Khadr Film Provokes Outrage, Calls for His Repatriation
Khadr Film Provokes Outrage, Calls for His Repatriation
http://www.france24.com/en/20101021-khadr-film-provokes-outrage-calls-re...
"A documentary film on the last Western detainee held in Guantanamo prompted demands that Canada seek Omar Khadr's repatriation after the movie was screened in Parliament. 'It is appalling that Canada has not intervened on his behalf, opposition New Democratic Party MP Wayne Marston said after seeing the film Wednesday.
'The Canadian government should be ashamed,' echoed Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe, renewing calls for Ottawa to bring Khadr home.'
Damien Corsetti, a former US interrogator at Bagram prison where Khadr was interned before being sent to Guantanamo, counters in the film:
'THE CANADIAN PEOPLE NEED TO LOOK AT THEMSELVES AND FIGURE OUT WHO THEY ARE. THERE HAVE BEEN ELECTIONS SINCE OMAR WAS CAPTURED, SO NOW ULTIMATELY THE BLAME LIES ON THE CANADIAN PEOPLE.
WHY IS IT THAT I, AS A COLD CALLOUS SON-OF-A-BITCH, HAD MORE COMPASSION FOR THAT BOY THAN HIS OWN PEOPLE?"
good question
good question
The answer to your question is in your media reference.
The ever more right-wing major Canadian media has not declared it the obvious obscene human rights outrage that it is. Therefore , the Canadian public will not, for the most part, be outraged.
No, I don't buy this at all.
Canadians have had access to this information and they knew the type of government they had in the last election. They have had opportunity to change the government and a plurality of Canadians vote out of greed. Canadians vote Cosnervative and Liberal knowing what both those parties do. Those who vote Liberal did not pressure their MPs to do anythign either when they supported the government dozens of times. We know what the Liberals are and we know what the Conservatives are.
Ignorance is no defence here.
Yes, we should wear this as a national choice and a national shame. He is quite right.
And as disgusting as the national media may be, we have no right to hide behind it all the while knowing enough about the truth and being active in our ignorance beyond that. This is our electoral choice.
If Canadians don't like the shame they will have a new opportunity shortly to change it.
The truth is Canadians, for the most part, are too self interested and lacking in principles to care anough to stop this sort of thing. We just had a whole thread that was a pissing match over how to get more votes out of self interested people where it was explained to me in so many words that self interest trumps principle and what is right.
This is not a military dictatorship (at least not yet), Canadians do have the choice even when they pretend not to know, or that they did not have that choice.
Sorry but sometimes you have to call it like it is because that is the first step to changing it.
People need to feel this shame.
And in that other thread on the issue of the NDP speaking to the "middle class" I see the same thread-- the same issue that principle has to mean something.
Yes, I heard the NDP complain about this. But did they complain enough? perhaps not. All of them. The BQ Liberals, the NDP... did they organize mass protest? What did those parties do to address this-- any of them?
All our parties are so drowned in self interest they no longer know who they are. And the NDP remains the best of a bad bunch when best of is really not good enough. We all wear this. As we should.
All our parties are so drowned in self interest they no longer know who they are. And the NDP remains the best of a bad bunch when best of is really not good enough. We all wear this. As we should.
THIS.
No, I don't buy this at all.
Canadians have had access to this information and they knew the type of government they had in the last election. They have had opportunity to change the government and a plurality of Canadians vote out of greed. Canadians vote Cosnervative and Liberal knowing what both those parties do. Those who vote Liberal did not pressure their MPs to do anythign either when they supported the government dozens of times. We know what the Liberals are and we know what the Conservatives are.
Ignorance is no defence here.
Yes, we should wear this as a national choice and a national shame. He is quite right.
And as disgusting as the national media may be, we have no right to hide behind it all the while knowing enough about the truth and being active in our ignorance beyond that. This is our electoral choice.
If Canadians don't like the shame they will have a new opportunity shortly to change it.
The truth is Canadians, for the most part, are too self interested and lacking in principles to care anough to stop this sort of thing. We just had a whole thread that was a pissing match over how to get more votes out of self interested people where it was explained to me in so many words that self interest trumps principle and what is right.
This is not a military dictatorship (at least not yet), Canadians do have the choice even when they pretend not to know, or that they did not have that choice.
Sorry but sometimes you have to call it like it is because that is the first step to changing it.
People need to feel this shame.
You are confusing giving reasons why things happen for "excuses".
"Access to information" is not the same as either actually accessing the information nor of processing that information outside the packaging of the the major media outlets (as a public survey of knowledge of the Khadr case would likely demonstrate).
As far as I'm concerned there is no collective guilt to be meted out to all Canadian citizens because many have opposed this travesty of human rights from the beginning (including many in the NDP). But if you want to self-identify as an individual embodiment of the the policies of this putative nation-state be my guest--beat yourself up.
(The NDP Foreign Affairs Critic went so far self-identifying with some non-existent "Canada" entity that he offered to lobby to put the despicable Harper foreign policy on steroids in the security council and --then lamented that they didn't use him).
Collective responsibility is not the same as individual responsibility -- when we identify as Canadians we do need to take that on as we like to take on the better things.
I think those Canadians who could vote and did vote for parties other than the Liberals and Conservatives do not bear personal responsibility-- the rest bear personal as well as collective responsibility and should look in the mirror and ask if they like their tax cuts or whatever they voted Con or Liberal for.
No, I am not confused-- perhaps we disagree. I think the media is the excuse.
As for the NDP, I think it could have done more than it has. That is my opinion. You can disagree and I won't call you confused for so doing but this is an opinion place so my opinion is there for you to see and I stand behind it as a person who does support the NDP.
I think that in general there is a disturbing trend toward overwhelming principles with short term so-called practical benefits that in the end compromise who we are.
Again my opinion, which does not come from confusion. Yours can be different.
As far as I'm concerned there is no collective guilt to be meted out to all Canadian citizens because many have opposed this travesty of human rights from the beginning (including many in the NDP).
(The NDP Foreign Affairs Critic went so far self-identifying with some non-existent "Canada" entity that he offered to lobby to put the despicable Harper foreign policy on steroids in the security council and --then lamented that they didn't use him).
'Opposed' without acting is not opposing at all. Not 'many', barely 'some'. That's the problem. But the offer of NDP helping hands in the shameful UNSC fiasco is critically important for people to note and appreciate - bang on.
Canada Could Put Kibosh on Khadr Plea Deal
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Canada+could+kibosh+Khadr+plea+deal/37...
"Canada has the ability to scuttle a plea deal that Omar Khadr is expected to trigger Monday when he must decide whether he'll admit to war=crimes charges in exchange for a cap on his sentence. But while his return to court provides the opportunity for him to change his plea from not guilty to guilty to conform to the deal, admitting culpbability is far less appealing for him without the transfer to Canada. That's because the military commission system prosecuting him has no provision for parole, in contrast to multiple parole opportunities in Canada.."
like trying to make a deal with Hannibal Lector. Awful plight.
Clinton, Cannon speak as Khadr hearing to resume
http://www.thestar.com/specialsections/omarkhadr/article/880021--clinton...
What a horror. Clinton is desperately trying to back out of this case and save the Obama administration further embarrassment and the Harper government are stubbornly refusing to cooperate because Harper wants Khadr to rot in jail for life.
Has Harper managed to kill our time served law? Because if the plea is indeed 8 years, he could be repatriated to Canada and released immediately.
ETA: fix formatting
My understanding of the plea deal which may or may not exist is that Khadr would serve an additional 8 or 9 years in Canadian prison as well as another year in the US.
Has Harper managed to kill our time served law? Because if the plea is indeed 8 years, he could be repatriated to Canada and released immediately.
Surely you jest. That's only for the poor innocents being rescued from barbaric third world captivity, not the vicious terrorist killers who are being lawfully detained by the saintly white christian U.S. Such as the great heroine Brenda Martin:
Martin applied for a prisoner transfer to serve out her time in Canada.[5][6][7][8] On May 1, 2008, Martin was transferred in a government-chartered jet from the Mexican prison she was held in, back to Canada. The flight cost Canadian taxpayers $82,727. Additionally, in order to expedite the transfer, the Canadian government paid the C$3,441 fine (35,850 pesos) imposed by the judge that presided over her case. MP Jason Kenney was quoted saying the fine was paid through a special fund the Foreign Affairs Department has for distressed Canadians abroad. Though initially she was remanded into custody at the Grand Valley Institution in Kitchener, Ontario, she was immediately eligible for parole as she had already served more than one third of her sentence in Mexico. On May 9, 2008, Ms. Martin was released on parole from the Canadian prison into her mother's custody.
Don't expect Harper to shower the same mercy on Omar Khadr, please.
Absolutely. Brenda Martin was massively supported by Canadians. And the alacrity with which Harper et al responded was directly related to that groundswell of outrage and political pressure. Omar Khadr has NOT enjoyed the support of Canadians - despite all of the relevent details being widely disseminated in both the mainstream and alternative media. If he had even minimal national support it is highly likely that he would not be in Guantanamo now. I'm glad the Bloc Quebecois took it upon themselves to force denizens of the evil Ottawa talkshop to actually watch the doco. But there should be palpable outrage and phone calls made at the very least
pm@pm.gc.ca
1-866-599-4999
or whatever...
Brenda Martin was massively supported by Canadians because the Canadian media went to bat for her and had a field day painting the Mexican justice system as corrupt.
I agree NoDifference that people should be outraged and demanding Khadr's immediate repatriation and release. I know I have written letters over the years as have many others. But the media have done a real hatchet job from the get go. When Omar Khadr first became a news item, CBC creamed themselves with the exclusive interview with the Khadr family. It was framed as Canada's Terrorist Family and it just went downhill from there.