<p>By watching the internet. Maybe our people in the WH are not so crazy.</p>
<p>Link</p>
<p><a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060603/ap_on_re_ca/canada_terrorism_arrests[/url]”>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060603/ap_on_re_ca/canada_terrorism_arrests</a></p>
<p>Certainly it would have been far better had the Canadians let hundreds or thousands die rather than intrude on the privacy of the terrorists.
<a href=“Breaking News - Headlines & Top Stories | The Star”>Breaking News - Headlines & Top Stories | The Star;
<p>We would have caught them had they been in the US. I remember from X-Files that the FBI check out people who buy lot of ammonium nitrate. It was one of the dirty jobs Fox Mulder was given when he was in the doghouse with his FBI superiors.</p>
<p>Not all terrorists are so stupid as to communicate through the internet, but for those who do, keep checking the internet! Kudos to the Canadians!</p>
<p>From the Toronto Star:</p>
<p>“Sources say the arrests involve a “homegrown” terrorism cell Western youths who have never set foot in Afghanistan but allegedly were radicalized here, and who are thought to be potentially as dangerous as the cells that once took orders from Osama bin Laden. Western governments, including Canada’s, have repeatedly warned of this phenomenon and blamed recent attacks, such as last July’s bombings in London, as the work of such groups.”</p>
<p>I predict the ‘big garden’ defense,…</p>
<p>big,big,big garden…</p>
<p>One problem with the government getting all of this information is that it is difficult to pick out the wheat from all of the chaff that will be collected. They will need someone like Charlie from Numb3rs to come up with a math algorithm to pluck out the wheat. Can that even be done or is it just TV “reality”?</p>
<p>Even when someone does pick out a kernel of wheat, there is the problem of getting the higher ups to act on the info. Think about that FBI guy in Arizona who spotlighted all of the Arabs who were signing up for flight training–he was sure that the game was afoot, but he couldn’t get anyone to listen.</p>
<p>My wife and I were both reading this story at the same time this morning, she from the NY Times, while I read the Star Ledger. She reads, “They represent the broad strata of our society,” while I am reading a long list of names, Fahim Ahmad, Zakaria Amara, Asad Ansari, Shareef Abdelhaleen, Qayyum Abdul Jamal, Morhammed Dirie, Yasim Abdi Mohamed, Jahmall James, Amin Mohamed Durrani… and I am wondering what broad strata of Canadian society they are referring to? OK, perhaps the speaker meant the accused were of a variety of ages and professions, but it seemed like a pretty lame attempt at PC-speak to me. </p>
<p>And of course we are all happy the plot was foiled, but the relevant question is, did the Canadian authorites break any of their own laws in the process of uncovering this plot?</p>
<p>By watching for specific things on the Internet, not by collecting data on millions of people, willy-nilly.</p>
<p>It does not appear to be a case of invading the privacy of anyone. From the little that has been revealed by CSIS, they were frequenting chatrooms which required membership. These were not private email accounts which were being intercepted, nor was it private data which was being collected. Not exactly the same thing as what apparently is being done by the U.S. government.</p>
<p>Millions of data items can be quickly sorted and unusual activity found by using sophisticated computer analysis.</p>
<p>go Canada! I’d have to say, the Canadians have something going for them. They certainly saved our butts on 9/11. By complaining less, it seems they have been able to effectively foil a terrorist plot. Too bad we Americans are too self-centered, in a lot of ways we’re stabbing ourselves in the back.</p>
<p>What guarantee is there that the government would use the data strictly to search for terrrorist activity? If you think there is, you are more trusting of government power than than the Founding Fathers were, that’s for sure.</p>
<p>And it’s hard for me to put together “government” and “sophisticated computer analysis” in the same sentence.</p>
<p>How sophisticated is the government’s technology when they still haven’t captured bin Laden even though he’s been on TV more than Paris Hilton?</p>
<p>Its sometimes a hassle to purchase a couple of bages 80lb bag of NH4NO3. The last time I tried, they asked me what I was going to use it for. I was initially confused in the question because the legitimate uses for this stuff are quite efficient. You can lie or tell the truth and still be suspicious. </p>
<p>Urea is now simplier to purchase but its more costly. I now just pee around the stuff that I want to grow greener.</p>
<p>Its sometimes a hassle to purchase a couple of bages 80lb bag of NH4NO3. The last time I tried, they asked me what I was going to use it for. I was initially confused in the question because the legitimate uses for this stuff are quite efficient. You can lie or tell the truth and still be suspicious. </p>
<p>Urea is now simplier to purchase but its more costly. I now just pee around the stuff that I want to grow greener.</p>
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<p>Now this made me laugh–right after I had quit laughing about the image of Osama bin Laden gyrating around eating a Carls Jr burger!</p>
<p>For all those who scapegoat “US Foreign Policy” for the attacks on 911, look north to our neighbors who tread very lightly on the world stage. Canada doesn’t have nearly the global political or economic muscle of the U.S., and are of virtually no consequence in the Middle East. Yet, here they are, finding themselves having to fend off the same mindset of Muslim extremism that brought about 911. Smug Germany had better watch its back as well.</p>
<p>Hear, Hear!!</p>