There’s a pretty alarming story coming out of Philadelphia about an explosion that injured a man with a rainbow “love trumps hate” sign in his window.
Here’s what we know: the package was probably left on the stoop, rather than mailed, because it had an old bar code. The victim is Jim Alden, 62, and he sustained injuries to his face, chest, and hands. (He’s in stable condition in the hospital right now.) He opened the package in his kitchen — a manila envelope — around 4am, thinking it was a delivery of asthma medication, and that set off the explosion.
We don’t know who left the package, although police say the victim appeared to be the intended target. JoeMyGod reports that Alden is gay. Police say it’s also possible the explosion was actually a faulty asthma inhaler, and the event was some kind of freak accident.
Police Commissioner Richard Ross tells local ABC News, “The bomb squad says no question it was targeted. It was addressed to him.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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Rep Brian Sims is keeping an eye on the situation, writing:
BREAKING: Our community is shaken this morning after learning that an explosive device was delivered and detonated at a residence on the 1800 block of Pine Street!
The Philadelphia Police Department‘s bomb squad, K9 units, and federal authorities are still investigating the scene and ensuring there is no further threat to the community. Our thoughts are with the victim, who is listed in stable condition at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
My office has been in contact with the appropriate authorities and we will continue to diligently monitor the situation.
Hopefully we’ll have more info soon, and hopefully Jim will recover swiftly.
ErikO
There’s a lot more to this story. Who opens a package at 4:00 AM? He doesn’t know how his regular medication is packaged & delivered? The police sure he was expecting inhalers? Perhaps he was expecting some kind of inhalant or drugs. Who opens a package at 4:00 a.m. ?
Paco
@ErikO: A lot of people start their day that early. Why would you find that suspicious? Not everyone sleeps the day away. It isn’t uncommon to open mail while drinking morning coffee.
heath0043
@ErikO: I have been gone and come home late and opened my mail at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning.
Godabed
white terrorist, oh wait they don’t call them that in America… they call them mentally disturbed, or Christians, or troubled youths. Ask Dylan Roof, the cop stopped at burger king on his request because he was hungry after he waited and killed black church goers to start a race war… .. only a month to go before Obama is out of office and 4 year of this nonsense is on the horizon. Ironic first black president followed by a party of White nationalist, yes we are post racial society HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
Alistair Wiseman
@Godabed:
You mean first mixed race president, as his mother was white.
“…yes we are a post racial society….”
Yes, race relations are the worst they have been in decades. Thank you, President Obama. You have really healed the divisions that divide America – as evidenced by our recent election!
scotshot
Queerrty: Are you really auto flagging my comment?
1EqualityUSA
Alistair is trolling again? Get a life, lonely, friendless man. You hate you hate you hate you hate you hate you hate you hate you hate you hate you hate you hate you hate you hate you hate you hate. You hate you. No respect for haters. Haters hate themselves. Haters spread hate. Hate is food for those who hate themselves. You hate you. What did your parents do to you, hater?
Tackle
@Alistair Wiseman: Obama is mixed race to you. Black to me and most importantly, Black to himself! Obama’s mother is NOT White. She is mixed race herself, with African heritage as well. Ann Dunham’s ancestors , known as white land owners in Colonial Virginia, actually descended from an African man, John Punch, in addition to the Irish. John Punch had children with white women. Some went on to be land owners in Virginia. Obama’s mother comes from a line who at times were Black, and other times passed themselves off as white. I believe her grandparents even have mulatto on their birth certificates. So Obama with his dad being from Kenya, no white mixture there. And his mom having African heritage as well, it’s safe to say that Obama is correct in identifying as Black…
1EqualityUSA
Tackle, where the Hell have you been? It’s nice to see your comment.
money718
Can we wait until the investigation is complete before jumping to conclusion?
Alistair Wiseman
@Tackle:
The “possible” (“no definitive proof” New York Times) black relative was almost 400 years ago! And yet you dismiss almost 400 years of white ancestors and call him black instead of mixed race!?!
It takes a liberal to come to such a conclusion. Truth has never been a value of the Left.
Tackle
@Alistair Wiseman: It has recently been confirmed!John Punch was 400 yrs ago. But racial mixing with Blacks continued on with the Punch/Bunch line generations later. Recent DNA evidence shows the the Bunch line of the Virginia branch, Obama’s mothers line to have sub-Saharan African heritage. Some of them identified as White. But that does not mean that they were NOT mixed. And speaking of dismissing, YOU dismiss a man’s right to call himself and identify as he pleases. He says’, he identify’s “as Black”. And he’s correct! His dad being 100% Black African, and his mother having a measurable amount of sub-Saharan African blood, that would definitely make him majority Black. Don’t be so dictatorial! People like you love to think and make decisions for others, when it suits YOUR interest. Let ANY so-called mixed race person commit a mass killing, or be the head of some child porn ring, there would be no debating what race they are from people like you. They’ll be BLACKER than the ace of spades…
Tackle
@1EqualityUSA: Oh been on a little hiatus. But thank you!