerman

    April 17, 2013 at 2:31 pm

    CNN is now reporting that it wasn’t even a man but, rather, a monkey and everyone should be on the lookout for any suspicious looking organ grinders…

  119. 119.

    Tom Q

    April 17, 2013 at 2:31 pm

    CNN seems to want to replay its triumphant “Obamacare is unconstitutional!” scoop. Maybe having John King on the scene’s bad luck.

    It may turn out the arrest/not arrest thing is purely semantic — i.e., someone’s with the police, not officially arrested. But if the emphatic “No” we’re getting from NBC is the truth, CNN takes another step on the down-a-lator.

  120. 120.

    Amir Khalid

    April 17, 2013 at 2:31 pm

    @beltane:
    I’ve seen a picture of the Brazilian man, Jean Charles de Menezes. He looked white to me, but then I guess the white/nonwhite divide probably lies in a different place for us brown folks.

  121. 121.

    LanceThruster

    April 17, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    @Tonal Crow:

    we’d be living in Singapore, at the very best.

    Have you seen just how much discarded gum the average sidewalk is littered with? It looks like a cat box had a run-in with a steam roller.

  122. 122.

    Comrade Jake

    April 17, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    The arrest was imminent, until the suspect found out the arrest was imminent, whereupon the suspect ran away.

  123. 123.

    SatanicPanic

    April 17, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    @raven: A CNN source who is someplace getting high

  124. 124.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    @The Dangerman: And then came the hurdy gurdy man, singing songs of love. . .

  125. 125.

    cleek

    April 17, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    @raven:
    ARREST, according to CNN website.

  126. 126.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    @SatanicPanic: As the cost of living!

  127. 127.

    Trollhattan

    April 17, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    @Heliopause:

    That’s no game, that’s suicide.

  128. 128.

    beltane

    April 17, 2013 at 2:33 pm

    Maybe they are waterboarding the suspect prior to his arrest.

  129. 129.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 2:33 pm

    @cleek: Yea, their code monkeys is slow.

    eta Now it’s changed.

  130. 130.

    Trollhattan

    April 17, 2013 at 2:33 pm

    @Comrade Jake:

    It was Brave Sir Robin, what done it!

  131. 131.

    Hungry Joe

    April 17, 2013 at 2:34 pm

    Stumbled — it was an accident, I swear — onto the Alex Jones site. Lots of photos of the crowd, with circles & arrows, people with backpacks. Comments point out that the backpack folk look Jewish (“noses,” one of them notes), proving that this was a Mossad/CIA operation. Consensus is that the Feds have a patsy ready to go. So that’s that.

  132. 132.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    April 17, 2013 at 2:34 pm

    @Heliopause: You want us to die? I know mid-career alcoholics who might succumb to alcohol poisoning in that game.

  133. 133.

    LanceThruster

    April 17, 2013 at 2:34 pm

    I hope the perp is from someplace exotic and then the MSM talking heads can set-up their directors chairs on the corner there.

  134. 134.

    MCA1

    April 17, 2013 at 2:35 pm

    And to think I was concerned that that show “The Newsroom” on HBO was catching up to the present day too quickly in its first season and would run out of material. In the time between seasons, however, we’ve already had both the ACA ruling coverage and now this colossal clusterbomb of confusion. They could just do an episode every week on real life news bricklaying as it happens, just a week behind. Incredible how failed our media is.

  135. 135.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2013 at 2:35 pm

    @eemom: And many women there died in childbirth.

  136. 136.

    Roxy

    April 17, 2013 at 2:35 pm

    @dmsilev: “So, at this point the suspect has/has-not been identified and has/has-not been arrested.

    Got it.”

    Or call it Even Stevens, 50/50 etc.

  137. 137.

    beltane

    April 17, 2013 at 2:35 pm

    @Amir Khalid: “Real Englishmen” are even whiter than Real Americans so even a light shade of olive could be seen as being brown by the type of people who serve in the police force.

  138. 138.

    Amir Khalid

    April 17, 2013 at 2:35 pm

    @Trollhattan:
    I have trouble believing a competent law enforcement agency would disclose an “imminent” arrest. People who know they’re about to be arrested usually run for it.

  139. 139.

    Tonal Crow

    April 17, 2013 at 2:35 pm

    @LanceThruster:

    @Tonal Crow:

    …we’d be living in Singapore, at the very best.

    Have you seen just how much discarded gum the average sidewalk is littered with? It looks like a cat box had a run-in with a steam roller.

    Republicans get hard and wet thinking about the whippings the offenders would get in Singapore. I get nauseated. Time to kick in some more bucks to the A.C.L.U.

  140. 140.

    Cassidy

    April 17, 2013 at 2:36 pm

    @Hungry Joe: And water is wet.

  141. 141.

    bryan

    April 17, 2013 at 2:37 pm

    And WBUR just now (2:36pm) retracts their report of an arrest. Oh well.

    ETA: this is from a tweet from the Boston Police: (Despite reports to the contrary… no suspect is in custody)

  142. 142.

    the Conster

    April 17, 2013 at 2:37 pm

    US Attorney and BPD both denying that they have arrested anyone.

  143. 143.

    Cassidy

    April 17, 2013 at 2:37 pm

    @LanceThruster:

    I hope the perp is from someplace exotic and then the MSM talking heads can set-up their directors chairs on the corner there.

    Oooh. Like the edge of a cliff. That’s exotic right?

  144. 144.

    Suffern ACE

    April 17, 2013 at 2:37 pm

    @LanceThruster: Unfortunately, it’s spring. They only cover stories of missing high school girls on Caribbean islands in the winter.

  145. 145.

    ranchandsyrup

    April 17, 2013 at 2:38 pm

    breaking news: CNN is the number one rated comedy network! Take that Comedy Central!

  146. 146.

    beltane

    April 17, 2013 at 2:38 pm

    BPD says no arrest has been made.

    Thanks for playing, CNN.

  147. 147.

    Chris

    April 17, 2013 at 2:38 pm

    @Alex S.:

    From what I understand (was 4 years old at the time), CNN basically used the Gulf War to “redeem” itself for its inexcusably liberal behavior in the Vietnam War by basically turning itself into the New U.S. Military’s cheerleader in chief. If I have that right, then I’m not sure it “meant” as much as all that back then.

    ETA (as corrected below): CNN didn’t exist at the time of Vietnam, but the “liberal antiwar media” stereotype was lingering (as it does to this day), hence attempts to disprove it by being impeccably pro-war.

  148. 148.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 2:38 pm

    No arrest but it’s a mooslim

  149. 149.

    Nerd

    April 17, 2013 at 2:38 pm

    Boston PD scanner announces no arrests have been made.

  150. 150.

    Heliopause

    April 17, 2013 at 2:39 pm

    Why don’t they call in CSI Boston so some attractive thirty year olds can solve this in under an hour?

  151. 151.

    Cassidy

    April 17, 2013 at 2:39 pm

    @Chris: They also had the “Scud Stud” too.

  152. 152.

    Tonal Crow

    April 17, 2013 at 2:39 pm

    @Chris:

    From what I understand (was 4 years old at the time), CNN basically used the Gulf War to “redeem” itself for its inexcusably liberal behavior in the Vietnam War….

    Whaaat? I’ve been living in a 15-year time warp all this…time?

  153. 153.

    Gin & Tonic

    April 17, 2013 at 2:39 pm

    @Chris: CNN did not exist during the Vietnam war.

  154. 154.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2013 at 2:40 pm

    @beltane:

    BPD says no arrest has been made.

    Thanks for playing, CNN.

    First with the report means nothing if it’s wrong.

  155. 155.

    Amir Khalid

    April 17, 2013 at 2:40 pm

    @Chris:
    The Vietnam war was long over when CNN was founded.

  156. 156.

    4tehlulz

    April 17, 2013 at 2:40 pm

    BPD says no arrest.

    LOL CNN

  157. 157.

    YellowJournalism

    April 17, 2013 at 2:41 pm

    @Alex S.: Hubby and I were watching some National Geographic special about important event of th 80’s las night. It featured a bit about CNN starting up and how shaky things were at first until Baby Jessica in the Well. Then two years later they were so well-trusted that they were an international success. Now I might be inclinedz to trust TMZ reports over CNN.

  158. 158.

    Chris

    April 17, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Sorry, you are of course right – for the media’s role in Vietnam (in general). The notion that “fucking liberal media failing to report the good news is the reason we lost Vietnam” was well ingrained enough in the American public (heck, it still is) that reporters felt an obligation to disprove the stereotype. Hence the coverage.

  159. 159.

    Trollhattan

    April 17, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    Actual active investigators would keep their yaps shut–they’re busy enough. Such a leak–accurate or not–would more likely come from a support staffer or somebody with supposed inside access, like a Boston PD clerk, Mass state police civilian employee, etc. Local reporters would have a list of such contacts to work, and they’d be working the bejeezus out of them with a story such as this.

  160. 160.

    Cassidy

    April 17, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    It was Col Mustard, with the candlestick, in the parlor.

    -John King CNN

  161. 161.

    catclub

    April 17, 2013 at 2:43 pm

    @MattR: I noticed that too.

  162. 162.

    LanceThruster

    April 17, 2013 at 2:43 pm

    @Tonal Crow:

    hard and wet thinking about the whippings

    You say that like it’s a bad thing.

  163. 163.

    Gin & Tonic

    April 17, 2013 at 2:44 pm

    @Chris: And yet CNN’s coverage of the first Gulf War was fairly skeptical, some would even argue overly receptive to Iraqi propaganda (see Arnett, Peter.)

  164. 164.

    ? Martin

    April 17, 2013 at 2:44 pm

    @beltane: The arrest claim seems to have come from AP.

  165. 165.

    GregB

    April 17, 2013 at 2:44 pm

    CNN, the most trusted name in chicken fucking.

  166. 166.

    Bobby Thomson

    April 17, 2013 at 2:44 pm

    Face shot

    Could be a Richard Jewell, but then again, maybe not.

  167. 167.

    Trollhattan

    April 17, 2013 at 2:45 pm

    @Heliopause:

    Good point. They have that magical photo processing software that can take a few hundred pixels and turn it into a da Vinci mural.

    “Done. Next case?”

  168. 168.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 17, 2013 at 2:45 pm

    @Chris: I know a lot of winger in that era, including Archie Bunker, hated Cronkite and Rather specifically for their Vietnam coverage, and IIRC at least a few accused CNN– Arthur Kent, Bernard Shaw, another guy, a Brit who was in a Bagdad hotel during the first bombing?– of being anti-American.

    And I made a google like a young person. Peter Arnett:

    His reports on civilian damage caused by the bombing were not received well by the coalition war administration, who by their constant use of terms like “smart bombs” and “surgical precision” had tried to project an image that civilian casualties would be at a minimum. White House sources would later state that Arnett was being used as a tool for Iraqi disinformation and CNN received a letter from 34 Members of the United States Congress accusing Arnett of “unpatriotic journalism”.

  169. 169.

    Gin & Tonic

    April 17, 2013 at 2:45 pm

    @Trollhattan: I go with my long-ingrained instinct on this: people who talk, don’t know, and people who know, don’t talk.

  170. 170.

    Another Halocene Human

    April 17, 2013 at 2:45 pm

    Lord & Taylor? They’re still in business? I thought they were a source of cardboard boxes for my grandmother to repackage birthday presents in. ///

    Officially the first time in my life I’ve been interested in anything in a Lord&Taylor.

    @PeakVT: Ha ha, beat me to it.

  171. 171.

    Heliopause

    April 17, 2013 at 2:45 pm

    BREAKING NEWS: Television is filled with self-important idiots who have no idea what they’re talking about. My sources, one of whom is a highly-ranked member of the Heavenly Host, tell me that there will be a briefing at 5:00 PM EDT.

  172. 172.

    Mike E

    April 17, 2013 at 2:45 pm

    @catclub: This just in: Margaret Thatcher, still dead.

  173. 173.

    Tumbrel For Hire

    April 17, 2013 at 2:45 pm

    CNN’s John King now “pretty sure” the suspect is a “dark skinned man” named Ba-ba al -Booey.

  174. 174.

    4tehlulz

    April 17, 2013 at 2:47 pm

    BTW, if this turns out there is no arrest, John King should (virtually) torch his source until there nothing but (virtual) carbon.

  175. 175.

    LanceThruster

    April 17, 2013 at 2:47 pm

    I wish CNN would use in their network promos that scene from “Airplane!” where the reporters knock over the bank of payphone booths.

    CNN – America’s ‘Most Trusted’ News Source…or at least the firstest with the mostest.

  176. 176.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 17, 2013 at 2:47 pm

    @Mike E: That’s what she wants us think. Don’t let her in.

  177. 177.

    Quicksand

    April 17, 2013 at 2:49 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:

    CNN did not exist during the Vietnam war.

    I have a high-ranking source who tells me that yes, CNN did in fact exist during the Vietnam war.

  178. 178.

    beltane

    April 17, 2013 at 2:49 pm

    @? Martin: They’re in business to verify these things and make sure the information they present to their viewers is as accurate as possible. I’m pretty sure a chimpanzee could re-tweet whatever the AP comes up with, and for free. CNN should be held to higher standards than your average ape.

  179. 179.

    TooManyJens

    April 17, 2013 at 2:50 pm

    DOJ also says no arrest.

  180. 180.

    ? Martin

    April 17, 2013 at 2:51 pm

    FWIW, the stuff I’ve read said ‘in custody’, not ‘arrested’. That’s not unusual. What evidence would they have at this point to arrest them? So, they may be questioning someone, but no arrest yet.

  181. 181.

    kc

    April 17, 2013 at 2:51 pm

    God damn CNN.

  182. 182.

    LanceThruster

    April 17, 2013 at 2:52 pm

    Is CNN at least using their virtual reality holodeck in the reporting? Seems like a good place for a sheep analogy.

  183. 183.

    Trollhattan

    April 17, 2013 at 2:52 pm

    “CNN is now reporting Ohio has gone to Romney.”

  184. 184.

    Gin & Tonic

    April 17, 2013 at 2:52 pm

    @Quicksand: Sorry, you need two sources. Gotta maintain some standards.

  185. 185.

    lurker dean

    April 17, 2013 at 2:52 pm

    tbogg has been skewering cnn on twitter, hilarious.

  186. 186.

    SatanicPanic

    April 17, 2013 at 2:52 pm

    CNN has now retracted its report that an arrest had been made. The network has now broadcast three separate contributors citing multiple unnamed sources each that there has not been an arrest, contrary to John King’s earlier report. One of the contributors was Tom Fuentes, former assistant director of the FBI, now on contract to CNN.

    Huh

    Tom Fuentes, who served as the FBI’s assistant director in the office of international operations from 2004 to 2008.

    I see

  187. 187.

    ? Martin

    April 17, 2013 at 2:53 pm

    @beltane: Did CNN say ‘arrested’ or ‘in custody’? I have no TV here. I’m questioning whether CNN fucked up, or the people reiterating what CNN said – and heard ‘in custody’ but commented ‘arrested’.

    But AP and everyone else seems to be saying ‘in custody’. All the denials are denials that there’s been an arrest. Those are entirely consistent statements. I think people are glossing over that.

  188. 188.

    Another Halocene Human

    April 17, 2013 at 2:53 pm

    @Elie: But businesses have these cameras to spy on their employees, and nowadays, they do hoard the video. What they don’t do is point the cameras anywhere to keep anyone safe. Cops pull surveillance a LOT but it’s often worthless or close to it.

    I think Britain’s surveillance cam system has been very good. The issue there is that the cops got a black eye in the view of the public in the Thatcher years which makes everyone suspicious of them. They also have declined to prosecute old cases of cop misconduct, because they want to “look forward, not back”. In some cases the string of fuckups and malicious behavior and coverups was pretty extreme. Like that time all those football fans got trampled due to cop incompetence.

    Britain has a much lower crime rate than the US so they must be doing something right. (Their GINI index score is better, but not that much better. Guess it depends which US state you compare it to.)

  189. 189.

    Warren

    April 17, 2013 at 2:55 pm

    @raven: More like the herpy-derpy man, amirite?

  190. 190.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 2:56 pm

    @lurker dean: CNN: Suspect to turn himself in if Wolf Blitzer promises to “shut the fuck up”. Developing…

  191. 191.

    geg6

    April 17, 2013 at 2:56 pm

    @Chris:

    There was no CNN during Vietnam. CBS, NBC, ABC, and PBS. That was all. Funny enough, their news departments were almost all extremely competent back then when “the news” was on for 15 and then 30 minutes per day. Competent, non-opinionated, and non-partisan. No 24 hours to fill with hysterics to keep eyes on the screen. Hell, the screen went off at 2am on every channel, not to be seen again until the 6am local farm report.

  192. 192.

    Another Halocene Human

    April 17, 2013 at 2:57 pm

    @Trollhattan: I love that. It’s so ST:TNG. “Computer. Enhance.”

    And then they match a side shot from above to a DMV photo.

    Science! It’s like magic!

  193. 193.

    Davis X. Machina

    April 17, 2013 at 2:57 pm

    @Another Halocene Human:

    Britain has a much lower crime rate than the US so they must be doing something right.

    They accomplish this by being Britain, and not the United States. Canada has pulled off the same trick.

  194. 194.

    Amir Khalid

    April 17, 2013 at 2:57 pm

    @Trollhattan:
    Of course I know reporters have such sources. But a competent news org would know better than to run with a story from such a source without corroboration.

  195. 195.

    Persia

    April 17, 2013 at 2:57 pm

    @mouse tolliver: When has that ever stopped the responsible news media?

  196. 196.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 2:57 pm

    @Warren:

    Thrown like a star in my vast sleep
    I open my eyes to take a peep
    To find that I was by the sea
    Gazing with tranquillity.

  197. 197.

    beltane

    April 17, 2013 at 2:57 pm

    @? Martin: CNN’s John King confirmed that an “Arrest” was made http://livewire.wcvb.com/Event/117th_Running_of_Boston_Marathon/73407543, and this report was then verified by Fox News (big surprise there).

  198. 198.

    Suffern ACE

    April 17, 2013 at 2:58 pm

    @Cassidy: Yep. We got Wolf Blitzer out of the first Gulf War, because they kept telling us women found him dreamy and so manly reporting breathlessly from Saudi Arabia. 20 years on, we can’t get rid of that guy. No one seemed to notice at the time that he reported scud missle attacks and warm-day-puppy-walks-on-the-beach-with-frisbees in exactly the same obnoxious breathless manner.

  199. 199.

    Jay in Oregon

    April 17, 2013 at 2:59 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    I think Richard Jewell is in some libertarian circles a martyr to big gov’t incompetence

    Yes, because if some gun-toting patriots thought he was the bomber, they would have simply shot him without the benefit of a trial. No worries about exonerating him later!

  200. 200.

    Mnemosyne

    April 17, 2013 at 2:59 pm

    @? Martin:

    But AP and everyone else seems to be saying ‘in custody’. All the denials are denials that there’s been an arrest. Those are entirely consistent statements.

    Good point. Someone can be in custody while they’re being investigated, and then released without ever being arrested. In custody =/= under arrest.

  201. 201.

    raven

    April 17, 2013 at 3:00 pm

    @geg6: You want to see some in-depth reporting about the Nam?

    The Quiet Mutiny [1970]

    . In his iconic documentary debut ‘The Quiet Mutiny’, Pilger reports from the front line in Vietnam where he finds disillusioned American troops in open rebellion against the war.

  202. 202.

    Another Halocene Human

    April 17, 2013 at 3:00 pm

    @YellowJournalism: I’d definitely trust TMZ over CNN.

    Until they become the next CNN.

    Cynical Not News.

  203. 203.

    ranchandsyrup

    April 17, 2013 at 3:00 pm

    @CBSNews JUST IN: Man sought as possible suspect is WHITE MALE, wearing white baseball cap on backwards, gray hoodie and black jacket.

  204. 204.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2013 at 3:00 pm

    @Suffern ACE:

    No one seemed to notice at the time that he reported scud missle attacks and warm-day-puppy-walks-on-the-beach-with-frisbees in exactly the same obnoxious breathless manner.

    Asthma?

  205. 205.

    Another Halocene Human

    April 17, 2013 at 3:01 pm

    @geg6: That was before deregulation.

  206. 206.

    max

    April 17, 2013 at 3:01 pm

    @Trollhattan: Actual active investigators would keep their yaps shut–they’re busy enough. Such a leak–accurate or not–would more likely come from a support staffer or somebody with supposed inside access, like a Boston PD clerk, Mass state police civilian employee, etc. Local reporters would have a list of such contacts to work, and they’d be working the bejeezus out of them with a story such as this.

    Quite. And it’s obvious that somebody has been trying to leak to the media for a while and that person has a hate-on for Arabs.

    CNN (at a minimum) has been thoroughly played, putting aside deliberate moves by the feds to throw the media off the trail.

    max
    [‘If this person turns out to be an Alex Jones fan, the ass-covering from that uh, ‘outfit’ is going to be hilarious.’]

  207. 207.

    ruviana

    April 17, 2013 at 3:01 pm

    @eemom: And it still exists in a lotta places.

  208. 208.

    Trollhattan

    April 17, 2013 at 3:03 pm

    @Amir Khalid:

    But a competent news org would know better

    There you go. :-)

    Of course, it could have been, “Sally in accounting and Bob, the maintenance guy both confirm….”

  209. 209.

    beltane

    April 17, 2013 at 3:03 pm

    The FBI is requesting that the media exercise caution http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/17/boston-marathon-bombings-investigation-live#block-516ef115e4b049aa25e5e95a

    i.e. stop behaving like a bunch of chattering baboons.

  210. 210.

    Mike E

    April 17, 2013 at 3:03 pm

    @geg6: We now can possess a device that fits in one’s shirt pocket that has more computing/communication power than all of the whole 70’s decade’s worth of NASA spacecraft technology. It’s enough to make you turn into Rod Blagojevich holding a vacant Senate seat…

  211. 211.

    Chris

    April 17, 2013 at 3:03 pm

    @max:

    Quite. And it’s obvious that somebody has been trying to leak to the media for a while and that person has a hate-on for Arabs.

    I’m wondering if someone actually leaked it to the media, or if some talking head or reporter just pulled it out of his ass just to keep the news cycle rolling and appended the “oh yes, high up anonymous sources, totally” for appearances’ sake.

    Who broke the story first, anyway? If it was Fox, then my suspicion that that’s what happened goes up to 11.

  212. 212.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2013 at 3:04 pm

    @Mnemosyne: But custody is more than just sitting and talking to the police. Being in custody triggers a number of Constitutional protections. Rule of thumb: if you can’t just leave, you are in custody.

  213. 213.

    Anna in PDX

    April 17, 2013 at 3:05 pm

    @raven: Awww, I love all the Donovan love on this thread.

  214. 214.

    sonofsamantha

    April 17, 2013 at 3:05 pm

    Way to spread the mis-information. This should be put in the header on this site.

    “BJ…getting it wrong since day one and proud of it.”

  215. 215.

    beltane

    April 17, 2013 at 3:05 pm

    Jeez, the WCVB feed is saying that the federal courthouse has been evacuated.

  216. 216.

    J.D. Rhoades

    April 17, 2013 at 3:06 pm

    @Mike E:

    We now can possess a device that fits in one’s shirt pocket that has more computing/communication power than all of the whole 70′s decade’s worth of NASA spacecraft technology.

    And, as a meme I read on the Internet put it, we use it to look at pictures of cats and argue with strangers.

  217. 217.

    Tim F.

    April 17, 2013 at 3:08 pm

    @sonofsamantha:

    “Depending on the news outlet authorities either have a picture of the likely bomber, his name, or they already have him in custody.”

    It is a three sentence post. The first sentence is hardly debatable and the third is a shrug. You must mean this sentence, so show me which part of it is wrong.

  218. 218.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2013 at 3:09 pm

    @Tim F.: Why would you argue with Derf?

    ETA: Aside from boredom, personal amusement, or the like.

  219. 219.

    Tim F.

    April 17, 2013 at 3:10 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: You know, there was a time when I knew all of the trolls on this blog. These days I feel like a visitor here.

  220. 220.

    MattR

    April 17, 2013 at 3:10 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: I guess the question is: could one reasonably (and accurately) state that a person was in custody but had not been arrested?

  221. 221.

    StringOnAStick

    April 17, 2013 at 3:10 pm

    @Mike E:

    This just in: Margaret Thatcher, still dead.

    Not dead enough. Her policies still live. Tamp the dirt down indeed.

  222. 222.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 17, 2013 at 3:11 pm

    @beltane: watching MSNBC, looks like the cops wanted to clear out the crowd that gathered when rumors went out about a suspect in custody– which crowd could be an ominous sign.

    I hope I don’t look like somebody some amateur internet detective posts a fuzzy photo of on Facebook

  223. 223.

    Mike E

    April 17, 2013 at 3:11 pm

    @J.D. Rhoades: See #217, right on cue ;-)

  224. 224.

    J.D. Rhoades

    April 17, 2013 at 3:11 pm

    @beltane:

    “Schrodinger’s suspect” FTW!

  225. 225.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2013 at 3:11 pm

    @Tim F.: Well, Derf does change his/her name quite often.

  226. 226.

    Trollhattan

    April 17, 2013 at 3:12 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    The Derf conundrum:
    “I am always wrong.”

  227. 227.

    beltane

    April 17, 2013 at 3:12 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: One of the pictures I saw looked like a somewhat less obese version of Chris Christie in a black windbreaker. A lot of men look like that.

  228. 228.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 17, 2013 at 3:14 pm

    @beltane: Is my little Mac camera on….?

    But I don’t own a black windbreaker

  229. 229.

    Trollhattan

    April 17, 2013 at 3:14 pm

    @StringOnAStick:

    My get-rich-quick scheme: open a beer concession next to her gravesite.

  230. 230.

    ricky

    April 17, 2013 at 3:14 pm

    CNN reported that their suspect got away.

  231. 231.

    geg6

    April 17, 2013 at 3:15 pm

    @Another Halocene Human:

    Yes, which is one reason I hate deregulation. And don’t get me started on when they did it with the airlines.

  232. 232.

    ricky

    April 17, 2013 at 3:16 pm

    FOX is reporting no arrests and cleavage spotted.

  233. 233.

    Suffern ACE

    April 17, 2013 at 3:17 pm

    @beltane: I think they’re just telling everyone to fuck off and let them do their work.

  234. 234.

    ricky

    April 17, 2013 at 3:17 pm

    MSNBC is reporting everbody has cell phones and is connected to the internet.

  235. 235.

    ricky

    April 17, 2013 at 3:20 pm

    President Obama has used the T word to describe John King’s reaction to official announcements denying arrests have been made.

  236. 236.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2013 at 3:21 pm

    @MattR:

    I guess the question is: could one reasonably (and accurately) state that a person was in custody but had not been arrested?

    Could one accurately state it from a legal perspective? Yes. Is it a reasonable thing for a news organization to do? I think that would really be a question of journalistic ethics. Does it make a huge difference if a person is not free to leave but has not yet been formally told he or she is “under arrest” for a particular crime?

  237. 237.

    Trollhattan

    April 17, 2013 at 3:22 pm

    @ricky:

    Was said cleavage in the studio?

  238. 238.

    JoyfulA

    April 17, 2013 at 3:22 pm

    @Amir Khalid: I had a big argument with Personnel way back when over the “color” of an employee. A long story I’ll tell some other day.

  239. 239.

    sonofsamantha

    April 17, 2013 at 3:25 pm

    @Tim F.: Ahhh all of the above.

    See the link from a post on this very site linking to FBI. Least you can do is wait till all these bullshit stories are proven bullshit. Granted Doug of the BJ Dougs thinks George Will is a good source of info so not much credibility with his posts either….in other words…he fits right in.

    But no….point shoot aim….repeat as necessary.

  240. 240.

    MattR

    April 17, 2013 at 3:25 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Gotcha. I was thinking of it more as a semantic game that law enforcement was playing while the journalists were innocently using the two terms interchangeably. It would be a typical non-denial denial for the FBI to emphasize that there has been no arrest even if they have someone in custody (but not technically arrested) (EDIT: Especially if they think there was more than one person involved and they don’t want to spook the accomplices)

  241. 241.

    Mike E

    April 17, 2013 at 3:27 pm

    It does make a good point, our troll du jour.

  242. 242.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 17, 2013 at 3:28 pm

    @beltane: Jeez, the WCVB feed is saying that the federal courthouse has been evacuated.

    You were right the first time– Bomb threat. Charlie Pierce says the bomb squad has arrived.

  243. 243.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2013 at 3:32 pm

    @MattR: That semantic game is possible. If I were the FBI, I would and were trying not to spook people I would say no one has been arrested – I would not use the term custody at all. Or, if I were really doing my job, I would say, “No comment.”

    Edited.

  244. 244.

    Tonal Crow

    April 17, 2013 at 3:59 pm

    If I were the FBI, I would and were trying not to spook people I would say no one has been arrested – I would not use the term custody at all. Or, if I were really doing my job, I would say, “No comment.”

    All police and prosecutors should be required to say “no comment” outside of the courtroom. The press conferences about high-profile crimes are all about gaining political capital, no matter what that does to the fairness of the suspect’s trial and to the probability that we’ve really tried the right person. Wrong person tried = right person still out there.

  245. 245.

    PeakVT

    April 17, 2013 at 4:22 pm

    @Tim F.: That’s what you get for fake retiring!

  246. 246.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2013 at 4:54 pm

    @Tonal Crow: The public does have a right to know if an arrest has been made. Especially in a case like this where people may be worried about further attacks. Now, out of fairness to the accused, I don’t think much more than a “yes, a suspect has been arrested and s/he will be brought before a judge tomorrow morning” needs to be said.

  247. 247.

    LanceThruster

    April 17, 2013 at 6:20 pm

    @J.D. Rhoades:

    we use it to look at pictures of cats and argue with strangers.

    No, I don’t…KITTY!

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