Omar Khadr is free on bail. Thumbs up to his lawyer Dennis
Edney ! The argument of Stephen Harper's Government that setting Omar free
would hurt U.S. and Canada relation has been rejected by the Court.
Examples are plenty, that Stephen Harper's get-tough-approach
didn't seem to respect and care about Canada's
constitution and judicial system, international laws, and the UN Charter.
Our prime minister seems to be just following, copying, obeying and taking
orders from Uncle Sam. He seems to have been Americanizing and militarizing Canada.
He has made Canada join the American Fighting and Killing Club, whose war hawk leaders seem
to have a never ending agenda for fighting, killing and wars. Canada
under Stephen Harper's rule is not the same Canada
of peace and peacekeeping that we used to know. Sometimes I wonder if Stephen
Harper is a closet dictator and would-be war hawk, or what ?
In the case of Omar Khadr, Stephen Harper's approach is typically an
American macho-man approach, with little Canadian compassion and sensitivity. Omar
was a child soldier. He was only 15 years old when he allegedly killed an
American soldier in Afghanistan.
Even if he did kill an American soldier, he was still only a child. He
was labelled as a terrorist and illegal combatant by Uncle Sam, and certainly
Stephen Harper concurred.
This case of Omar Khadr smells strongly American, not
Canadian. Stephen Harper had chosen not to seek extradition or repatriation,
despite the urging of Amnesty International, UNICEF, the Canadian Bar
Association, the Federal Court of Canada and other prominent organizations.
What does this tell you about Stephen Harper and his not-so-Canadian way of
treating Omar? Did all these respectable recommendations matter to him at all? Was
pleasing Uncle Sam more important than everything else?
Omar's lawyer Dennis Edney accused Stephen Harper of being a bigot, but I
won't go that far. However, I do feel that under Harper's Government, it seems
that Canada no
longer treats its citizens equally. In a few cases, Stephen Harper seemed to be
biased and selective, in deciding which Canadian citizens to protect, and which
just to ignore, when they got into troubles in foreign lands and needed help.
There are 2 undeniable facts about the case of Omar Khadr: (1) Omar was a 15 years old child soldier. Calling him a terrorist or illegal
combatant did not change the fact that he was only a minor at the time, and (2)
Guantanamo Detention Center in Cuba was the hell hole and military
base outside the legal system of Uncle Sam, where Omar was imprisoned, tortured
and grew up.
Regarding democracy, freedom, human rights and international laws,
Guantanamo is a shame of Uncle Sam.
Didn't Obama promise he would close it down in his first year of presidency ? ( please
read my blog of Dec.16, 2013 titled Guantanamo Prison ). Omar said the plea
agreement that he signed was completely created by the U.S. Government, and
that he signed it only to escape the continued abuse and torture at Guantanamo
Bay.
This case of Omar Khadr is not over yet. The story goes on,
hopefully with positive development, and not with any more political
interference.
