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Keller @ Large: Questions Remain Unanswered 8 Months After Marathon Bombings

BOSTON (CBS) - I've been dreading the arrival of today for some time, the day I had set aside to discuss the top local news stories of 2013.

There were plenty to choose from, but in the end, only one realistic choice - the Boston Marathon bombings.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

Keller at Large Dec 27 2013

However, I'm having trouble finding pithy statements to make about the worst terror attack in our city's history.

During the year we've admired the courage of the surviving victims and their families, the first responders, and the outpouring of support for all of them from the general public. We've reviled the alleged perps and their apologists.

But the truth is, we still have more questions than answers about what happened and why.

For instance, why did they do it?

Allegedly the younger brother answered that with his boilerplate jihadi anti-American rhetoric scrawled on the hull of that infamous boat.

But efforts to nail down the genesis of that have come up short. Was it internal family lunacy that whipped them into a homicidal frenzy, or indoctrination from outside sources, or both?

There are plenty of people out there who hate America, but only a handful of them take it that far. I want to know why.

Also unanswered – did the bombings expose major weaknesses in our Homeland Security system, and if so, what do we need to do to shore them up? I don't want to see Boston or anywhere else suffer through this kind of thing again, but what assurance do we have that the next one isn't lurking in the weeds?

And a final unanswered question – will justice be done in this case?

Some of the nation's best defense lawyers are working on making sure it isn't.

Stay tuned.

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.

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