A bomb was thrown into a crowd of people in one of America’s largest cities. Seven policemen and five civilians were killed. An intensive manhunt for the perpetrators ensued. Suspects were identified and the public was put on notice that these terrorists weren't “real Americans.” They weren't of Scotch-Irish or English descent. According to the media and even the government these terrorist could be identified because of their ethnic background.

The year was 1886. The city was Chicago, Illinois. The suspected “terrorist” were called “anarchist” and were those pesky German immigrants. A new “bogey-man” was born in the American mindset. Never mind that Germans had been immigrating to this country since before the Revolution. Anyone with a German sounding name was suspect. For the next thirty years the suspicion of German immigrants continued. Today many Americans can trace their family tree back to Germans who came to this country for the same reasons many others have: the hope of freedom and a better life.

Fast forward to the twenty-first century and you make the relevant connection. To castigate a whole group of people because of their ethnicity, religious affiliation or country of origin is not only an exercise in paranoia; it is a recipe for bigotry and hatred that is not in keeping with the idea that our country is a nation of immigrants who seek a better life and freedom.

So many haven’t a clue as to where the two Boston bombing suspects come from or anything about their ethnic background. Even in the information age we live in many people, including some in the media, don’t know the difference between Chechnya and the Czech Republic: the first, part of the Russian Federation and the second, an Eastern European country 1600 miles away.

These men should be held accountable for their actions. Americans on the left, right and in the middle all should say a prayer of thankfulness for the elimination and capture of the suspects and be grateful to the Boston PD and FBI Agents who brought a relatively swift resolution to this horrific event.

At the same time we should remember that jumping to conclusions and making generalizations is no substitution for true justice.