Comments on: If precedent is any indicator on parliamentary privilege, the Cons will lose in court.

By: foottothefire

foottothefire — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:42:03 +0000

On the precedence thingy, Here’s hoping Harper pushes it to the max; shot by a self-inflicted barrel of his own shit.

By: Roll Tide

Roll Tide — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:37:23 +0000

“quite different from the CPC, who still has a picture of Stephane Dion surrounded by bullet holes up at their site, which they’ve never apologized for”

They were paper holes taken from and described in istockphoto.

http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-illustration-5227378-paper-holes.php

Harper apologized for the tasteless puffin poop cartoon.

Ignatieff is silent on a cartoon that promotes assassination.
I hope he apologizes. I am sue he will.

“weaken their own environmental plan to appease the oil-barons on the Alberta tar-sands”

Not sure where you are going with that, Ignatieff himself has expressed support for the oil sands. I drive a Honda accord, and would rather get my oil from Alberta then Chavez or the Middle East.
It accounts for 5% of our emissions, autos are 80%.

By: JimBobby

JimBobby — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:39:21 +0000

@Roll Tide, More like the Con's can't be trusted with the documents. First, they let a retired general see the unredacted versions. Then, they leaked selected doc's to selected press lackeys. Now, we find out that the redactions had more to do with ass-covering than with troop security. Con's are hiding behind national security and support-the-troops while they engage in the most reprehensible cover-up in Canadian history. Oh look! An offensive photoshop image. Pay no attention to war crimes, there's mud to sling.

By: Scott Tribe

Scott Tribe — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:24:31 +0000

@Roll Tide, What a disgusting statement – you’re essentially accusing an MP of being a potential traitor to Canada. Are you sure that you want to claim that? Because I’m sure that could be construed as libel or slander.

More to the point, If the Conservatives are so worried about MP’s being security threats (which is shameful in itself), all they need to do is initiate a judicial independent public inquiry, and let the judge or judges look at supposed “intelligence material” and redact it if it’s deemed a threat to national security.

But that’s not what’s going on here, as you well know Roll Tide, and other Conservative parrots like you. This is likely a cover-up of documents to show that the Conservatives knew what was going on over in Afghanistan but turned a blind eye to it. They have no intention of releasing documents that show them to be in violation of the Geneva Conventions.

As for the website shot, that was stupid and dealt with and apologized for.. and discipline meted out to the staffer who let it on (quite different from the CPC, who still has a picture of Stephane Dion surrounded by bullet holes up at their site, which they’ve never apologized for). That is a story that Conservatives are desperately trying to turn into a distraction from the detainees file, as well as their shameful environmental record.

It’s been dealt with, and now we can get back to more important issues, like the fact the Conservatives have been dealing in a massive coverup and stonewalling of the Afghanistan detainees file, as well as the fact they’re going to try and weaken their own environmental plan to appease the oil-barons on the Alberta tar-sands.

By: Roll Tide

Roll Tide — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:56:38 +0000

I hope the Conservatives win in court. MP’s like Pro Hezbollah Borys Wrzesnewskyj, cannot be trusted with classified documents.

Scott, did you see the assasination cartoon on yesterdays Liberal website as a “American-Republican-Karl Rove-gutter style politics move” as you saw the “Puffin-gate”? or do you feel it was far too tame for that…..just wondering.

http://scottdiatribe.canflag.com/2008/09/09/blame-the-staffer-redux-in-puffin-gate/

By: Scott Tribe

Scott Tribe — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:54:39 +0000

@JimBobby, Technically that's not correct on Khadr. They had the right of appeal all the way to the Canadian Supreme Court, and I predict quite confidently that if the Supreme Court orders the Canadian government to request Khadr's repatriation, even they will not defy the Supreme Court. Their only alternative is to try and use the notwithstanding clause to override the Supreme Court decision, and as they need the Parliament to agree to that, they don't have the votes.

By: JimBobby

JimBobby — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:46:31 +0000

Well, Scotty, the Con’s contempt ain’t limited to Parliament. They got no respect for the courts, neither. Case in point: Omar Khadr. The courts made a decision the Con’s didn’t like so they simply ignored it. Same way they ignored Parliament on the Kyoto implementation bill, Kelowna bill, US war resisters motion and others.

They don’t give a rat’s ass if the court agrees with ‘em or not. They’re gonna continue to withhold vital evidence that damns them. Shufflin’ it back an’ forth between the HoC and the courts is just stall tactic. They’re bankin’ on the issue runnin’ outta steam with the oppo and genpop. Won’t happen.

Canadians will ultimately speak in great numbers: “We do not condone torture. We do not condone lying government ministers. We do not condone cover-ups of war crimes. We are ashamed of our so-called leaders.”

Colvin’s 16 page letter is a dang masterpiece.

Richard Colvin for Prime Minister!

By: MoS

MoS — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:37:08 +0000

There appears to be a smoking gun in the Toronto Star’s report today on Colvin’s rebuttal letter. Reference is made to Canadian Press being allowed to read a clear copy of a key memo the Tories released heavily redacted. What had been expunged from the public record was information of what the Tories knew and when. It had nothing to do with security and everything to do with using censorship for rank, political cover. The bastards are using the big black magic marker to bury their own dirt. No wonder they’re out to derail the Afghan torture hearings.