The first news story I heard this morning was the defusing of an unsophisticated car bomb in New York city’s Time Square. The vehicle was a Nissan SUV, and the police were alerted by a street vendor who noticed smoke coming from the car.

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When I saw that the car was parked not too far from “The Lion King” and the consumer materials that made up the explosive device, I knew, this was a home grown attempt to be dangerously disruptive.

The first email I read was from E-Bert – a copy of his morning post:
CAR BOMB IN TIMES SQUARE.
Here is a good opportunity for me to film another episode of the RACIALIST. Is it possible to raise issues of race and perhaps solve this crime? Authorities secure from the car 3 canisters of propane the type used for barbecue grills as well as some consumer-grade fireworks. This sounds like those high grade “white” prank incidents. Might one immediately rule out a Muslim connection because of the grills? Ah- this is where the RACIALIST comes in. We know from the crude type of bomb that the bad guys didn’t travel all the way from some secret camp in Pakistan. If they did they must have flunked bombing 001. So this means the good guys should look for suspects that might have no tie to organized terrorists. Look for a guy whose girl-friend didn’t want to join him at Times Square last New Year’s Eve. Someone in a blue funk? Let’s see what the suspects look like. I’m curious. I’m the RACIALIST.

And now this update from The NY Times:
Police and federal agents on Sunday were reviewing surveillance footage that shows a possible suspect in the failed Times Square car bombing, describing him as a white man in his 40s who was walking away from the area where the vehicle was parked, looking furtively over his shoulder and removing a layer of clothing, officials said.

What would Arizona do if they saw this guy?

Update: (May 4) The Racialist admits he was thrown off the trail, but the G-Men and G-Women apparently arrested a naturalized U.S. citizen of Pakistani descent at JFK airport. Apparently, since 30 year old Faisal Shahzad didn’t fit the description of the person of interest in the video, he felt free to carry on with his get away. First of all, the pin number was still in the car (even I know that is THE key to a car’s history). Again, basic gum shoe detective work pays off. Average citizens provide more information than surveillance cameras. This ain’t no TV show.

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But I’m sure sure more people will be asking “What would Arizona do?” The guy who sold the Nissan to Faisal described the man now in custody as either Middle Eastern or Hispanic. If you’re from Pakistan, more likely you’re neither. The immigration debate can only get uglier.

PRESIDENT’S WEEKEND

The President’s down in Louisiana surveying the damage of the oil spill. BTW, fishing has been banned from Louisiana to Florida. Of course he recorded his weekly before embarking on his working weekend schedule including a commencement speech at the University of Michigan. Though this week’s events, outside “The Daily Show,” is nothing to laugh off, President Obama took advantage of a comic moment at Saturday’s White House Correspondents Association Dinner. The Correspondents Dinner has become one of D.C.’s hottest party tickets and party nights. Yet still, a friend tells me, it remains a party crasher’s banquet (check out DCOutsiders).

But who says newsies can’t have a sense of humor.