…apparently sent in letters to President Obama and Senator Roger Wicker (R).

The incident not only reminds us of 9/11—after the WTC attacks, you may recall, there were a series of anthrax-letters to politicians—but these ricin-letters were intercepted as a result of those earlier anthrax-tainted missives. You may recall that, after the anthrax letters were received and had done their dirty work, the protocol for reception of snail mail on Capitol Hill and at the White House changed, and remote screening facilities were set up. That new method of screening mail has continued to this day, and it is how the ricin was detected.

During the period when the anthrax letters were being sent, people were already tremendously on edge because of 9/11. Many thought the two events were connected. Whether they were or weren’t has never been definitively determined; you can read about the murky case and findings connected with the anthrax letters here.

Now no doubt the same questions are being asked: is there a connection between what happened in Boston and the ricin letters? We have so little information so far that it hardly even makes sense to speculate, except to say it’s possible. Conspiracy theories abound, and would have abounded about the Boston blasts even if there had been no ricin letters. Already there are Boston-Marathon-truthers who are spinning their tales.

My own hunch—and it’s extremely subjective, based on very little, and highly subject to revision—is that the two incidents are unrelated. That the ricin letters were sent by someone with a grudge, particularly against Senator Wicker, who seems an oddly low-profile target for such aggression. Is there something of interest in his past that might prompt a desire for revenge in someone who thinks he/she was wronged by Wicker? Looking at Wicker’s Wiki entry nothing really leaps out, although this of of slight possible interest: that as a member of the House (which he was until 2007), Wicker “worked on issues related to medical research and on economic development for his home state.” Maybe there was some medical researcher who felt slighted by Wicker?

As I said, not a very strong theory, but it’ll do for now till something better comes up.

As for the Boston bomber[s], my also-highly-subject-to-revision guess would be one or more Islamisicst semi-freelancers, probably already living in the Boston area and seeing the marathon as a target of opportunity rather than having any special grudge against runners or their families. They could easily figure out that policing and providing airtight security for a huge event that spans twenty-six miles is virtually impossible, and much more difficult than most other sports venues.

I am almost certain that future marathons (not just in Boston, either) will feature more security, however. Even I can imagine ways to tighten security in the area where the largest crowds congregate, near the finish line. And I think people (and authorities) should become more aware that unattended packages or backpacks are a red flag.