Marathons, spectators and bombs. What's next?

   Deviating a bit from my normal blog I thought it important to say a word or two about the recent and tragic events that happened at the finish line during the Boston Marathon.
   I speak from some experience on these topics having run long distance before I fell to the surgeons knife and had both knees replaced. That included a full marathon; 26 miles, 285 yards of it.
   I also have considerable experience in the protection of the public after concluding 33 years in law enforcement.
   The $64 dollar question when these things come up is can we even be 100% safe? And of course the answer is no.
   The reasons are many for the difference in the kinds of protection when I was growing up and what is available now.
   Filing a police report used to be as simple as picking up the phone to report a incident. A car was dispatched, a report taken, then that same report was followed up. These days you might be lucky to get a car to come by for a major crime.
   I'm not picking on the police. It's due to the state of the times. Budget cuts, doing more with less, a lack of respect being taught in the home and very little if any family life left. Hardly anyone has dinner around the table together, nor do families attend church services of their choice.
   The availability of the inter net and all the information it holds makes it easy for unscrupulous people to find a bomb or other explosive recipe.
   While we need law enforcement, we also need to know it's time for all of us to pay more attention to our surroundings, be aware of any suspicious activity or persons and take the initiative to inform someone in authority.
   Unless our country does a complete turn around-and I doubt that will happen-we can expect more of the same.
   Bans on guns and ammunition aren't the answer. The real answer is people will begin to stay home in lieu of going to a Lions or other professional game in the face of such potential dangers.
   That all translates into the loss of revenue or dollars to these big clubs. If we give in and stay at home, the bad guys win.
   Just like 9-11 when flying became worrisome, slowly people began returning to flying as a form of transportation showing those that would endanger our lives that we wouldn't be beat and that our way of living would continue.
   I don't know about you, but I plan on going to see the Tigers play and if the Lions ever put a team together, maybe I'll go.
   But not going won't be because I fear these radicals. Rather it will be whether we can put a good team on the field.