You would think the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary would know the facts about security. Yet Janet Napolitano told a CBC TV interviewer that the 9/11 hijackers got into the United States through Canada. Such ignorance in a senior American official beggars belief.
No wonder the Canadian ambassador in Washington and the head of the RCMP had to set her straight. In response, the Secretary mumbled weakly that she had misunderstood the question. Oh, give me a break.
As the Montreal Gazette said in an editorial this morning, “Napolitano’s mistake looks to most Canadians like a blatant example of America’s arrogant ignorance about Canada”. (I pride myself that I know more about American politics than most Americans.)
The fact is the 9/11 terrorists all entered the U.S. from outside North America with proper U.S. paperwork.
Napolitano has the gall to say there are other cases of terrorists crossing the Canadian border into the U.S. that she can’t tell us about.
Why not? Fact is that since Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. officials have invoked “security concerns” to mask prisoner abuse, torture, rendition and other excesses. This excuse has worn threadbare. Why can’t she tell us about any foiled crossborder plots?
With her policy and her “misunderstanding”, Napolitano has started the Obama era in Canadian-American relations with a serious blunder.
Do you agree?
The good news here is that she seems to know there is something called Canada somwhere north of the US. They don’t all know you know.
Isn’t Canada like Puerto Rico? Like a U.S. territory or something?
Tony “Isn’t Canada like Puerto Rico? Like a U.S territory or something?”
No Tony, Canada is a soverign Country, now that your enlightened, tell all your friends.
Canada is actually more like a horizontal Chile.
Over 90% of Canada’s population is within a 50 mile distance from the U.S. border. Looked at in terms of population density, therefore, Canada would resemble Chile.
And Arizona, I take it, would resemble Prince Edward Island without the lobster.
“Canada is actually more like a horizontal Chile”.
Now that you know that Canada is a Country, you must have googled additional information to help with your education. Good Show Tony.
Peter, Peter, don’t fall for Tony’s irony. Tony is a Canadian expat. Lived and studied in Montreal, so he wrote in one of the very first post I read from him on this blog.
Gimme a break. She made a mistake. She is from the Southwest, historically more concerned with the traffic across that border. She’s on a steep learning curve. At least she did not bluster her way through.
Canada is more like a horizontal Chilly.
No, Neil, we have plenty of lobster here in the desert.
But they are only found in vats of briney water at Wal-Mart. I always thought these repositories were petting zoos but, alas, one is supposed to choose one’s dinner from them and not commune with the residents.
For those that are interested, I just happened to write an essay on the subject a while back:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg6n6657_154gv5km332
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This is the first defiant ignoramus appointed by Obama. As she is from the Southwest she should be in charge of the Southwest only.Does anyone recall the Millenium Bomber. He was the terrorist who intended to blow up the LA Airport in the year 2000. He was arrested in Port Los Angeles by the US Customs Service. A female officer claimed that her instincts told her that this guy should get an auto shakedown, and that she smelt a rat. Bullshit. Rassam had been under RCMP surveillance for over two years and they reported him to the US Immigration in Victoria BC. People who take the ferry from Victoria to Port Los Angeles WA are precleared in Canada. The US Immigration wanted to get their hands on him on US territory and that was why he was allowed into the US. Bush at that time was striving to develop an agreement whereby they would build an imaginary fence around the whole of North America and it would be under one giant pool of Border Inspectors. The thought was at the time that a terrorist like Rassam would never have landed in Canada because Big Brother eyeballing the Big Fence would have cuffed him at his point of entry into Canada. The problem here turned out to be that Rassam returned from terrorist training in Afghanistan to Canada by way of the City of Los Angeles Airport CA. Big Brother was caught off guard. Was too busy arresting some of the 8,000,000 peons from Mexico who were hungry and are also expert fence hoppers.
Tony, I just read you essay on lobsters. Glad to see that under the thick crust of cynicism and cockiness there is a deeply sensitive human being. Your father must have been one hell of a Greek.
Very sensitive article, Tony
Thanks to both Paul and Neil for taking the time to read it!
“Peter Peter”, thanks Paul, I kinda knew Tony was playing around with ideas. I am addicted to controversial ideas.
Read the article Tony, great story teller, did any of dads music abilities rub off on you?
Don’t get to soft on us now. Good to hear your comment on Wal Marts low wage earners.
Tony, I loved your article on lobsters and your Dad.
Thanks also to Peter and Heidi for reading the paean to my father.
Unfortunately no, Peter, none of my father’s wonderful musical talent rubbed off on me, although I took about 5 years of piano lessons as a kid.
Tony, that was a wonderful story about your dad and the lobster penises! I chuckled all the way through it, being able to picture clearly in my mind exactly what you were describing!