Thursday, February 12, 2009

Will Canada rescue it's young son?

I watch Canadian politics almost as much as I watch US politics. Perhaps it is because I always want to have one ear to the ground in case of emergency... but perhaps it is also because of my Canadian roots. Both of my grandfathers were Canadian and the log cabin that was the Gorman homestead in Quebec since the early 1800's is still inhabited by a Gorman, a distant cousin that I also claim as a friend. For me, watching the Harper years unfold has been almost as disheartening as watching the Bush years... fortunately for the world Harper can only wreak havoc on the Canadians, if only I could say the same about Bush. There is one particular Canadian that the Harper years have been particularly insensitive about and this should be a national tragedy for Canada. Canadians, at least to me, had never been as complacent about politics as the people in the United States have been, but they have shown the same disinterest in human rights as Americans when it came to their own young Mr. Khadr, one of the too many children that have been held at Guantanamo. Young Khadr has been tortured and beaten by my country and Canada, up at least until the last few days, has closed its eyes to this child victim. Shame on us and shame on them. Yesterday a tiny light of hope emerged from Canada when the leaders from the three opposition parties in Canada together wrote a letter to President Obama asking Obama to send their child home (I don't want to digress but those three opposition parties could stop their bickering and become the majority party... but yes that would be a digression). Thanks to my new Canadian friend Douglas for sending the letter and thanks to Charly at the PEGC for posting the letter for me and providing the link: read a copy of the letter here.