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

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

This post got me thinking, so it's quoted not to disagree or accuse but because it was the catalyst for my train of thought.

1. If your country is invaded by a foreign nation, if you fight the foreign nation is that terrorism? Can you be a terrorist by attacking an invasion on home soil?

Afghanistan isn't Khadr's country. Canada is.

I don't have a problem with the compensation ruling. The federal government screwed up, and now they have to pay.

But let's not romanticize what the Khadr family did. It's no different from the Canadians of Croatian and Serbian origin who went to the former Yugoslavia to take a side in the fight in the 'homeland.' Or a Canadian of Irish origin who went back to Belfast in the 70s to plant bombs and blow up British squaddies.

If I had my way, it would be illegal for Canadians to take part in military or paramilitary violence outside Canada, unless it's as part of the Canadian military. And if you were a landed immigrant, you'd lose your citizenship for such actions.

When you move to Canada, you become Canadian. Doesn't matter if you come from England, Serbia, or Pakistan. Leave your tribal loyalties and enmities behind.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Afghanistan isn't Khadr's country. Canada is.

I don't have a problem with the compensation ruling. The federal government screwed up, and now they have to pay.

But let's not romanticize what the Khadr family did. It's no different from the Canadians of Croatian and Serbian origin who went to the former Yugoslavia to take a side in the fight in the 'homeland.' Or a Canadian of Irish origin who went back to Belfast in the 70s to plant bombs and blow up British squaddies.

If I had my way, it would be illegal for Canadians to take part in military or paramilitary violence outside Canada, unless it's as part of the Canadian military. And if you were a landed immigrant, you'd lose your citizenship for such actions.

When you move to Canada, you become Canadian. Doesn't matter if you come from England, Serbia, or Pakistan. Leave your tribal loyalties and enmities behind.

Would that include for example joining the U.S. Marines or the French Foreign Legion and then becoming involved in a military action, or would this be limited to leaving Canada to join an enemy of Canada? Bit of a fine line and plenty of people do this and we don't bat an eyelash.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Would that include for example joining the U.S. Marines or the French Foreign Legion and then becoming involved in a military action, or would this be limited to leaving Canada to join an enemy of Canada? Bit of a fine line and plenty of people do this and we don't bat an eyelash.

It just matters more if they're Muslim!

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Would that include for example joining the U.S. Marines or the French Foreign Legion and then becoming involved in a military action, or would this be limited to leaving Canada to join an enemy of Canada? Bit of a fine line and plenty of people do this and we don't bat an eyelash.

I think the treason definition above would be a good basis to enforce going forward. You might have to rework the punishment end to remove the death penalty. But if Canada is not at war or in conflict with a country you can do what you want but if Canada is at war you can't fight against Canadian interests.

[Baron von Kriterium]

Originally Posted by GGG

You might have to rework the punishment end to remove the death penalty.

The punishment for high treason is life in prison.

The punishment for treason ranges from max 14 years to life, depending on what section of 46(2) applies.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by jayswin

It just matters more if they're Muslim!

Who said that? I even used examples of Irish and Serbians.

It's frustrating how difficult it is to talk rationally about politics these days. Everyone has these partisan battle-lines in their mind, and they immediately take any comment or argument and distort it to suit their tidy preconceptions.

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

so does omar pass some cash to the widow and other soldier?

Why on earth would he send money to the widow? Last I checked the medic knew he was going into a war and knew the consequences and paid his life for his country. That's where it should end.

Soldiers and medics know what they're getting themselves into. Nothing happened that day that was out of the ordinary for soldiers and anyone who traveled with them into WAR.

Are the soldiers of America going to send money to the countless widows, children...of the nameless and countless thousands upon thousands of innocent civilians they've slaughtered? Or does this medic only get his name in the paper because he isn't Muslim?

How does someone murder another during a war? especially when the "murderer" is 15 and being influenced by his father? And not to mention only confessed after being tortured? Sounds exactly like the thing Afghanistan would do....maybe the folks who can't see that would fit right into Afghan culture.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

Why on earth would he send money to the widow? Last I checked the medic knew he was going into a war and knew the consequences and paid his life for his country. That's where it should end.

In an interview that aired on Friday, Khadr told Barton he hopes the government's apology will help restore his reputation, but that he is sorry if it causes some people pain.

"It doesn't cause me pain. It makes me angry," said Morris. "There is a simple way to make things right. All he has to do is sign that cheque over to Tabitha Speer and I am sure he'll feel better. His conscience will be clear."

"It won't bring her husband back, but it certainly will honour his memory and he can at least feel for the rest of his life that he's at least tried to make amends for the horrific crimes he has committed," said Morris.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/omar...view-1.4198620

[Dion]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

How does someone murder another during a war? especially when the "murderer" is 15 and being influenced by his father? And not to mention only confessed after being tortured? Sounds exactly like the thing Afghanistan would do....maybe the folks who can't see that would fit right into Afghan culture.

He also disputes the notion that Khadr was a child soldier, saying the meaning has been twisted.

“This is a privileged young man who has grown up around the world and speaks three or four different languages,” Morris said. “That’s not a child soldier, that’s just a bad kid.”

Morris said he doesn’t know what kind of person Khadr is now, but he knows what kind of person he was before.

“That was a hardened and determined and disciplined terrorist,” said Morris. “That was my first impression and I’ve seen nothing to change my mind on that.”

http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/injur...hing-1.3494327

[calgaryblood]

Why did you quote me dion? That has nothing to do with any of my post.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Dion

In an interview that aired on Friday, Khadr told Barton he hopes the government's apology will help restore his reputation, but that he is sorry if it causes some people pain.

"It doesn't cause me pain. It makes me angry," said Morris. "There is a simple way to make things right. All he has to do is sign that cheque over to Tabitha Speer and I am sure he'll feel better. His conscience will be clear."

"It won't bring her husband back, but it certainly will honour his memory and he can at least feel for the rest of his life that he's at least tried to make amends for the horrific crimes he has committed," said Morris.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/omar...view-1.4198620

Both yourself and Morris are assuming he actually killed Speer, when that is stil highly questionable. Honestly if people were saying he should divide his settlement and pay this money to the families of all the fallen Canadian or Canadian and American soldiers from this conflict I could at least understand where people were coming from, but to suggest he owes the money he received for what he went through to a single soldier who he may not have even killed just doesn't make any sense.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

Both yourself and Morris are assuming he actually killed Speer, when that is stil highly questionable. Honestly if people were saying he should divide his settlement and pay this money to the families of all the fallen Canadian or Canadian and American soldiers from this conflict I could at least understand where people were coming from, but to suggest he owes the money he received for what he went through to a single soldier who he may not have even killed just doesn't make any sense.

From Khdar himself: "My past: I'm not excusing it, I'm not denying it. We all do things that we wish we could change."

He doesn't deserve any money. He should be grateful that American soldiers saved his life when he was lying in a pool of blood. Or the fact he is allowed to live free in Canada.

He also stated ""I just want to be the next person on the road that you don't look twice at," he said. "I want to work as a nurse somewhere...to relieve people from pain. I have a lot of experience with pain."

"The settlement is no undeserved windfall -- despite what many Canadians are saying, Khadr said: "I don't look at this as profiting. This is not a time for profit or for gaining or for thinking, 'I hit the jackpot'," Khadr said softly, his brow furrowed. "I'm sorry if this is causing people pain. I'm trying to turn a page. Not to forget that page, but just trying to turn a page and move along."

If it's causing people pain by taking the money then don't. Give it to Speers family if he wants to turn the page.

[GGG]

It really disgusts me that people think speers widow should get it. His death is 100% the responsibility of the US state. He went to war knowing the risk and died serving his country. His widow is no more derserving than any other soliders family in any war. That somehow because the US tortured the person who killed him and the Canadian government violated his charter rights that somehow means the widow deserves the money? It makes no sense. If war widows are struggling the government should be funding them more.

If he wanted to do something with the money funding secular (or at least mainstream Muslim) schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan would be much better. Or work with local groups to prevent home grown radicalization or all kinds of other things that could prevent this type of thing from occurring.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Dion

From Khdar himself: "My past: I'm not excusing it, I'm not denying it. We all do things that we wish we could change."

That doesn't specify what he's referring to. If he said "I'm sorry for throwing the grenade that killed him" that would be a little different.

He doesn't deserve any money. He should be grateful that American soldiers saved his life when he was lying in a pool of blood. Or the fact he is allowed to live free in Canada.

So he deserved to be tortured? Your making the settlement about something it's not.

He also stated ""I just want to be the next person on the road that you don't look twice at," he said. "I want to work as a nurse somewhere...to relieve people from pain. I have a lot of experience with pain."

Yeah an I'm sure that he would have a real easy time doing that after all the press his case received even before this.

If it's causing people pain by taking the money then don't. Give it to Speers family if he wants to turn the page.

He could be referring to the tax payers, but at the end of the day our elected officials committed these acts against him so we pay for it. Any time you sue someone the sued party is going to be upset, but people do it to get justice when they have been wronged because going back in time and making what happened not happen isn't an option.

Take the money out of the equation, this is about justice. He was wronged and he challenged that legally and won. If someone was a known gang member and they were wrongfully accused of killing someone you knew who was actually killed by someone else from the same gang, only to be exonerated after serving 20 years in prison, if that person sued the justice department and was awarded damages would you feel as though they should pay that money to the family of the person they didn't murder?

[blankall]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

Why on earth would he send money to the widow? Last I checked the medic knew he was going into a war and knew the consequences and paid his life for his country. That's where it should end.

Soldiers and medics know what they're getting themselves into. Nothing happened that day that was out of the ordinary for soldiers and anyone who traveled with them into WAR.

Are the soldiers of America going to send money to the countless widows, children...of the nameless and countless thousands upon thousands of innocent civilians they've slaughtered? Or does this medic only get his name in the paper because he isn't Muslim?

How does someone murder another during a war? especially when the "murderer" is 15 and being influenced by his father? And not to mention only confessed after being tortured? Sounds exactly like the thing Afghanistan would do....maybe the folks who can't see that would fit right into Afghan culture.

It is against the laws of war to target a medic. Assuming Khadr actually did what he was accused of, add without his coerced confession, there may be no real proof of that, he could be responsible civilly and criminally.

[White Out 403]

nothing makes me laugh more than the concept of 'laws of war'

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by Resurrection

nothing makes me laugh more than the concept of 'laws of war'

Yep, you can't kill our medics but we can fly a missile from the sky right into your house and kill your entire family and any innocent civilians within reach.

That's all fair for the good guys.

[Zulu29]

Sorry, he's on film making IED's to kill coalition soldiers. Guy should be charged with treason not getting a multi million payout.

[Zulu29]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

Yep, you can't kill our medics but we can fly a missile from the sky right into your house and kill your entire family and any innocent civilians within reach.

That's all fair for the good guys.

Right, because that's what the west does on purpose all the time, give me a break

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Zulu29

Sorry, he's on film making IED's to kill coalition soldiers. Guy should be charged with treason not getting a multi million payout.

Don't want him to sue? Don't knowingly allow him to have his rights violated and be tortured.