Beyond The Commons

 Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

The guilty plea (II)

by Aaron Wherry on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 11:45am - 0 Comments

Amy Davidson considers the fate of Omar Khadr.

The war crime charges Khadr accepted include working with Al Qaeda, helping to plant roadside bombs, and, in the firefight in which he was captured, in July, 2002, throwing a grenade that killed an American soldier, Sergeant Christopher Speer. Tabitha Speer, Christopher’s widow, was at Guantánamo today; according to Rosenberg, she “wore a black dress to court and sat weeping when the portion about her husband’s death by grenade was mentioned.” One feels a great deal of sympathy for her, and for her loss. But it is hard to see how the Khadr saga has served anyone well.

Tags: , , , , ,

Bookmark and Share
  • Jan

    The American flouting of international law is not a fitting tribute to the military lives lost in either Iran and Afghanistan, or those at ground zero.

  • Emily

    Western civilization is falling apart….we have gone back to the Dark Ages and now willingly accept torture, kangaroo courts and barbarism.

    Then we have the arrogance to tell others how to live.

    No wonder they laugh at us.

  • sourstud

    "But it is hard to see how the Khadr saga has served anyone well."
    True, but the same could be said for Paul Bernardo, Robert Pickton, or any other murderous scum bag.

    • Emily

      Except the rule of law was applied to them…..it was not to Khadr.

      • sourstud

        Except that it was. It wasn't Canadian law, but there's no reason to think that Canadian law should apply in Afghanistan.

  • Mike T.

    If Khadr had been tried fairly and in a timely manner, this unfortunate episode in the young lady's life could be years in her past.

    • Blue

      Typical lefty sentiment—-blame the victim.

      I`ve got another solution to avoid this " unfortunate episode " —–how about Khadr doesn`t leave his adopted homeland, travel to a war zone, fight against his countrymen and allies, toss a grenade at a US medic, kill him, and then say he enjoyed the killing.

      You guys are twisting yourselves into pretzels trying to defend the indefensible.

      • Jan

        Typical Harpercon sentiment – throw out due process. Who needs justice when you've got a good hate on eh?

      • Mike T.

        That would be best – butunfortunately it happened and it was out of our control.

        idiot.

      • BCer in Mtl

        How is Mike T's comment "blaming the victim"?

        I am reasonably certain it wasn't Sgt. Speer's wife that detained, imprisoned, tortured, interrogated, denied due process, invented illegitimate judicial proceedings, treated the case as a hot potato, etc. . . . why are you implying she was responsible for that?

    • sourstud

      That would be best – bu tunfortunately it happened and it was out of our control.

      idiot.

      • Mike T.

        yawn.

  • Mike T.

    "at least they waited until he was 33 to crucify Christ!"

    black humour, but still funny!

    • Blue

      Pathetic, not amusing.

    • sourstud

      Wait, we're going to crucify Omar? That'd be great! Lets give him his wish and make him a martyr.

  • Jan

    Poor Blue, he's been given this dumb talking point and told to repeat it as often as possible. Taking on Dallaire is as stupid as taking on Atwood.

    • Holly Stick

      Dallaire did very well in that interview and he is correct. Khadr was a child soldier and should not have been charged with those offenses in the first place.

      • Jan

        His book on children in war is just out. He's leading the charge on this subject. I don't know how we condemn others for using children in war when we won't stand up for one of ours that was used.

        • Blue

          Jan—–Tell us more about these children that the Canadian Gov`t is forcing to join the Military like the children in the Congo.

  • BGLong

    The prosecution in this legal monstrosity have given free rein to a bunch of fire-breathing
    over-the-top "witnesses" …. I'm not sure any of them actually "witnessed" anything … to set
    the stage for sentencing. I'm assuming that the defence will be given the same latitude.
    But, to assume anything about this legal farce is probably the triumph of hope over experience.

  • chet

    Due process?

    First inconvenient fact: he wasn't "arrested" as some suspect in a crime in Vancouver. He was detained on the battlefield in a Terrorist training camp in Afghanistan.

    Fallaciously importing principles of Candian criminal law, while dutifully ignoring laws of warfare and the Geneva Conventions, which the terrorists routinely opt out of by virtue of the deplorible acts (targetting civilians, not wearing uniforms – ie indirectly targetting civilians etc.),

    all the while crying about the failure to apply "the rule of law" is rich indeed.

    The only rule of law, the leftists here want applied are their own concocted ones.

    • Mike T.

      Every legal authority to deal with the matter disagrees with you.

    • Lee_JD

      Why do you keep talking of "leftists"? What does that even mean? Can you provide a definition? I'm confused by your use of the term.

      • NorthernPoV

        chet has an obscure form of Tourettes' Syndrome, poor boy

        • brooster2

          I think it's Tourist's Syndrome: his mind wanders.

          • Jan

            He's lost on the road to Dumb Askus.

    • gottabesaid

      Importing principles of Canadian criminal law? How about applying fundamental principles of western justice and democracy, the ones you condone ignoring when they prove inconvenient. As an avowed libertarian (as I assume you are), I'm shocked that you're advocating different human rights for different people. The 'do whatever we can to get the bad guys' approach condone can be abused if we allow basic rights to be trampled.

      But, whatever. I know in your world the ends always justify the means.

  • Jan

    You must be an idiot if you think making Mrs. Speer wait all these years for "justice" helped her adjust to the loss of her husband. Give your head a shake.

    • Blue

      I`m not into name-calling Jan, ( I`m not a lefty ) but don`t you think Mrs. Speer would have a problem with your assertion that she would " adjust to the loss of her husband " if only we had forced the Americans to act more quickly to rehab the man who professed to enjoy killing her husband.

      • Lee_JD

        I'm pretty sure you're using the term "lefty" as an insult, so yes, you are name-calling. It's kind of a strange insult, but whatever.

  • BCer in Mtl

    Again, how was Mike T blaming the victim (be it Sgt, Speer or his wife, take your pick) by commenting on the process used to try Khadr?

    Mike T didn't imply anything; he did say that if a correct and just process was used to bring justice, it would have come to a conclusion a long time ago. I am certain Mrs. Speer will never forget her husband, she would not have had to wait this long to finally see it resolved.

    • Blue

      Mrs. Speer is in mourning because Khadr said he enjoyed killing her husband, not because of the slow wheels of international justice.

      Why is that logical statement so difficult for Harper-Haters to grasp ?

      • BCer in Mtl

        Oh. I see. You have a unique insight into Mrs. Speer's thoughts . . . so its not the long drawn out process that would be (at least in part) upsetting to her. And, by your reasoning, Mike T is blaming her for it taking so long.

Previous

Next

From Macleans