I awoke this morning and heard the news. Half a dozen explosions rocked the London subway and tore open a packed double-decker bus during this morning's rush hour. The blasts killed at least two people and injured scores in what a shaken Prime Minister Tony Blair called a series of "barbaric" terrorist attacks.
Clearly this was timed to coincide with the opening of the G-8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. It was Al Qaeda-like in its deployment and could be retaliation for the British support of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's all speculation at this time, but there's no doubt this is terrorism and there's no doubt this is scary shit.
Immediately my thoughts turned to Toronto. Was Toronto a target? Could this happen here? Is our subway system secure? With these thoughts, I heard a news report communicating the Toronto Police Service's reaction to the bombings in London. Toronto Police are reacting with "heightened caution". That's a direct quote. This is our response to a terrorist attack upon our ally, G-8 compadre and mother land. Our police officers will practice "heightened caution". I feel better, don't you?
Following 9/11, our collective subconscious was prepared for events like this. On March 11, 2004 in Madrid, we were jolted back to that fateful day. Now, we've been bluntly reminded that terrorism has not been eradicated. My thoughts are with the people of London this morning. My hopes are that "heightened caution" is sufficient.
