Harper hints at extraordinary terror measures
Lapsed anti-terror provisions -- extraordinary measures the Conservative government has been trying to revive -- might have been useful in the current effort to round up suspects in an alleged bomb plot, the prime minister hinted Wednesday.
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Asked whether the government planned to bring back exceptional powers to arrest terror suspects, Harper pointed to the bill, which is still at first-reading stage.
"There is some legislation in this regard that we would like to see passed, but obviously as we watch these particular incidents we'll carefully examine our laws to make sure they're adequate to deal with the circumstances that do arise from time to time," Harper said in Mirabel, Que.
Harper was referring to Bill C-17, aka The Combating Terrorism Act. It was introduced in April of this year and is intended to revive controversial measures — preventative arrests and investigative hearings — that were first implemented after 9/11 but with sunset clauses. Those measures were allowed to lapse when an extension of them failed to win majority support in the Commons in 2007.
If you want more background on the history of these measures and the politics surrounding the 2007 review, I'd refer you to this article by Reg Whitaker published at Prism shortly after C-17 was introduced. As he describes it, the Conservatives struck a more conciliatory tone last April as compared to the contentious debate of a few years ago. But given the opportunity presented by these recent arrests, I have to wonder if that will continue.
The Conservatives have lately taken to trying to frighten us at every turn. The Russians are invading our airspace, we're increasingly victims of unreported crime, there are boatloads of terrorists and human traffickers coming to our shores and — the scariest of all — there's a coalition of socialists and separatists waiting for the opportunity to take over the country and pollute our precious bodily fluids. It doesn't seem like much of a stretch to anticipate another round of "soft on terrorism" accusations being hurled at anyone who opposes the government's agenda. Things could get nasty. It wouldn't be the first time.
Meanwhile, there are some decidedly odd things going on regarding the reporting on the newest case of alleged, attempted, "homegrown" terrorism (would it be "homegrown" if the alleged perps were white and Christian?). You can go see Alison to read about the case of the disappearing news reports.
The re-arrest of Peshdary, the apparent police abuse of his wife, and their kidnapping of his child, all apparently because the police have little evidence against him -- all that is deeply disturbing. If they can do that to any individual, they can do it to any and all of the rest of us.
I don't believe their terrorism scares. My mother read me the story of the little boy who cries wolf when I was very young. She also read me the story of the emperor with no clothes. I'm with my mother.
skdadl--you are absolutely right--terrorism is in the eye of the beholder, and it is governments who name the 'terrorists'. Keep the populace in fear and they will follow blindly.