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Of MP's and Pipsqueaks: Little Jason Kenney Roars for Likud Lobby in Galloway Ban
by C. L. Cook
Jason Kenney, the current minister for citizenship and immigration has gone "over the edge" writes Thomas Walkom in today's Toronto Star.
by C. L. Cook
Jason Kenney, the current minister for citizenship and immigration has gone "over the edge" writes Thomas Walkom in today's Toronto Star. "Over the edge"? - Immigration and citizenship minister Jason Kenney
Kenney, Walkom explains, has become increasingly erratic, last week cutting off federal funding to the Canadian Arab Federation (CAF), and yesterday refusing to question the Canadian Border Services decision to bar British MP George Galloway entry into Canada. Galloway, says the increasingly erratic border crew, poses a threat to Canada because he supports terrorists like Hamas and Hezbollah, and that's good enough for the federal government.
Though I agree with the tone of Walkom's piece, which correctly depicts Kenney and the Conservatives as the idiotic provincials they are, there is nothing "erratic" about the direction Canada has moved under Stephen Harper's leadership. Canada's border police consistently bar anti-war voices from being heard in this country, and their antipathy to any that would criticise the Harper world view, a world view now entirely in disrepute, is unswerving.
Over the last few years, Harper's new government has barred rap singers, folk singers, activists, writers, educators, and now a prominent politician entry into Canada. The one common denominator in these barrings, all made to protect the sensitive Canadian populace from odious and possibly infectious bad ideas emanating from said miscreants, is the anti-militarist, anti-war views these people hold and promulgate publicly.
Though close to the mark when citing the Conservatives' desire to please the "ardent backers" of Israel, Walkom errs when he blames the bans on the ascension of the Dark Ages-like "Anti-Terrorism Laws." The Galloway ban, as with similar bans to peace activist and student, Alison Bodine, Jewish-American anti-war folk singer David Rovics, rappers 50 Cent, Jerome Almon, and Code Pink peace activist Medea Benjamin and former U.S. soldier Ann Wright and others is entirely political.
That Kenney would insist the blocking of Galloway was solely an initiative of the Border police stretches credulity to the breaking point, but either way, whether a hyper-vigilance at the border, or political interference from Kenney's office, or above, there is no defending the decision to block the representative of a foreign government, (Great Britain at that!) entry. It is not, as Galloway said, "irrational," it is plain stupid. And stupid is what Canada has increasingly become with each passing day Stephen Harper's party holds the reigns of power.
That Kenney would insist the blocking of Galloway was solely an initiative of the Border police stretches credulity to the breaking point, but either way, whether a hyper-vigilance at the border, or political interference from Kenney's office, or above, there is no defending the decision to block the representative of a foreign government, (Great Britain at that!) entry. It is not, as Galloway said, "irrational," it is plain stupid. And stupid is what Canada has increasingly become with each passing day Stephen Harper's party holds the reigns of power.
Is it smart for a country to possess no independent energy policies? Is it smart for a country to dedicate the greater part of its future resources to a foreign land in perpetuity? Is it smart for a country to dedicate itself to a foreign policy written in a foreign land? Is it smart for a country to allow an embattled people be starved, bombed, and sniped ruthlessly from high walls and remain pitiless supporters of the monsters doing the killing?
Clearly, smart is not the first descriptor of the current government entity claiming to operate in the interests of the Canadian people, and banning George Galloway's entrance into the country is not the first stupid thing done by these Conservative clowns.
Last week, the Border police had an opportunity to bar the entry into the country of a real promoter of international terror. Unindicted war criminal George W. Bush whisked past the thin blue line at the 49th parallel without a worry. The Border police cannot be left alone to bear the abrogation of their sworn duty though, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, those known to terminally electrocute suspected foreign troublemakers in airport terminals, too failed to enforce the law of the land and arrest the torturer in chief. The RCMP failure to comply with the law came even after a helpful reminder of their duty issued by Canadian jurists, Lawyers Against the War. LAW pointed out, it is the law to arrest and investigate suspected torturers under Canada's obligation as a signatory to the International Convention on Torture. No matter.
To add fuel to their brightly-burning ignorance, the new government of Canada, (as they prefer to be called) as represented by Jason Kenney's office add insult to injury; Kenney spokesperson, Alykhan Velshi issued a statement on the barring of the British statesman, referring to Galloway as an "infamous street-corner Cromwell," and citing his support of Hamas, saying;
This really gets to the heart of the matter; it is not Galloway's rolodex needing examining, but those of Kenney and company. What is called the "Israel lobby" in America, but recently and more correctly dubbed the "Likud lobby," referring to the ultra-right wing Likud party currently ruling blood-soaked Israel, has a wing in Canada too. And it is for that interest defense minister and wannabe NATO numero uno, Peter MacKay thundered against the treacherous Lebanese whilst Israel's bombs and rockets rained down upon them in 2006. The same MacKay railed against the undeserving Palestinians, promising they would receive "not one red cent" of Canadian aid for the reckless temerity they displayed in voting in the Hamas party in an internationally certified general election.
To add fuel to their brightly-burning ignorance, the new government of Canada, (as they prefer to be called) as represented by Jason Kenney's office add insult to injury; Kenney spokesperson, Alykhan Velshi issued a statement on the barring of the British statesman, referring to Galloway as an "infamous street-corner Cromwell," and citing his support of Hamas, saying;
"I'm sure Galloway has a large Rolodex of friends in regimes elsewhere in the world willing to roll out the red carpet for him. Canada, however, won't be one of them."
This really gets to the heart of the matter; it is not Galloway's rolodex needing examining, but those of Kenney and company. What is called the "Israel lobby" in America, but recently and more correctly dubbed the "Likud lobby," referring to the ultra-right wing Likud party currently ruling blood-soaked Israel, has a wing in Canada too. And it is for that interest defense minister and wannabe NATO numero uno, Peter MacKay thundered against the treacherous Lebanese whilst Israel's bombs and rockets rained down upon them in 2006. The same MacKay railed against the undeserving Palestinians, promising they would receive "not one red cent" of Canadian aid for the reckless temerity they displayed in voting in the Hamas party in an internationally certified general election.
The same man, who would now fashion himself as commander of the marauding NATO war machine, found no words of pity to speak either during Israel's bloody and illegal reigning of terror upon Palestine in the so-called 'Operation Summer Rains' of 2006, or during the more recent, and more ruthless 'Operation Cast Lead.' That more than 1400 people perished, with thousands more mangled, and hundreds of thousands made homeless as they were due to 'Operation Cast Lead' means nothing to this government. No, it is George Galloway who supports terrorists. Of course.
For his part, Galloway promises to seek redress to his rebuffing at the Canadian border through the courts. I can save the Respect party leader and Member of the British Parliament the trouble: There is no legal redress in this country for the likes of you, sir. As your name is currently being dragged through the Canadian media mud, the powers that be will not hear your petition, nor will they bend in their resolve to serve the best interests of the masters of world disaster, Israel and the United States of America.
For his part, Galloway promises to seek redress to his rebuffing at the Canadian border through the courts. I can save the Respect party leader and Member of the British Parliament the trouble: There is no legal redress in this country for the likes of you, sir. As your name is currently being dragged through the Canadian media mud, the powers that be will not hear your petition, nor will they bend in their resolve to serve the best interests of the masters of world disaster, Israel and the United States of America.
You see, Thomas, it's not only Jason Kenney that has gone over the edge.
Comments (4)
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written by Doctor Winkler, March 21, 2009
From: "Dr. Lawrence Winkler"
To:
Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2009 3:00 PM
Subject: George Galloway
I'm afraid I had the unfortunate experience of coming across your piece on "Little Jason Kenney". It was only after I got to the "Likud Lobby" and "blood-soaked Israel" part that I realzied you weren't a journalist at all. Just Little Chris Cook. Your parents must be proud.
Be glad good doctor, your experiences were better fated than those below the
bombs and rockets of bloody Israel. My parents are indeed proud to have
raised a man who fights for those unable to defend themselves. What Larry
did your parents teach you to fight for, I wonder?
cheers
c/.
To:
Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2009 3:00 PM
Subject: George Galloway
I'm afraid I had the unfortunate experience of coming across your piece on "Little Jason Kenney". It was only after I got to the "Likud Lobby" and "blood-soaked Israel" part that I realzied you weren't a journalist at all. Just Little Chris Cook. Your parents must be proud.
Be glad good doctor, your experiences were better fated than those below the
bombs and rockets of bloody Israel. My parents are indeed proud to have
raised a man who fights for those unable to defend themselves. What Larry
did your parents teach you to fight for, I wonder?
cheers
c/.
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written by MrC, March 21, 2009
I'd love to see Kenney debate with George why he's a threat to national security...we'll see just what a bureaucrat Jason kenney really is. George Galloway is a hero for standing up to the corruption that existing in politics today.
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written by managing editor, March 22, 2009
True to form, the Globe and Mail is attacking George Galloway in their editorial pages. The March 21 edition includes the screed below. My response to the G&M is below that. If this is the "National Paper," Canada is in more serious trouble than even the mischief Stephen Harper could muster. - ed.
GEORGE GALLOWAY
NEEDLESS PUBLICITY
March 21, 2009
Last month, Britain made the mistake of making a free-speech martyr out of an extremist member of the Dutch Parliament. By denying access to Geert Wilders, an anti-Islamic zealot who has compared the Koran to Mein Kampf and has been charged with hate crimes in the Netherlands, it gave him more international publicity than he could otherwise have hoped for. Mr. Wilders became a cause célèbre for the hard right, many moderates felt compelled to come to his defence, and his Party for Freedom enjoyed a significant boost in the polls in his home country.
Yesterday, Canada made a similar error with an extremist from the other side of the ideological spectrum. George Galloway, a British MP who was expelled from the Labour Party in 2003, has made his name by lending support or sympathy to an array of murderous regimes and organizations. He palled around with the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein, has expressed public support for Hezbollah and Hamas, and has called Israel a "terrorist state." But he is first and foremost a rabble-rouser and a publicity hound, and by denying him entry to this country on the dubious ground that he poses a security threat, the federal government has done him great service.
Had Mr. Galloway been permitted to proceed with planned appearances in Canada, including one in Toronto early next week, he would have received limited notice. A few members of the hard left would have applauded him, groups such as the Canadian Jewish Congress would have rightly highlighted the odiousness of his views, and most Canadians would either have ignored him or correctly identified him as a person on the fringes. Such is the wonder of free speech; it creates a marketplace of ideas in which offensive or nonsensical ones find little currency.
Instead, Mr. Galloway has now been afforded extra attention not just nationally, but abroad. He is able to take to the international airwaves to paint himself as a victim of censorship, decrying a "very sad day for the Canada we have known and loved - a bastion of the freedoms that supporters of the occupation of Afghanistan claim to be defending." Undoubtedly, he will find no shortage of support from those who would prefer not to have any cause to support him. If that is mistakenly seen in some eyes to legitimize him, our government will have itself to blame.
Correction to a point raised in said editorial. In this rather puny piece, you say of George Galloway he:
"He palled around with the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein..."
As the honourable member informed an American senate committee drawn up in 2005 to look into improprieties surrounding the U.N.'s Oil-for-Food Programme when they questioned Galloway's connection to the regime of Saddam Hussein, the hanged former strongman leader of Iraq. At that time (and I recommend you watch the whole of his testimony to that body - merely search on the internet for the video) Galloway replied to this slur:
"I have met Saddam Hussein exactly the same number of times as Donald Rumsfeld met him. The difference is that Donald Rumsfeld met him to sell him guns and to give him maps the better to target those guns."
You may too be unaware of one Mr. Galloway's recent "rabble-rousing" efforts to get food and medicines into besieged Gaza, where recently more than 1400 people were killed, thousands more wounded, and hundreds of thousands made homeless through the efforts of the Israeli Defense Forces in a little three week event they titled, 'Operation Cast Lead.'
You may have done a service to your dwindling readership to include in your screed the fact Mr. Galloway was coming to Canada in an effort to break the siege against Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian territory, thus his speaking tour's name: 'The Siege-Breaking Tour.'
GEORGE GALLOWAY
NEEDLESS PUBLICITY
March 21, 2009
Last month, Britain made the mistake of making a free-speech martyr out of an extremist member of the Dutch Parliament. By denying access to Geert Wilders, an anti-Islamic zealot who has compared the Koran to Mein Kampf and has been charged with hate crimes in the Netherlands, it gave him more international publicity than he could otherwise have hoped for. Mr. Wilders became a cause célèbre for the hard right, many moderates felt compelled to come to his defence, and his Party for Freedom enjoyed a significant boost in the polls in his home country.
Yesterday, Canada made a similar error with an extremist from the other side of the ideological spectrum. George Galloway, a British MP who was expelled from the Labour Party in 2003, has made his name by lending support or sympathy to an array of murderous regimes and organizations. He palled around with the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein, has expressed public support for Hezbollah and Hamas, and has called Israel a "terrorist state." But he is first and foremost a rabble-rouser and a publicity hound, and by denying him entry to this country on the dubious ground that he poses a security threat, the federal government has done him great service.
Had Mr. Galloway been permitted to proceed with planned appearances in Canada, including one in Toronto early next week, he would have received limited notice. A few members of the hard left would have applauded him, groups such as the Canadian Jewish Congress would have rightly highlighted the odiousness of his views, and most Canadians would either have ignored him or correctly identified him as a person on the fringes. Such is the wonder of free speech; it creates a marketplace of ideas in which offensive or nonsensical ones find little currency.
Instead, Mr. Galloway has now been afforded extra attention not just nationally, but abroad. He is able to take to the international airwaves to paint himself as a victim of censorship, decrying a "very sad day for the Canada we have known and loved - a bastion of the freedoms that supporters of the occupation of Afghanistan claim to be defending." Undoubtedly, he will find no shortage of support from those who would prefer not to have any cause to support him. If that is mistakenly seen in some eyes to legitimize him, our government will have itself to blame.
Correction to a point raised in said editorial. In this rather puny piece, you say of George Galloway he:
"He palled around with the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein..."
As the honourable member informed an American senate committee drawn up in 2005 to look into improprieties surrounding the U.N.'s Oil-for-Food Programme when they questioned Galloway's connection to the regime of Saddam Hussein, the hanged former strongman leader of Iraq. At that time (and I recommend you watch the whole of his testimony to that body - merely search on the internet for the video) Galloway replied to this slur:
"I have met Saddam Hussein exactly the same number of times as Donald Rumsfeld met him. The difference is that Donald Rumsfeld met him to sell him guns and to give him maps the better to target those guns."
You may too be unaware of one Mr. Galloway's recent "rabble-rousing" efforts to get food and medicines into besieged Gaza, where recently more than 1400 people were killed, thousands more wounded, and hundreds of thousands made homeless through the efforts of the Israeli Defense Forces in a little three week event they titled, 'Operation Cast Lead.'
You may have done a service to your dwindling readership to include in your screed the fact Mr. Galloway was coming to Canada in an effort to break the siege against Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian territory, thus his speaking tour's name: 'The Siege-Breaking Tour.'
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I was going to write something up for Atlantic Free Press this morning on Galloway, but I am just too morose this morning to string together something that this topic deserves.
Being away for so long - I have only spent a few years in Canada since 1987 - and lived mainly overseas, I missed this transition to conservatism for the greater part.
I knew things were changing when I came home after one long trip and dad was reading the Globe and Mail. Apparently it was the last vestige of lefty rhetoric in the country. It was a paper he would not wipe his ass with ten years earlier. I grew up with the Columbian Newspaper out of New Westminster which was a union rag in a union town with enough leftiness in it to keep Lenin happy. It was BC's oldest newspaper, started in 1861 before dying in 1983.
How things change.
Hippie west coast parents... lots of land, lots of peace - There was a wonderful blend of socio-anarchism in my house - enough leftie values to understand the collective and how we had to share as humans and enough anarchy to understand that government should not be telling people what to read, watch, or what to listen too.... a healthy resistance to idea of collectivism in the form 1984 or Brave New World... we lived a kind of golden centre between despotism and anarchy.
I grew up Canadian - and was kinda' proud of it - in a quite, personal, modest way. But I really feel shocked today. And ashamed in a way.
What has happened to my country?
Galloway? Fuck them. Fuck THEM.
Sorry I am really reconsidering the idea of moving Wieke, my wife, and my daughters back to Canada. We have been thinking about if for a couple of years - moving from Holland back to Canada... for the fresh air, the green that this flat, packed country just does not have. Plus my family whom I miss terribly at times. We lived on Saturna island for about six months in 1995-96 after Hurricane Luis sank our boat in the Caribbean in a category five hurricane. It was bliss.
But I refuse to move anywhere where conservative values fuel the government - those of fear and not love, those of greed and not sharing, those of hate and not love.
Why oh why is my home, my birth home... the abode of my cousins and uncles and aunts and grandparents and nieces and nephews... going backwards!? I actually feel pain thinking about it.
The rejection of Galloway is a watershed moment for me. There's a fight that needs to be fought... I have been so wrapped up in battling conservatism in the US via www.freepressgroup.eu and all the writers we work with, and the Right here in Holland with my vote that I have left Canada in the wake over the past decade thinking it could NEVER possibly... really really, become driven on conservative values.
Today, I am going to start paying attention to what's happening at 'home' and that I mean Canada. While everyone around the globe in the progressive movement has been watching in horror eight years of neocon, conservative hell in the USA, Canada has suffered some kind of coup - media, government... for sure, but I pray not our national psyche.
Best
Rich in Groningen, Netherlands
www.expathos.com