News of imminent deportation (from Canada) shocks U.S. army deserter

[Newsjock]

Source: Globe and Mail

VANCOUVER — Canadian authorities appear to be speeding up efforts to deport U.S. army deserters, despite a key Federal Court decision just last Friday in favour of so-called "war resisters".

Deserter Robin Long, his supporters and his lawyers were stunned yesterday to learn that Mr. Long, currently being held in a Nelson jail, was in danger of being sent back to the United States as early as today.

... There had been no warning to Mr. Long that he was in danger of being sent back to the United States so quickly, and it came as a particular shock to his lawyer, Shepherd Moss, in light of last week's court decision upholding deserter Joshua Key's appeal of his failed refugee application.

... "Basically, they're trying to kidnap war resisters and get them into the hands of George Bush," steamed Bob Ages of the Vancouver War Resisters Support Campaign. "This is the closest thing to rendition we've had in this country since Maher Arar. It's outrageous. What are these enforcement people up to?"

If Mr. Long is deported, he will be the first of an estimated 200 deserters who have sought refuge in Canada to be returned to the United States, marking an official end to the country's policy of welcoming American draft dodgers and deserters that began during the Vietnam War.

Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080708.wwardeserter08/BNStory/National/home

[Zhade]

1. The Canadian government should be fucking ashamed of itself.

NT!

[uppityperson]

2. that is wrong. I thought the courts said he could stay.

Shame on whomever is doing this.

[CHIMO]

3. It Was A

Different case.

U.S. deserter wins appeal in fight for refugee status

The Immigration and Refugee Board was wrong when it decided that an American deserter couldn't claim refugee status in Canada because the military transgressions he was evading weren't severe enough to be war crimes or crimes against humanity, the Federal Court ruled yesterday.

The judgment lowers one of the bars that the recent wave of American deserters need to clear when they seek asylum in Canada.

It said that dodging orders that are "contrary to the basic rules or norms of human conduct" is enough grounds to apply for refugee protection.

"Mr. Key did not have the opportunity to present a meaningful case on that issue ," Judge Barnes wrote.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080705.CLAIM05/TPStory/?query=joshua

As to the reason for this new action? Who knows.

I would think that since they lost the other case they are out to prove something. The other possibility is that they wish to change the news headlines from the environment and global warming.

[uppityperson]

12. Thank you CHIMO. eom

[bluestateguy]

4. They did what they had to do to stay alive

They may very well go to jail, but they will be alive. If they had gone to Iraq they may have come home in box.

[1monster]

5. Or perhaps they did what they did so that they could live with themselves if they did

come home alive...

It could be a case of conscience rather than one of saving one's own skin.

[superconnected]

6. Sounds like they're bending under pressure from the white house

because turning against war resistors is not the Canada I know.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

7. I doubt any pressure was applied

The government of Canada is presently controlled by extremely orthodox Bushies who would send Canadian troops to Iraq if it were politically possible.

I have been in Canada for comming up on two years, the Canada of John Diefenbaker and Pierre Trudeau is ancient history. Canada went neocon about the same time the US and England did.

The opposition is only slightly less useless than the Democrats are, made up of the Liberals who are lead by a bag of flour and the New Democrats who despite their labor routes now only represent hipster assholes in Toronto and Vancouver and set sail on issues of interest to nobody.

And unlike us, the Canadian opposition could bring down the government at their leisure - but like us they don't have the spine to do it.

So Stephen Harper and his merry band of idiots go on their way.

As for the Canadian people, while Canadian soldiers continue to die in Afghanistan in significant numbers the outrage of the week is the data rates for the iPhone and the increasing price of text messages. The week before it was over some honor for a ghoulish looking doctor and something to do with abortion.

Sound familiar?

North America is just that North America the border is just a technicality based on nothing more than an arbitrary line the British and Americans happened to agree on. Outside of the French and Spanish speaking minorities it is all the same.

[Caradoc]

8. Silver linings...

Harper is governing on borrowed time; yes, the liberals haven't found themselves in that 'magic moment' yet when they could dump him without winding up with a very weak minority. However, each moment Harper's in power doesn't win him admirers where he needs them (Ontario & Quebec) and risks alienating his base of rabid neo-cons in Alberta, Sask., and B.C. The CBC's regular political panel recently discussed the observation that Harper is Canada's most over-rated politician in that he was touted as this brilliant policy master, but instead has turned into a control freak who just doesn't 'get it' on climate change, free trade etc. Understand that neo-cons are an impatient species, and when they don't get everything their way they have a tendency to force things to a breaking point.

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. I don't get it. One of the weakest links to our national borders is Canada.

They accept just about everyone into their country. What happened?

[sourmilk]

10. Twenty-five years of successively worse governments.

Getting Harpo and the Deadheads out of office is Job #1 for many of us.

I am more and more embarrased to live here every successive year. It seems it may be time to move again soon...

[gratuitous]

11. They're sure free and easy with the term "deserter"

And the term "war resister" merits the adjective "so-called." Seems the Globe and Mail has a weensy problem with people who don't care to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity, n'est-ce pas?