Now you're changing the question. I might tell you what you'd like to know, but I'm not sure what that is.
Whether he killed the guy wasn't for me to decide. I'm not interested in whether I believe he killed the guy. The focus of my interest in his case was the fact that he was a child soldier captured and charged with a number of crimes and had his rights violated and wasn't getting due process under the law. I'd be more interested in whether he killed the guy under proper circumstances—something which didn't happen. When appropriate justice is in limbo, I tend to focus on that instead.
But you don't seem to care about that. Though you may deny that you indifferent to Canada's charter on human rights and freedoms and the rule of law, one thing is clear: you can't keep these things in focus. You tend to take the issue off the rails and make emotional appeals as to why Khadr is undeserving of these very things you would otherwise ostensibly uphold.
The items and responsibilities laid out in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the concept of rule of law are not conditional on how one feels about someone or how angry one is about a situation.
I really don't know what to say to you anymore. I know your position. I just think it's tragic.
---------- Post added at 01:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:39 PM ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by james t kirk
BTW BG, do you not think that Omar has access to justice? Are you saying the American legal system is some sort of Kangeroo Court? Omar doesn't have representation (About 5 different legal teams fighting for him over the years - all of which he has fired time and time again).
Here's a timeline that the CBC has on its website. The US and Canadian Gov'ts have expended a massive amount of time and resources on this case. If they simply locked him up and threw away the key, I might be inclined to agree with you, however, it simply isn't the case. Omar Khadr has had more access to justice and representation than anyone I can think of frankly. You seem to think that he's been railroaded or denied justice and I simply don't see it.
CBC News - Canada - Omar Khadr's road to trial |
As Dallaire has mentioned more than once, the court under which Khadr is charged is illegal based on his status.
Furthermore, the entire handling of Khadr is fraught with legal problems. This is because of the Americans' handling of Guantanamo and the legal apparatus under the GWOT overall. This is one of the reasons why he should have been extradited. He would have been virtually guaranteed an appropriate trial.
Instead he got the crap that led up to his plea bargain, which some have argued was America's way of getting rid of an embarrassment of a situation, being that Khadr is a Canadian national, was a child soldier, and is the only person charged for murder of an American soldier in Afghanistan. Their whole handling of this is an eyesore, and it took so long to actually piece together some semblance of a system of justice because it was a joke—albeit a sick one. That's probably the reason why the Canadian government didn't want anything to do with it. It was an embarrassment—a folly masquerading as justice.