Don't tread on me

It is the day after the Boston Marathon incident. I can't help but think about it... and about how I feel about the whole thing. I feel both removed and involved. My thoughts are scattered and I am left just wondering why whoever did this did this.

Is it another country?
I like to think about our country like the porcupine that Chaucer chased this morning. We are full of formidability. We harbor weapons that make other countries tremble. But we don't use them. We just hold them in threat, like that porcupine... all spines. He just sat there eating in the field until Chaucer came up at a full out run, nefarious playing on his mind. The spikes came up, Chaucer thought twice and the incident was over. The porcupine (it was huge by the way) waddled its way back into the woods. The truth is though, that I know that things are not that simple and to quote the great Britney Spears, we are not that innocent. I know that we create situations that put other countries in a place of dependency on us. I know that we are doing things all around the globe that no one really knows about, and I hope that it is all necessary to keep peace... I hope. I know we have funded both sides of countries at civil war in order to create weakened situations that we as a country could take advantage of. I know that things are difficult and that we live our lives of relative ease because of efforts made by people that I will never meet. All of this does come at a price I am sure, and I am not dim enough to think that every country that hates ours is evil incarnate or even misguided. I just don't want them to retaliate with violence. It seems that everything is aimed at people, not armies. I am sure that has something to do with the enormity of our armies... but the outcome is scary. And what do we do afterward, wage war? Hit back? Do we not hit back? I don't have any of these answers.

Is it from our own country?
Is it a dissident? An angry citizen? A mentally sickened individual? A Neo-Natzi, hate mongering group looking to make a point? Is it a cult? The KKK? A drug addicted crack head that got fed up and took things too far? All of these live in our country. They're all here plotting and ready. It is a wonder and a statement of the power of our law enforcement, that public violence isn't a daily occurrence.

Who were you? What did you want? Why would you do this? Are there more of you somewhere? Were you making a point? Is it over?  We all need to heal, and to do this, I need to understand, if it is possible.
My thoughts are all questions.

db