Letter to the editor on C51

Over at openmedia.org they have a form to write letters to the editors of your local newspapers about C51. I'd encourage everyone to do so. As readers know I have quite a bit to say on the subject and so the 300 word limit was challenging. They provide numerous points to address on their form but I felt that plenty of people will likely be covering these points so I felt I should approach it from a different angle. Here is what I submitted.

There are plenty of reasons contained within C51 for which this bill should be demolished and destroyed that I could talk about. In essence with each additional anti-terror law liberty and due process become more and more inconvenient for the government and their investigators. While Jason Kenney tweets hoax pictures to rile up the public and support these laws, and the "war" effort, it seems everyone has forgotten the part we played in creating the monster we fight.

Under the headline: "Libyan rebel commander admits his fighters have al-Qaeda links" published in the Guardian it was first revealed that portions of the "rebels" we were supporting to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi were al-Qaeda of Iraq and Levant, or what has become ISIS today. NATO's "war on terror" has created the very void with which ISIS has planted it's flag by removing secular governments (which were earlier directly supported by the U.S. to remain in power) and we have provided the initial support for ISIS to rebuild. In short, we created the threat.

We take no accountability for these actions, and many more I don't have the space to write here yet the government has the audacity to ask us to believe they can use the further destruction of rights with liberty and accountability in mind. We've mistakenly accused and tortured. We've killed innocents in our pursuits. Our moral authority is no greater than that of ISIS and the implementation of C51 will reflect that, mark my words.

Note:
Annnnnd I just realized I put Guardian instead of Telegraph. Sigh, oh well.

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Richard Fantin is a self-taught software developer who has mostly throughout his career focused on financial applications and high frequency trading. He currently works for CenturyLink

Nazayh Zanidean is a Project Coordinator for a mid-sized construction contractor in Calgary, Alberta. He enjoys writing as a hobby on topics that include foreign policy, international human rights, security and systemic media bias.