Of Beheaders, Bomb makers and Bozos

Well one can only assume this wasn’t the A team that was assembled to wreak jihad on an unsuspecting nation. Watching the events of the day from Toronto and the nice bit of spin that the lawyers put on it all (I smell an insanity plea coming down the line soon), leaves one with only one real summation, these guys were and probably still are class A idiots. They were quite possibly dangerous idiots; but idiots none the less.

I mean a beheading, Cripes that sounds like something out of a Monty Python skit. The idea of this crew getting close enough to the Prime Minister to actually swing a sword seems folly, just ask the Parliamentary press gallery about access and see how hard things would be and they have hall passes!

The fact that they conducted the bulk of their correspondences in chat rooms and via e mail it makes you shake your head and be thankful that our homegrown terrorist types are actually so dumb. Lets face it, pretty well anyone who uses a computer chat room or sends out e mail probably figures that somewhere along the line, filters are picking out key words for examination, just a hunch on my part but bombs and beheadings are probably near the top of the search list, though the beheading thing probably was good for a nervous laugh or two at the CSIS cafeteria.

The usual targets for your terrorist class were suggested, the CN tower, the Parliament Buildings, the CSIS headquarters in Toronto (though one has to wonder how secret a secret spy agency is, that has it’s headquarters located beside the tallest structure in the world, but we digress), but by far the strangest target was the CBC building in Downtown Toronto.

Now I’m not one to help out those folks that don’t like us that much, but if ever there was a media outlet in the country that might show a favourable bent towards our multicultural mosaic of a nation, it’s the CBC. The idea of blowing it up or taking hostage any of the talking heads from there seems kind of counter productive to any good public relations cause. Now going after Global or CTV we could see, they’re perceived as the bastion of the rich corporate class, with a slight to major right wing bias at times, but the Mother Corp? Good God, that thing bends over backwards to keep every possible angle represented, there’s nary a cause that hasn’t seen a major documentary feature from the Passionate Eye or the National’s last half hour. Fox News it ain’t

At any rate, the jurisprudence show has just begun and judging by the media mayhem in Toronto today it’s going to be quite the production. Hopefully, the authorities have all of their i’s dotted and their t’s crossed as far as due process, evidence gathering and such is concerned. It would be a tragedy if this all were to fall apart because somebody didn’t do their homework on the group implicated. Even worse would be the cries of bias due to the media frenzy as seen today, so one hopes that the media tries to act responsibly (well we can hope can’t we!). Regardless, I’m rather sure our judicial system with its checks and balances will provide for a fair and speedy trial of those that have been accused; I just hope that should the evidence provided show their guilt beyond a doubt, that we take full measure for the verdict and sentencing, sending out the message that such hateful schemes will not be tolerated by this most tolerant of nations.

It’s not surprising that we eventually would become a target for the nut bars of the world, our sense of fairness and openness over the years runs counter to those who dislike us and their themes of alienation and hatred. For the most part our little peaceable kingdom is a place that works fairly well, there’s a rather nice co-existence between the different races, creeds and ethnic groups that call this place home, most of whom all tend to get along without too much in the way of hostility. This of course is something that won’t fly in the world of ethnic hatred and isolationism that seems to be fermenting around the world, and has now become apparent in our very own cities as well.

While the fact that we were allegedly targeted by those that also call this land home is a worrisome thing, we can’t allow it to change the way we live our lives, nor to cast suspicions upon those that have chosen this country to live in. To begin a witch hunt would only play into the hands of those that wish us ill will, making them a more powerful force than they really are. One would like to believe that for every one of these misguided nutcases that thought up such fanciful plans, there are millions of others just wishing to have a better life for themselves and their families. The time for those communities to step up and root out those that wish to cause such pain is at hand however, those that have chosen this country to live in should realize that with citizenship come responsibilities, the main one to ensure the safety of all Canadians.

In the end, we must realize that for the most part, people have chosen this country over the years for its spirit of accommodation and the opportunity that it offers to all regardless of their origins. That’s a priceless ethic for a nation; one that can’t be tarnished nor trashed by a bunch of would be fanatics who bring much disrepute to their own people.

While it seems a bit comical these ideas of beheadings and bombings, a plan put together by those watching too much television and spending too much time on their computers in chat rooms, there obviously was something serious about this particular group. Something triggered the largest security plan since 9-11, thankfully, this time they were caught and stopped before any of their wild plans ever came to fruition.

Hopefully, we continue to stay vigilant for other like minded travelers of the terrorist roads, it seems like a new world we live in now. It is how we handle the different parameters offered up by it, which will tell a lot about us as a nation. We live by a charter of rights and freedoms, something that can't be diminished by the work of those who wish us ill.

Live in peaceful co-existence with your neighbours and this is a welcoming land, but try to undo what we have created with violence and you will feel the full weight of our laws, it’s a simple credo but should suffice quite nicely.