Shot Fired on Parliament Hill

[L K]

Regardless of whether the scumbags who shot at and injured our solider live or die in this situation.  To take a phrase from Howard Berger, this is a very dark day in Canadian history.  How a gunman was able to get through Parliment security with a semi-automatic rifle is gravely concerning.  It's certainly going to change how Ottawa operates.

 

[bustaheims]

How a gunman was able to get through Parliment security with a semi-automatic rifle is gravely concerning.  It's certainly going to change how Ottawa operates.

I don't know if you've ever been to Parliament Hill, but, there really isn't a whole lot of security there. That's what made this possible. We're definitely going to see an increase in the security around the entrances to the buildings and likely a move visible security presence on the grounds, as well.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

Police now suspect 2 or 3 shooters, one of which may have been shot, per Peter Mansbridge at 11:15am.

1 shooter now confirmed dead, but shots fired since.

Apparently the Sergeant-At-Arms shot him dead?  Crazy.

It would be epic if he'd taken the guy down with the Ceremonial Mace.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

Jennifer Dawson @DawsonOakes
Police asking you not tweet abt, retweet, or otherwise report police locations & activity in #Ottawa. Help them do jobs safely. Please.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Police now suspect 2 or 3 shooters, one of which may have been shot, per Peter Mansbridge at 11:15am.

1 shooter now confirmed dead, but shots fired since.

Apparently the Sergeant-At-Arms shot him dead?  Crazy.

It would be epic if he'd taken the guy down with the Ceremonial Mace.

Don't mess with the Mace.

 

[bustaheims]

Reported shooting incident at the Rideau Centre.

 

[L K]

Reported shooting incident at the Rideau Centre.

Reports are still going back and forth on this but the potential activity was outside of the Rideau Centre if true.  The police definitely are on the scene.

 

[Joe S.]

Reported shooting incident at the Rideau Centre.

Reports are still going back and forth on this but the potential activity was outside of the Rideau Centre if true.  The police definitely are on the scene.

@OmarCBC
Ottawa police confirm another shooting near the Rideau Centre in down town Ottawa. #cbcott

 

[Joe S.]

@JLupul
Surreal scene outside of our hotel right now. Lot of very brave police officers we should all be very proud of.

 

[L K]

Jason Kenney just tweeted that the soldier passed away.

 

[Highlander]

don't want to get to political here but I have one thought or question:  it seems the police knew that the extremist in Quebec whom ran over two of our soldiers (killing one) was planning acts of homegrown terror against us. If this is indeed a war then don't the old articles of war apply? And if they apply then cannot we call these non uniformed soldiers of radical Islam, Spys?  In the war if you were caught in civilian cloths behind enemy lines you could be summarily executed as a Spy.  Why are we waiting for documented spys planning acts of violence to us to actual act, if this is indeed a war??? And if this is not a war, then what is it? 

And I am not saying that the Ottawa situation was a radical islam extremist at this point, but Quebec???

 

[bustaheims]

I was just having this argument with a colleague at work.

Him: This is terrorism'
Me: ok, what's they're goal, what is it that they are upset about
Him: They say it's because canada is going after the terrorists
Me: Who said? What Terrorists? What are they hoping to accomplish by doing this?
Him: It's Terrorism, Toronto is next.

So I just walked away.

A lot of people seem to jumping to the conclusion that this attack is linked to what happened in Quebec on Monday, and, while it may be, we just don't have any proof to link them together. It could be terrorism or it could be, as Nik said, good, old-fashioned crazy.

 

[bustaheims]

don't want to get to political here but I have one thought or question:  it seems the police knew that the extremist in Quebec whom ran over two of our soldiers (killing one) was planning acts of homegrown terror against us. If this is indeed a war then don't the old articles of war apply? And if they apply then cannot we call these non uniformed soldiers of radical Islam, Spys?  In the war if you were caught in civilian cloths behind enemy lines you could be summarily executed as a Spy.  Why are we waiting for documented spys planning acts of violence to us to actual act, if this is indeed a war??? And if this is not a war, then what is it? 

Well, until they're actually found doing something illegal, you can't punch them. Unless you catch them spying or with intelligence materials they're not supposed to have access to or anything else, they're innocent until proven guilty. Even those accused of espionage have to proven to have committed espionage before they could be executed. You can't have the government just arresting or killing people because they suspect they might commit a crime in the future. That's, you know, fascism.

 

[louisstamos]

I was just having this argument with a colleague at work.

Him: This is terrorism'
Me: ok, what's they're goal, what is it that they are upset about
Him: They say it's because canada is going after the terrorists
Me: Who said? What Terrorists? What are they hoping to accomplish by doing this?
Him: It's Terrorism, Toronto is next.

So I just walked away.

A lot of people seem to jumping to the conclusion that this attack is linked to what happened in Quebec on Monday, and, while it may be, we just don't have any proof to link them together. It could be terrorism or it could be, as Nik said, good, old-fashioned crazy.

One of the very early reports stated that the shooter looked like "an aboriginal man."  So, yeah, at this point we know absolutely nothing and shouldn't be jumping to conclusions...

 

[Highlander]

I agree it can be called Fascism, but most espionage that has been done in our modern era (or post WW2) is between non combatants or a non war setting. If we are in a war then does this not mean that those perpetrating espionage are Spy's?  Hell even the Rosenburgs where executed in a non war environment for espionage so there is a precedent.
Perphaps we are living in a brand new world (who would have believed 9-11 or even this attack on our nations Capital even 20 years ago).
So perhaps our national security people have to moniter what is a plan against us during a war footing, which it seems we are.
It is a dangerous row to hoe for sure and I am not truly advocating anything, just asking a big question.
But like you I am sick of what happened today, in Quebec two days ago, the Boston Marathon and the rest.

 

[Kin]

don't want to get to political here but I have one thought or question:  it seems the police knew that the extremist in Quebec whom ran over two of our soldiers (killing one) was planning acts of homegrown terror against us. If this is indeed a war then don't the old articles of war apply? And if they apply then cannot we call these non uniformed soldiers of radical Islam, Spys? 

No. "Radical Islam" is not a nation state. It's a poorly defined concept(to the point that many groups that people would group under that heading are at war with each other) and the Government does not have authority to declare war on a religion or concept.

 

[Highlander]

Yes but ISIS has declared itself a Caliphate and has claimed its aims are to harm the west.
A Caliphate is a state. These are the people that our home grown extremist are running to.

And Louis I did say this in my first comment on this "And I am not saying that the Ottawa situation was a radical islam extremist at this point, but Quebec???"

 

[Kin]

Yes but ISIS has declared itself a Caliphate and has claimed its aims are to harm the west.
A Caliphate is a state. These are the people that our home grown extremist are running to.

Which means that should our elected officials actually declare war on ISIS then people who are actually associated with them, officially, could in fact be treated as enemy agents or soldiers. But your average wackadoo couldn't just be assumed to be associated them by dint of a shared race, country of origin or religion.

edit: Although even with that said I think one of the prerequisites for an official declaration of war is that another nation is officially recognized to be a legitimate government which strikes me as unlikely for ISIS. Declaring yourself a caliphate is not quite the same thing as being one.

 

[mc]

That freeness we had around Parliament Hill will be no more. Heck, any government institution will be under heavy guard from now on I think.

 

[Highlander]

Don't want to ruffle anyone up, just some questions? Why did we send 18 of our best warplanes and 600 soldiers to the mid-East for a year?  Is this a training exercise? What is it termed?  Have we declared war on ISIS?  If not what is this?

Regarding the combatants, we wear uniforms, we identify ourselves as combatants. ISIS hides behind masks.

If you read back to the Civil War days, the combatants in that war where overwhelming Volunteers (as the US only had a standing army of around 15K) meaning over 800,000 men in that conflict where normal citizens. Whatever their motives for joining the different sides whether race or religion or something else, the rules of engagment or war where the same as WW2, if you where caught behind enemy lines in non uniform you were executed with no trial.

So what is this thing we are in? That is all I am asking. And how many more islolated incidents of this kind of madness are we all prepared to put up with?  (even if today as not an extremist)

Thats my bolt and it is shot.  I will shut up now.