Is The Boston Bombing Saga Really Over?

The Boston Bombing Saga ended Friday with the death of 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev and the capture of his brother, 19-year-old Dzhokar Tsarnaev. Bostonians cheered in the streets at the news, as they returned to school, work and a sense of normalcy.  The End.  Or is it?

With Dzhokar hospitalized in serious condition from wounds he sustained during a shoot out with police, authorities are waiting for the chance to speak to him and simply ask: why?

Why did the 2 brothers from Chechnya plant homemade bombs at the Boston Marathon?  Did they act alone?  Are there more terror cells in place and ready to pounce on other public gatherings?

Before 9/11, Americans were not used to terrorism on U.S. soil.  The events of that horrific moment in history were a huge wake up call that put us all on guard and had each of us closely watching our backs. But since 2001, we’ve all somehow lulled ourselves back into a false sense of security.  We’ve forgotten that terror can happen at anytime or at anyplace and to anyone. An entire generation has grown up since 9/11 with no real understanding of the threats we could face. At least for a terrorist, that’s exactly how they want things to be.

The Boston bombing caught each of us by surprise.  We somehow forgot this could happen here and have grown callous to the reality that it does happen frequently in various locations around the world.  But we are not immune.  No one is.  The Tsarnaev brothers may have taken lives and our false sense of safety, but could their seemingly amateur actions be a mere warning shot of more to come?

After 9/11, we all happily succumbed to long lines at the airport and invasive security checks in the name of safety.  But since then, we’ve grown tired of it all and just want our old lives back.  However, the sad truth is that our days of pure safety are permanently over.  The 1950’s days of leaving our doors unlocked and trusting everyone are done.  We live in a dangerous world that is not going to change.  We must not drop our guard.  We simply can’t!

The Boston bombing was a huge jolt of reality. But now that the Tsarnaev brothers have been stopped, this is no time for celebration and normalcy. Their actions could only be the beginning.  This could merely be the calm before the storm.