We interrupt your regularly scheduled proglodyte slapping for a serious matter. A van hit multiple pedestrians in Toronto and subsequently fled the scene. The suspect is now in custody, and the BBC reports as many as 10 people may have been struck. This is a dangerous time, ladies and gentlemen, and we here at Victory Girls urge you to exercise additional vigilance.

At the time of this writing, we still don’t know who the perpetrators were, whether they were radicalized Muslim extremists, or whether it was a drunken jerk who lost control of his vehicle. My guess would be the former. The signs are there and the timing is certainly auspicious, but I will refrain from making an assessment until we know more.

Watch as a woman describes the moment she saw a van strike numerous pedestrians in Toronto. https://t.co/OHo4HBjAcT

— Veronica Rocha (@VeronicaRochaLA) April 23, 2018

My son was driving to his Army Reserve drill yesterday, and his vehicle broke down on the side of the road. He was in uniform and alone, and my teeth were on edge until he safely got to base. A U.S. Soldier alone on the side of the road, prevented by law from carrying a gun for self defense, because of his age and because rules prevent troops from carrying their personal firearms on base, presents a tasty target of opportunity for any passing violent extremist who may have gotten radicalized by the ever-present online stylings of ISIS or al-Qa’ida.

My son made it to base just fine, and he kept his eyes open the entire time, as we all should during what promises to be a very dangerous month coming up ahead.

The U.S. is moving its Embassy to Jerusalem on May 14th. This is simply a continuation of US foreign policy that has been in place since 1995 when Congress passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act, which declared that “Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel” and said the American Embassy should move to Jerusalem within five years. Bill Clinton, of course, opposed the legislation, and exploited loopholes that allowed him to sign a waiver every six months delaying the move. Subsequent presidents simply kicked the can down the road, and the current administration has finally decided to abide by the law.

During the 2000 election campaign, George W. Bush criticized Clinton for not moving the embassy as he had promised to do, and said he planned on initiating the process himself as soon as he was elected. However, once he took office, he backed down on his promise.

In 2008, then Democratic candidate Barack Obama called Jerusalem the ‘capital of Israel’. On June 4, 2008, Obama told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), in his first foreign policy speech after capturing the Democratic nomination the day before, that “Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided.” However, he backtracked almost immediately, saying “Well, obviously, it’s going to be up to the parties to negotiate a range of these issues. And Jerusalem will be part of those negotiations.”

The policy is not new, but the date of the move is concerning.

First, May 14th is the Israeli Independence Day and the day before Nakba Day (Day of Catastrophe) – inaugurated by Yasser Arafat (may he be sodomized by a million swine in hell) in 1998. While I’m not going to be one to advocate that our foreign policy be based on every sensitivity – particularly of the people who have engaged in continued terrorism against our ally – the opening of the Embassy the day before Nakba Day will surely present an opportunity for violence.

Al-Qa’ida has been calling for attacks on US interests and allies in response to our Jerusalem policy.

Al-Qa’ida’s senior leader in Yemen has called for car and knife attacks on Americans and “kill every Jew.”

Both ISIS and al-Qa’ida have been calling for attacks using vehicles for several years, and with ISIS having lost territory during the past year, external attacks could be one of the few tools still available to them.

Not that they would need an excuse to launch attacks, but Islamic extremists have always enjoyed symbolism – whether in the targets they choose, or in the timing of their attacks – and the official move of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem – to be led by the US Treasury Secretary, and that would include possibly U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who has been such a strong pro-Israel voice in that organization, and Vice President Mike Pence – would be a perfect symbolic target.

Attacking the homeland is not ISIS’s top priority currently. That said, it doesn’t have to be. ISIS still has materials online that can be accessed by any disgruntled malcontent looking for a cause and for a way to blame his or her problems on the United States. ISIS doesn’t have to direct or plan attacks here at home. Their acolytes will act alone – without instructions – but with the will and intent to carry out attacks and murder as many U.S. citizens and allies as they can.

We also just bombed the crap out of Syria, which means Iran is even more unhappy with us than usual; it’s certainly not above them to plan retaliatory attacks against us for what they call a violation of Syria’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

And then there are the foreign fighters and their families returning from Syria. Many of them are coming back to countries that are part of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program that allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the United States for tourism, or business for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. True, they are probably vetted against watchlists, but I cannot imagine all of them are watchlisted, and their families – women, who are apparently more and more operationally active on ISIS’s behalf – may pose a greater risk as they travel to the U.S.

These are dangerous times – probably more so than normal, with the move of our Embassy, Nakba Day, and Ramadan on the horizon on the 16th of May.

Situational awareness is more critical now than ever. Keep your eyes open.