The TK, fueling suspicions that the attack was related to...

fueling suspicions that the attack was related to a controversy surrounding “South Park”…

Who exactly is speculating the bomb was related to South Park? No one credible enough for the NYT to cite specifically, but still … the suspicions are out there, in the ether, being had by some nebulous possessors.
Ugh. Suspicions don’t have a good track record:
-Oklahoma City - the work of Islamic extremists (wrong)-anthrax attacks - the work of Islamic extremists (most likely wrong)-DC sniper attacks - olive-skinned men in a white van (wrong)
Instead of South Park, it’s equally plausible the Times Square bomb was an attempted imitation of Timothy McVeigh. The 15-year anniversary of that attack just passed a week ago, the M.O. was broadly the same, and anti-government extremism is on the rise.
Police have not ruled out the connection.
Or! Maybe it was related to one of these historical events that took place on May 1:
-George Bush gives “Mission Accomplished” speech-Castro declares Cuba communist and abolishes elections -Germans announce that Hitler is dead
Police categorically REFUSE to rule out the connection!
The reason this bothers me is that this baseless speculation fuels people’s fear of a nebulous, ever-present terrorist threat. That pervasive fear has a lot of real, negative consequences.
Stories two weeks from now may debunk this speculation but the fear will remain.
BASELESS SPECULATION IS STUPID.
#nopassive-voice-verbsplease

fueling suspicions that the attack was related to a controversy surrounding “South Park”…

Who exactly is speculating the bomb was related to South Park? No one credible enough for the NYT to cite specifically, but still … the suspicions are out there, in the ether, being had by some nebulous possessors.

Ugh. Suspicions don’t have a good track record:

-Oklahoma City - the work of Islamic extremists (wrong)
-anthrax attacks - the work of Islamic extremists (most likely wrong)
-DC sniper attacks - olive-skinned men in a white van (wrong)

Instead of South Park, it’s equally plausible the Times Square bomb was an attempted imitation of Timothy McVeigh. The 15-year anniversary of that attack just passed a week ago, the M.O. was broadly the same, and anti-government extremism is on the rise.

Police have not ruled out the connection.

Or! Maybe it was related to one of these historical events that took place on May 1:

-George Bush gives “Mission Accomplished” speech
-Castro declares Cuba communist and abolishes elections
-Germans announce that Hitler is dead

Police categorically REFUSE to rule out the connection!

The reason this bothers me is that this baseless speculation fuels people’s fear of a nebulous, ever-present terrorist threat. That pervasive fear has a lot of real, negative consequences.

Stories two weeks from now may debunk this speculation but the fear will remain.

BASELESS SPECULATION IS STUPID.

#nopassive-voice-verbsplease