For A Monday

The story so far...


Last night, armed gunmen (reported as two or three at the time) broke into a mosque known for its tangential links to the Muslim Brotherhood, shouted "Allahu ackbar!" and killed six people with what was believed to be an AK-47.

A manhunt ensued.

One man, armed, called the police and turned himself in.

The suspects were later identified as Alexandre Bissonnette and Mohamed El Khadir. 

Only Alexandre Bissonnette is being charged.

I will say again: witnesses have stated that two hooded gunmen -

Worshippers were at Quebec City's mosque for the evening prayers when witnesses say two gunmen dressed in black and wearing ski masks walked into the mosque and started shooting.

- burst into a Quebec City mosque with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood - 

The mosque in  the Quebec City shooting was originally formed by Muslim Student Association according to its own history.   The Muslim Student Association was founded by adherents of the Muslim Brotherhood.  The mosque donated money on a yearly basis (2001 to 2010) to the International Relief Fund for the Afflicted and Needy (IRFAN).  IRFAN, according to the Canada Revenue Agency, was set up to skirt Canadian law and send millions of dollars to HAMAS.  The parent organization of HAMAS is the Muslim Brotherhood according to Article Two of the HAMAS charter.  IRFAN is now listed as a terrorism entity.

- and shot six people.

One man was armed and caught by the police:

One of two suspected gunmen involved in a mass shooting that left six people dead and another 19 wounded at a Quebec City mosque called 911 indicating he wanted to work with authorities, police said Monday. 

Quebec City police Insp. Denis Turcotte said the man waited for officers to arrest him not long after the shooting at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Quebec in Quebec City's Ste-Foy neighbourhood. 

Quebec provincial police say following their investigation, only one of the two people arrested in connection with a deadly shooting at a mosque in Quebec City is considered a suspect. 

Police say in a tweet that the second person is considered a witness, but they did not name him. Police said earlier they had arrested two suspects. 

"He was armed and spoke to us about his acts,'' said Turcotte. 

"He seemed to want to co-operate....The suspect said he was waiting for the police to arrive.'' 

The suspects were named as Alexandre Bissonnette and Mohamed El Khadir.

Only Alexandre Bissonnette is being charged.

Does something stink?

You bet it does.




Moving on....




Trump does not have to say that he told one so but he could:

U.S. President Donald Trump called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the aftermath of the Quebec City mosque attack on Monday, pledging to support Canadian police “in any way necessary,” the White House said. 

Trump reportedly gave condolences for the attack on Sunday night, which killed at least six at the Centre culturel islamique de Quebec. 

After the call, White House press secretary Sean Spicer suggested the attack further justified Trump’s approach to national security. 

“This is another senseless act of violence that cannot be tolerated,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer said during his daily press briefing on Monday. “It’s a terrible reminder of why we must remain vigilant and why the president is taking steps to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to our nation’s safety and security.”

(Sidebar: the article goes on with assorted empty platitudes that can be explored at a later date.)


Also:

The Germans criticized it. The British voiced their discomfort. The French, the Canadians and even some Republican senators in Washington stood in open opposition.

But in Cairo and Riyadh, in the heart of the Muslim world, President Donald Trump’s decision to bar millions of refugees and citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from the United States was met with a conspicuous silence.

Yes, about that:

They've risked their lives to escape war in Syria. Most of Europe has struggled to deal with their masses, and has at least tried to answer a humanitarian call of a magnitude not seen since World War II. 

But no Syrian refugees have been resettled in Persian Gulf nations like Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, countries with significant financial and political interest in Syria. ...

Legally, they're not obligated to help. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and other Gulf states are among the few nations in the world that have not signed a 1951 U.N. treaty on refugees. That's a key legal document that defines what a refugee is and spells out their rights and states' legal obligations. But since Gulf states haven't signed the treaty, any victim of war would need to meet the same standards as anyone else to obtain a visa.

That's real Muslim brotherhood!




Private Citizen Barack Obama is heartened that people don't like Trump:

President Obama is heartened by the level of engagement taking place in communities around the country. In his final official speech as President, he spoke about the important role of citizen and how all Americans have a responsibility to be the guardians of our democracy — not just during an election but every day.

It's time to ask Private Citizen Barack Obama where he was when Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens was being killed in Benghazi.




Trump had said troubling things regarding the situation on the Korean Peninsula prior to his election. Now, it seems he has become more lucid about the matter:

U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn agreed to take steps to strengthen joint defense capabilities to defend against North Korea's nuclear threat, the White House said on Sunday after a telephone call between the two leaders.


"President Trump reiterated our ironclad commitment to defend (South Korea), including through the provision of extended deterrence, using the full range of military capabilities," the White House said in a statement.

It also said Trump and Hwang discussed the upcoming visit by the new U.S. defense secretary to Japan and South Korea, where shared concerns about North Korea will top the agenda.

 

Also:

Special prosecutors looking into the influence-peddling allegations pivoting on President Park Geun-hye now face a pair of critical challenges: to summon Park for face-to-face questioning and to search the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae for evidence.

The direct inquiry into the president is deemed an indispensable step to prove her liability in the corruption scandal, but is also an obstacle for investigators who are increasingly running out of time.

Millions will pay taxes on private health insurance, on top of other things:

The Conference Board study for the CDA suggests someone earning $45,000 in full-time employment in Ontario, with family coverage, would pay an extra $1,167 in tax. Those earning $60,000 in that province would pay an additional $1,043, while workers earning $90,000 would pay $1,277 more. Those numbers are reasonably consistent across the country, except (it almost goes without saying) in Quebec, where those earning $90,000 would pay a combined $1,729. Obviously, if two wage-earners in the same family have coverage, that amount will double.

Just because:

(Merci)