Omar Khadr, Sex Workers, and the Government

[bcguy42 38594]

Watching Omar Khadr on the news last night, I saw an odd connection between his case and the Harper Government's attitude towards sex workers.

 

With regard to Khadr, we have this from the public record. As a young man, younger than 15, he was taken to Pakistan and Afghanistan by his father who brought him up in an environment of radical Islam. When he was 15, according to a confession he agreed to in exchange for his release from Guantanamo Bay, he threw a hand grenade during a fire-fight with American troops. One American was killed, others were wounded.

 

So, to me, what we have here is a child soldier indoctrinated into a way of life that led him into a fire-fight with US troops.

 

According to every action taken by the Harper Government with regard to Omar Khadr, including statements made yesterday by Harper and MacKay, Khadr is evil and should serve every second of his sentence and too bad he wasn't given a longer one. He is beyond redemption. There is no way he can be other than the bad person he was when he chucked the grenade. The government will spend however many millions of dollars fighting this person.

 

Got that. Now to the other half of this thought.

 

According to the narrative that the Government sold us during the passage of the recent legislation dealing with such things, sex workers are these poor, enslaved beings who, if only they had a chance at a better life, would immediately and forever leave the trade and be done with it.

 

There is redemption. There is a new, good, formerly (through no fault of her own) bad person.

 

Here is where I get confused. An apparent guiding principle in Khadr's case is that a person cannot be saved. There is no hope. But with the sex workers, the guiding thought is that everyone CAN be saved, can be redeemed, if only given a chance.

 

Maybe I need to take some more of that time I have too much of at the moment to work this out.

[waterat 20911]

Stephen Harper and Peter MacKay are an embarrassment to humanity. They can't imagine being a 13 yo boy growing up in the circumstances he did and at 15 having his family under attack from US soldiers. I'm sure I know many 15 yo's who would have responded in exactly the same way. The parallel between our government's approach to sex workers and to Omar Khadr are truly terrifying.

[bellafan 11341]

Religious fanaticism is the root of the Harper government's stance on many things. They try to hide it, but often can't. Sex workers need to "be healed"! And I guess some others of us need to be beaten, and then "healed" or something, that Stephen Harper, in his infinite wisdom, might decide.

 

Maybe that's why Harper ties in with the American extreme right that celebrates police and military strutting around as though they are the centre of the universe.

 

Great! Religious war, something everyone needs more of :(

 

God help us!

 

That's just my point of view as a Canadian trying to live in freedom and peace.

[roamingguy 300291]

Well just my take on it...for Harper, MacKay et al they see sex workers as victims of exploitive johns. So with religious fervour they want to save sex workers, come down hard on johns, at least in press releases to appease their constituency...the religious right

But Khadr has nothing to do with any principles. The government has to be seen, by the United States, as being tough on terrorism. That's why all the appeals trying to stop his bail, standing up in the House of Commons etc etc etc. If Khadr was instead, a juvenile delinquent who committed the crimes in Canada, instead of being in the middle of a conflict, it all would have been dealt with by some junior Crown Attorney, and maybe the local newspaper might have reported on it. Khadr is hated by the United States, became a hot potato for Canada, and given the choice, Canada would prefer to be on good terms with the United States rather than Khadr

A thought

 

RG

[cinelli 22184]

Interesting how the Tory spokes people constantly say Kadr pleaded guilty to throwing the grenade. They do NOT, or very rarely, say he actually did throw it, only that he he pleaded guilty.

The whole thing was part of a plea bargain and who knows what the ffff really happened.

If he had killed someone in Canada he would have been out by now anyway, especially as a young offender under desperate circumstances.

Oh god gotta stop this rant....

 

Lots of other shameless lying by Harper's toadies on this and it disgusts me.

 

Harper is setting up another series of scary scenarios and presenting himself as the ONLY one who can save Canadians.

Kadr is a vicious monster that the NDP and Liberals will release, only Harper can save you from him.

Prostitution is bad, anyone who disagrees is a misguided pervert/menace to your children etc., only Harper can save you.

NDP/Liberals will run deficits and sell your children into slavery forever! Only Harper can have balanced budgets! Note how he conveniently ignores his own seven deficits on a row and the Chretien/Martin recovery from Mulroney's gigantic deficit.

As a reservist, he also talks a lot of shit about getting new and better equipment but that is just more lies for the sake of sound bites. You probably remember him in opposition yapping about the Liberals failing to replace our pathetic Sea King helicopters. But he hasn't done it either and he's had plenty of time. Guess he just hasn't figured put how to the best kickbacks yet.

 

Summary: don't think of C36 as anti anything. They couldn't care less about escorts. It's just a little piece of a big platform of manufactured hysteria and false promises.

[PhantomKnight 7914]

I guess I'll go against the grain here.

 

I'm not trying to offend anyone here, but...

 

It sickens me that our government released a convicted terrorist. He was not a child when he killed Sgt. Christopher Speers, if I recall correctly, at the time he threw the grenade he was 3 months shy from being able to serve as a full time soldier in the Canadian Forces. During WW1 and WW2 there were many teens who lied to sign up and serve and fight in the wars. On all sides. If he was perhaps 12 or younger I can understand where you all are coming from. As he was almost 16, you're easily able to decide your actions. Look at the worlds history, there have been some brutal murders by minors. Do these individuals deserve to be free?

 

As someone with experience, it takes training to be able to effectively throw a grenade. I can guarantee you that if you've never touched a grenade you would not be able to successfully arm it. Especially in a situation as hectic as combat.

This tells me that he put in the effort to learn how to kill, this tells me that h rehearsed these drills over and over until it became second nature.

 

Now, saying that. I'm not saying that what happened to him at Gitmo was ok.

Before anyone accuses me of being a Harper lackey, I do not support Harper and his bullshit. If anything I went from someone who voted Conservative to someone who is tired of seeing his freedom and basic rights being slowly taken away.

 

The bill that deals with sex workers is absolute garbage. C-51 is way to broad and it gives the government far too much space to be sketchy. Ontario is voting this month to ban the sale of flavoured Tobacco....basic things an adult should be able to choose if they want to do or not.

 

Additional Comments:

I just want to say that despite my feelings on this topic. I do truly appreciate the opinions people have on this. Most people I've spoken to have no clue who he is or what the situation around him was like.

[Phaedrus 209521]

As someone with experience, it takes training to be able to effectively throw a grenade. I can guarantee you that if you've never touched a grenade you would not be able to successfully arm it. Especially in a situation as hectic as combat.

This tells me that he put in the effort to learn how to kill, this tells me that h rehearsed these drills over and over until it became second nature.

 

That just makes him a trained soldier. It doesn't make him a terrorist.

 

The worst accusation that I've seen aimed at Omar Khadr is that he killed an enemy soldier on a battlefield. That's not a crime; it's what happens during wars.

 

To return to the original point...

 

Here is where I get confused. An apparent guiding principle in Khadr's case is that a person cannot be saved. There is no hope. But with the sex workers, the guiding thought is that everyone CAN be saved, can be redeemed, if only given a chance.

 

The problem is that you're looking for the consistent world-view. There isn't any; what matters is what's politically expedient. In Omar Khadr's case, it's trying to demonize him and scare everyone into permitting more power for the government to "keep us safe" (have a look at the abomination that is C-51 and has just passed the Commons). In the case of sex workers it's the expediency of throwing a bone to the base on an issue that a lot of voters won't remember and punish them for at the ballot-box. Sad, but there it is...

[cat 262460]

I've been following this case closely for years and just last night had a discussion about it with a constitutional lawyer with some great insight into the dynamics of US military motives, children soldiers and human rights. Trained soldier or not, his age is a key factor in deciding whether or not he is a danger to society. I've never met a 15 year old who had the mature awareness of insight regarding potential outcomes from an action taken. In his situation, I can't imagine what I would have done, a grenade may have seemed appropriate to ensure my survival if I had already learned how to use one. At 15, we process our situations mentally/emotionally very differently.

 

Watching this young mans release, seeing his face after 10 years with a bag over his head (literally) showed me he "did" the time, the time didn't "do" him. He needs time to acclimate, heal and adjust. I feel he is entitled to enter society and screw it up or not, the right we all share as Canadians.

 

As for the dichotomy of Harpers Captain Save a Ho legislation, it was the only option to keep the religious right somewhat appeased. He cares not for sex workers safety or quality of life and that position is mirrored for all citizens who don't fall into the Cons narrow guidelines of an upstanding citizen. There is no logic to it.

 

Cat

[misterdiscretion2014 2032]

I thought this macleans article raised some interesting points about Khadr and the way rulers try to placate the masses ...

 

http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/omar-khadr-and-the-ancient-ritual-of-the-scapegoat/

[PhantomKnight 7914]

That just makes him a trained soldier. It doesn't make him a terrorist.

 

The worst accusation that I've seen aimed at Omar Khadr is that he killed an enemy soldier on a battlefield. That's not a crime; it's what happens during wars.

 

He was not a trained soldier. He was trained, but not a soldier. A soldier is one who fights as part of an organized land-based armed forces. The Afghan National Army has soldiers, The Taliban and Al Qaeda cells do not. Al Qaeda started an illegal war, in which coalition and local afghan forces joined together to expel and defeat them.

 

Religious terrorism is performed by groups or individuals, the motivation of which is typically rooted in faith-based tenets. Omar Khadr fought for his religious ideologies. That makes him a terrorist. If he had killed a Afghan Soldier, they would have slit his throat. He should be more than thankful to spend his life in jail for his actions.

 

Either way, he's out. No matter how much we debate it. My question, is now what. I'm praying he doesn't do anything.