Though we know nothing yet about who committed the bombings at the Boston Marathon, or why they did so, the assumption at this point is that these were acts of terror – and, as the president affirmed Tuesday, is being investigated as such.
The shadow cast by the 9/11 attack means that every such incident now tends to be seen as a new episode in a distinct and frightening era of terrorism in the mainland United States. But does this picture actually fit the historical record? [cont.]
Harry Enten, The Guardian