Omar F*****G Khadr is getting $10.5 milion

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by rooster

Nice job Trudeau, Make a terrorist POS into a multimillionaire off the back of Canadian taxpayers. How the hell can this be protested??

Is "Nice job Trudeau" the new "Thanks Obama"?

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

I suppose so, but in my judgement, it's the Americans who mistreated their prisoner and the Canadians aren't culpable. I assume CSIS sharing information with American counterparts is pretty standard practice, especially during times of war. I'm no lawyer though.

I didn't follow this story back in the day, so I was unaware that it was his deadbeat dad who dragged his ass to Afghanistan to fight. I thought he was one of those young men who simply ran off to wage holy war, and for those types I have no sympathy.

If interrogation and sharing information is a violation of rights worth $10.5 million, what is torture and imprisonment worth? The Canadians did not physically harm him.

The government was aware of the situation, if I recall correctly there was even a video of when Canadian officials showed up to see him and he was happy when they introduced themselves because he thought the torture was finally over but nothing changed after that.

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by Parallex

Regardless here's a lesson to future and present governments courtesy of the Harper government... If you don't want to pay people settlements, don't violate their rights.

According to the Star article the interrogations took place in 2003, you're saying it was the opposition leaders fault?

[Zarley]

I have a hard time blaming a 12 year old for the actions of his deranged father. It's a sad story all around, and I hope to see Khadr make a positive contribution to Canadian society at some point.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Jacks

According to the Star article the interrogations took place in 2003, you're saying it was the opposition leaders fault?

It's just not a political issue at all. If the CPC was in power today then the government lawyers would still propose the same settlement and that's that. Liability is liability.

[Azure]

If $10.5 million is the price we have to pay to show more 10 year old kids in the Middle East that Canada and the West are not the heartless bastards they are being told we are, then so be it. At some point we need to turn the tide and get the younger generation to work on rebuilding their country and not joining the jihad. As much as ISIS needs to be eliminated and I fully support having our boys there doing that, once they are gone we can indefinitely continue killing people and thinking it will help.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Zarley

I have a hard time blaming a 12 year old for the actions of his deranged father. It's a sad story all around, and I hope to see Khadr make a positive contribution to Canadian society at some point.

He was 15 when captured. I know it's a technicality, but you are no longer considered a "child soldier" if 15 or older.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by blankall

He was 15 when captured. I know it's a technicality, but you are no longer considered a "child soldier" if 15 or older.

I do not believe that this is necessarily correct. The Convention in the Rights of the Child defines a child as a person under 18. Therefore, presumably, any "soldier" under 18 is a "child soldier".

UN Resolution 1460 makes it a crime against humanity to employ children under 15 as soldiers.

[Fuzz]

He was also basically indoctrinated since childhood into this life. I really don't know how you can blame him for his actions.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Makarov

I do not believe that this is necessarily correct. The Convention in the Rights of the Child defines a child as a person under 18. Therefore, presumably, any "soldier" under 18 is a "child soldier".

UN Resolution 1460 makes it a crime against humanity to employ children under 15 as soldiers.

From wikipedia:

"In 1989, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 38, proclaimed: "State parties shall take all feasible measures to ensure that persons who have not attained the age of 15 years do not take a direct part in hostilities." However, children who are over the age of 15 but under the age of 18 are still voluntarily able to take part in combat as soldiers."

There's another optional protocol that states governments should take reasonable steps to avoid having children under the age of 18 take part in hostilities. It only applies to states that've actually ratified it. I'm pretty sure the Taliban was not one of those states.

I know its sad, but in many parts of the world its very common for children under the age of 18 to be soldiers.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by blankall

From wikipedia:



There's another optional protocol that states governments should take reasonable steps to avoid having children under the age of 18 take part in hostilities. It only applies to states that've actually ratified it. I'm pretty sure the Taliban was not one of those states.

I know its sad, but in many parts of the world its very common for children under the age of 18 to be soldiers.

Appreciate that. Thanks.

In any event, it seems a bit irrelevant now. Mr. Khadr has been punished for his crime. This settlement doesn't really have anything to do with that. Rather, it deals with the wrongdoing of the Canadian government.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

He was also basically indoctrinated since childhood into this life. I really don't know how you can blame him for his actions.

Its why his whole family should have been deported to the sun.

The parents were basically monsters and a prime example on why citizenship should be revocable.

I don't have a lot of sympathy for Omar either, but it at this point is what it is.

It would go a long way if he paid restitution from that money to the widow of Chris Speer.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

He was also basically indoctrinated since childhood into this life. I really don't know how you can blame him for his actions.

What a bad train of thought to go down...

Hitler was beaten by his father, I really don't know how you can blame him for his actions.

I get the age concerns are different here, but my point stands - we cannot make excuses for evil acts.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

The parents were basically monsters and a prime example on why citizenship should be revocable.

I don't have a lot of sympathy for Omar either, but it at this point is what it is.

These two statements seem curiously inconsistent to me.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

What a bad train of thought to go down...

Hitler was beaten by his father, I really don't know how you can blame him for his actions.

I get the age concerns are different here, but my point stands. We cannot make excuses for evil acts.

How are Mr. Khadr's actions in any way comparable to Adolf Hitler's? How can they be characterized as "evil"? He was a 15 year old boy who threw a grenade at a soldier (a member of an occupying military force which had, moments earlier, killed every member of his group of militants (but himself and one other). Obviously, the loss of the soldier's life was sad and regrettable. And perhaps it was even "criminal" (although I have my doubts). However, I don't see how it could be called "evil".

[MelBridgeman]

Supreme court decision....won't see a penny..lawyers sure will!

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Makarov

How are Mr. Khadr's actions in any way comparable to Adolf Hitler's? How can they be characterized as "evil"? He was a 15 year old boy who threw a grenade at a soldier (a member of an occupying military force which had, moments earlier, killed every member of his group of militants (but himself and one other). Obviously, the loss of the soldier's life was sad and regrettable. And perhaps it was even "criminal" (although I have my doubts). However, I don't see how it could be called "evil".

I'm not comparing him directly to Hitler, I'm saying circumstances should not excuse acts.

If you want to justify Khadr's actions by saying it was war time, and don't believe "evil" exists within war, well, we don't share common ground on that point.

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

I'm not comparing him directly to Hitler, I'm saying circumstances should not excuse acts.

If you want to justify Khadr's actions by saying it was war time, and don't believe "evil" exists within war, well, we don't share common ground on that point.

Well, I don't think that you are actually saying that circumstances should never excuse acts (because that would be absurd). I take it that you are saying that the circumstances in this case should not excuse Mr. Khadr's acts. I agree with you that the circumstances should not entirely excuse Mr. Khadr's acts. However, I think that there are clearly significant mitigating factors.

Also, no where did I suggest that I don't believe that evil exists in war. That would be an absurd position to take. However, obviously (to me anyway) is an important contextual factor. For instance, had Mr. Khadr thrown a grenade at a soccer dad in a Toronto Walmart parking lot, I would have little difficulty characterizing that act as "evil". If he had thrown a grenade into a US military hospital in Afghanistan, I think one could make compelling arguments that it was an "evil" act.

Out of curiosity, would you characterize the actions of the US pilots who dropped bombs on Mr. Khadr's group of militants, killing several, as "evil"? What about the Delta Force soldier who shot 15 year old Mr. Khadr twice in the back?

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

The parents were basically monsters and a prime example on why citizenship should be revocable.

This has got to be the new luge track that will be constructed for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games because it is so slippery.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by MelBridgeman

Supreme court decision....won't see a penny..lawyers sure will!

Supreme Court? According to the OP, it was Trudeau.