Re: Terrorist Attack

[betsy]

Intelligence said Canada is a potential target.

What do you think?

[lost&outofcontrol]

Intelligence said Canada is a potential target.

What do you think?

Intelligence said Saddam had WMDs too.

[Argus]

Intelligence said Canada is a potential target.

What do you think?

I think that if I was a crazed Muslim lunatic and wanted to blow myself up in Allah's name, I would find it very hard to ignore the fact the Great Satan is only a little way up the road, and since I was already so close I'd bypass Canada and have a go at them.

[theloniusfleabag]

I have to agree with Argus here.

I think that if I was a crazed Muslim lunatic and wanted to blow myself up in Allah's name, I would find it very hard to ignore the fact the Great Satan is only a little way up the road, and since I was already so close I'd bypass Canada and have a go at them.

An attack on Canada cannot be ruled out, but I don't believe it is imminent.

A couple of points worthy of consideration:

-since security has been ostensibly tightened most everywhere, any large scale attack would require meticulous planning, and I don't think any other nation besides the US would be the target.

-the 'Muslim terrorist fanatics' don't view time the same as we do. Bin Laden, et al, are very patient, and if it took an extra few years to plan an attack, it wouldn't matter to them.

-Canada is a vast country, with light security. An attack here would likely mean an industrial/infrastructure attack, especially one connected to the US. Examples would be northern oil or gas pipelines, which are virtually indefensible, or hydro/power stations, which are generally remote, rather than an attack on the CN Tower.

Another thing that could be considered, what the US previously and critically saw as a 'lack of imagination', is 'What would I do' if I were a terrorist?

Lots of things, including poisoning currency, water/food supplies, or mass transit systems. A truck full of explosives at certain points along the Trans-Canada Highway, sugh as at Rogers or Kicking Horse Pass, and one or two train bridges, could cut off huge amounts of trade goods.

One must always consider their purpose, though.

[scribblet]

I think it could happen if AQ or others decide to widen their agression against the West in general.

[theloniusfleabag]

Dear scriblett,

I think it could happen if AQ or others decide to widen their agression against the West in general

They already have. Hence Canada being 'on the hit list' (and being the only country on that list that has not been attacked yet). Would Canada be attacked just to rectify this situation? I do not believe it would be, at least not solely for that purpose.

Don't forget, Bin Laden has offered a truce, but the US has rejected it with the old line, "We don't negotiate with terrorists".

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/593...A1A9678D922.htm

[Leafless]

Betsy

So what.

Whats the point.

It's the same as a flu outbreak and it's fought with antibiotics.

Up to now authorities refuse to eliminate the source so little can be done to combat this type of terrorist activities.

[geoffrey]

We are the only country on Osama's list that hasn't been attacked remember. Canada's have some strange sense of ignorance of our security, sort of a pre-Pearl Harbour innocence. Not having armed border guards, no ports police, under-funded police and security inside Canada and no real military strength make us an easy target.

Keep living in your daydream world, but we aren't as much an island as some would like to think.

fleabag, do you actually think Osama would honour a truce? It's a desperate call for reprive to build his battered forces. People like Osama only wish death upon all us infidels, so good luck with your peace talks.

[Montgomery Burns]

Intelligence said Canada is a potential target.

What do you think?

Intelligence said Saddam had WMDs too.

And intelligence was correct.

[Hicksey]

They stopped a potential attack on the Pickering Nuclear reactor a while back already.

All the principals in the War on Terror have named us as a target already.

How high we are up their priority list is another thing though.

[Montgomery Burns]

I was reluctant but I voted yes. I don't know if it will be within 3 years, but I think there is no doubt that Canada will be victim of a major terrorist attack in the future. Osama named 5 countries on his hitlist and Canada is the only one that hasn't been attacked - yet. After 13 years of Liberal Party rule, the population has gone wobbly (a recent poll showed the majority of Canadians, after 11 Cdn soldiers losing their lives in 4 years, wanted to cut and run from Afghanistan if more casualties mounted) and when Al Qaeda attacks, many Canadians will want to "pull a Spain", accept Osama's "truce", embarrass our brave soldiers, and run from Afghanistan with our tails between our legs.

You have to remember that many Canadians feel that the "so-called" war on terror is an American thing, and the Canadian left always take the side that undermines the US. It's instinctive because the wildly successful US is the breadbasket of capitalism and the Canadian left hates their guts for showing up the socialists. Does anyone recall Canadian leftists protesting against Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, or Yassir Arafat? Of course not. They protested against what they perceive to be the real evil in this world: George Bush and Ariel Sharon.

[Spike22]

We all ready on terrorists radar screens. Look at were were are located geographically next to the big ugly beast cvalled the US. Look at who we do the majority of business with, whose values we follow to a large extent and where our military is at and whose military we support now and in the past, Are we a target - you bet. Not just from the traditional turbin twister terrorists we usually think of but the unsuspecting ones like a Timothy McVeigh type who may be sypathetic to their cause.

[Black Dog]

We are the only country on Osama's list that hasn't been attacked remember.

Can someone produce this list, please?

[August1991]

This exercice may be fun, but it also strikes me as pointless.

If we asked everyone on this forum "What is the chance you'll be hit by lightning in the next three years?", I don't know how people would answer but I'm fairly certain everyone would be wildly wrong.

At least in the case of a lightning strike, there is some past experience to go on and we could calculate objectively the odds.

This question about terrorism is worse because it is like asking "What is the chance that a woman will be US President in the next 50 years?" No one knows what the odds are so not only would our answers be wildly wrong, but so would educated guesses.

I've been reading Richard Dawkins recently and he's convinced me that our brains are just not designed to assess in any meaningful way questions like "Will Canada suffer a terrorist attack in the next three years?" As a species, our forte is assessing risks such as "If I give him a glance, I've got an even chance he'll look back at me."

[GostHacked]

Attack? Possibly (I think it is slim however)

On the same scale as 9-11 or the Oaklahoma bombing? Not a chance.

If Canada went around doing the same shit as the US, then yes. But just because we are 'on the list' does not make us a worth while target. Just scare tactics.

Forget out terrorism, go on about your daily lives and live your life. If you give in to the mentality that 'we may be attacked TOMORROW or TODAY, OR RIGHT NOW AT ANY SECOND. How do you live if you are constantly woried about things you will never live your life the way you want to.

[geoffrey]

We are the only country on Osama's list that hasn't been attacked remember.

Can someone produce this list, please?

Sure BD: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...?hub=TopStories

Canada has been named again in a chilling new call to arms from al Qaeda. A posting found this week on an al Qaeda website places Canada fifth on a target list.

The website is believed to be published by senior al Qaeda figure, Saif al-Adel. It calls on followers to attack Canadians and other westerners at home and abroad.

Experts warn it could be only a matter of time before Canada is hit. Several other countries named on the list -- such as Spain and Australia -- have already been attacked. Terror experts warn that Canadians have a false sense of security.