Canada's ambassador to the U.S. tried to set the record straight Monday after a U.S. Republican senatorial candidate said the 9/11 hijackers came through Canada.
Sharon Angle, a Tea Party-backed candidate in Nevada, said the Canada/U.S. border is America's "most porous border."
"What we know is our northern border is where the terrorists came through," she said.
Ambassador Gary Doer was quick to point out the inaccuracy in a public letter addressed to Angle.
“There have been no terrorist attacks on the United States coming from Canada. None of the 9/11 hijackers entered the United States from or through Canada,” he said, citing the 2004 9/11 Commission Report and the 2007 Congressional Research Study, both of which prove the terrorists who highjacked planes on Sept. 11, 2001, entered the U.S. directly from third countries with U.S.-issued visas.
Angle is one of many U.S. politicians to publicly repeat this misconception.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano repeated it in 2009 while responding to questions about her belief that Americans should police the Canadian border as thoroughly as the Mexican one, despite the fact Canada lacks Mexico's deadly drug cartels.
"Yes, Canada is not Mexico, it doesn't have a drug war going on, it didn't have 6,000 homicides that were drug-related last year," she said.
"Nonetheless, to the extent that terrorists have come into our country or suspected or known terrorists have entered our country across a border, it's been across the Canadian border. There are real issues there."
When asked if she meant the 9/11 hijackers, she said, "Not just those, but others as well.”
She later issued a statement claiming she never meant the 9/11 hijackers, and instead pointed to the Millennium Bomber, who failed in his attempt to blow up Los Angeles International Airport in early 2000 with explosives he ferried from British Columbia.
Doer said Canada is far from a threat, noting that Canadian and U.S. authorities work together to protect their "collective security."
He also said more than 1.3 million Canadians visited Nevada in 2009, creating tens of thousands of jobs and sparking $1.3 billion in trade.
"I can assure you that Canada takes border security very seriously and trust you will see fit to set the record straight," said Doer.
Sharon Angle, a Tea Party-backed candidate in Nevada, said the Canada/U.S. border is America's "most porous border."
"What we know is our northern border is where the terrorists came through," she said.
Ambassador Gary Doer was quick to point out the inaccuracy in a public letter addressed to Angle.
“There have been no terrorist attacks on the United States coming from Canada. None of the 9/11 hijackers entered the United States from or through Canada,” he said, citing the 2004 9/11 Commission Report and the 2007 Congressional Research Study, both of which prove the terrorists who highjacked planes on Sept. 11, 2001, entered the U.S. directly from third countries with U.S.-issued visas.
Angle is one of many U.S. politicians to publicly repeat this misconception.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano repeated it in 2009 while responding to questions about her belief that Americans should police the Canadian border as thoroughly as the Mexican one, despite the fact Canada lacks Mexico's deadly drug cartels.
"Yes, Canada is not Mexico, it doesn't have a drug war going on, it didn't have 6,000 homicides that were drug-related last year," she said.
"Nonetheless, to the extent that terrorists have come into our country or suspected or known terrorists have entered our country across a border, it's been across the Canadian border. There are real issues there."
When asked if she meant the 9/11 hijackers, she said, "Not just those, but others as well.”
She later issued a statement claiming she never meant the 9/11 hijackers, and instead pointed to the Millennium Bomber, who failed in his attempt to blow up Los Angeles International Airport in early 2000 with explosives he ferried from British Columbia.
Doer said Canada is far from a threat, noting that Canadian and U.S. authorities work together to protect their "collective security."
He also said more than 1.3 million Canadians visited Nevada in 2009, creating tens of thousands of jobs and sparking $1.3 billion in trade.
"I can assure you that Canada takes border security very seriously and trust you will see fit to set the record straight," said Doer.
. That belief has been erroneously ingrained in our society by anti-religious groups over the years. The church vs. state separation issue was only part of a letter written by Thomas Jefferson. Read the first amendment and see for yourself if you don't believe me!
