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Chickens, roosting
So there was a shooting in Ottawa today. Ottawa isn't very far from me. I have a lot of friends there; my first instinct was to check Facebook and make sure that everyone I knew was okay. (Seems like.) I think that's a natural urge, to care more about violence that happens in your own backyard—relatively speaking—than on the other side of the world. It's not tribal; friends of mine were on lockdown. It's scarier than distant events happening to strangers.
This follows on the heels of a man mowing down two Canadian soldiers in his car, killing one. I suppose that was the first act of terrorism on Canadian soil resulting in fatalities since the 80s, and this latest killing and shootout the second. You know, if you don't count the murders of sex workers and indigenous women, the routine shootings of people of colour and the mentally ill by police, and the systemic poisoning of native land, etc. There are varying definitions of terrorism, after all. Martin Couture-Rouleau was a white man with a French-Canadian name, so the media is not sure whether to call him a terrorist or not. For now he's simply "radicalized." One of us, led astray by the lure of the internet and the mullahs. Robert Pickton, who murdered at least 26 women that we know of, is never referred to as a terrorist, because systemic racism and misogyny is not political.
Now we are "under attack" by "homegrown terrorists" and "ISIS sleeper cells," so the country must revert to jingoist-mode, or else. No doubt Harper will use this to his advantage, both in promoting his ill-advised kicking of the hornets' nest that is Iraq and Syria (the definition of insanity being repeating the same mistake and expecting different results), in shoring up election support next year, and in churning the swamp of hatred and Islamophobia that spawns the likes of his core of supporters. The war has come home, at last, and our Dear Leaders rub their hands together expectantly. When the drums of war start pounding, the profits are soon to follow.
Let me tell you something about these ISIS sleeper cells. I know a little about them, without ever having met anyone who belonged to one, on account of what I do for a living. I can tell you that they're exactly the kind of people who lurk on Reddit and send rape threats to Anita Sarkeesian. It has nothing to do with politics per se; it has everything to do with frustrated juvenile masculinity. Why do you think so many of them turn out to be white converts to the most radical form of Islam they can find, one which practically doesn't exist as an organized thing? They are the same boys who, in other circumstances, open fire on schools. Girls with those frustrations slit their own wrists; boys take others with them in a hail of gunfire. That's the face of the enemy—not Islam, not the Middle East, but troglodyte junior misogynists searching for meaning. I'd bet you anything when the details of the shooters' lives emerge, somewhere in the story will be an overly entitled cockwomble who couldn't get a date.
And so I am angry, very angry, and scared, but not for the reasons I'm being told to be. It's never going to affect me personally; when they knock down doors, they'll knock on mine pretty late in the game. I'm scared for friends, I'm scared for the broader community, which includes Muslims who'll be targeted for racial profiling for no good reason. I'm angry at Harper for painting bulls-eyes on our cities because he wants to gain points in the election. I'm scared for the path that this violence has blown for crackdowns on our liberty and civil rights. I have no reason to be afraid of a terrorist's bomb, but I have reason to be afraid that one of my kids will get shot down in the street for wearing a hoodie or carrying a cell phone. I'm scared, and furious, that the resources that could make this country worth living in will now be redirected to depriving other people's children of lives and limbs.
There's a war on, but it's a very different one than we're being told about.
ETA: Looks like another white guy who converted to Islam and spent too much time on armchair jihadi sites, colour me surprised.
This follows on the heels of a man mowing down two Canadian soldiers in his car, killing one. I suppose that was the first act of terrorism on Canadian soil resulting in fatalities since the 80s, and this latest killing and shootout the second. You know, if you don't count the murders of sex workers and indigenous women, the routine shootings of people of colour and the mentally ill by police, and the systemic poisoning of native land, etc. There are varying definitions of terrorism, after all. Martin Couture-Rouleau was a white man with a French-Canadian name, so the media is not sure whether to call him a terrorist or not. For now he's simply "radicalized." One of us, led astray by the lure of the internet and the mullahs. Robert Pickton, who murdered at least 26 women that we know of, is never referred to as a terrorist, because systemic racism and misogyny is not political.
Now we are "under attack" by "homegrown terrorists" and "ISIS sleeper cells," so the country must revert to jingoist-mode, or else. No doubt Harper will use this to his advantage, both in promoting his ill-advised kicking of the hornets' nest that is Iraq and Syria (the definition of insanity being repeating the same mistake and expecting different results), in shoring up election support next year, and in churning the swamp of hatred and Islamophobia that spawns the likes of his core of supporters. The war has come home, at last, and our Dear Leaders rub their hands together expectantly. When the drums of war start pounding, the profits are soon to follow.
Let me tell you something about these ISIS sleeper cells. I know a little about them, without ever having met anyone who belonged to one, on account of what I do for a living. I can tell you that they're exactly the kind of people who lurk on Reddit and send rape threats to Anita Sarkeesian. It has nothing to do with politics per se; it has everything to do with frustrated juvenile masculinity. Why do you think so many of them turn out to be white converts to the most radical form of Islam they can find, one which practically doesn't exist as an organized thing? They are the same boys who, in other circumstances, open fire on schools. Girls with those frustrations slit their own wrists; boys take others with them in a hail of gunfire. That's the face of the enemy—not Islam, not the Middle East, but troglodyte junior misogynists searching for meaning. I'd bet you anything when the details of the shooters' lives emerge, somewhere in the story will be an overly entitled cockwomble who couldn't get a date.
And so I am angry, very angry, and scared, but not for the reasons I'm being told to be. It's never going to affect me personally; when they knock down doors, they'll knock on mine pretty late in the game. I'm scared for friends, I'm scared for the broader community, which includes Muslims who'll be targeted for racial profiling for no good reason. I'm angry at Harper for painting bulls-eyes on our cities because he wants to gain points in the election. I'm scared for the path that this violence has blown for crackdowns on our liberty and civil rights. I have no reason to be afraid of a terrorist's bomb, but I have reason to be afraid that one of my kids will get shot down in the street for wearing a hoodie or carrying a cell phone. I'm scared, and furious, that the resources that could make this country worth living in will now be redirected to depriving other people's children of lives and limbs.
There's a war on, but it's a very different one than we're being told about.
ETA: Looks like another white guy who converted to Islam and spent too much time on armchair jihadi sites, colour me surprised.
no subject
The weird thing is, I think yesterday illustrates just how effective security measures are. Yes, there was one innocent victim, and that sucks, but if you look at mass shootings in the States, you see just how well everything worked. The shooter—and only the shooter—was killed pretty quickly afterwards. The city was under lockdown until it was safe, but there were no egregious violations of anyone's civil rights. The media, for the most part, kept a cool head. Sometimes frustrated young men go off and start shooting people, and short of preventative measures, everyone actually did a pretty good job in mitigating the potential damage.
no subject
As for the swift and decisive response, the Seargeant-at-Arms was a 29 year veteran of the RCMP and had had many years' experience of bodyguard and security details. He was the best man you could have wanted to have there, yet the only time people ever see him is the ceremony when Parliament opens and he marches in carrying the mace. This was probably the first time a lot of Canadians noticed there was such an officer.
And he made far more difference than the hundreds of policemen and soldiers patrolling downtown Ottawa with assault rifles for hours afterwards.
I recall when I worked on and around Parliament Hill, in the late 80s in a military capacity, a constant figure of fun were the Special Constables. These were people who couldn't get into the regular RCMP but were instead recruited to provide security at airports, official residences and Parliament, places like that because they didn't have enough regular Constables to meet the demand. At first they were armed with short-barreled MP-5 submachine guns, but after more than a few had shot themselves through the foot or leg with them, they took them away....
no subject
At first they were armed with short-barreled MP-5 submachine guns, but after more than a few had shot themselves through the foot or leg with them, they took them away....
Oh God, haha.
no subject
Of course, the poor guy at the cenotaph was another story, but it's an open area and the gunman snuck up behind him so there's only so much you can do about that.
The guy calling in also pointed out the security guard at the door also deserved recognition (but had been overshadowed by the Master-at-Arms, who is a boss): when the gunman showed up, he tacked the guy (while unarmed, getting shot in the foot for his trouble), while sounding the alarm (by yelling, "Gun! Gun!"), which bought the Master-at-Arms time to grab his weapon; I don't believe he's usually armed. That may change.
So one armed guy shows up at the door, is immediately tackled, and shortly thereafter is shot dead, with no innocent bystanders hurt (at Parliament, I mean; there's no security in place for the guards at the cenotaph; they are the security and I doubt anyone ever expected them to have to defend it or themselves against anything worse than drunk tourists), and, all in all, only a relatively minor wound to the one guard.
I'd say the system works pretty well as it is. I expect they will make some changes after this (they usually do, for political if not practical reasons) but I hope not too much; and I don't think too much is needed, really.
no subject