“A last desperate act…”

   Oct. 27, 2014

 Postmedia News – Douglas Quan
Exclusive: Ottawa shooter Michael Zehaf-Bibeau was ‘at odds with the world,’ mother says  –  Susan Bibeau wonders whether enough was done to help her son, who she believed suffered from mental illness  

In a letter to Postmedia News, the mother of Michael Zehaf-Bibeau said: “He was mad and felt trapped so the only way out was death… At the heart of this tragedy is mental illness.”   The RCMP, in the video as well as the report, acknowledged that Bibeau was not trying to get to Syria.   http://www.canada.com/news/national/Exclusive+Ottawa+shooter+Michael+Zehaf+Bibeau+odds+with/10325237/story.html   Text of Mme Bibeau’s letter: https://www.scribd.com/doc/244415837/Susan-Bibeau-s-letter-to-Postmedia-News   Related article:  Ottawa Citizen – Chris Cobb    Soldier killed ‘could have been a Muslim, a Jew, a Hindu’   http://www.canada.com/News/ottawa/Soldier+killed+could+have+been+Muslim+Hindu/10322539/story.html   Related article:  Toronto Star  – Haroon Siddiqui  Resist the American way of tackling terrorism: The Bush Administration’s militarized response to terrorism — increased surveillance, broadened police powers, more armour — has no place in Canada.    http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/10/25/resist_the_american_way_of_tackling_terrorism_siddiqui.html#   Related article:  Toronto Star – Allan Woods   How Martin Couture-Rouleau became an aspiring Islamic State fighter    http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/10/26/how_martin_couturerouleau_became_an_aspiring_islamic_state_fighter.html   Related article:   Globe and Mail  – Doug Saunders   When troubled young men turn to terror, is it ideology or pathology?    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/lone-wolf-ideology-or-pathology/article21293910

 Mother Jones (US) – Shane Bauer
The Making of the Warrior Cop 

Yes, the Oakland Marriott had so many white males in camouflage uniform, it must have been a convention.  Mother Jones reporter Bauer got inside for while and reports on some of the latest gear available for SWAT teams.  Besides all the ‘tools,’ the convention boasted competitions and specialized training from a private company called Urban Shield.  http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/10/swat-warrior-cops-police-militarization-urban-shield

 Hill Times-on-line –Tim Naumetz
Uniformed House of Commons guards get automatic handguns 

Uniformed security guards on Parliament Hill were founded in 1920 but have never been armed until now.  The RCMP personal security detail for the PM always carried concealed side-arms but the rest – blue uniform men serving in the House and Senate – did not.  Said one former RCMP officer and now security guard: “We now live in a changed environment.”    http://www.hilltimes.com/news/news/2014/10/27/uniformed-house-of-commons-guards-get-automatic-handguns/40022

 iPolitics.com  – Michael Harris
Harper’s ‘shameless’ move to steal away more freedoms 

Harris contextualizes his allegations in the Ottawa visit of Glenn Greenwald, the British Guardian reporter who became the prime mover for Edward Snowden.  Harris also insists that the incident will likely prompt, on the basis of misinformation, a greater investment of authority and resources in security practices where existing laws are already sufficient.  Harris and Greenwald both insist that ISIL proponents do not hate freedom but the foreign policies that result in thousands of deaths. http://www.ipolitics.ca/2014/10/27/harpers-shameless-move-to-steal-away-more-freedoms

 Waterloo Chronicle – Bob Vrbanac
Building a circle of trust  

The article highlights the changes brought by RJ approaches to school disciple for St. Nicholas Elementary in Waterloo.  The school has seen a considerable reduction in suspensions through circles and a talking stick.  http://www.waterloochronicle.ca/community/building-a-circle-of-trust

 Winnipeg Free Press – Dennis Lewycky
Let’s fix the city’s social infrastructure 

Lewycky is proposing a number of steps that bring a process of equity and inclusion to decision making in developing the social infrastructure in Winnipeg.  “Equity in city planning is not just a moral imperative; it is a practical asset in creating a healthy and prosperous city.”   http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/lets-fix-the-citys-social-infrastructure-280490002.html

 Canadian Civil Liberties Association – Executive Director Sukanya Pillay
An open letter to all MP’s in the light of the Ottawa Tragedy 

http://ccla.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/2014-10-27-Open-Letter-to-Members-of-Parliament.pdf