Karine Blais R.I.P.

Friend's Family Member Killed

This recent hit & run incident has really hit home because one of the two innocent victims is the cousin of a close friend of mine. Dr. Aneez Mohamed and his fiancée Chanelle Morgan were struck down by a moronic 18 year-old drunk driver. And this punk had the audacity to flee the scene but was hunted down by a police dog. Sadly, just watch in the months & years ahead as his lawyer tries to make him out to be the victim.

Dr. Mohamed was a member of the Ismaili faith, who have suffered more than their share of driving fatalities in recent years. You might recall a few years ago that logs fell off of a truck on the Upper Levels Highway in West Vancouver, killing a mother and her daughter. They were also Ismailis. My heart goes out to this close knit group in Metro Vancouver.

90th Anniversary of the Boston Molasses Disaster

I have a habit of keeping track of unique or strange events in history. Here's one you've probably never heard of: On January 15, 1919 in Boston, Massachusetts 21 people were killed and 150 were injured . . . by a huge wave of molasses that rushed through the streets at 35mph!

You can read the full story here.

July 4, 1826

182 years ago today something very strange occurred. Not only was it the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, but two men, pivotal to that declaration, both passed away within hours of each other!

These two men were none other than:

• John Adams, the 2nd President of the United States of America
• Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President

Jefferson died first and then Adams. You can read about this fascinating coincidence here.

Published!

An abridged version of my recent editorial on Canadians' lack of support for your troops in Afghanistan was published in the National Post today:

Afghanistan: Should We Stay or Should We Go?

Six Canadian soldiers died from a bomb today in Afghanistan. It's an absolute tragedy and my heart pours out to the friends & family members of these brave men.

This event has renewed the discussion of whether we should stay in Afghanistan or go ... immediately. I've recently started watching a 9 part documentary (18 hours in total) on the American Civil War. Today it occurred to me that there's a strong parallel between the two wars.

The answer to whether we should stay or go is completely determined by one's perspective. Amongst Canadians there is a wide spectrum of people's opinions, all of whom will answer according to their own "truth". From the conversations around me, I have little doubt that a great many Vancouverites firmly believe that: 9/11 was perpetrated by the U.S. government and the recent attacks on British soil were orchestrated by MI-6. Such people further believe that Canadians have no business helping other people in the world if it means that our soldiers have to fire even one shot. Their overriding belief is that if we leave terrorists alone then they'll leave us alone.

I happen to believe something very different. I have this crazy notion that Islamic fundamentalist terrorism is the greatest threat facing us today. Afghanistan was an open training ground for such terrorists and they were actively exporting their hateful beliefs around the world; not just through words but frequently through attacks. 9/11 was a clear wake-up call for all Canadians of what was sure to be arriving in our land one day, but clearly many in our country had their blinders on and their alarm clocks turned off.

Today is July 4th, the birthday of the United States of America. 146 years ago our American neighbours started a 5-year long war amongst themselves to determine if the black people in their country would be given freedom or remain forever as slaves. While there has been no slavery per say in Afghanistan, no Canadian can honestly say that they would prefer to live under a dictatorial Taliban regime. How so many Canadians can so effortlessly detach themselves from the aspirations of freedom of the people of Afghanistan is a psychological feat well beyond my abilities.