Andy Worthington writes about the kangaroo court that is dealing with Omar Khadr in Guantánamo Bay.
Prosecuting a Tortured Child: Obama's Guantánamo Legacy
From the most important thing - that he was fifteen years old at the time - to his untreated injuries, torture, evidence that was revisionist, to say the least, retroactive laws drawn up after to cover what happened before and the attempts at a plea deal to subject him to even more time for a crime he was not old enough to, or no one is even sure he did, commit, the whole shameful episode is all there.
But the shame isn't only Obama's. There was not a peep out of the Canadian government either, which follows a deplorable trend under Stephen Harper's Conservative minority government to simply abandon Canadian citizens abroad if they happen to be the wrong colour (anything but white), the wrong sex (anything but male), the wrong religion (only Judaeo-Christians need apply) or less than stunningly wealthy. If you have one or more of these marks against you, you're out of luck.
On second thought, being stunningly wealthy will go a long way towards having the other drawbacks ignored.
A small sample here:
Abousfian Abdelrazik
Brenda Martin
Suaad Mohamud Haji
Harper insists that the U.S. government has a right to continue to do what it does, in spite or our laws, our constitution, or that Canada is a signatory to the Geneva Conventions and to the U.N. Declaration on the rights of the child. The law seems to be of no concern to him except when it applies to someone else's supposed violations of it.
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What we have is a bunch of CONTROL FREAKS that have become National leaders.
ReplyDeleteThey are true psychopaths.
They do not live by the rule of law.
They slither from one crime to the next.
I just do not know any more. I am glad that I am 60 y/o.
I just worry for my daughter. And all children of this planet.
Me, too, RZ. There are a lot of strong, smart kids out there but just look at the problems they face. Some kids just go hell-bent for destruction, others withdraw. I'm sure some don't want to say how frightened they are, but you can see it in their faces.
ReplyDeleteHarper is a complete control freak. Nothing is said, done or even thought without being thoroughly vetted by him and given a stamp of approval.
But he has kids, youngish ones. What is he creating for them? A system where justice is flexible, where people are disposable, where a narrow view of the world is desirable? Can he think of any situation where it would be alright to see his own children treated this way?
He just can't seem to make the connection.
It seems you are expecting normal human instincts from the politicians you are citing, guys. I expect nothing better from them. We live in a stupid world where psychos and control freaks get millions of votes. The characteristics which get them to the top in politics are the very ones which prevent them from being normally human(or being effective politicians).
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