"The guy who took a hatchet to a New York policeman was apparently a
"lone wolf", just like the guy who took a double-barreled shotgun to a
Canadian soldier was a "lone-wolf". Earlier today, I swung by Varney & Co on Fox Business to discuss the umpteenth member of Local 473 of the Amalgamated Union of Lone Wolves:"
"This term 'lone wolf' is a cop-out…the idea that they
somehow have to have a membership card in Islamic State or in al Qaeda
for it to be official, fully-credentialed terror, like getting a
hairdresser's license in New York State is completely preposterous" he
stated."
"Steyn added that the rhetoric of "lone wolf" terrorists allows
those who do not want to admit that radical Islam is a problem to brush
off terror as isolated incidents, saying "all jihad is local. That
actually suits them, to say, 'oh no this is just some mentally ill guy
in Ottawa and this is another guy who's a bit goofy in New York and
there's no connection between the two.' Because otherwise you have to
treat it like your other big story. You have to treat it like
ideological Ebola and you have to stop the infection..."
Meanwhile:
"One other thought on events in Ottawa and St Jean this week, courtesy of Laura Rosen Cohen:
I was listening to a popular morning radio show this morning and the discussion focused on several themes. One was how to support Canada's military in the wake of the terrorist attacks this week. This is a particularly important topic given that Canada's soldiers were instructed not to wear their uniforms in public.
This of course, is the absolutely wrong way of dealing with terrorism. The terrorists targeted our soldiers and killed our soldiers.
Traditionally, in human history, when hostile forces plot and murder your soldiers-that is called war.
The answer to a declaration of war is not taking off your uniform.
It's wearing it prouder. It's more uniforms, more soldiers, more direct engagement, and being more resolute and more public about your national pride and security."
"She's right."
(I loooooove the sound of that. I mean, I love being right, and being on the right and I love Mark Steyn saying "she's right" when referring to me...it has a very nice ring to it, you know what I mean? Of course you do!)
*Waves*
*Regains composure*
*Slinks back, reluctantly to regular, suburban life*
And lastly, getting even more Steyny with it:
"If we have to have dress codes on the streets of free societies, I'd
rather see more men like Corporal Cirillo in the uniform of the Argyll
& Sutherland Highlanders ...and fewer women in head-to-toe black
body bags. As I've said umpteen times on radio and TV these last two
days, I'm tired of being told that we have to change to accommodate them."
AMEN, Mr. Steyn.
A final note-also on the show this morning, a former military man called in and said many people had asked why the guards at the memorial weren't armed. I haven't checked this yet, but the caller said that it is illegal for members of the armed forces to carry ammunition in their weapons when they are off base unless they are military police.
That is certainly something I think the government should change.
In Israel, for example, all soldiers have weapons and so do many civilians and there are no mass shootings-which are generally related to mental illness rather than actual possession of a weapon-contrary to the popular narrative.
As the brave Sergeant At Arms in Ottawa demonstrated, and as so many civilians and police officers and soldiers in Israel have demonstrated, it takes one good shot to prevent a massacre and neutralize a terrorist.
Of course the shrill left will protest any changes that would enable Canadians to have anything close to an open carry law. Still I think it is an important conversation to have here in Canada.