Friday, October 19, 2007 Speak out: Those killers on wheels By Steve Blanco-Suico
A PROJECTS that bores through the skin at 800 feet per second shatters the bone on impact and ravages vital organs like the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, spleen or spinal column.
Very few are lucky enough to survive after being hit by a jacketed ball of lead fired from a .45 pistol.
And they will never forget the dull stabbing, throbbing pain, the paralyzed extremities and the blocked wind pipe as consciousness fades.
Those drilled in the head are spared the agony because their lives are abruptly snuffed out.
This is a chilling scenario to behold, something no one can discard to oblivion.
More so when the witness of the senseless slaughter is a father, mother, wife or child of the victim.
They are compelled to live with that shocking, heart rending memory.
What is disheartening is that the butchers---people with different motives but packed with the same criminal intent---are still on the loose!
They have sown terror with their cowardice.
Vigilantes? One may say that “it’s good to rid society of its rotten elements.”
Robbery? Good God, that’s almost a daily occurrence, from cell phone snatching to hold-ups on jeepneys or buses, gas stations, groceries, money changers, payroll money and banks.
Drug addicts? Guns for Hire? Thrill killers? A case of mistaken identity?
We have heard it all.
With the brazenness and daring obviously inspired by movies and in the art of killing from video games, these treacherous psychos roam our city and choose the time and place to once again kill with impunity, even in the busiest city streets.
They ride on motorcycles with their handguns.
Unfortunately, we unconsciously help them carry out with ease their dark deeds.
Crash helmets and sunglasses make one incognito, make them bolder but give them a respectable look.
The result: no witness can give a positive identification of these disciples of Cain.
Unless, of course, the witness is very familiar with the fiend from top to bottom and from all angles and notes identifying marks, which is next to impossible.
One can only watch these maniacs get away, squeezing through heavy traffic.
And who will interfere if one doubts whether the commotion that follows a killing is a military operation or a legitimate police activity and risks a misencounter?
These faceless perpetrators are making a mockery of our police and justice system, making the city a worthy candidate of being the country’s crime capital.
Ask anyone with death threats and they will tell you of cold sweat and hair on their nape standing when their rear view mirrors show a helmeted motorcycle rider tailing them in the traffic.
With helmets, even the most wanted or even Osama Bin Laden can safely roam our city streets.
Maybe this needs a second hard look.
But then again why the heck should we care?
As long as we, our children and loved ones are not the victims, we should allow these killers on wheels to wear helmets into malls, banks, sports complexes, churches, whatever.
And let the police crack their wits identifying the perpetrators of every carnage.
