The Canadian authorities didn’t have to break the law to apprehend terror plotters
After reading of the terror plot the Canadians disrupted, I immediately expected it would be used by rightwing bloggers as a defense of the NSA’s illegal surveillance activities, even though nothing in the news reports indicated Canadian authorities had used similar illegal or extralegal methods.
After waiting a bit, I see plenty of examples online that my expectations were right on target. But rather than echoing what other liberals have already responded with, I’ll just point you to Barbara O’Brien’s response, because she and her commenters have pretty well covered it.
(And let me add my kudos to a longtime member of our team for getting invited aboard Glenn Greenwald’s blog. Barbara’s been a topnotch blogger even before joining our team nearly two years ago, and I hope she’ll now gain the recognition that I think has been long overdue her.)
3:18 am Update: Extra applause to Steve Verdon of the conservative Outside the Beltway, for dispelling Michelle Malkin’s spin on this event, which, per usual, goes after race and nationality instead of the words and actions of these violent criminals, and doesn’t simply grant that Canadian authorities deserve a big thank you for a job well-done.
And as more details emerge, I think this is noteworthy as well:
Around the same time, Karl Nickner of the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a statement that he is confident “the justice system will accord these individuals transparency, due process and the presumption of innocence.”
“We stand behind our security forces and the Canadian government in their desire to protect Canada,” said the executive director. “As Canadian Muslims, we unequivocally condemn terrorism in all of its forms.”
And …. 4:03 am …. unlike the tens of millions in Germany, Italy and Japan who took on the entire world in the last World War, the capacities of tens of thousands - if that many - even spread across the globe, cannot seriously be comparable as a threat, to warrant the claim that we’re in World War 4. The evidence doesn’t exist to make that claim. They lack the numbers, the weaponry, and many lack the common sense to be viewed as a threat of that magnitude.
June 4th, 2006 at 3:28 pm
And, furthermore, just how many terrorist plotters have been foiled in the United States since the Bush Administration instigated the de facto repeal of the Bill of Rights? Zero.
June 5th, 2006 at 12:44 pm
Bravo.
You make excellent points here, my friend.