Galloway - 1. Harper and Kenney - 0.

George Galloway was in Calgary yesterday. His speech was sold out to a seven hundred and fifty seat house.

Before the event, he decided to visit Jason Kenney's constituency office. Kenney was in Ottawa.

Kenney, as Immigration Minister, tried to keep Galloway out of Canada under the pretense that he was a terrorist and terrorism supporter, a claim that was refuted by a judge in a sixty page decision.

Galloway wants to sue (I hope he wins big) with any money going to the Canadian antiwar movement.

From the Rabble.ca website and YouTube:

The New anti-Semitism and Harper Newspeak

Several Canadian MP's as well as other "lawmakers" from around the world "vow" to fight the "new" anti-Semitism, which is basically any criticism of Israeli government policies in the middle east.

Even our very own Dear Leader Harper "pledges ‘relentless’ stand against anti-Semitism". Fine on the face of it but it's Newspeak. He's redefined it to fit his own ideolological agenda and it should not be allowed to happen.

The old anti-Semitism is well known and well understood - hatred and persecution of Jews because they are Jews. That's it and it's repellent. To redefine it will give a legitimate cover to the real anti-Semites who will lump themselves in with people who criticize the racism of the present right-wing Israeli government.

This is a very dangerous practice.

The group Independent Jewish Voices and others have put together a video to resist the curtailment of free speech that Harper and others are trying to enshrine here in Canada. Scott Reid, M.P. for this area, has been a member of the of this group trying to redefine anti-Semitism for their own purposes. He appears at minutes 3:20 to 3:21, the person on the left with the little beard, red tie and Remembrance Day poppy.

George Galloway hearing postponed

George Galloway, MP (Respect), is contesting his being banned from entering Canada on the grounds that he is a supporter of terrorism and a danger to the country.

His hearing was supposed to take place yesterday, but due to an injury sustained by one of his lawyers, the hearing has been postponed until tomorrow. (She fell down the stairs and possibly broke her foot. I've done that. I thumped around for two weeks like Long John Silver.)

Just a reminder of it all from a year ago (April 1, 2009) on Democracy Now, when Amy Goodman spoke to him after he had to do his scheduled talks by video link to Canadians.

GEORGE GALLOWAY:"It’s not as good as being there in person. But it just shows that it was a foolish move politically, as well as quite a dangerous one. It’s a creeping problem, I think, in Canada, that their government is the last bastion of dead-end Bushism in not only North America, maybe in the world."

....AMY GOODMAN: Finally, George Galloway, President Bush did get into Canada, despite a Canadian group, the Lawyers Against the War, calling for his arrest or deportation. The Canadian government ignored their request, though they did deny you entry.

GEORGE GALLOWAY: Yes, and on the grounds that I was a national security risk, which will have come as a surprise to the Homeland Security Department here and to the Speaker of the House of Commons, with whom I’ve sat with for twenty-three years. Yes, I mean—

AMY GOODMAN: We have twenty seconds.

GEORGE GALLOWAY: George Bush, dangerous killer, here’s a million-dollar fee, come and speak. George Galloway, antiwar leader, don’t bother turning up.

AMY GOODMAN: George Galloway, that does it for today’s broadcast, British lawmaker, British MP, banned from entering Canada. He’s addressing the Canadian people through video link every night from here in New York.

"..the last bastion of dead-end Bushism in not only North America, maybe in the world."

Thanks, Stevie. I'm so proud.

The future face of Canada - white, ugly, and bigoted

Jason Kenney, the Immigration Minister for Canada, represents the ugly face of Canada in the future if the HarpoCons have their way.

Kenney blocked gay rights in citizenship guide: documents

"...Kenney told a session with Toronto-area Punjabi journalists that gays had every right to marry — as long as it wasn’t someone of the same sex."

Sorry, Mr. Kenney. I don't expect you to know this but gays have every right to marry whomever they please in Canada. You should know that. Spreading misinformation is unbecoming to a cabinet minister. It may even be illegal.

"...[K]enney appointed a longtime Conservative who opposes same-sex marriage to the Immigration and Refugee Board, which among other things makes decisions about whether gays can be given refugee status in Canada.

That sounds completely illegal. too. But what does the law matter to the HarpoCons.

When questioned by a gay rights group, Egale,

"...Kenney told the group that gay rights had been “overlooked” when the guide was being prepared, executive director Helen Kennedy said in an interview from Toronto."

That's either a baldfaced lie or you don't know what's going on in your own department. Neither looks very good in the old competence thing, does it, Jason? Thought nobody would notice?

"Kennedy expressed surprise when told draft versions of the guide did, in fact, contain references to gay rights and that they were ordered removed."

Is that your trousers I smell burning, Mr. Kenney, or is it the hellfire and brimstone under your feet?

"...The Canadian Press previously reported that other sections of the draft version of the guide were excised at the suggestion of the panel of prominent Canadians.

The deleted sections included one reference that said Canadian churches ran Indian residential schools, where aboriginal children were abused.

Oh, yeah, the residential schools thing, where children were sexually and physcially abused by sadistic or pedophilic religious figures, including Catholic priests.

Did I mention that Jason Kenney is an evangelical and vocal Roman Catholic, intent on foisting the church's beliefs on other Canadians who do not share them?

Amazing what gets left out if you have sufficient clout and money behind you, isn't it?