vacation turns deadly

This post is all about what happened in Manila. If you have been hiding under a rock, a bus full of Hong Kong tourists was taken hostage by an ex-cop in Manila, Phillipine. The hostage taker was seen looking out the window numerous times, yet the Manila SWAT did not take the shot. A lot of things transpired during the whole ordeal, most this blogger thinks is completely ridiculous "tactics" (using one hammer, aggravating the hostage taker, arresting his brother, no media black out...) by the SWAT. It ended with their SWAT storming the bus, after the hostage taker had open fired on the hostages, killing 8 of them.

While watching this unfold, I thought if how lucky I am to be in Toronto, where we have a well-trained ETF. In 2004 there was a hostage situation in downtown Toronto at the very busy Union Station. There was one hostage and the hostage taker had already fired off shots in the underground P.A.T.H system. The ETF team made the very appropriate decision in taking the shot and eliminating the hostage taker. I strongly believe that while a peaceful resolve is the best way, when the hostage taker shows that they are not willing to release the hostages, the police must make the correct decision in shooting. The hostage taker had their chance to surrender, yet did not do so. The lives of the innoncent are at harm, they MUST choose to save them; instead in the Manila hostage situation, the SWAT did not shoot when they had multiple clear views of the hostage taker. Poor decision-making, poor training meant that 8 innoncent people on vacation are dead. How do we make sense of this? Not just what the hostage taker did, but what the Manila SWAT did not do.

Everyone say a little prayer for those who have died; for those who watched their loved ones murdered infront of them; those who will be recieving the dead bodies of family members instead of a joyous hug. Today showed just how inhumane humans can be.