Could Opposition Policy on ISIS Draw Attacks on Canadians?

On March 11th 2004 Al Qaeda killed 191 people and injured 1800 others in Madrid Spain.  10 homemade bombs were detonated in passenger trains almost simultaneously.  The bombs exploded via cell phone trigger while 4 more were discovered unexploded.   

This was perpetrated just 3 days before the Spanish General Election.  Spain was a country divided at the time over joining the second Iraq war.  The terrorist attack was a key event in the election and toppled the ruling party for a socialist party who advocated withdrawing from the Iraq.

It was a master stroke for the Islamists.  Al Qaeda could never have removed the Spaniards from the Iraq war by force of arms.  Instead they managed to remove Spain with 10 bombs targeting civilians on their own soil and turned an election.  Diabolical evil.

10 years later we find ourselves in Canada approaching a situation similar to Spain's.  An election looms in the near future and the Harper Government is compelled to enter a war in Iraq.  Also similarly the parties are divided about the war.  The Harper Government supports direct, though minimal, military intervention against ISIS.  The opposition socialist parties if elected would withdraw that support. 

This is in contrast to other anti-ISIS coalition members.  European countries who are arguably both more socialist and "progressive" than Canada have voted unanimously in their democratic houses to fight ISIS.  Here the NDP and Liberals are focused on election politics and have tried to use the ISIS threat as a wedge issue.  On the question of sending a miniscule force to engage the most brutal and bloodthirsty army since the Nazi terror our House voted 157 - 134 in favor. 

As we know that same House of Parliament was attacked by ISIS last week.  The so-called "lone wolf" was ideologically identical to the terrorist army we are currently at war with.  The murderer would have surely gone to Iraq to fight with ISIS if not for his passport being withheld.  The terrorists Satanic sacrifice on our National War Memorial and the cold premeditated attack on our uniformed soldier earlier in the week are a clear message to Canadians from ISIS. 

There certainly seems to have been an uptick in terrorism towards Canada since the war on ISIS began.  The twin attacks last week were followed by a threat on our Embassy in Turkey for example.  We'll have to stay vigilant for more of the same. 

ISIS has named Canada several times in its threats as well as other countries.  The major difference between Canada and its allies is that our involvement in the war against ISIS pivots on the outcome of next year's election.  Canada is the only country made vulnerable by its opposition parties this way.

ISIS currently does not have the means to knock our CF-18s out of the sky.  The only way to remove our 6 CF-18s from the battle space is politically.  Through terrorism ISIS can turn Carl von Clauswits on his head.   For ISIS politics is a continuation of war by other means.

The Dog That Caught The Car

Well Done CPC!  Well Done PM Harper.  Well done everyone.

1. EU Free Trade Deal
2. End of Long Gun Registry
3. Getting Canada out of Recession
4. Stopping the Coalition
5. Strengthened Military
6. Strengthened Laws

Great!

So what now?  Its a question I've been wondering for a long time now.  Years have gone by since the minority times.  I always trusted that the big brains in the high halls had some kind of plan.  

Its not that they weren't busy.  The EU Trade Deal took years of work to put together and it will take a few more years yet.  It's also a little boring not to mention practically in the bag.  People overwhelmingly support the deal.  There is so much support that even the usual liars are lying about supporting it.

Yawn.  The Base is bored.  We are the Dog that caught the car.  We want the thrill of the heroic challenges we faced down in the past.  We want to do the impossible again.  

In the absence of monumental goals what has filled the vacuum?  Senators and their chronic attendant scandals.  (if there was a 'spit in disgust' punctuation mark I would put it here.)  Like a creeping deadly mold the Senate corrupts all it touches.  That institution has resisted change for over a century.

Let's take down the Senate.  Lets do the impossible again and change the Senate forever.

In fact here is a list of desirable and impossible things the Party can get to work on:

1. Reform the Senate
2. Sell the CBC
3. End all supply management
4. Make a Taxpayer Bill of Rights 
• No combination of governments may require a summation of taxes over 50% of any person's income,
• May not tax naturally occurring molecules essential to life (a life tax)
5. A National Energy Corridor Act 
• to join all 3 coasts in specifically zoned energy corridors to facilitate the unimpeded transport of all forms of energy
6. Legalize Private Health Care
7. 
   

I'm leaving 7 blank.  What would you like to see?

The key thing is that the government needs to get on with it.  Make some waves and take some risks.  We don't need to wait for the election.  We won the election already.  Do it now.

Its ironic that being paralyzed in fear of the next election increases the chance of losing it.  Elections are unpredictable things.  No one should harbor any illusions of the real possibility of losing the next one.

Carpe Diem.