Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Barack's open to some people

BULLY BOY PRESS & CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

 

MEEKS, FARAKAHN, RASHID KHALIDI, ETC. BARACK OBAMA CAN HANG WITH A NUMBER OF ANTI-SEMITICS.  FOR 'DIALOGUE,' YOU UNDERSTAND.  SO WHY IS ONE JEWISH U.S. SENATOR HAS HIM SO UNHINGED?

 

SENATOR JOE LIEBERMAN SENT A MESSAGE TODAY THAT HE WOULD NOT ALLOW OBAMA'S "SLEAZY TACTICS" TO "INTIMIDATE" HIM.  IT'S A SAD DAY IN THE UNITED STATES WHEN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY APPEARS TO BE ABOUT TO CHOOSE THEIR PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE AND IT'S SOMEONE WHO'S MORE COMFORTABLE HANGING WITH ANTI-SEMITICS THAN HE IS WITH INTERACTING WITH JEWISH PEOPLE.

 

FROM THE TCI WIRE:

 

 

Starting with war resistance, the BBC had US war resister Corey Glass and Jonathan Kay of Canada's National Post debate and have posted it today.  The winner of the debate?  Corey Glass.  In fact, Glass didn't have to say one word to win.  Not when conservative Jonathan Kay doesn't think a debate requires knowing facts.  Kay argues: "There's no draft in the United States -- as there was in the Vietnam era: No one forced him to put on a uniform.  Why should Canadians help this deserter go back on his freely given word?"  Why did Canada do it during Vietnam?  See, Jonathan Kay is only the latest in a long line of Dumb Asses who wants to hop on a soapbox without ever knowing what the hell he's talking about.  Let's toss out some basics for everyone.  January 1969 was an important month for Canada.  Why?  The issue of deserters. 

 

Not the issue of draft dodgers, the issue of deserters.  The US wanted Canada to refuse to give them asylum.  At that time, pay attention Dumb Ass Jonathan Kay, both groups (deserters and draft dodgers) qualified to become Canadian citizens or permanent immigrants.  Canada's Dept of Manpower and Immigration informed the world on January 30, 1969 that Canada was considering refusing deserters.  In July of of 1968, the Canadian government had already encouraged immigration workers to begin refusing applications from anyone who was active duty meaning deserters could be refused.  By January 1969, it was so bad that deserters in Canada (who had not already been granted either citizenship or permanent immigrant status) were being encouraged to apply in areas far from the borders because applying at the border could result in a "no" and being escorted back to the US side of the border (where an arrest would take place).  Prior to that, Canada -- much to the LBJ administration's displeasure -- was regularly granting citizenship and permanent immigrant status to deserters and draft dodgers.  As a result of the above, it became harder for deserters (but not for draft resisters). 

 

That's why the new policy, explained May 22, 1969 by Allan J. MacEachen (Canada's Minister of Immigration) was so significant: "If a serviceman from another country meets our immigration criteria, he will not be turned down because his is still in the active service of his country. The selection criteria and requirements applying to him will be the same as those that apply to other applicants."   Get it?  There was a tiny move in July of 1968.  January of 1969 there was a move to make it policy that deserters would be rejected/ejected.  By May of 1969, that was no more.  The draft was never the issue for granting war resisters asylum in Canada during Vietnam.

 

We can go as deep into this as we need to but, possibly, Jonathan Kay and other Canadians might just be so ashamed at this point -- that an American knows more about this aspect of their own country's history than they do -- that they decide it's past time for them to try brushing up on the facts?

 

Here's Corey Glass speaking from the BBC:

 

Last week I was in Ottawa, when the House of Commons passed a motion saying that the Canadian government should make it possible for conscientious objectors to get permanent residence in Canada. The motion also said that all deportation proceedings against us should be stopped.            

But I may be deported anyway. On 21 May I was told that my last chance to stay in Canada had failed, and I must leave by 12 June (since extended to 10 July). I know that if I return to the US I will face imprisonment and possibly a criminal record.           

I don't think it is fair that I should be returned to the United States to face unjust punishment for doing what I felt morally obligated to do. I am hoping that Canada, which stayed out of the Iraq War for reasons similar to my own, will reverse the deportation order and let me stay, as parliament has urged.

 

 

To keep the pressure on, Gerry Condon, War Resisters Support Campaign and Courage to Resist all encourage contacting the Diane Finley (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration -- 613.996.4974, phone; 613.996.9749, fax; e-mail finley.d@parl.gc.ca -- that's "finley.d" at "parl.gc.ca") and Stephen Harper (Prime Minister, 613.992.4211, phone; 613.941.6900, fax; e-mail pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's "pm" at "pm.gc.ca").

 

There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Megan Bean, Chris Bean,  Matthis Chiroux, Richard Droste, Michael Barnes, Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano Rodrigues, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Jose Vasquez, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.

Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma).

 

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