has he checked fer enemies under the bed lately?

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U.S. politician blasts Toronto as a hotbed of Islamic extremism

ALAN FREEMAN

 

>From Friday's Globe and Mail

 

WASHINGTON - A U.S. congressman warned yesterday that Canada, and in

particular the enclave of " South Toronto, " was a breeding ground for

Islamic terrorists and that the United States will be under threat as

long as passports are not required of all Canadians crossing the

border.

 

" South Toronto, like those parts of London that are host to the radical

imams who influenced the 9/11 terrorists and the shoe bomber, has

people who adhere to a militant understanding of Islam, " said John

Hostettler, chairman of the House of Representatives subcommittee on

immigration and border security, noting that Toronto has a very large

South Asian community.

 

Later, when asked by reporters to describe " South Toronto " in greater

detail, Mr. Hostettler said it was " a location which I understand is

the type of enclave that allows for this radical type of discussion to

go on. "

 

The Indiana Republican painted a picture of Canada as a hotbed of

Islamic extremists intent on inflicting their terrorist damage on their

southern neighbours while Canadians sat in blissful ignorance of the

danger in their midst.

 

" It is fair to say that the Canadian border is virtually unguarded, "

Mr. Hostettler said. " Canadians, as well as those [who are] imposters

pretending to be Canadians or returning American tourists, roll through

our border ports of entry with little or no document inspections. "

 

He said that the 17 terrorist suspects arrested in Toronto demonstrated

" an unsuccessful adoption of traditional Canadian values. "

 

" If we needed a clear case for why there needs to be a dramatic

increase in security along the northern border . . . the example of

this past week's terrorist arrests in Toronto is very dramatic, " he

said.

 

Mr. Hostettler's comments came during a hearing called to receive an

update on plans to implement the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative,

which would require everybody crossing into the United States from

Canada and Caribbean nations to carry a passport or secure

identification by the start of 2008.

 

Later, he warned Canadians that the United States would not be as

generous to its northern neighbours if there was another Sept. 11

attack, especially if there was any sign of a Canadian connection.

 

" Does Canada realize what will happen at the border? " he asked

reporters. " The American people will require us to shut down the

border. "

 

Mr. Hostettler, a 44-year-old engineer who was first elected in 1995,

is a stalwart of the Christian right and a fierce opponent of abortion

and same-sex marriage. Last year, he accused Democratic members of

Congress of " demonizing Christians " after a Wisconsin Democrat alleged

that there was " abusive religious proselytizing " at the U.S. Air Force

Academy in Colorado.

 

He was arrested in 2004 when he was caught carrying a loaded handgun at

Louisville, Ky., airport. He later pleaded guilty to carrying a

concealed weapon and received a 60-day sentence, which he will not have

to serve if he keeps out of trouble before August of this year.

 

The subcommittee reports to the U.S. House committee on the judiciary,

which is chaired by James Sensenbrenner, an influential backer of tough

anti-immigrant measures.

 

Mr. Hostettler's views were backed by several witnesses to the

committee, including David Harris, an Ottawa lawyer and senior fellow

at the Canadian Coalition for Democracies who used to work for the

Canadian Security Intelligence Service. He was the only Canadian asked

to appear before the committee.

 

Mr. Harris described Canada as being " heavily infiltrated by

terrorists " as well as " a recruiting, planning, financing and launch

point for international terrorism. "

 

He said that Canada was " a generation behind " the United States in

understanding the threat of terrorism, and that the previous Liberal

government refused to ban the Tamil Tigers in Canada for electoral

reasons and had tolerated Hamas and Hezbollah for years before banning

the groups.

 

The tenor of questions by the congressmen seemed aimed at resisting

efforts to delay implementation of the passport requirement beyond

2008, due to take effect at Canada's land borders with the United

States.

 

The passport requirement had its political birth in the same

subcommittee in 2003. Then the focus was on Washington sniper John

Allen Muhammad, who forged U.S. driver's licences for Caribbean

residents who snuck into the United States claiming to be Americans

under the current entry rules.

 

A coalition of northern border politicians worried about the economic

impact of the measure have succeeded in getting a 17-month delay

included in immigration legislation passed by the Senate. But that

delay still needs the okay of the House of Representatives.

 

The border legislators worry about a big drop in cross-border tourism

and business travel, particularly because U.S. authorities have not yet

agreed on specifications for an easy-to-use wallet-sized border card,

which could take the place of a passport at a lower cost.

 

Paul Rosenzweig, acting assistant secretary for policy development at

the Department of Homeland Security, insisted that the border card

system would be in place in time for a 2008 launch. He, too, agreed

that the current system was a giant loophole that put the United States

in danger.

 

" Every day of delay is another day of risk at the northern border, " he

said.

 

Janice Kephardt, a security consultant who worked for the U.S. national

commission on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, said that the 17

individuals arrested in Toronto are only a tiny portion of the 350

suspected terrorist sympathizers operating in Canada. Many of them, she

said, were " second-generation jihadis, born and bred in Canada. "

 

" Today, terrorists with Canadian citizenship can move in and out of the

United States virtually unconcerned about detection, " she said in her

testimony, adding that while there was one U.S. border patrol agent for

every 0.4 kilometres (quarter of a mile) of the Mexican border, there

was one agent for every 20 kilometres (13 miles) of the Canadian

frontier.

 

Roger Dow, president of the Travel Industry Association of America, was

the only witness who sounded a more cautious tone. He said his members

were worried about terrorism, but were concerned that the passport

requirement could damage the $650-billion (U.S.) tourist industry and

the 14 million visitors who crossed from Canada in 2005.

 

" With the knowledge that less than 40 per cent of the Canadian

population currently holds a passport, we are unsure how many business

and leisure trips in the U.S. might now be cancelled due to a lack of

proper documentation, confusion over the rules, or an unwelcoming view

of our nation, " Mr. Dow said.

 

Mr. Hostettler was unmoved. He said after the hearing that he would

oppose any delay in implementing the passport requirement, even if the

alternative border card was not ready. In that case, a passport would

be the only ID allowed at the border.

 

 

I don't wanna be no war hero

Don't want a movie made about me

I don't wanna be no war hero

Just get away from the madness I see