Editorials / Opinion

Seattle Times letters to the editor

Law enforcement deserves round of applause for Boston

A Police officer is seen leaving the scene after the arrest of a suspect of the Boston Marathon bombings in Watertown, Mass., Friday, April 19, 2013. (AP Photo / Matt Rourke)

Every day, it seems, we see an article or two about the “terrorists” in Boston, speculations on whether they were brainwashed and how hard the Chechens have had it and other sympathetic views [“CIA had flagged bombing suspect,” page one, April 25]. Many are worthy considerations, but where are the well-deserved kudos for the FBI, the Boston police and other law-enforcement agencies?These groups started with absolutely nothing, collected perhaps a thousand videos and images and studied them so that by the end of the day they had pictures of the suspects on the Internet. They processed the thousands of clues and misdirections that were coming in so that by the morning after, they were closing in on the terrorists before they could leave the area. Amazing!

Thank you to the agents who processed all that input, most of it undoubtedly worthless.

Leonard Goodisman, Seattle

Don’t treat Boston bombers differently than American criminals

Sen. Lindsey Graham said that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should be considered an “enemy combatant.” We have even heard that Dzhokhar should not be read his Miranda rights. Additionally, it has been said he should be tortured [“CIA had flagged bombing suspect,” page one, April 25].

We should compare this to how Timothy McVeigh was treated. Where was Sen. Lindsey Graham in 1995? Did he have an opinion of McVeigh at the time?

I believe in the American justice system and I am sure McVeigh was read his Miranda rights. When he was in prison (not Abu Ghraib) he was not subjected to torture. So why should we treat Dzhokhar any differently? Where in the law does it say we should?

Leo Shillong, Bellingham