The Power of Words: "Act of Terror"

When President Obama used the phrase "Act of Terror" to describe the Boston bombing, the business people shuddered.  Those whose windows were blown out, whose stores and restaurants were damaged, who lost a week's worth of food and customers to the area being closed as a crime scene are hoping that their insurance will help them bear the costs.  But since 9/11, insurance policies have contained a careful exclusion for Acts of Terror.  So, politicians and other speakers who use what seems like a simple phrase to describe the despicable acts have sent shivers through the Boylston - Copley Square business community.  The designation will be set, or not, by federal agencies. But for now, the insurance adjustors are trickling in to assess damage and begin the process of setting reimbursement rates.  As affected businesses reopen, they are keeping their fingers crossed that their coverage won't be scotched by what might otherwise seem like the most obvious statement in the world.

The image decorating this blog post was published at Newstimes.com, at http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Boston-Marathon-finish-line-area-reopens-4459194.php and was there credited to  David L. Ryan of the Associated Press. The caption reads

The sculpture of the painter Copley gets washed down by Donald Ware an employee of Boston Parks and Recreation on Boylston Street on Tuesday, April 23, 2013 in Boston. The area near the Boston Marathon finish line where two bombs killed three people is slowly coming back to life. Authorities have yet to re-open all of Boylston Street, but Boston police on Tuesday morning allowed traffic and pedestrians to cross Boylston on Clarendon Street for the first time since the Patriots' Day bombings.

There were many images in the local press of workers in hazmat suits washing down the area, working to clean away blood and bomb debris before the area could re-open.