"The majority sported the traditional Muslim male beard."

How we desperately scramble to avoid speaking the truth.

From an unmarried computer programmer to a university health sciences graduate and the unemployed, the 17 suspects charged in a foiled terrorist plot represent a “broad strata” of Canadian society. [emphasis added]

“Some are students, some are employed, some are unemployed,” RCMP assistant Commissioner Mike McDonell said Saturday.

H/t to Captain's Quarters.

Update: A relevant post and comment thread at The Shotgun Blog.

Would anyone in 1940 have tried to express "understanding" for the motivations of any German-Canadians planning terrorist acts in Canada because our country was:

a) at war with Germany, or
b) had interned some 850 German-Canadians?

Her thesis takes a fresh look at a controversial topic: the internment of 850 German-Canadian civilians during the Second World War. Accused of being Nazi spies, saboteurs and subversives, the internees were granted an opportunity to defend themselves. In the course of these appeal tribunals (the transcripts of which form the backbone of Ms. Lorenzkowski's research) state officials and internees passionately debated what it meant to be a "good Canadian". The study reveals conflicting concepts of citizenship and the important contribution of "hyphenated" Canadians to changing definitions of loyalty, civic duties and the nature of Canadian society...

As far as I know we were as democratic a country after the war as before. Perhaps because our side won, and knew to a large extent what was at stake.

Mark C.

Posted by markc at June 4, 2006 02:41 PM