Across the globe we watch the terrible drama play out. Car and suicide bombings in Baghdad are aimed at American aid givers, U.S. peacekeepers, Iraqi civilians, and provisional government workers. Spanish civilians are indiscriminately murdered — as are Turks, Moroccans, Saudis, and Afghans.

President Musharraf is targeted by assassins. Synagogues are blown apart. Suicide murderers try to reach a chemical dump in Ashdod in hopes of gassing Jews to the pleasure of much of the Arab world and the indifference of Europe. Indeed, Palestinian murderers apologize for gunning down an Arab jogger in Jerusalem — for the colossal mistake of thinking that he was Jewish. The world yawns, but is then outraged because Israelis take out a mass-murderer during a time of war. We are witnessing a grand struggle between those who create things and those who can only destroy them, between those who are confident and build civilizations and those who have failed and turned vicious.

Daniel Pearl is executed on television. The U.N. is singled out as a target for mass murder in Iraq, as are synagogues in Istanbul. Again, we in the West are supposed to tremble at the devilishness of the jihadists or turn on each other in fear. 'We worship death, you cling to life,' they warn us. [. . . . ]

We should remember that this war of barbarism against civilization is global and connected. [. . . .]

What is our enemies' ultimate agenda? Judge them by what they say and then do: Any who champion women are targeted. Those who are Jews should die. Expressing tolerance for other religions is a capital crime. Secular law and government are a betrayal. Apostasy from Islam justifies murder. Hypocrisy does not matter — whether that means using a hated Western computer or flocking to a despised Western capital. This craziness is actually an agenda of sorts, proclaiming to the wretched, "Purge yourself of the modern West (sort of) and fool yourself into thinking that you will have power, honor, and wealth as never before."

[ . . . . ] Finally, for the duration, to sustain both our military power and foreign largess, we also must look to ourselves inasmuch as we are running vast trade deficits, along with unsustainable budget shortfalls, and are stuck in an entitlement craze where government payouts bring not gratitude but shrill demands for even more subsidies. Our borders are porous and yet we are paralyzed and afraid to enforce our own laws — even as 12 million illegal aliens inside the United States cannot be identified or even be referred to as illegal.

Our educational system is increasingly therapeutic and turning out too many poorly educated youth who have not inherited the tradition of American expertise and competence and cannot in the immediate future ensure our privileged position as the world's most affluent consumer society. [. . . .]

I note that Pierre Pettigrew is going around stating that Stephen Harper would have taken this country to war. I find that offensive in that I believe that Harper has never said that. What he has said is that we should have supported the US and I agree with that position. Everyone knows that Canada doesn't have the military means to fight it's way out of a wet paper bag.

I expect that someone should point that fact out to Pettigrew in a manner most embarrassing to him.

[. . . . ] In thinking about Quebec I would not be the least bit surprised to see Conservative candidates become very popular in that province should current Liberal troubles continue. Quebeckers like to pad their bets and for certain they will want to be on the winning team. Someone might also point that out to Mr Pettigrew. Hopefully, it will ruin his day.

The new conservative party has come into being and now has the leader that I supported. What more could a fella ask for?

Anyway, what struck a chord in yesterday's submission [Joe Hugelin's Daily Digest] was a letter authored by George Gibson (York Simcoe). I liked it and took note of something he said.

Yes, we should have built the Arrow. Yes we did make the best telephones in the world. We have had our chances for sure and we have not taken advantage of them. One of the largest advantages we do have is our natural resources- fuel, minerals and, probably the most important down the road, water. The world (especially with China expanding so quickly) will need more and more of these commodities. We must make sure that we do not give them away and find ways of satisfying the world?s demand for them that will not only provide the all important revenues but also employment for our people.

My question is simply this. What makes George think that superpowers like the US and China will even bother to ask if they need our resources? They will either come in and buy out Canadian companies ( which may already be happening ) or take the resources by force. It is really that simple.

Which brings me to the Canadian Forces and their deplorable state. In the event that force becomes an option (particularly in the US case) how do we stop them? Water is the resource I am most concerned about as it is the commodity which we own in abundance and which is becoming increasingly scarce south of the border. At the present time there is nothing at all that can prevent a takeover. That may sound alarmist at present but twenty years down the road -- who knows? If push comes to shove, we all know what is going to happen and things change as time moves on. We know that too!

This week, W-FIVE examines goings-on at the Canadian High Commission in Hong Kong a decade ago. Evidence suggests many people, including high-level criminals, were able to get Canadian immigrant visas if the price was right. W-FIVE also goes inside with the Toronto Police sex crimes squad. DNA helped police find a link between two sexual assaults that occurred years apart. But science may not be enough to catch the attacker.

Saturday, March 27 at 7 p.m.

Two weeks after the U.S. State Department criticized Canada over rising problems with human smuggling and sex slavery, Ottawa is set [earlier this month] to launch a review of the Criminal Code designed to toughen laws dealing with the trafficking of women and children.

Federal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler will also announce plans to step up efforts at co-operating with the U.S. Justice Department to tackle what officials are calling the "new global slave trade," sources say.

Ottawa's attempt to crack down on illegal smuggling will include the creation of an RCMP human trafficking investigative team.

It comes just two weeks after border officials in both the U.S. and Canada, and members of the RCMP, foiled an attempt to smuggle 10 South Koreans across the border near Coutts-Sweetgrass.

That southern Alberta bust resulted in nine people being sent back to South Korea after they admitted entering Canada for the sole purpose of then being smuggled into the U.S.

The new police unit will be assigned to organize domestic investigations into human smuggling rings and mount joint investigations with law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and overseas, a senior Canadian official said.

As part of the new federal strategy, Cotler will set up a federal working group on human trafficking that will bring together officials from throughout the bureaucracy to co-ordinate a federal response to the problem.

The minister will outline the Martin government's plans at a meeting today in Ottawa of police, prosecutors and immigration officials, who are holding the country's first-ever seminar on human trafficking.

Cotler's move follows on the heels of a critical U.S. State Department report last month which highlighted growing problems in Canada with organized crime groups that traffic in women and children for prostitution and forced labour.

[. . . .] It estimated "at least 15,000" Chinese had entered Canada illegally over the past decade. Many of those people were lured by promises of a better life, but were instead coerced into prostitution by smugglers.

Others are forced into work at sweatshops. While some men are forced into labour, most of the victims of human trafficking are women and young girls.

U.S. officials highlighted Vancouver and Toronto as hubs for a network of organized crime groups -- primarily East Asian -- that smuggle immigrants illegally into Canada.

Women end up working in strip clubs, escort services and massage parlours, while others land in Canada only to be smuggled across the border into major American cities.

The U.S. human rights report cited Canada's "lax immigration laws" for the rapid rise in human smuggling.

It said Canadian laws have led to the deportation and arrest of sex-trade victims but are not tough enough on customers. The U.S. has called Canada's efforts to prosecute traffickers "uneven" and said the federal government "does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking."

[. . . .] The U.S. estimates between 800,000 and 900,000 women are bought and sold into the sex trade each year around the world. The industry generates upwards of $10 billion annually.

[. . . .] A Toronto police operation called Project Home for Christmas led to more than 300 charges being laid after investigators discovered girls under the age of 18 working as sex slaves.

Another operation in Calgary -- called Operation Relaxation -- led to charges against two people. But Cotler believes those investigations provide only a "snapshot of a much bigger problem," said one official.

Canada's new Immigration and Refugee Act includes a specific offense for human trafficking that includes maximum penalties of life imprisonment and a $1 million fine.

[. . . .] At an international conference last week in Brussels, the U.S. urged NATO countries to ban their troops from patronizing brothels and sex clubs that help foster the illegal trade in women.

Bush issued a zero-tolerance policy against U.S. troops visiting brothels.