We can swallow what we are told fully and completely or we can critically evaluate what we are told. Such is our intent is commenting on the reported explosion of a car in front of the Kitchener courthouse on Duke Street yesterday.
The site photos show the exploded vehicle with a tarp over it and we can also see the surrounding area. Comparing the results to what is typical in a simple car fire those results do not appear to be much different. There is no massive debris field. There are no pieces of metal strewn about a large perimeter. Even though the tarp covers the vehicle its structure can still be detected underneath and there does not appear to be a large extent of structural deformation. A closer view of the vehicle is shown below and confirms the relatively minor results of the “explosion”.
Unfortunately there are many incidents of vehicle fires that remain unexplained, some involving fatalities. The results of such incidents are thrown of out the public’s view with yesterday’s trash as new developments quickly grasp the public’s attention. Rarely is meaningful information provided so that such incidents can be prevented before a tragedy occurs. The repeated scenarios are like the surroundings of a ten-pin bowling alley where pins are destroyed and the responsibility of police and news media is simply to re-stack the pins for the strike of the next bowling ball. The fact that real-life deaths occur seem to be of minimal importance except that they make great news.
An incident such as the one discussed here needs better explanation. What evidence is there that this was an intended (or unintended) explosion of a bomb by a bomber? Could it be something that exploded carried by an ordinary member of the public? The incompetence (or corruption) of official entities in Beirut Lebanon earlier this month led to a massive explosion that killed hundreds or innocent citizens while injuring thousands more. While Lebanon may be another country the results of mistakes, negligence or downright corruption need to be kept in mind. Seemingly simple explosions or fires of a single vehicle need to be probed, not with paranoia that leads to uninformed conspiracy theories, but with logic and careful consideration.