Canada's PM says shooting rampage was terrorism

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By BENJAMIN SHINGLER and ROB GILLIES

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Two deadly attacks in three days against members of the military stunned Canadians and raised fears their country was being targeted for reprisals for joining the U.S.-led air campaign against an extremist Islamic group in Iraq and Syria.

"We will not be intimidated. Canada will never be intimidated," Prime Minister Stephen Harper vowed in a nationally televised address hours after a masked gunman killed a soldier standing guard at Ottawa's war memorial shortly before 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The suspect then stormed Parliament in a dramatic attack that was stopped cold when he was shot to death by the ceremonial sergeant-at-arms.

Harper called it the country's second terrorist attack in three days. A man Harper described as an "ISIL-inspired terrorist" on Monday ran over two soldiers in a parking lot in Quebec, killing one and injuring another before being shot to death by police. Like the suspect from Wednesday's shooting in Ottawa, he was a recent convert to Islam.

Investigators offered little information about the gunman in Ottawa, identified as 32-year-old petty criminal Michael Zehaf-Bibeau. But Harper said: "In the days to come we will learn about the terrorist and any accomplices he may have had."

FULL story at link.



A Royal Canadian Mounted Police intervention team responds to a reported shooting at Parliament building in Ottawa, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014. A soldier standing guard at the National War Memorial has been shot by an unknown gunman and there have been reports of gunfire inside the halls of Parliament. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Adrian Wyld)

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20141023/cn-canada-shooting-7b53822f6c.html

[MrMickeysMom]

1. How does a two-bit petty thief do this?

Call me jaded, but the article carried locally but the unknown gunman who was shot will never be able to tell you.

Now, Harper can total up three acts of "terrorism" to join in whatever comes next. I wonder what that is.

[Blue_Tires]

41. It's not brain surgery...

1. Obtain weapon
2. Drive to destination
3. Open fire

[MrMickeysMom]

43. ...

Gee… I'll have to remember that

[7962]

2. Good. Because thats what it is. Just like Nadal Hassan's attack.

The govt can take their "workplace violence" and shove it. Everyone in the WTC was at work too, so I guess that makes 9/11 "workplace violence" as well.

[Fred Sanders]

4. Wanting to be afraid, are you? Shove the fear.

[7962]

8. You say the same thing after each incident. I guess there hasnt been enough of them for you.

Will it only matter to you when the body count gets higher? Attacks in smaller towns? I dont recall saying anything about "fear". I merely mention how the Canadian PM is on target with his assertions, while our own govt runs away from the truth. You think Hassan was "workplace violence"? Disgruntled worker? Spurned lover?

[GGJohn]

10. Who said anything about being afraid, except you?

Harper is right, this was a terrorist attack.
You seem to have this fear of hearing the truth.

[Comrade Grumpy]

23. Funny, I just heard Deb Feyerick on CNN saying this guy was mumbling about demons.

At the homeless shelter where he was staying. Maybe he was a crazy guy. Religion seems to be on the minds of lots of crazy people.

[geek tragedy]

32. Glenn Greenwald said it was caused by Canadian imperialism

and militarism. Surely he isn't wrong.

[Blue_Tires]

40. +1

[Cha]

42. Poor Fooking Terrorist Chickenshits.. they just want to be understood.. and here's fooking GG

'splaining them.

[Fred Sanders]

37. An insane person is sane just before he goes insane...religious propaganda pushes them over...

but simple folks want the simple explanation, psychiatry is complex.

[strawberries]

18. shove the fear?

how about shoot those who want to shoot us

[Fred Sanders]

38. You mean you want to shoot all folks with psychiatric disorders tending towards violence..not cool, man.

[strawberries]

39. how did you get

that from my comment. What a terrible thing to accuse someone of

[Adrahil]

36. I hate to use the phrase, but it is what it is....

...whether it is politically convenient to you or not.

Having said that, there is no reason to cower in fear.

[Cha]

7. I agree.. and "shove" the accusation that you want to be afraid because you're calling like you see

it.

[Fred Sanders]

14. Thank you. Some folks are aware that public fear is being generated for political manipulation and

some folks insist on it.

Giving in to fear is giving in to terrorism, hence the "terror" part of "terrorism". Duh.

[Comrade Grumpy]

24. And Harper's new anti-terror measures will now fly through Parliament.

[Fred Sanders]

34. Unlikely, there is strong opposition in Parliament, and Canadians are not as prone to fear mongering

as some others.

[Comrade Grumpy]

44. It's a parliamentary system. Conservatives have a majority. If they want it, they get it.

[Fred Sanders]

46. Not exactly, there is also the Senate, where bills go to die, and the matter of an election a year

now. And the matter of an effective free press that actually does its job as guardians of democracy, something long ago abandoned as quaint and bad for ratings in America, remember?

And the majority was secured by a total of 39% nationally, they have a poor mandate and their poll numbers are below the Liberals, by far...they can not just pass any old law...democracy still works in Canada, money is not everything, election spending laws are strictly enforced by an independent election commission, that is the simple difference.

Among so many.

At least Americans now know where Canada is, it's capital and its Prime Minister. Well, a few more.

[Comrade Grumpy]

44. It's a parliamentary system. Conservatives have a majority. If they want it, they get it.

[Fred Sanders]

3. Green light to be afraid again folks. It IS terrorism, yeah!

[GGJohn]

11. What would you call it?

[Fred Sanders]

13. Brainwashing the already vulnerable and insane. Radicalization by propaganda, call it terrorism

if it makes you comfortable in your fear.

[GGJohn]

15. I think most people are smart enough to recognize this attack for what it was.

The only one pushing the fear factor here is you.

[Fred Sanders]

16. Perhaps you would care to read my anti-fear posts again....LOL.

[GGJohn]

17. I've read your posts numerous times and IMO, they're off base.

[LiberalLovinLug]

21. I'm Canadian and I disagree with my PM

Of course you are pushing fear factor. I don't know how you can deny it.

Michael Zehaf-Bibeau was a mentally ill person and a petty criminal known to police for 10 years with a past of robbery and uttering threats. Just because he recently joined a Mosque and "converted" to Islam doesn't make him a terrorist unless you want to use that term to describe EVERY incident of a public shooting.

Cons like our PM like nothing better than folks like you that help fan the fears and give him the political room to enact draconian security measures and take away civil liberties of citizens.

Its amazing how many, even on DU, that would seem to rather live in a world with machine guns and swat teams on every corner and a 10 pm curfew, and NSA Big Brother reading all your communications......rather than an open and free Democratic society where, without all that security, where there is more of a possibility of a rare shooting happening in an area that they may just be at some day.

In a Democratic society, I for one, would rather live with the risk someone could be mentally ill and "snap" and cause harm to me or someone I know, than be consumed by FEAR to the point of living like a criminal in a jail cell and happy to have the guards making sure no one gets in to "get me".

IF YOU WANT TO LIVE IN A FREE DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY THEN IT COMES WITH RISKS!!!!

[GGJohn]

22. I'm American and I agree with your PM.

It's amazing how many people want to stick their head in the sand and refuse to see what's right in front of their face.
Telling the truth isn't pushing the fear factor, it's telling the truth.

[LiberalLovinLug]

27. I could say the exact same thing to you

And what "truth" are you talking about? Please explain. I've explained the truth of the shooter's situation. Do you have some other "truth" to share?

Was this a carefully planned ISIS operation? To get a mentally ill person with a history of violence and criminal activity to convert to Islam. And then send him out with a single shot rifle to take down the Canadian government? Please tell your version of the truth.

[GGJohn]

28. Even our President is calling it a terrorist attack.

Hey, if you want to stick your head in the sand, go ahead, and I'll continue to agree with our President, your PM, the RCMP that this was a terror attack.

[LiberalLovinLug]

31. Like a good authoritarian

Trust those in charge. They always do the right thing. Never question. Obey and thank them at every opportunity.
Politicians always gain politically from stoking fear and looking more "leaderlike" by then promising that they will clamp down hard and keep people safe. Why do you think Republicans are always playing the fear card?....because it works, especially for their perpetually frightened base. Gawd forbid a politician does not react with not enough toughness. Look at the grief Obama had just because he didn't use the word "terrorist" enough when first questioned on Benghazi. Its in their best interest to elevate the threat in order to be the strong leader that swoops down and takes care of it.

And the police are always looking for an excuse for greater powers, manpower and equipment. Its obviously in their interest to foment the fear.

Still haven't heard what this "truth" is you want me to know. The Russians Muslims are coming. The Russians Muslims are coming?

[Fred Sanders]

47. Good one, look at the deflection from all you excellent and irrefutable points.

[Comrade Grumpy]

25. You sound very reasonable. Please continue to engage with our resident fear mongers.

[Comrade Grumpy]

26. An attack by a mentally ill career criminal who wrapped his madness in newly-acquired religiousity?

There are actually quite a few mentally disturbed people with religious obsessions. Sometimes they attack others. We usually don't call them terrorists. Unless their religious mania is of a certain brand.

[Fred Sanders]

35. Yes, why are Christian crazies that take out folks called insane, but if Muslim....terrorists? The

common element is not religion or skewed religion, it is insanity.

[strawberries]

19. Keeping your head in the sand

nt

[PSPS]

5. Will Canadians let their right-wing leader (Harper) destroy their country over this like Bush/US?

[Bragi]

20. Yes, this works well for Harper

Some of his support base was in hiding due to scandals. This will reenergize them and maybe get him back to the 35-40 percent support. That's all he needs to win because the 60 per cent will again split it's vote between 2 major opposition parties. Sigh.

[Cha]

6. Oh No they weren't terrorizing.. let's sweep that under the rug. Chickenshit terrorists. Cowardly

fucks.

[7962]

9. +1. Tell us how you REALLY feel, Cha!

[GGJohn]

12. Don't sugar coat it Cha,

tell us how you really feel.

[liberal N proud]

29. A little different than a US response

Here, we just say more guns. That is the answer to every shooting.

And everyone takes the stand that this is just a one off shooter and not terrorism. The US reserves terrorism for middle eastern people.

[atreides1]

30. This is how it should be done

http://www.upworthy.com/this-is-how-a-tragedy-like-the-ottawa-shooting-should-be-reported-i-want-to-hug-this-reporter?c=ufb1

[americannightmare]

33. All violent crimes are acts of terrorism...

Should we respond with military-grade weaponry and draconian surveillance? Only if you want to see it keep increasing, which is inevitable in the current North American political climate. It is no coincidence that the Northern European countries have some of the lowest rates of violent crime and some of the lowest ratios of income inequality in the world. Until we address the socio-political issues at the root of our problems, we will be mired in misery and bloodshed...

"No one can be psychologically well within an environment of terror" Ignacio Ellacuria

We enslave ourselves by ramping up the violence in response to these crimes (or allowing our politicians to ramp it up). Norway went the other direction in response to Anders Breivik - I'm still in awe of that.

[Fred Sanders]

48. God bless Norway, a beacon of liberal ideas in action, of courage versus fear.

[americannightmare]

49. Amen to that, Fred Sanders!

gotta love 'em!