Shards of Civility

Six days after the Boston Marathon bombing, I wrote (under a different name) a piece expressing my concerns about the manner in which the search for the perpetrators was conducted.  I was afraid, too, that the handling of the living suspect did not bode well for American citizens' rights in the future.  A few days after the first article, I wrote another one, my mind having been eased a bit.

My concerns had nothing to do with the guilt or innocence of the suspect, only with my perception that the rule of law had not been followed and that the manner in which the suspects were found put our civil rights at risk. And I was concerned about whether a precedent had been set when the city of Boston was effectively shut down.

Now, more than a year later, I still believe an ugly precedent was set.  I do not know whether the precedent was considered at the time, but I remain fearful that it was, indeed, a precedent that may have awful repercussions in the future.

I am writing a piece of fiction based on what could happen if my fears are well-founded. It is set in 2016, just a few weeks before the presidential elections.  I suppose it might be viewed as a political chiller, but only time will tell...and only time will tell whether it is actually written...actually completed. I am not sure whether the title makes sense...I guess that, too, remains to be seen.