This prisoner torture in Afghanistan isn't the most important issue before us as a nation. It's damned serious, but I'd say Canada's ancient policy of cultural genocide against the First Nations is the biggest issue. But on this issue the harpercons have clearly crossed the line and violated international law. This whole Afghanistan "mission" is an abomination, and the depravity of Afghanistan's prison system is symptomatic of that. If we can STOP the harpercons on Afghanistan with this investigation that in itself makes it worthwhile that we hammer away on it.
There are no two-ways about it. Colvin's memos were enough of a reason for Canadian officials to have conducted a serious investigation into what we were doing. Record-keeping continued to be deliberately lackadaisical and prison transfers continued into 2007. When you hear that you might be complicit in war crimes, you DON'T allow the war crimes to continue while you craft a new policy. You STOP what you're doing.
But by committing war crimes, these detestable murderers and scum bags have placed themselves in a position whereby they will serve serious prison time. We can put these lying, stupid, anti-democratic, corporate-shilling, war-mongers AWAY. We can BREAK this political bowel movement and we can set a priceless precedent for other future prime ministers who might feel compelled to sign-on to another US imperialist project.
And if the Special Committee on Afghanistan can't do it. If they can't get the government to turn over the memos that clearly establishes their guilt, then it is up to us to ask the International Criminal Court to do the job. And we will hound these evil buffoons until their dying day for disgracing this country. And we will change the political culture in this country so that the twisted freaks defending torture on discussion boards, radio call-in shows, letters to the editor, and etc., are too ashamed to reveal their putrescence, or at least too frightened of the social consequences of cheerleading the rape of innocent bystanders in the prison hell-holes of a dictatorship.
The culture of impunity that the bush II regime enjoyed has borned extremely bitter fruit. It must not flower to such an extent here in Canada.
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I think that the International Criminal Court is already interested in possible war crimes in Afghanistan, according to this report from Sept. 9, 2009:
http://www.reuters.com/article/gc05/idUSTRE58871K20090909?sp=true
The good news is that Canada is a state party to the Rome Statute. If the ICC decides to move forward with this, I can see only two obstacles:
1) The UN Security Council has the ability to delay any ICC proceeding for 12 months, and it can renew the delay every year. Given that the U.S. is an opponent of the ICC (plus having committed war crimes) and the U.K. is likely to have committed war crimes as well, I think that there would be a strong push from the Security Council to undermine any ICC case. After all, attempting to prosecute Canada would be seen as prosecuting the U.S. and the U.K. by proxy.
2) In the event that the U.S. and U.K. decide not to give a darn about Canada, the Conservatives still have a tendency to ignore laws (e.g. their *own* fixed election date law), parliamentary motions (e.g. allowing U.S. war resisters to stay in Canada), and Supreme Court orders (e.g. repatriation of Omar Khadr). Somehow I suspect that they would ignore an international body with no means of enforcement (even if it means breaking more of Canada's own laws).
In any event, the good news is that Canadians seem to be against the Conservatives and siding with Richard Colvin. (Even in Alberta, more people believe Mr. Colvin than the Conservatives.) Although polls still favour the Conservatives, the near-future may be the opportune time for the opposition parties to bring down the government (assuming the Liberals don't wuss out).
If the Conservatives are no longer in power, perhaps Canada will finally stop bleeding.
Thwap: hear, hear!
noblahblahblah: that is the hope, isn't it?
...the near-future may be the opportune time for the opposition parties to bring down the government (assuming the Liberals don't wuss out).
Heh. Ignatieff has spent the last year turning the "wuss-out" into a highly evolved political philosophy. I expect nothing from him unless his caucus threatens revolt. The ideal would be, of course, an inner-party putsch.
That's bitter news about the Security Council noblahblahblah.
Perhaps this will have to be a tri-national effort then. Accountability for war crimes in Canada, the UK, and "gulp" the USA, where "accountability" enjoys only a tenuous existence.
That is, we'll need to use the ICC only if parliament can't do the job. But perhaps we can keep this in-house.
Again, I'm sure the Libs would love to see harper in prison. It's in their best interest to help make this happen.
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