It seems certain now that September 11th, 2001 will be permanently inducted into our living historical consciousness, joining December 7th, 1941, August 6th, 1945, July 20th, 1969, January 28th, 1986, November 9th, 1989, and many other gravitational dates throughout recent human history. Since the initial panic stopped and the debate began, I, like most of you, have been riding an emotional rollercoaster. I have become angry, nervous, irritable, paranoid, terrified, confused, saddened, desperate and, at times, violent. I know that I am not alone in any of this, and the effect of such low morale among the population as a whole is obvious. Drivers become worse, and simultaneously seem to complain more vehemently when driving injustices are committed against them. Constant complaints are heard at banks, government buildings, and anywhere else where a lineup is required to accomodate the needs of the people. Political alignments change with the wind, cultural tolerance drops off the charts entirely, and debates become more heated than ever, often progressing to physical confrontations.

It is the last point that I want to explore a little. Debates - clashes of opinion. Opninions are interesting things. Everyone seems to have one in regard to every issue at a time like this, but very few are researched or well informed. As always, the main debate is drifting more and more with time into two distinct factions. On the left side, we have the bleeding-heart idiots, who dig up old news about the USA, the UN, NATO, and how they terrorize the world, and claim that they are the monsters of September 11th. These people seem to believe that the terrorist attacks were justified (presumably because they are lucky enough to be alive to babble and bitch and banter about it), and that any military action against those responsible is an unjust act of terrorism and brutality. After dozens of rejected U.S. attempts to talk their way into a solution, these people will still be heard asking why diplomacy is not an option, as if it hasn't already been tried and exhausted. On the right, the patriotic, great-white-father idiots, who believe that the USA, the UN and NATO are totally innocent in terms of global policy and have never committed a single act of terrorism.

Dammit, why can't you people see the points? Yes, points, plural. There is more than just a single issue at work here, whether you'd like to believe it or not. There are a few distinct, separate topics which require distinct, separate discussion, and the lines dividing them are all but blurry. At least in my mind, the only point of uncertainty is the order in which to discuss them.

Issue #1: The United States

I bring this one up because I'm sick and tired of listening to all of you Canadians defend the history surrounding our Brothers to the South. I could bring up Cambodia. I could bring up Vietnam. I could bring up Panama. I could bring up Korea. Hell, if I were really feeling ambitious, I could bring up World War II (see above - August 6th, 1945) and the two largest acts of terrorism conducted against a civilian population in all of human history. Yes, I could, but I won't. Alas, I have relatively little knowledge of each, in comparison to many of you who were alive and aware at the time these events took place, and I'm afraid I could offer little debate at this point. Regardless, each of the aforementioned chapters in U.S. history has been talked and talked and overtalked, and it's doubtful that I can offer any new insight. What I will bring up, however, is the portion of U.S. history that relates specifically to Osamah bin Laden. More specifically, the portions that relate to Afghanistan and Iraq. Not that any of this is entirely related to the current military action; rather, it serves to demonstrate a point.

During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980's, the CIA conducted multiple destabilization-related operations in and out of Afghan territory. This is not refutable; dig deep enough, and the CIA themselves will admit it (ironically enough, if you want to view the work of someone who has done years of detailed research into this period, rent The Siege). I'm sure you have all heard of the various "subversion techniques" utilized by the infamous CIA throughout the world to clandestinely pull strings and alter world politics. Many people are still tragically unaware, however, that their doctrines on psychological/morale warfare involve the killing and terrorizing of innocent civilians as a means of hitting a nerve with an occupying army. That's right folks. Terrorism, legitimized. In the mid 1980's, Civilian targets were hit both in the Soviet Union and Afghanistan, with the ostensible purpose of abrading the morale of the Soviet army. It was, in fact, Osamah bin Laden and his followers, who were trained to a large degree in "subversion tactics" and, with American backing, logistical and financial support, eventually carried out a number of attacks on innocent citizens during the Afghan war. The same situation was repeated during the Persian Gulf War, when the CIA decided that the Iraqi population was standing too rigidly by their errant leader for open military action to be sufficient in repulsing the invasion of Kuwait.

So why is it that people are not so concerned with this sort of terrorism - that is, terrorism conducted by a government instead of a band of renegade outcasts? Why is it that so many of you expect the world to stand still when the United States is hit with an act of cruelty, but stand by their decision to torment and kill innocent people elsewhere in the name of some sort of superior justice? I'll tell you. It is because you are a lot of racist, biased, selfish morons, who care nothing of that which does not affect you. You have no concept of what life is like elsewhere, and you don't want one. You don't care. You are no better than the Palestinian fools cheering in the streets on September 12th, so stop flapping your self-righteous little mouths.

Issue #2: Israel and Palestine

The conflict of the Holy Land is one that I'm not about to enter into. I am not a religious scholar, nor am I a proponent of Christianity, Judaism or Islam. I am, however, a living, thinking being, and that is all it takes to see that things have been just a tad biased around the middle east for... well, pretty much since the global community, in all its infinite wisdom, got involved at all. Under United Nations provision, the Gaza Strip and West Bank belong to Palestine and were to be used as a safe refuge for Palestinians wishing to remain in their holy land. The Israeli government initially recognized and honoured the divisions, but when Jewish settlers laid (illegal) claim to land within both regions, Israeli troops were sent into the Palestinian-designated areas for "protection". Eventually, border lands were forced surrendered, and the situation escalated and escalated, to the point where Israel now controls roughly 75% of legal Palestinian territory. In the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel captured the Golan Heights region on its northeastern border, which legally belongs to Syria. When the war was over, they refused to withdraw their troops. An illegal move, this action was looked down upon by the global community, but to this day, nobody has made them give it back. Where and when it suits them, the government of Israel blatantly disregards the United Nations provisions originally governing their land, along with the lives of the Arabic population with whom they are meant to share the territory. When it is convenient for them, however, they seem to squak a lot about how the United Nations' specification must be upheld. Take, for example, the border between Israel and Lebanon. Threatened by rebel assaults on the border area, Israel decided to invade a portion of Lebanon in the interests of a "security buffer" (also 1967). The United Nations got around to asking them very nicely to leave in 1978. The Israeli government got around to actually pulling troops out in 2000, and they were immediately replaced by UN peacekeepers, put in place to protect the poor helpless Israelis from the evil vampire Arabs. Suggest for one second, though, that UN troops may be needed in Gaza or the West Bank, for the protection of the constantly maligned Palestinian citizens, and the response is laughter.

The inequality in the middle east "peace" process is so staggering that it's actually difficult to believe even the United Nations are responsible. Still, though, none of you seem to care. None of you seem to notice. Worst of all, you all act surprised when Al Qaeda representatives televise speeches about the security of a Palestinian state and how important it is that the world understands their plight. You say things like, "what have we ever done to them?", or "what is their problem?" Your reactions are ignorant and ill-informed, and, once again, you'd do best to keep them to yourselves.

Issue #3: Canada

Canada can say some very good things about itself. Truthfully, that is. For instance, we can honestly say that we have not conducted a single act of external, government-sanctioned terrorism in our entire history. Secondly, our internal record is nearly as good, notwithstanding a series of small tarnishes (the Northwest Rebellion of 1885, for example, or possibly Ipperwash, or the fact that we are here at all). We do, however, have some very serious crimes to answer for. Canada has long been known as an easy place to hide. Our particularly lax policies on immigration, welfare and crime have made it easy for terrorists to set up their infrastructure here and even use us as a fundraising station.

Al Jihad sets up Human Concern International, a fraudulent charity, complete with advertisements and everything, which proceeds to send donated money to terrorist forces abroad. Essam Hafez Marjouk, a man with known connections to Osamah bin Laden, is allowed into the country anyway, despite being on worldwide terrorist watch lists. He proceeds to set up small-scale Al Qaeda training facilities in Vancouver, financed, among other things, through a local debit card fraud operation which the government fails to crack down on. Karim Said Attmani enters the country as a stowaway on a Liberian cargo ship. His refugee claim is denied, and yet he is not deported or even taken into custody. He goes on to join the Montreal Jihad (did you know there was a Montreal Jihad? I would have thought that might be something we'd want to get rid of), and sets up further debit card and credit card fraud operations, which are also used to fund international terrorism. Ahmed Ressam also manages to come to Canada and disappear. Somehow he manages to outsmart Vancouver area law enforcement and accumulate a large quantity of explosives, at which point he sets off by ferry to Washington state using fake Canadian I.D. - his eventual target the Los Angeles International Airport. He is not seized or even noticed until he makes it well into the U.S.

These stories are plentiful and easy to find. Why, then, is our idiot Prime Minister still ranting about how there is "no evidence" to suggest that the September 11th attacks or any other terrorist activity throughout history had anything to do with Canada? Why, then, are we denying that there is a problem with our border and immigration security that must be corrected and cracked down upon in order to stop this from happening again? Why do you continue to elect this bunch of Liberal fools, whose soul concern is for the safety of their position as a majority government, regardless of the cost to human life? Don't sit back and fold your arms and tell me that Canada isn't complicit with terrorism, people. We are every bit as guilty for letting this happen as Osamah bin Laden himself. At least bin Laden doesn't attempt to deny that he is a terrorist.

Issue #4: Terrorism

In the midst of all this, I find more and more of you saying things like "one country's terrorist is another country's freedom fighter." Goddamnit, you couldn't be more wrong. Let's get something straight about terrorism. Terrorism is evil. Pure and simple. It represents a literal embodiment of cowardice and injustice, and it can never be right, no matter what the circumstances. I have, as you can probably see, a great deal of contempt for the way in which our own western nations terrorize others and allow terrorism to perpetuate itself throughout the world. I also have a great deal of sympathy for the Arabs of the world, and the unfair treatment that Islamic peoples face constantly in Palestine. But when you break down Al Qaeda's mission into its barest simplicity, you'll find that they are asking you and me to die for their cause. Some of them are even willing to die with us. Well whoopadiefuckingdoo. Good for you, Mr. Terrorist. Sure, you're not a coward because you're going down with us. Well you know what? I'm not willing to do it. I'm not willing to go and die for their cause. With each and every hint of violence against what I consider to be my people, here in sunny North America, my sympathy for the plight of the terrorists is lessened. They have some very valid arguments, which they are systematically discrediting in the global perspective as they crusade around the world stirring up hatred. This is not my problem. I support the United States, Great Britain and NATO as a whole in the current military effort. What they are doing, right now, in Afghanistan, is not terrorism. It's not even close. It is war. And it is, in fact, the most gentle war the world has ever seen. It is a necessary initiative, and must be carried on with the utmost regard for the preservation of innocent life, until Osamah bin Laden and all who would follow him or his cause are wiped off the face of this disgusting little planet. How dare those bastards take my sympathy and turn me and the ones I love into targets? Kill them. Kill them all. And may every supporter cower in fear for the rest of their sick, miserable little lives.