See how they run.
They all ran after the farmer's wife.
She cut off their tails with a carving knife.
Did ever you see such a sight in your life.
As three blind mice.
Monday was quite a day in the news room. My television is not usually turned on until Charlie Rose on PBS at 5 . Sometimes, not even then lately. But yesterday, I turned it on at 9 in the morning
to learn the facts about a shooting in a Quebec City mosque on Sunday.
The few facts already reported were confusing but our fearless leader nevertheless was already calling the murders " terrorism" .
Steve Paikin had already rounded up a panel by evening to discuss the situation . There was a lot of talk around the table about the importance of the Muslim community within the larger community and
appreciation of the effusive outpouring of expressions of love and support from the community at large and our political leaders in particular.
Kelly Leitch , Conservative leadership candidate, came in for a bit of a hammering for her comments
linking Muslims to national insecurity .
It was agreed eventually by all ,it is wise to know all the facts before reaching any conclusions.
No-one cited the Prime Minister for the opposite to wise.
The Honorable Ralph Goodale, Minister of National Security, announced on the evening news, the level of national insecurity was medium.
Six people, going about their peaceful business and five others seriously wounded. families plunged into shock and grief, lives changed forever, and certainly it looked like a competition for the limelight
among politicians of every stripe, at every level.
Yes I know that's harsh criticism. No doubt their sentiments are sincere. But they are our leaders.
Shocking as the story is, it seemed to me, even before the facts were known, to have more of the elements of the madness of Mark Levine at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal,fifteen years ago.
No-one called that terrorism. A man's mind crashed a a terrible weapon was at hand.
Whether the crazed reaction we witnessed yesterday, will lead to calm, frank,honest discussion about why Middle Eastern citizenry continues to bear the burden of the current Apocalypse is doubtful.
They have had the talk already in Europe. It hasn't changed much.
It seems likely we here in North America,will keep on barreling blindly ever deeper into the inferno.
There's plenty of blame to share.
Posts
11 comments:
Are you claiming that it was not an act of terrorism?
The media is shameless.
Most crimes like this can be termed "terrorism". Unfortunately, the word terrorism is used in many contexts when it should not be. A similar fate has been thrust upon the word "Hero". I get upset when the media throws around both words when they are not correct.
The mass murder at the Quebec City mosque was an act of terrorism. It is not even debatable.
8:28 - Your right, both words are thrown around a lot. The media along with those opportunistic politicians and interest groups have mastered to distort our English dictionary for their own purposes.
08:28 & 11:50, please cite examples of incorrect or inappropriate use.
The IES Director has been fired.
13:12... "The heroic fire fighter went into the building to retrieve the occupants". Sorry... this is not "heroic"; this is doing his/her job. "Football star is asked who was his hero growing up." "My hero was my dad." Again, sorry... being a "dad" is a responsibility. Doing it right does not make you a hero.
The shooting in Quebec City was not terrorism (sorry 10:47, but it is debatable). This was a mass-murder. The fact that it occurred in a mosque, while noted, does not make it terrorism. When there was the shooting in the movie theatre in Colorado a couple of year ago, was this terrorism? No, it was a mass-murder.
Having said that, most murders insight terror and could be construed as "terrorism". But the word terrorism has been around for a long time. But, what used to be "radical-based terrorism" has been shortened to just terrorism.
As someone who lived in the UK during the IRA bombing campaigns about terrorism.
19:51 - I wonder what took them so long.
8:48
I'm sure that a cunsultant was hired so that a study could be done, then a review, throw in some reorganization of departments, vacations, leave of absences and eventually they get around to it.
Thumbs up 8:36!
Post a Comment