And fully one third of the “news” report is devoted to editorial comment by CTV’s Craig Oliver.
Video of Harper speech.
Full text in the extended entry.
Good evening. Today is the fifth anniversary of the terrible events of Sept. 11, 2001.
I am speaking to you from the Hall of Honour in the Centre Block of Parliament.
With me are some Canadians whose lives have been touched by 9-11 in ways that most of us can’t even begin to imagine.
Men and women who lost loved ones in the attacks on the World Trade Centre. Tanja Tomasevic, who lost her husband, Vladimir; Danny Eisen who lost his cousin, Danny; and Maureen and Erica Basnicki, who lost their husband and father, Ken.
I asked them to join me because words alone are not enough to express what needs to be said today.
As we pay tribute to the 24 Canadians who lost their lives on that infamous day five years ago, their family members remind us that they were real people with real lives.
Lives that were cut short — deliberately so — by a murderous act of terrorism.
Like most Canadians, I have a vivid memory of that morning.
As my wife, Laureen, and I watched the second tower collapse on television, as the enormity of the events began to sink in, I turned to her and said: “This will change the course of history.”
And so it has.
In the years that followed, terror struck Bali in Indonesia, Madrid in Spain, London in Great Britain. And security forces in many countries — including Canada — have foiled alleged terrorist plots before they could be executed.
The targets and tactics were different in every case, but the objective is always the same. To kill, maim and terrify as many people as possible. Not in the name of any idealistic cause, but because of an ideology of hatred.
And while this war of terror has displayed some of the worst of which humanity is capable, so too has it revealed the greatness and generosity that lie at the core of so many ordinary people.
Something which was on display for all to see when Canadians opened their arms and homes to thousands of travellers whose flights were diverted on 9-11.
And because of this war of terror, people around the world have come together to offer a better vision of the future for all humanity.
For this vision to take hold, the menace of terror must be confronted.
And that is why the countries of the United Nations, with unprecedented unity and determination, launched their mission to Afghanistan to deal with the source of the 9-11 terror and to end, once and for all, the brutal regime that horribly mistreated its own people while coddling terrorists.
And that is why I invited the families of some of the Canadian soldiers who are currently serving in Afghanistan to join us here today.
I want to thank Raquel Hounsell, Janice Shaw and Jane Hill for being here. Their husbands are currently serving in Afghanistan. And Capt. Edward and Judy Kosierb, whose son is serving in Afghanistan.
Their presence here reminds us that real people — Canadian men and women with families and children — are courageously putting themselves forward to make that part of the world a better place.
It is the desire to make a better and safer world which compels our soldiers to put their lives on the line.
There are Canadian heroes being made every day in the desert and the mountains of southern Afghanistan.
These are the stories we don’t hear — the countless acts of courage and sacrifice that occur every day on the battlefield.
And in the towns and villages where Canadians are reconstructing the basic infrastructure of a shattered nation.
Because of their efforts, the Taliban is on the run, not the charge.
Women now have basic rights as human beings. Youngsters are getting a chance to go to school. And many — but not yet all Afghan families — are beginning to rebuild their lives with our help.
Because we are a country that has always accepted its responsibilities in the world, from two great wars in Europe, from Korea to the Balkans, Canada has acted when the United Nations has asked.
And as the events of Sept. 11 so clearly illustrate, the horrors of the world will not go away if we turn a blind eye to them, no matter how far off they may be.
And these horrors cannot be stopped unless some among us are willing to accept enormous sacrifice and risk to themselves.
I would ask that, tonight, you keep in your thoughts and prayers the victims and families of 9-11 and all those ordinary people who have died or lost loved ones in related acts of terror.
I would ask as well, that you keep in your thoughts and prayers the personnel and families of the extraordinary people in Afghanistan and elsewhere who have put themselves on the line so that the world is a better and safer place for all of us.
Good night.
Absolution usually feels good.
Why do this “Absolution’s” posts leave me cold? I guess because they’re pompous, humourless, and in many cases, pap. Articulate, overblown pap.
Said in a snivelly, whiney voice s/he pontificates, “Harper is not a god, people.”
No one said he was. But he’s more or less going it alone with his party against the full-force left-blowing gale of the MSM and the PPG, who’ve had their way for far too long.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is restoring many of Canada’s institutions and convictions which have been trashed by the thuggish Liberals, aided and abetted by the anything-goes NDP.
Those of us who have known a far nobler country than Canada now is, after the Librano$ for too long have used our country as a money pit and as a guinea pig in a huge social experiment, are gratified to see that the political party in power has gravitas, a sincere dedication to running the country for all Canadians, not just its elites.
And in conceding that, of course, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is no god–brilliant, Absolution–we are relieved that he is not a multi-millionaire on our dime, that his strings aren’t being pulled by Big Businessman Paul Desmarais or Maurice Strong, that he lives within his means, that he and the members of the CPC seem to understand that most of us have to live within our means, and that he and his party are not robbing us blind in order to feather their nests and those of their friends.
We’re also happy to see that he’s not a media sycophant. He’s onto their trickery, as many of us are. The Libs/libs have had a free ride up to now, and have relied on the duplicitous and cosy arrangement they have had with the MSM to spin, and spin, and spin the news. I’m dizzy.
It’s a new day, thank G*d, and I, for one, don’t need Absolution.
Absolution hasn’t been prejudged, as claimed. Rather, Absolution has prejudged Prime Minister Harper, impunging his motive and attempting to publicly degrade his character.
At a solemn time such as 9/11.
Dishonoring the memory of all, particularly Canadians, who were murdered by an evil enemy.
Shame on Absolution. This action reflects badly on the left as a whole.
Ironic name, “Absolution”, isn’t it? Better get thyself to a priest, confess and do whatever is required of yourself to receive absolution for this sin. It’s never too late.
Ex-Liberal PM AdScam P. Martin Jr.’s Address to the Nation.
Thursday, 21 April 2005
Paul Martin: government would go to court if necessary
22:13 2005-04-22
Prime Minister Paul Martin returned to the airwaves Friday, expressing regret that he did not know about the sponsorship scandal sooner and vowing that the government would go to court to keep the Gomery inquiry going if necessary. ..-
(extract from airforceblog)
absolution:
Hope you have a good supply of Imodium, it’s really running out of you. What crap!
Speaking of Lieberal agendas, when is the criminal LPOC going to return the Forty million dollars stolen from Canadian taxpayers?
Just to change the topic for a breather. I think Liberals and their ilk have their hands full with this 9-11 and war stuff.
I just wanna give em a chance now that they’ve all had a chance to get their stories straight!
By the way Gosslin is suing cause he didn’t resign…so he says….the dink.Another Lieberal hack choking on what corruption reaps…..good lesson.
QUOTE: What’s more, it’s clear to me that I’ve been prejudged – indeed, that there are a lot of people here who are incapable of accepting the fact that people never fit into a simple mold, and that the world is not black-and-white.UNQUOTE
Now hold onto that thought where it appears that absolution is claiming that many of us are incapable of interperting “nuance”. Clearly we are guilty of typecasting absolution in a role as a stereotypical liberal troublemaker.
QUOTE:Everyone has created tidy little categorizations, and they limit your perspectives.UNQUOTE
It’s a good thing that absolution has evolved past this level of humanity that he considers us mired in, or he would resort to lumping us all into stereotypical rigid narrow minded types.
QUOTE:At least I can admit when the politicians I have voted for in the past make mistakes, and I’m aware of the fact that they ‘play the game’, as it were. UNQOUTE
As you are an obvious supporter of the natural governing party, it is equally obvious why you have such a jaundiced view of our leaders; you have never had a principled example to use as a benchmark. Please return if you ever find any evidence of wrongdoing by PM Harper, but spare us your “despicable” opinions, as we get enough of those from our national broadcasters.
I will close with another quote of absolution, but in this case I am returning it to him:
Clearly, you are wrong on this.
Clearly.
to all you harper conservative fans: here’s some heavy handedness from harper to back up the so-called ‘fair deal’ which leaves a billion dollars in the hands of the lieing cheating and stealing americans:
from toronto star:
“Tax on lumber deal holdouts
Canada, U.S. sign softwood deal
Agreement remains to be approved by Parliament
Sep. 12, 2006. 11:23 PM
CANADIAN PRESS
VANCOUVER — The federal government plans to levy a 19 per cent special tax on lumber companies that withhold their co-operation with the newly signed softwood lumber deal with the United States, The Canadian Press has learned.
A federal official confirmed Tuesday the tax will be imposed in a way that penalizes lumber exporters who refuse to sign a waiver that allows”
etc etc
so what do you have to say about the great harper using these tactics to blame and punish the victim?
Hey schmuck man….
Saying it once will do.
Or are you still trying to figure out how to post messages properly?
SWL has been in the news for 24 years, will some people never give up. Those complaining we are losing 1B dollars should ask their librano friends to return the billions they stole, and give 1B to the lumber industry. Or better yet, ask Scott to request 1B from his friends for the fortunes they made because of his blackberry. And, furthermore, if the liberals had settled this 20 years ago, these duties would never have been imposed, the millions spent on litigation would have helped the bottom line, jobs would have been saved, and dithers would not have gotten a new jacket during the last campaign.
Remember, turn you back if you see talibanjack wearing a poppy. Wonder what he will say about the shootings in Montreal, that we should have just talked nice to them and it wouldn’t have happened.