Important disclaimers -
- I am Canadian.
- I beleive that the snub, if it existed, was directed at the Canadian Government, not the Canadian people.
Considering the evidence that Canada was used as a
safe haven by the terrorists involved in this
particular act, the most appropriate way to include us would have been to say “Canada - You are either for us, or you are for the terrorists.”
In matters of international diplomacy, these things are well calculated. Bush’s omission was not an oversight. It was a clear indication that the level of cooperation he is getting from the Canadian government is not acceptable. We can be sure that - behind the scenes - the U.S. government has been leaning on Canada to get tough on terrorism for several years. The Canadian government’s response has been underwhelming, to say the most; and nothing like the wrath inflicted on an anonymous protester who once got close enough to Chretien to earn himself a headlock.
Joe Clark, widely recognized as a straight shooter, has declared publicly that U.S. Congressmen are privy to more information about terrorist activity in Canada than are Canadian Members of Parliament. To my knowledge, not one person in Canada has been detained for questioning, other than for airport security violations. City Pulse news has questioned more material witnesses than the RCMP.
America is at War. Chretien claims to be ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with Bush, which presumably means we are at war as well. If that is the case, how is it that the War Measures Act has not been invoked? Thirty years ago, Chretien held an important cabinet position in a government that invoked the War Measures Act in response to what amounted to a serious crime (Many of the criminals were set free years ago). He has been Prime Minister, with a majority government, for nearly a decade. If he is opposed to the War Measures Act, he should have revised or abolished it by now. If we are indeed at war, now is the time to invoke the WarMeasures Act. There is no doubt the enemy is activelyoperating within our borders. This is exactly what the War Measures Act is for.
When they meet in a few days, I hope George W commits one of his infamous mispronounciations and calls Chretien ‘Prime Minister Chamberlain’. That would be perfect.
(Edited to remove <CR> and make this post scroll properly. W.)
[This message was edited by Weatherford on Sep. 22, 2001 at 04:42 AM.]