posted
Last I heard. He makes a more comfortable living there than he could anywhere else anyway, just from all the journos doing stories about him.
quote:Originally posted by Saltah'na: One less Canadian director in the US, and this is bad, how?
You're missing my point.
And you're missing the joke.
quote:And I'm not justifying it. It's ludicrous. It's ridiculous. But you know what? In the grander scheme of things, it's a drop of spit in the ocean.
You're still missing my point. And it does sound like you are defending the actions of those who abuse their power.
No, it doesn't. He says the actions of those involved are ludicrous and ridiculous, which they are.
quote:The only thing that is worth noting and agreeing is the notion of overhaul from within the INS. But since you don't think about these without a hint of outrage (I don't see any), then I don't think you take your own notion very seriously.
It's possible to consider the chance of overhauling the INS without getting outrgaged about it. If Rob had blamed the Democrats for not overhauling the INS you'd have had cause to disagree; in fact, he said neither party had done anything while in power.
quote:Heck, I could be travelling down to the states later this year. I wouldn't be surprised if I had a similar story as the above three only to have you reply: "so what? in the grander scheme of things, it's only a drop of spit in the ocean."
Which it would be, by the same logic. If I happen to drive past East London airport with a length of drainpipe in my trunk and get stopped and arrested as a result, I'm not going to blame it on some great wight-wing conspiracy.
posted
The INS is not actually the issue here and neither is detention.
If the current administration is violating the enumerated Constitutional rights of its own citizens by detaining them without counsel, what makes you think they care at all about Canadians or anyone else from a foreign country?
A policy of dentention without right to legal counsel or the ability to speak to someone like the Canadian Consulate is not a decision that the INS can make on its own. The policy to violate the Constitution and basic human rights comes from much higher up in the present administration.
-------------------- Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war. ~ohn Adams
Once again the Bush Administration is worse than I had imagined, even though I thought I had already taken account of the fact that the Bush administration is invariably worse than I can imagine. ~Brad DeLong
You're just babbling incoherently. ~C. Montgomery Burns
Registered: Mar 1999
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Saltah'na
Chinese Canadian, or 75% Commie Bastard.
Member # 33
posted
No, it doesn't. He says the actions of those involved are ludicrous and ridiculous, which they are.
The fact that he says that it is just a drop of spit in the ocean seems to cast any outrage in doubt. At least that's what I think.
Which it would be, by the same logic. If I happen to drive past East London airport with a length of drainpipe in my trunk and get stopped and arrested as a result, I'm not going to blame it on some great wight-wing conspiracy.
That's not the point. Nor is it a conspiracy. It is the fact that one single person standing behind a customs counter has the capability to make your life a living hell without any due cause. That was clearly the case in all three cases. While that fact alone can be condoned in some cases, the fact that requests for counsel were not granted makes the whole story intolerable.
-------------------- "And slowly, you come to realize, it's all as it should be, you can only do so much. If you're game enough, you could place your trust in me. For the love of life, there's a tradeoff, we could lose it all but we'll go down fighting...." - David Sylvian FreeSpace 2, the greatest space sim of all time, now remastered!
Registered: Mar 1999
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Saltah'na
Chinese Canadian, or 75% Commie Bastard.
Member # 33
posted
quote:Originally posted by Tahna Los: Spring 2002: A Canadian of Lebanese Descent is heading home after a business trip from London to Toronto with a stopover in New York. Once in New York, he is immediately detained because he is suspected of having links to Al Qaeda. The man insists that he is only a businessman returning from a business related venture, but is promptly arrested by police. He is held not only without proper counsel, but is denied requests to see a member of the Canadian Consulate who would attempt to iron things out. He languishes in a New York Prison where guards threaten to send him to Guantanamo Bay unless he provides information about the whereabouts of Al Qaeda Operatives he knows nothing about. He is then deported, not to Toronto where he has made his home for the last 20 years, but to Lebanon. Only then are the Canadian authorities notified. Fortunately, the man turns up at a Lebanese police station 30 days after his detention, unharmed, and pretty pissed off at the U.S. Government. He is seeking a lawsuit of unspecified damages.
I have heard news of a second man in very similar circumstances. Making a trip back to Toronto from Paris, stopping at New York, but this time the man is of Syrian Descent, so he was deported to Syria, denying requests of counsel, denied requests to speak with the Canadian Consulate. This time however, unlike the Syrian Police allowing him to leave, they take him into custody and accuse him of Spying for the U.S. From what I hear, he is set to be executed pretty soon, don't know when.
So if he dies, I suppose the U.S. has a lot to answer for, hmm? Or is this just a "drop in the bucket in the grander scheme of things?"
-------------------- "And slowly, you come to realize, it's all as it should be, you can only do so much. If you're game enough, you could place your trust in me. For the love of life, there's a tradeoff, we could lose it all but we'll go down fighting...." - David Sylvian FreeSpace 2, the greatest space sim of all time, now remastered!
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Isn't 6 months a little long to still be bitter?
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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Saltah'na
Chinese Canadian, or 75% Commie Bastard.
Member # 33
posted
Mention of this was made in an editorial of the Toronto Star. Unfortunately, I cannot find any other reference to it. I'm not sure when this happened, so I'll be sure to post when I find more. I'm betting that this was a while ago, since I cannot find more recent information on it, yet.
Liam, I'm only posting this to point out the relevance of the U.S.'s "shoot first, ask questions later", and the U.S.'s lack of respect when these unfortunate individuals are denied requests for counsel and access to consulate personnel.
-------------------- "And slowly, you come to realize, it's all as it should be, you can only do so much. If you're game enough, you could place your trust in me. For the love of life, there's a tradeoff, we could lose it all but we'll go down fighting...." - David Sylvian FreeSpace 2, the greatest space sim of all time, now remastered!
Registered: Mar 1999
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-------------------- "I am an almost extinct breed, an old-fashioned gentleman, which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-bitch when it suits me." --Jubal Harshaw
Registered: Feb 2002
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Saltah'na
Chinese Canadian, or 75% Commie Bastard.
Member # 33
posted
I'm not finished yet.
This is the guy deported to Syria. Contrary to what I had heard earlier, he is not awaiting execution, but the fact that he has been in detention in Syria (and undergoing daily torture as it has been speculated) since September 2002 is still disturbing. No one has actually answered my question on why the Canadian Authorities were not notified, or was there any need to?
-------------------- "And slowly, you come to realize, it's all as it should be, you can only do so much. If you're game enough, you could place your trust in me. For the love of life, there's a tradeoff, we could lose it all but we'll go down fighting...." - David Sylvian FreeSpace 2, the greatest space sim of all time, now remastered!
Registered: Mar 1999
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