A must read,best done with tissues handy. Beyond what happened,the unsung bravery and compassion of these people is quite overwhelmingly touching.
Props to the writer for such sensitivity in this gripping account.
“OTTAWA – Lawyer Barbara Winters was headed to a meeting Wednesday near her office at the Canada Revenue Agency when she passed the National War Memorial, stopping to snap a few pictures of the two honour guards standing soberly at attention.
Moments later, after passing by a Canada Post office at the corner of Elgin and Sparks streets, she heard four shots. For Winters, a former member of the Canadian Forces Naval Reserve, the sounds were unmistakable.
Turning, she saw people on Elgin Street ducking. She began to run — not towards safety, but towards the shots, and the wounded soldier lying at the foot of the memorial.
As Winters ran, she looked for — but couldn’t see — the two soldiers. Her mind went to the hit-and-run death in Quebec of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent two days earlier, and she instinctively knew the honour guards had been targeted.
As she reached the memorial, Winters saw four people bending over a fallen soldier. She dropped her purse and briefcase on the steps and began to help…”
Westcoast Views with Laila Yuile 
Tissues were definitely needed for that one. Because not only was Cpl Cirillo brave, but the people who stopped to help him, not knowing what may be happening around them, were too.
LikeLike
These provocative shootings of soldiers are so convenient for the Tory government.
LikeLike
Perhaps.
However. it’s clear that just as I had commented much earlier- and Terry Glavin has been by far, the biggest voice of reason on this – this fellow was marginalized,vulnerable, addicted, and very likely suffering mental illness of some sort. And that thought has now been confirmed pretty much via press today and this evening.
And that is something that needs to be addressed in a time when cuts to mental health and social ideals of what mental health care should look like are under scrutiny.He was self-radicalized, something that can happen quite easily in this day and age thanks to technology.
The question is, how do we as a country, deal with this now, and to what degree will Canadians tolerate or accept changes in law enforcement policy as a result?
Complicating matters is that even if this fellow was a self-radicalized, mentally ill addict who did this largely on his own, with or without coaching of others online or in person, of course the true evil out there is going to take advantage of this and promote it as their influence and reach to promote fear among the general public.
It doesn’t take much to send someone vulnerable to suggestion, in this direction. How to stop that from occurring, is where we need to go.
Using religious ideals or beliefs to commit acts of ‘terror’ is not exclusive to any one religion or belief set. Look at the abortion clinic bombings and anti-abortion violence committed all over North America in years past. Terrorism?
Perspective is everything.
LikeLike
The national media and politicians prostrating themselves in worshipful feasance to the military is embarrassing enough but when the public obediently follows we look like the worst excesses of John McCain-ish flag-saluting militant Americanism. If Cirillo was killed by a certifiable nutcase, my condolences. If he truly was, as the government agenda would have us believe, murdered by a “muslim terrorist group,” then the question we should all be asking is: Would this have happened if that military weren’t actively aiding those invading, bombing, occupying other people’s lands?
LikeLike
Perhaps this situation has something to do with the unprecedented attack on individual right by the current Canadian government, couple with all of the budget cuts affecting everything literally – including security and defence. Let us put the blame where it belongs – at Harper and his merry mob of control freaks.
There are a lot of people who think this government does little for Canadians as a whole but a lot for corporations. There is bound to be a lot of dissention and mentally deranged people are more likely to “explode” into action than most other people.
This link needs some consideration too:
http://thetyee.ca/News/2014/10/23/Ottawa-Attacks-Security/
Thanks
LikeLike
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29752077 John Baird says currently no substantiated links between Islamic state and gunman
LikeLike
Thanks for the Laila.
I am copying and posting a bit that says volumes about Harper – assuming what has been said is true.
“It has also emerged that Prime Minister Stephen Harper hid in a cupboard in parliament for about 15 minutes during Wednesday’s attack as MPs sharpened flagpoles to use as spears against the gunman.”
Sure makes a person think twice about the government that is supposed to be concerned about Canadian security – ’nuff said.
Thanks
LikeLike
This event has exposed the bloggers that are willing to participate in nationalist propaganda and fear mongering .
Labeling this a ” national tragedy ” is an insult to every victim of violent assault .
LikeLike
Sorry for the delay, I’ve got a wicked cold and largely using my phone from the couch to keep connected. No-one is participating in anything other than an expression of grief for an event that played out in front of a national audience. Expressing that certainly doesn’t take away from or lessen other violent crimes regularly occurring in our country. I think the nation grieves often on many events that are televised,regardless of what that event is or the motives behind it.
LikeLike