Once again, the case of Omar Khadr is causing a firestorm. The Conservatives are up in arms. But Jamie Carroll reviews the facts of the case: Notwithstanding his sins — or the sins of his family — Omar Khadr was a 15-year-old boy with Canadian citizenship when he was captured
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Alberta Politics: Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s position on Khadr case exposes the group’s partisan inclinations
PHOTOS: Omar Khadr, left, with his Edmonton lawyer, Dennis Edney, at right. Mr. Edney’s wife, Patricia Edney, is in the middle. (Photo: CBC) Below: Mr. Khadr at age 14, not long before his capture by U.S. forces in Afghanistan in July 2002, and Aaron Wudrick, Federal Director of the Canadian
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Danny Dorling writes about the connection between high inequality and disregard for the environment: In a 2016 report, Oxfam found that the greatest polluters of all were the most affluent 10% of US households: each emitted, on average, 50 tonnes of CO2 per
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Omar Khadr and the Day of Justice
I've written many posts about the case of Omar Khadr. I consider the way that Canadian child soldier was treated by his own government to be one of the worst legal travesties in modern Canadian history.And one that should shame us all.So I'm glad to see that he is finally going
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Justice For Omar Khadr
The Trudeau government recently announced that it would not pursue the appeal of Omar Khadr’s release on bail. That’s a good first step, Gerry Caplan writes. But there’s more that needs to be done. Consider the history:The Afghan firefight in which an …
Continue readingMontreal Simon: The Day the Harper Legacy Got Hit By a Double Whammy
Well what a difference a day makes. Yesterday I was worried that Justin Trudeau was being too nice to the Cons.And warned him it would get him nowhere.But today Justin and his government more than made up for that momentary lapse.By delivering two mo…
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Omar Khadr: The Last Post and the Happy Ending
In the last nine years I wrote more than 100 posts about the case of Omar Khadr, because I considered it one of the most shameful episodes in modern Canadian history.And could never accept that a Canadian child soldier could be tortured and jailed in…
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Stephen Harper and the Torture of Omar Khadr
In a country full of Stephen Harper's victims, Omar Khadr is without a doubt the one who suffered the most.The one he went after like a bully in heat, or a rabid animal. The one he allowed to be tortured in a place like Guantanamo, even though he w…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: It’s About Obsessions
Stephen Harper is a man obsessed. He’s obsessed by Alberta bitumen. He’s obsessed by the Liberal Party — particularly the name Trudeau. And he’s obsessed with punishment — most particularly, the punishment of Omar Khadr. Gerry Caplan writes: Under the Geneva Conventions, which govern the rules of war, soldiers who
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Did the RCMP Release the Zehaf-Bibeau Tape for Political Reasons?
I'm not big on conspiracy theories, although I do believe that when living in Harperland paranoia can be a higher state of consciousness.But here's one for you: Why did the RCMP choose yesterday to release the unseen video of the crazed gunman who stormed Parliament Hill? Read more »
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Omar Khadr: A Powerful Refutation Of The Harper Narrative
If you saw last night’s documentary on Omar Khadr, like me, perhaps you came away feeling some awe at the remarkable resilience of the human spirit. Unless you believe Khadr is a master actor manipulating all of us, you could not have seen the film without a resulting deep respect
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Omar Khadr and the Monster Stephen Harper
Of all the Canadians Stephen Harper has muzzled during his reign of terror nobody was muzzled more than Omar Khadr.For years Harper prevented the media from meeting with him, hearing about his ordeal, or even taking his picture. So he could portray Khadr as a monster.And since I have never defended
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Omar Khadr: Out Of The Shadows
The above is the title of a documentary to be broadcast tonight at 9 p.m. on the CBC’s main network. Here is a brief excerpt: Given all of the taxpayer money it has spent challenging Khadr’s repatriation, his bail, and his access to the media, I am certain that the
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Supreme Court Smackdown of Harper.. again
One would almost think the Supreme Court is getting tired of the Conservative government’s vendetta against Omar Khadr: The country’s top court swiftly dismissed the Conservative government’s latest attempt to see former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr dealt with as a hardened offender deserving of more time in an adult
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Omar Khadr: The Supreme Court Gives Stephen Harper Another Slap in the Face
It's the third time the Supreme Court of Canada has been asked to rule on the case of Omar Khadr.Twice before it has ruled in his favour, and today it did so again.And the way it did couldn't have been more of a slap in the face, or a kick
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Breaking News On Omar Khadr
T The Harper vendetta against Omar Khadr has suffered another defeat: The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Thursday that Omar Khadr, the former teenage al-Qaeda member freed on bail last week in Alberta, should be treated as if he were sentenced as a juvenile. The federal government had argued that
Continue readingBlevkog: Omar Khadr Update
The Supremes have just ruled that Omar Khadr should be tried as a juvenile for crimes he may have committed in Afghanistan. This is no surprise as Omar Khadr clearly was under 18 years of age at the time of his arrest and he conforms with the UN definition of
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Continuing With A Theme
Well, as a new week dawns I find that I am not quite ready to turn to new topics, as Omar Khadr is still very much in the news. For a good roundup of the implications of his release on bail and his short media scrum, be sure to check
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Elizabeth May and Stephen Harper’s Big Omar Problem
I'm very sorry to see that Elizabeth May is very sorry about livening up the deadly dull Press Gallery Dinner, with a choice comment about Stephen Harper and his cabinet. Green party Leader Elizabeth May says she is "very apologetic" about remarks she made on the weekend that included profanity and insulted
Continue readingBlevkog: Omar Khadr is a rescued child soldier and should be treated as such
The release of Omar Khadr, on strict conditions, has reignited the debate over his capture and imprisonment in Guantanamo Bay. The Conservative Party, ever in campaign mode, is always looking for a political issue to use to charge up their base, and his release, which they opposed and continue to
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