While the pundits cackle over the Afghan documents that we had to fight so hard to have made public, the International Criminal Court has a different mandate.
They are now investigating Stephen Harper and Peter MacKay for violations of the Geneva Convention. Stephen Harper has been trying to distance himself from the ICC, snubbing his nose at the convention, but there are some things that go beyond his supreme rule.
The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, is conducting a “preliminary examination” into human rights abuses committed in Afghanistan by Taliban and ISAF forces alike. And while the ICC has focused in recent years on prosecuting African despots, Mr. Ocampo said he will not back down from prosecuting Western governments that are not holding their officials accountable for their actions.Now personally I don't care if these two do end up in prison, but it's just that they are taking Canada down with them. War Crimes? Canada?
“I prosecute whoever is in my jurisdiction. I cannot allow that we are a court just for the Third World. If the First World commits crimes, they have to investigate. If they don’t, I shall investigate,” Mr. Ocampo said. “That’s the rule and we have one rule for everyone.” According to the ICC, Canadian officials (mainly Stephen Harper and Peter MacKay) may be in breach of the Geneva Convention and have launched an official war crimes investigation.
And if that isn't enough of a black eye, we also learn that the Harper government has hired goons fighting in Afghanistan, that are deemed too brutal for even the United States.
Canada spent more than $41-million on hired guns in Afghanistan over four years, much of it going to security companies slammed by the U.S. Senate for having warlords on the payroll. Both the Defence and Foreign Affairs departments have employed 11 security contractors in Kabul and Kandahar since 2006, but have kept quiet about the details.What has he done to us?
The records show Foreign Affairs paid nearly $8-million to ArmorGroup Securities Ltd., recently cited in a U.S. Senate investigation as relying on Afghan warlords who in 2007 were engaged in “murder, kidnapping, bribery and anti-Coalition activities.”
Hi! I'm a fellow Kingstonian. I'd like to suggest you reconsider the decision to vote Liberal in the next federal election. I've been extremely impressed with Daniel Beal's work ethic in laying the groundwork for that campaign. I'd like to suggest you look him up and talk to him.
ReplyDeleteI met Daniel at a Prison Farm information meeting and was very impressed. I actually wrote to Libby Davies on another matter and told her how hard he worked.
ReplyDeleteI'm going with the odds and the Liberals have the best chance of beating out the Neocons.
Maybe Harper is evaluating those hired goons in Afghanistan to see if they would be good at running his dearly beloved privatized prisons.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree it's sad that Harper is earning Canada yet another black eye in the arena of international opinion, but I guess that's the price he's willing to make us pay in order to have everything his way.
Stephen Harper and Peter Mackay under investigation by the International Criminal Court for violation of the Geneva Conventions and War Crimes. Awesome! it is about tim that these smug hypocrites get what they deserve. I hope they have to place their born again hands on the bible at their trial
ReplyDeleteA vote for the NDP means HarperCon stays in power. We can't afford that.
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You can tell when the COnservatives on ths board are on the run by the excuses they make.
NO 1 - blame someone else
NO 2 - blame liberals or someone else
NO 3 - blame liberals and geurgis
NO 4 - blame CBC
NO 5 - blame G & M
N0 6 - ALWAYS SOMEONE ELSES FAULT
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NO 7 - If all of the above fail, then........
LIE
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@Nadine: A vote for the lesser of two evils is still a vote for evil. The Liberals have conspired and voted (or been deceived into) with the Cons to repeatedly extend the Afghanistan mission and have failed to produce any of the detainee documents that the Cons were censored for. At least the NDP saw through the ploy and walked away from the table when it was clear nothing was going to be accomplished though "negotiations" with the Cons.
ReplyDeleteThere are dozens of ridings, especially out west, where the Liberals have no chance and the NDP is the best chance of keeping Harper out. Look at Edmonton-Strathcona in 2008; if the collapsing Liberal vote hadn't shifted mostly to Linda Duncan, Rahim Jaffer would still be a Conservative MP. Instead we broke Harper's fortress in Alberta and put a progressive representative in Ottawa. Similarly, the Bloc has the best chance of bringing forward progressive issues from most of Quebec.
Coalition government in 2011.