Seventeen year old Travis Biehn was arrested last week and charged with making a terrorist threat against his Philadelphia area high school. It is alleged that the Grade 11 student scrawled a threat on a washroom wall of Central Bucks East High School and then brought it to the attention of some teachers. Biehn’s home was searched after other students told the authorities that the teen had told them that he knew how to make a bomb and was planning to use one. The search of his home revealed eight to ten pounds of potassium nitrate, fuses, detonators, and canisters as well as photographs of bomb-making material.
Travis Biehn and his parents are Canadian citizens who went to the U.S. from Newfoundland. The 17-year-old’s father is employed by the pharmaceutical company, Merck, and the family has been living in the United States since the late 1990s. all have valid U.S. resident visas.
When Travis first appeared in court to answer the charges, he was wearing the same clothes that he had on when he was arrested. His wardrobe included a T-shirt that read, "Proud to be a Canadian" as well as other references to Canada. Nothing on the shirt could be deemed to be "anti-american".
The prosecutor in the case, Diane Gibbons, made a big deal of the fact that Travis was a Canadian and while the police are still working on possible motives for the threats, District attorney Gibbons said that Biehn would prefer to be in Canada and that he made it clear that he does not like americans. His motive is that he hates americans. apparently this was based on nothing more than his T-shirt.
Biehn’s lawyer, William Goldman Jr. was quoted in the National Post as saying, "Canadians should be irate. Because a young man, a Canadian citizen is proud of Canada does not make them anti-american". Goldman also added that this year is an election year for District attorney Gibbons.é
From a purely legal perspective, the comments of the Da seem absurd. If this is the best that she can do, young Travis shouldn’t have too much to worry about. But as ridiculous as what Diane Gibbons thinks is, in the context a prosecution for serious criminal offences, there is some basis in fact for the District attorney’s feelings about Canadians.
It is interesting to speculate whether the situation would be so laughable if Travis was a citizen of afghanistan and was arrested while wearing an "I love the Taliban" T-shirt. It probably would have been taken more seriously. and if this is in fact the case, do americans put Canadians in the same classification as citizens of other countries who, by virtue of their nationality, are assumed to hate americans?
It is hardly a secret that our Liberal government and the left lib Canadian media never miss an opportunity to take gratuitous potshots at the United States. We’ve had Francie Ducros, a communications director for former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, referring to George W. Bush as a "moron". Then came former Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish who proudly made her "Damn americans — I hate those bastards" comment and expressed pride in what she had done. Later Parrish stomped on a George Bush doll on national television. Parrish was ultimately forced to leave the Liberal caucus, not for her antics that were harmful to Canada/U.S. relations but for telling Paul Martin and his inner circle to go to hell. as proof of how seriously the government takes Parrish’s anti-american antics, the Mississuaga MP has said that she is welcome to return to the Liberal Party fold after supporting the government during last month’s vote on a motion of non confidence.
In a recent address at a Canadian Press dinner, Frank McKenna, Canadian ambassador to the United States, accused Canadians of being smug and having a chip on their shoulders when it comes to their treatment of the U.S. and americans. If McKenna really wants to improve Canada/U.S. relations he would be better off lecturing his government and their enablers in the media.
Biehn’s lawyer is right — Canadians should be irate. But they should be irate at the Canadian government and their enablers who help enforce the notion that anyone who is a proud Canadian, like a proud member of the Taliban, must hate the United States.