I used to blog about events that made headlines in the news. It is my custom to begin my day by scanning news headlines from around the world on my computer. I check out the BBC, an Australian Web Site, A.M. Costa Rica, the Washington Post, the New York Times and our local Rapid City Journal. Often I would react to some piece of breaking news. Over the years, however, I discover that I am less inclined to do so. My perspective on news stories isn’t always helpful. There are plenty of news sources and the information isn’t always consistent. There are times when my initial reactions don’t’ add insight or fresh perspective.

So I have tried to be measured in my response to the bombings that killed three and injured over a hundred near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday. I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. I watched the events unfold along with the rest of the world.

Terror takes a strange path through a community and through our nation. When dramatic events occur, we are quick to look for places to attach blame. We want to identify a clear enemy. When the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed in April of 1995, speculation quickly flew to blame foreign terrorists. When we learned that the bombers were Americans with radical beliefs, our image of what a terrorist was shifted. 168 people lost their lives in that bombing including 19 preschool children. An additional 680 were injured. Until the September 11, 2001 attacks, it was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil. The official investigation reported that Timothy McVeigh had detonated the bomb and was assisted in the making of the bomb by Terry Nichols. Michael and Lori Fortier were later identified as accomplices. McVeigh was executed by lethal injection. Nichols received a sentence of life in prison. Michael Fortier was sentenced to 12 years and Lori Fortier received immunity in exchange for her testimony.

Even though the arrests were quick and the prosecution of those involved successful, speculation about what happened abounds. There are still plenty of conspiracy theories circulating through the nation. There are plenty of people who are unconvinced by the official reports.

The attacks of September 11, 2001 were entirely different. They were planned far in advance, carefully coordinated and carried out with the intention of having the maximum impact. Once again we witnessed acts that showed no regard for innocent victims, but this time there was a distinctive outside influence. The term “War on Terror” became common in news reports and on the lips of Americans. Osama bin Laden was identified as the leader of the terrorists and as founder of the organization that claimed responsibility for the attacks became a target of and world-wide manhunt until was killed in March of 2013. The War on Terror has become a unique chapter in American History. Previous wars were engaged against specific countries in response to their actions. Terrorism, however, is not a nation. It is a tactic. And as we already had witnessed, it could be carried out by those within our nation as well as foreign enemies.

The problem with terrorism is that it creates fear. And people who are overcome by fear do irrational things. In our response to terrorism, we are tempted to engage in actions that do not make us more secure. Sometimes our responses have directly the opposite effect than what was intended.

I worry that the simple fact that the brothers who seem to be the perpetrators of the bombings and killings in Boston are refugees. It would be a tragedy for us to become afraid of all refugees because of the actions of two. Whenever we place people in categories, we make mistakes. The two men were from Chechnya, but not all Chechens would engage in such activities. They were both Muslims and the older brother had recently become involved with more fundamentalist and radical Muslim groups, but blaming all Muslims for the actions of the two would cause more than a small amount of misplaced fear. The older brother, who was killed, was a boxer. It doesn’t make sense to blame all boxers because of his actions.

Fear, however, is not rational. Yesterday, while the city of Boston was virtually shut down and the search for the younger brother was being carried out, the Senate Judiciary Committee began hearings on immigration reform. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa spoke of “weaknesses in our system” and “how we can beef up security checks” and insure that “those who would do us harm do not receive benefits under the immigration laws.” On the surface his comments make some sense. Everyone wants to do what we can to keep people safe. But the truth is that we are a nation of immigrants. With the exception of a few Native Americans, the rest of us trace our ancestry to people who came to this country from the outside. To place all immigrants in the same category or to develop an irrational fear of refugees is to deny the benefits we have received to other deserving individuals.

Tragedy unfolded in Boston this week. In addition to the victims of the bombings, one police officer was killed and another wounded. For whatever reasons two men gained the capability of causing a lot of harm to innocent victims and they used that power to unleash terror. But it is also true that investigators were remarkably effective. They quickly found and followed leads and they have a high degree of confidence that the perpetrators of the crime are no longer on the loose. Capturing one of the brothers alive allows for further investigation to continue. Perhaps the investigators will gain some insight into the reasons behind the bombing and ways that future events might be prevented.

In the meantime, I refuse to give in to fear. I will continue to live my life, to welcome strangers, to work with the people who come my way. Despite these acts, we live in a place of safety compared to many parts of the world. Terror wins when we live our lives in fear. But we have also seen great examples of courage in these days. May we be guided by the courage that we have witnessed.

Copyright © 2013 by Ted Huffman. I wrote this. If you want to copy it, please ask for permission. There is a contact me button at the bottom of this page. If you want to share my blog a friend, please direct your friend to my web site.