On a Monday

London Mayor Sadiq Khan was rather irate that American President Donald Trump urged vigilance after Britons were once again attacked by Islamic terrorists.

Khan was quick to point out that: one should get used to terrorist attacks when one lives in a major world city, that at least the London dead weren't shot and that even though the terrorists shouted that they were murdering people for Allah in accordance with the many Koranic verses that advocate violence, he was rather unfamiliar with it at all.

Who is the bigger fool: Khan or the London voter?

You decide.




The "lone wolves" the authorities once more overlooked:

Scotland Yard has named two of the terrorists involved in the London Bridge attack as Khuram Shazad Butt and Rachid Redouane.

The announcement is a sign the investigation has reached a stage where the police can be confident of revealing hitherto secret details.

In a statement, Scotland Yard confirmed Butt was known to police and MI5 - but added there was no intelligence to suggest an attack was being planned. They went on to say that Redouane was not known to those authorities.

(Sidebar: that sounds familiar.) 

And what prizes of humanity they were:

One woman, who did not want to be named, said he stared angrily whenever he saw women cycling on the estate. She described it as "sinister" and "sexist".

**

A neighbour of one of the suspected attackers claimed she had reported him to Barking police two years ago, after he began “brainwashing” her children at a local park.

She said she had confronted him after her two children came home and said “Mummy I want to become a Muslim.”

Other Arab nations have broken off contact with Qatar over the funding of terrorism:

Saudi Arabia and other Arab powers severed diplomatic ties Monday with Qatar and moved to isolate the energy-rich nation that is home to a major U.S. military base, accusing it of supporting terrorist groups and backing Iran.

The decision plunged Qatar into chaos and ignited the biggest diplomatic crisis in the Gulf since the 1991 war against Iraq.

Qatar, home to about 10,000 U.S. troops and the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, criticized the move as a "violation of its sovereignty." It long has denied supporting militant groups and described the crisis as being fueled by "absolute fabrications" stemming from a recent hack of its state-run news agency.

Saudi Arabia closed its land border with Qatar, through which the tiny Gulf nation and international travel hub imports most of its food, sparking a run on supermarkets.

Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates began withdrawing their diplomatic staff from Qatar and regional airlines announced they would suspend service to its capital, Doha. Yemen's internationally backed government, which no longer holds its capital and large portions of the war-torn country, also cut relations with Qatar, as did the Maldives and one of conflict-ridden Libya's competing governments.

The move came just two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia and vowed to improve ties with both Riyadh and Cairo to combat terrorism and contain Iran. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the move was rooted in longstanding differences and urged the parties to resolve them.

Saudi Arabia said the decision to cut diplomatic ties was due to Qatar's "embrace of various terrorist and sectarian groups aimed at destabilizing the region," including the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaida, the Islamic State group and militants supported by Iran in the kingdom's restive Eastern Province.

Saudi Arabia and various other Islamic countries fund and/or support terrorism in some way.

Smoke and mirrors, is my point.




Because it's Israel:

In 1967 Israel was forced into a war against enemies who then begrudged it the peace. Egypt, at least, found its Sadat. The drama of the Six-Day War will close when Palestinians find theirs.

That won't happen. Ever.




Ralph Goodale is not at all worried about terrorism:

Canada's terrorism threat level remains at medium in the wake of attacks that killed one Canadian visiting the U.K., but police and security agencies will be on high alert to protect revellers during 150th anniversary celebrations across the country.

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale promised "seamless collaboration" between police agencies at the municipal, provincial and federal levels to safeguard Canadians at large and important events. The terror threat level remains at medium, where it has been since fall 2014, he said.

"There is no information available at this time to Canadian authorities that would cause that level to change," he said. "At the same time, it is always under review. Our authorities and agencies are always alert to every bit of information that needs to be taken into account to make sure that threat assessment is as accurate as it can possibly be."

Prediction: egg on face and then moved to another cabinet position.


Also:

Goodale was speaking about Bill C-22, which will create a parliamentary committee to oversee Canada’s national security operations. The bill has already made its way through the House but could yet face opposition in the Senate.

However, as Goodale made clear, the new committee is not the only measure the Liberals plan to introduce to amend “problematic elements” of the Conservatives’ Anti-Terrorism Act, the former Bill C-51.

Never let an opportunity to further weaken Canadians go to waste.




Scheer butts heads with a total moron:

Government officials held a technical briefing on the bank on Monday, saying it would be an optional funding tool for certain revenue-generating projects (such as transportation projects with fares or tolls, or electrical or water infrastructure), and would allow for much more of it to get built because governments wouldn’t be saddled with all the debt.

They also emphasized that all parties would still face risks in the project, but the details of how the risk is shared would vary depending on each project’s circumstances.

But Scheer, along with the NDP, spent question period demanding the whole thing be halted.
“The prime minister’s billionaire friends have talked him into the infrastructure bank,” Scheer said. “It is not too late to do the right thing. He can listen to those who have raised serious concerns about this $35-billion boondoggle waiting to happen.”

Trudeau responded that” drawing in private capital from around the world will get more things built for Canadians, will grow our economy, and create a better future for our kids.”

(Sidebar: no, YOUR kids. That's how political nepotism works.)


Also - Scheer doesn't care. Scheer does what he wants:

Scheer seemed to cough on his words as he told the gallery he wasn’t under influence from any fringe group: “There’s some suggestion out there that I’m beholden to a certain group within the Conservative family,” he said, clearing his throat. He then pulled out a carton of milk and took a swig, thanking Canada’s dairy farmers.

Oh, you wild card, you!