What is the War on Terror?

War on Terror

By Judy Haiven

Excuse me for being a tad impolite.

But the other night in its first 10 minutes,  CBC-TV’s The National featured three back to back stories which can only be described as contributing to the war on Muslims – worldwide. Read on.

The first was about the unmanned drones dispatched by the US.  Turns out former president George W Bush, not exactly a peace-monger, sent 52 unmanned drones to kill bad guys – alleged Al Qaeda terrorists -  in Pakistan.  Remember some of the bad guys included entire villages celebrating a wedding or mourning at a funeral. But since 2008, Obama authorized 312, or six times more drone strikes than Dubya. These strikes killed or maimed more than 3,400 people in Pakistan – more than a third of whom have been children and civilians.

Of particular note is the fact the CIA orders “double striking” at targets. Minutes after the first drone strike, a second one is dispatched to “take out” first responders. A second strike also includes dispatching a drone to kill families who attend the funerals.

But Muslims need not worry: after all none of these drones will be dispatched against US citizens --unless according to a US Justice Dept. confidential report -- the American is suspected of “playing a significant operational role in al-Qaida or related terrorist group.” Then targeting Muslim Americans is fair game.

The second item cuts a bit closer to home.  The Royal Canadian Air Force says no charges will be laid in the case of a video shown at a mess-hall dinner at 14 Wing Greenwood, NS. The video – on Youtube – shows an unidentified RCAF member who donned brown face makeup, a turban, a fake beard, and spoke with a heavy accent pretending to be Osama Bin Laden’s terrorist brother.  Investigators say the video was in bad taste but still only a joke. A commanding officer “offered an apology to anyone who might have been offended… the military has ‘zero tolerance’ for acts that do not reflect our Canadian values, especially the respect we owe to other cultures and religions.”  Thank God for unequivocal apologies.

The third story was about the French Minister of Defence who thanked Canada for sending the C-17 jumbo jet to Mali. Mali, a former French colony, is the fifth poorest country in the world with an average life expectancy of 51 years (Canada’s is 80 plus years).  The French Minister said France couldn’t have done the “mission” without our help.  The mission consists of hundreds of lethal air strikes on the Malian people to rid them of the Al Qaeda operatives. Whoever they are.  And this just in, turns out that the baddie “Islamists” did some good things, including giving food and shelter to the Malians. Some in Mali secretly want them back as European aid is not exactly forthcoming.

So there we have it.  3 stories in the first 10 minutes of the National news.

There is a war on terror but it is against Muslims. 

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