Hate and Violence Rear their Face in Boston

Hate and violence showed their face today in Boston as heinous criminals used the happy events around the Boston Marathon to weak death and horrible injuries on innocents for some sick person or persons.  So far, authorities have no idea whether those responsible for the carnage are domestic terrorists - Christofascists, white supremacists or perhaps Tea Party extremists - or foreign terrorists such as Islamic extremists or isolated sick and simple one or more warped individuals.  What we do know is that the bombs that went off appear to have been homemade and likely were of a size to fit in a bag pack and that given the presence of ball bearings and shrapnel like materials, the aim was to maim and kill.  Obviously, I hope the perpetrators are found and I could think of some unique punishments that they deserve - yes, I do believe in cruel and unusual punishment, and those responsible deserve something horrific.  CNN has some of the latest available details.  Here are highlights:

Two bombs struck near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, turning a celebration into a bloody scene of destruction.

The blasts threw people to the ground. Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said Monday night that the death toll had risen to three. Scores were injured at the scene.

One of the dead was an 8-year-old boy, according to a state law enforcement source.

Hospitals reported at least 141 people are being treated, with at least 17 of them in critical condition and 25 in serious condition. At least eight of the patients are children.

At least 10 people injured had limbs amputated, according to a terrorism expert briefed on the investigation.

Doctors are "pulling ball bearings out of people in the emergency room," the expert said, suggesting the bombs were designed to propel shrapnel.

"Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice," President Barack Obama vowed.

Boston "is a tough and resilient town," he said, adding that Americans will stand by Bostonians "every single step of the way."

Federal authorities are classifying the bombings as a terrorist attack, but it's not clear whether the origin was domestic or foreign, a federal law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation said.

A federal law enforcement official told CNN that both bombs were small, and initial tests showed no C-4 or other high-grade explosive material, suggesting that the packages used in the attack were crude explosive devices.

Investigators warned police to be on the lookout for a "darker-skinned or black male" with a possible foreign accent in connection with the attack, according to a law enforcement advisory obtained by CNN. The man was seen with a black backpack and sweatshirt and was trying to get into a restricted area about five minutes before the first explosion, the lookout notice states.

Also, a Saudi national with a leg wound was under guard at a Boston hospital in connection with the bombings, but investigators cannot say he is involved at this time and he is not in custody, a law enforcement official said Monday evening.

There were no credible threats before the race, a state government official said.  There is no suspect in custody, but many people are being questioned, Davis said.

In addition to scrutinizing images of surveillance cameras in the area, the FBI likely was issuing subpoenas for records from cell towers in the area to isolate and trace calls from around Copley Square at the time of the blasts, according to a former federal law enforcement official who now works in the intelligence community.

Who ever is responsible, if they think this type of barbarism will win sympathy for their cause, they are sadly mistaken.