Paul S. Graham

The “war crime” Omar Khadr is accused of having committed at age 15, killing an American soldier, would never have happened if the US had refrained from its war crime, the invasion of Afghanistan. Sgt. Christopher Speer, the soldier he is charged with killing, would still be alive, as would 810 other foreign troops and many thousands of Afghans.

As Osgoode Hall Professor of International Law Michael Mandel wrote in the Ottawa Citizen, Mar. 17, 2008, “The war on Afghanistan was George W. Bush’s war, not the UN’s. It had no more UN authority than the war on Iraq. Both are marked by the same original sin, Nuremberg’s ‘supreme international crime’ of aggressive war.”

Omar Khadr has been shot twice in the black, blinded in one eye, tortured, and imprisoned under laws passed by the United States which contravene international law and human decency. There is credible evidence that the “evidence” against him was fabricated. He has suffered enough. Bring him home.

Resources

• Wikipedia has an extensive and well documented article on Omar Khadr.
• Sulman Hassan, a graduate in law from Liverpool John Moores University reviews applicable international laws and concludes that the US violated them when it invaded Afghanistan.

While only a congenital idiot would call Stephen Harper a fascist, most would label him a right winger in today’s political parlance, some derisively, others with pride.

Politically speaking, Harper is, arguably, farther right than Adolf Hitler,* if all you take into account are his economic ideas. On other significant questions, thankfully, Harper is in another universe (though I wish he would get over his apparent shared fondness for things military).

How helpful is it, then, to describe Hitler and Harper as right wingers? Or Joseph Stalin and the Dalai Lama as lefties? Not helpful at all, in my experience, and frequently a cause of political confusion.

Some clever folks at The Political Compass have come up with an alternative to the worn-out left-right paradigm that takes into an account social issues, ideas about authority, individual freedoms and so on. By completing a short, five minute questionnaire you can determine where you live on the political landscape and how you compare with what passes for political leadership today.

I tried it out and learned that instead of merely being a left winger, that I lived somewhere in the bottom left quadrant near the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela. How cool is that?!

(I also determined that my partner-in-life is a tad more authoritarian than I, though equally left-wing, I hasten to add. Ahem. So, if you involve friends, comrades and spouses in this exercise, the social learning potential is, well, interesting.)

Having taken the test and graphically illustrated my distance from Robert Mugabe (a man I once admired for his leading role in the liberation of Zimbabwe), I’m still not sure what to do with this little tool. If you have some thoughts on this, please feel free to share them here.

Grateful Acknowledgement Dept. – I found The Political Compass whilst visiting Stageleft, who I tripped over while browsing Progressive Bloggers. So, give these fine folks a visit as well.

Notes:

* Adolf Hitler’s relative position on the left-right continuum is plotted at The Political Compass, and dammit, he is farther left than Harper.

“Why, of course, the people don’t want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don’t want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship . . . the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.”

Hermann Goering, Nazi Reischsmarshall and Luftwaffe Chief

Goering was sentenced to death at the Nuremberg Tribunals for crimes against humanity, but committed suicide, just hours before his execution, on Oct. 15, 1946. Source: Snopes

“I don’t have to tell you the story, the link between Afghanistan and the attacks of 9/11, the oppression and brutality endured under the Taliban and the risk that terrorism will come home if we don’t confront it here.”

– Prime Minister Stephen Harper, addressing the troops in Kandahar, Afghanistan, May 23, 2007. Source: Government of Canada

“Some have argued that confronting the threat from Iraq could detract from the war against terror. To the contrary; confronting the threat posed by Iraq is crucial to winning the war on terror. When I spoke to Congress more than a year ago, I said that those who harbor terrorists are as guilty as the terrorists themselves. Saddam Hussein is harboring terrorists and the instruments of terror, the instruments of mass death and destruction. And he cannot be trusted. The risk is simply too great that he will use them, or provide them to a terror network.”

President George W. Bush, speaking at the Cincinnati Museum Center, Oct. 7, 2002. Source: White House News Releases

“Iran is today the world’s leading state sponsor of terror. It sends hundreds of millions of dollars to extremists around the world while its own people face repression and economic hardship at home. Iran’s actions threaten the security of nations everywhere. So the United States is strengthening our long-standing security commitments with our friends in the Gulf and rallying friends around the world to confront this danger before it is too late.”

George Bush, once more the warpath, this time in Abu Dhabi, Jan. 15, 2008. Source: The Telegraph

Halfway through a three-day fast, Winnipeg peace activist Michael Welch is spending his second night under the stars in support of Corey Glass and other US war resisters who have come to Canada rather than fight an immoral war. Tuesday night and part of Wednesday was spent outside the office of Tory MP Joy Smith (Kildonan-St. Paul); Wednesday afternoon and evening on the steps of the Manitoba Legislature.

Michael decided to become actively involved in supporting war resisters last month following the June 3rd vote in Parliament to urge the government to allow war resisters to remain in Canada as permanent residents. When it became evident the government would not follow the advice of Parliament, Michael decided to act, beginning with a sit-in at the office of Tory MP Steven Fletcher (Charleswood–St. James–Assiniboia). Last week he sat in at the office of Rod Bruinooge (Winnipeg South).

While his reception at Tory MP offices has been cordial (with the exception of Bruinooge’s staff, who locked him out when he went outside to speak with reporters), all three MPs continue to toe the government’s anti-war resister line.

Thankfully, the Federal Court is more sensible than the Federal Government. Following its July 4th decision to order the Immigration and Refugee Board to reconsider the failed refugee claim of Joshua Key, the court today granted Corey Glass a stay of removal. While the reasons for the decision have not been issued yet, it reinforces the positive decision in Joshua Key’s asylum case.

However War Resister Robin Long is still being held in jail in Nelson, B.C. and is threatened with deportation to the United States on Monday, July 14th. (See press release.)

July 10th actions are planned across the country to stop the deportation proceedings against Robin Long and let all the war resisters stay.

Prayer Vigil at the Canadian Mennonite University

In Winnipeg, a prayer vigil is planned for noon on July 10. Join Christian Peacemaker Teams in a public prayer vigil to call on Citizenship and Immigration Minister Diane Finley to rescind U.S. war resister Corey Glass’s deportation order, and to let all war resisters stay in Canada.

WHEN: Thursday, July 10, 12:10 – 12:30 pm

WHERE: Canadian Mennonite University, south campus.  600 Shaftesbury Ave., near the food tent (site of Mennonite Church Canada annual conference)

Vigil at “the Leg”

From his lawn chair at the Leg, Michael is helping to organize a vigil that will be held at the Manitoba Legislature, Thursday, July 10, beginning at 8:00 PM. Keynote speakers will include Howard Davidson, a Vietnam-era war resister who has spoken eloquently on the importance of supporting those who refuse to fight wars of aggression.

While war resisters and their supporters have been able to convince the Federal Court that there are grounds to consider the refugee claims of war resisters, we are not home free. Please come out to support war resisters on July 10 and in any other way you can.

This could include writing your MP, Immigration Minister Finley, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper. You can get their addresses here.

The final words go to Michael Welch, recorded on the steps of the Manitoba Legislature, tonight.

(Cross-posted from the website of Peace Alliance Winnipeg.)

The War Resisters Support Campaign has called for another National Day of Action for Iraq War Resisters.

If you haven’t done so, please call Minister Diane Finley and insist that she:

• stop deportation proceedings against Corey Glass and all US Iraq war resisters
• implement the motion adopted by our Parliament to allow US Iraq war resisters to apply for permanent resident status.

Here are the numbers to call:

• Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley: (613) 996-4974
• MP Diane Finley’s constituency office (Simcoe): (519) 426-3400

Or email her at: minister@cic.gc.ca or finled1@parl.gc.ca.

Speculation about a US-Israeli invasion of Iran, which has been ongoing for the last couple of years, has reached a fever pitch. While most Americans are opposed to continuing the occupation of Iraq (68% according to CNN), about 25% of Americans believe that Iran is the country that poses the greatest threat to the United States (yet again proving that you can fool some of the people all of the time).

Many observers fear the US and Israel plan to attack Iran before the year is out. In an article posted today at the Edmonton Sun (and its sister publications, I imagine) Eric Margolis reviews some of the more ominous signs of an impending strike, including:

• Despite U.S. intelligence statements that Iran is not working on nuclear weapons, the US, Israel and France  are threatening military action if Iran does not end its nuclear enrichment program.
• Senior Israeli officials are threatening to attack Iran’s nuclear installations before Bush’s term expires. Recently Israel staged a dress rehearsal in the form of an exercise using F-15s and F-16s.
• American journalist Seymour Hersh has confirmed that the U.S. Congress authorized a $400-million plan to overthrow Iran’s government and incite ethnic unrest.
• Pentagon officials have said a U.S. attack on Iran is imminent, perhaps including the use of small tactical nuclear weapons.
• This year, senior American officers Admiral William Fallon and Air Force Chief Michael Mosley were fired for opposing war against Iran.

A war with Iran would be disastrous by any measure one might choose. As Canadians, we need to insist that our government express strong opposition to American war plans, and that work has to begin today.

As a starting point, write your MP and the Prime Minister. You can get their addresses here. If you aren’t already involved in an antiwar organization, find one to join, or start one.

As Eric Margolis puts it: “The dogs of war are being unleashed.”

There is no time to waste.

The Federal Court of Canada today ordered the Immigration and Refugee Board to reconsider the failed refugee claim of Joshua Key, an American soldier who entered Canada with his family in March 2005, rather than continue to participate in the illegal occupation of Iraq.

The summary decision reads “This is an application for judicial review from a decision of the Immigration and Refugee Board. The Applicants are citizens of the United States and their claims to refugee
protection arise from Mr. Key’s history of desertion from the United States Army. Upon review, the Court concluded that military action which systematically degrades, abuses or humiliates either combatants or non-combatants is capable of supporting a refugee claim where that is the proven reason for refusing to serve. It therefore concluded that the Board had erred by imposing a too restrictive legal standard upon Mr. Key. Furthermore, the Court found that clear and convincing evidence about similarly situated individuals who unsuccessfully sought to be excused from combat duty, or who were prosecuted and imprisoned for a refusal to serve, may be sufficient to rebut the presumption of state protection in the United States. On this point, the Court determined that Mr. Key should be given the opportunity to fully address the issue of state protection in a rehearing before the Board.”

Translation

This ruling kicks the shit out of the Tory position that U.S. war resisters are not “real refugees.”

Implications

There is ample reason to believe this ruling could apply to many other US war resisters who fled to Canada. Some estimates place the number at 200. We need to continue to press the federal government to stop planned deportations, such as the one that faces Corey Glass on July 10. The War Resisters Support Campaign can use your help — click here.

More information

You can read the full decision here. News coverage includes this.

Winnipeggers showed support for US war resisters in Canada, July 3, by picketing the constituency office of Winnipeg South Tory MP Ron Bruinooge. Photo: Paul Graham

Following on the June 3 Parliamentary approval of a resolution to allow US war resisters to remain in Canada, the War Resisters Support Campaign called for a July 2nd National Day of Action to urge the federal government to implement the will of Parliament. There is wide support for the Parliamentary vote. According to a national poll conducted by Angus Reid shortly after the vote in Parliament, a “majority of Canadians would agree with the decision to let American military deserters stay in Canada as permanent residents.” Despite this, the Harper Tories are not showing any signs of softening their position.

The young Americans who have sought refuge in Canada have done so because they refuse to participate in war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. We must continue to insist that the federal government implement the will of Parliament.

Call Minister Diane Finley and insist that she:

• stop deportation proceedings against Corey Glass and all US Iraq war resisters
• implement the motion adopted by our Parliament to allow US Iraq war resisters to apply for permanent resident status.

Here are the numbers to call:

• Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley: (613) 996-4974
• MP Diane Finley’s constituency office (Simcoe): (519) 426-3400

Or email her at: minister@cic.gc.ca or finled1@parl.gc.ca.

The Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco is engaged in an effort to rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant the “George W. Bush Sewage Plant.”

The group has been gathering signatures at local festivals, events and city parks and has already collected 8,500 signatures, about 1,300 more than is needed to put the question on the city’s ballot in November. If the measure passes, the new name will become effective starting next January, when the new president is sworn in.

Supporters plan to engage in a “synchronized flush” during the inauguration as a way to send a “gift” to the newly-renamed plant, saying they believe this will be a “fitting monument to this president’s work.”

Read more at PRWatch.