There’s not much doubt, as my pal Snoopy the Goon writes in a good post with a headline similar to the above, that the Boston bombers got what they likely were after:
- Produce widespread fear. Accomplished.
- Obtain worldwide, national, or local recognition for their cause by attracting the attention of the media. Accomplished in full: worldwide, nationally and locally
- Harass, weaken, or embarrass government security forces so that the government overreacts and appears repressive. Accomplished with a good measure of over-achievement.
And also a fourth, which some perceive, which is for the target to quickly resume its former state of denial about what just happened. In this case, that it was not the Muslim boys’ bloodthirsty religion, oh no, but some mysterious (probably racial or social) grievance that must be rooted out with new laws, or else some malevolent foreign mastermind who turned these nice fellows bad.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 