Twitter Showing the Promise of the American Political Process

The relatively new idea to use social media in elections is changing politics. Twitter was founded in 2006, and  politicians and presidential candidates have just recently been taking advantage of social media.  I see the use of social media, or twitter, as a good thing.  Twitter allows people to get information quicker then they'd be able to in news papers or on news channels, Twitter allows politicians to communicate with thousands of citizens at once, and it allows for everyone to have their voices heard.  Twitter is mostly used by teens and young adults, so presidential candidates are able to target the younger population so that they can either influence people like their parents, or if they are older than 18 they could vote for that candidate. Twitter makes communication between citizens and politicians/ leaders of America easier and more efficient.  President Obama was the first presidential candidate/ president to use twitter. During President Obama's first term, he used twitter to communicate with the public and gain supporters.  He repeatedly tweeted about how Romney would not be a good president and asked for re tweets. This gave him an edge over Romney, Obama's campaign tweeted four times more than Romney's campaign.When he decided to run for a second term, he made a video and tweeted about it on  his twitter. Now Obama is ending his second term, and it could not have been just a coincidence that Obama was elected twice. Of course there's always a negative side, twitter can spread false information. Anyone can just tweet out bogus and any idiot might believe it. But maybe this is a good thing, if someone tweeted a rumor about a presidential candidate then people might rethink their choice on their vote, and maybe reconsider who is actually the best candidate to vote for.

Boston Marathon Bombing

 

On April 15th, two bombs went off near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon. It killed 3 people and injured over 260 people. Tamerlan (26) and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (19)were responsible for this tragedy, they immigrated from Russia more than a decade ago. Surveillance cameras proved that these two men were guilty. The bombs were about a block from each other. A man hunt for these two men shut down Boston and Tamerlan was shot by police and then run over by his brother when he was attempting to escape. Dzhokhar was found 4 days after the bombing hiding in a boat in a backyard in Watertown. He was sentenced the death penalty by the federal jury.

Timeline

• 2:38 p.m.- Tamerlan and Dzhokhar turned onto Boylston street (the road where the finish line is).
• 2:42 p.m.- Tamerlan walks away from the crowd and starts going to the finish line. He is carrying a backpack in the direction of where the first bomb was planted.
•  2:45 p.m.- Dzhokhar  also walks to the finish line, his right thumb is nonchalantly holding a backpack, his left hand holds a phone. He stops in front of the Forum Restaurant and then sets his back pack on the ground.
• 2:49 p.m. Dzhokhar starts talking to someone on the phone for about 18 seconds. He finishes talking and the first bomb goes off, seconds after he stops talking on the phone. He walks away and about 10 seconds later the bomb which is his backpack goes off.

Tamerlan (left) and Dzhokhar (right)


The Impact

 

The thing about this event that is concerning is how easily it was done. Because we have our freedoms to be anywhere or to carry our personal belongings the bombing was possible. Because of our freedom they were allowed to purchase two pressure cookers to be filled with shrapnel and etc. and then made into bombs. How could they have prevented this tragedy? The authorities had no idea this was going to happen, just like in 9/11. After 9/11, airport security got tighter, is that a possible solution to prevent these events? Have everyone checked for bombs, guns, and other dangerous items? Or make the public more informed about unattended bags?  The brothers got instructions off the internet how to make a bomb. Should this kind of material be blocked, or is against our rights and freedoms? Today there will be more security because of the bombing and that means some of our freedom is being taken away. People are now being encouraged to leave their back packs, handbags, and coolers at home, for they are now deemed suspicious. Containers holding more than one liter of liquid, costumes covering the face, bulky clothing, large flags and signs larger than 11 inches x 17 inches are not allowed anymore, and no longer can an unregistered runner or cyclist join the race along various points. Security will be bumped up leading to a higher cost, to try to prevent a terrorist attack from ever happening again.  

 

 



Boston Marathon Bombing Pictures

Picture of the location of the bombs.

Runners get closer to the finish line as they watch the bomb go off.

Picture showing the explosion of the bomb and a woman being helped after being hit with shrapnel.