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Terrorists, Freedom Fighters, and the Law

Much though I hate to revisit endless debates, again responses to my post beg the critical question: who is to be deemed a “terrorist”, who gets to decide this, and whose judicial process applies? I hate to drag out the ancient trope that “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”, but no one has addressed this […]

Out of the Woodwork

Well, yesterday’s blog about Omar Khadr has evoked two reactions: one predictable, reasoned, but simply wrong, and one absolutely terrifying. First, let me get something on the record: my opposition to the rubbishing of the rule of law for the so-called “War on Terror” does not derive from an ivory-tower ignorance of terrorism. When I attended university at […]

Canadian child in the dock at Guantanamo show trials

While mistreatment of Afghan detainees has made the news this week, a Toronto-born Canadian is about to be put on trial by a U.S. military kangaroo court at the notorious Guantanamo prison camp for “crimes” he committed as an “illegal combatant” between the ages of 10 and 15. More and more citizens of the world’s democracies are speaking out […]

Tories accuse constituents of believing "Taliban terrorists" over Harper government

In a letter to a Ceasefire.ca supporter this week, Conservative Member of Parliament Dick Harris shot back from his Blackberry saying, “I am confused why you are taking as fact, the allegations coming from the Taliban terrorists themselves.” Here is his email: >From: “Harris, Richard – Personal” HarriR9@parl.gc.ca >To: <[Ceasefire supporter’s email address – Steve]> >CC: […]

Harpers' Week from hell

I’m not trying to fill this blog with material from the NDP, but I thought their compilation of the “week from Hell” for the Conservatives was too good to pass up. Steve From the NDP: Afghan detainees: Conservatives deliver chaos, confusion and contradiction “This is not foreign policy, this is chaos.” Jack Layton, NDP Leader […]