Boston celebration turns into carnage

Dennie Quill, Columnist

What evil mind conceives of a plan to turn a fun activity to celebrate human endeavour into a blood-splattered scene?

That is the question many are asking after the mayhem at the Boston Marathon which will not be remembered for the valiant efforts of 27,000 runners, but instead for the gruesome sight of mangled limbs, shattered glass, blood, smoke and chaos in the Massachusetts capital. Reports say three persons were killed, including an eight-year-old boy, and more than 170 others injured from two bomb blasts near the finish line of the race on Monday afternoon.

This is not the first time in this century that Boston has been visited by evil. Two of the aircraft which carried out the terrible September 11 events in 2001 left the Boston Logan airport with murderous box cutters as passengers. The al-Qaida terrorists eventually commandeered the planes and slammed them into the World Trade Center towers killing nearly 3,000 people.

The Boston Marathon began in 1897 and is regarded as the most prestigious of its kind. This year, the runners came from 96 countries around the world. Significantly, the organisers paid tribute to the 26 persons who died by the gun in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, in December last year, by dedicating the last of the 26-mile race to their memory.

WHO? WHY?

As people begin searching for answers, some have suggested a domestic connection since April 15 was tax day in America. And for Boston, it was Patriots Day, recalling the first battle of the American Revolution. So was this attack carried out by a lone wolf right-wing anti-government wacko? The anti-government sentiment has surely grown with the Obama presidency. Or was the attack carried out by one of America's enemies? There are legions of these enemies.

What is already known is that the crudely made bombs which were packed with ball bearings - obviously to increase their lethality - were placed in garbage cans 100 yards apart near the finish line. Who placed them there and how they managed to elude security is still a mystery.

Marathons have been gaining in popularity, with people training for years to participate. Many of the participants are cancer survivors who see this as a personal challenge. Others use these events as fund-raisers for causes they embrace. It is the kind of event that brings out family and friends in a carnival-type celebration. This trend is even gaining momentum in Jamaica.

But now the world has been jolted by this tragedy in Boston and many will retreat into the confines of their homes afraid to participate in open events, especially sporting events. The London Marathon scheduled for the upcoming weekend will certainly have participants and spectators thinking hard whether they should become involved.

INEVITABLE QUESTION

Inevitably, we must ask the question, 'Could it happen here?' The short answer is that it could happen anywhere. For starters, there are enough disaffected people in Jamaica to create mayhem, and violence is already deeply entrenched in our country. Besides, sophisticated technology is readily available these days to the good guys as well as the bad guys. So there is never any guarantee, no matter how much security planning there is.

The perpetrators of the horrendous attack cannot rest easily, because they know they will be hunted down, as the president has promised. They will be caught soon with the assistance of footage from surveillance cameras and other details which the investigators will determine over the next few days. It will not take years and years.

Therein lies the difference between the US and countries like Jamaica, where police investigations drag on interminably, and if an arrest is ever made, the case gets stuck in the court system. In the likely event that there are convictions, they will most certainly be overturned by the appeal court.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is a summary of our security and justice system in a time when terrorists and evildoers stalk the world looking for targets.

Dennie Quill is a journalist. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and denniequill@hotmail.com.