Small town terror

It would be either crass or overwrought to liken the arson fires in Northampton to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Which is why no one has done it yet. Allow me.

Granted, no terrorist organization has claimed responsibility yet for setting fire or attempting to set fire to more than a dozen homes and vehicles around the city Dec. 27, 2009.

But there are plenty of similarities to be found in the reactions of anger, helplessness and a community uniting in both instances.

Uneasy speculation is another reaction to the fires. "Everybody's a suspect" is heard a lot in conversation and on the Facebook group.

The fires were an act of terror; their message still vague. They may well be the act of a compulsive personality, a prank by a thoughtless teenager or any number of other things.