All Purpose Politics and News Thread

[DaveP]

So Canada's taxpayers (you and I) are giving 10.5 million dollars to Omar Khadr because he was unfairly treated after he killed an American medic in a war zone. The wife of the US medic won a judgement against Khadr for $100+ million in the US after she found out he was suing for compensation here. Christopher Speer's wife raised their two children alone because of Omar Khadr. Every cent of this judgement in Canada should be sent to his widow in the US.

[Shwa Girl]

So Canada's taxpayers (you and I) are giving 10.5 million dollars to Omar Khadr because he was unfairly treated after he killed an American medic in a war zone. The wife of the US medic won a judgement against Khadr for $100+ million in the US after she found out he was suing for compensation here. Christopher Speer's wife raised their two children alone because of Omar Khadr. Every cent of this judgement in Canada should be sent to his widow in the US.

Yes, she should get the money he is getting.
He wants to enroll in nursing school. I think there is a criminal back ground check that students have to do each year of nursing school. I wonder how he will get past that.

[Natalka]

I totally agree, Dave!

It's just sickening that we are giving him money. Worse even that there will be an apology.

He was no child soldier. He's a convicted terrorist. A sick puke.

[DaveP]

I see no value nor purpose in your post except to harass - change the colour on this to whatever you wish - you obviously have too much time on your hands

But you see a value to invisible posts? Okay then.

https://forum.smartcanucks.ca/303892...8/#post6797662

[thriftygranny]

Haven't logged in in ages, after reading this thread I am not sure why I did, out of hand.

[Natalka]

So Canada's taxpayers (you and I) are giving 10.5 million dollars to Omar Khadr because he was unfairly treated after he killed an American medic in a war zone. The wife of the US medic won a judgement against Khadr for $100+ million in the US after she found out he was suing for compensation here. Christopher Speer's wife raised their two children alone because of Omar Khadr. Every cent of this judgement in Canada should be sent to his widow in the US.

... and the deed is done... quickly, to ensure that no one else gets the money



The Trudeau government has quietly paid a $10.5-million settlement to Omar Khadr in a move that circumvents legal efforts by two Americans to prevent him from receiving compensation for abuses he suffered as a teenager at the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.


The payout to Mr. Khadr and his legal team was given on Wednesday and cashed immediately, according to a source involved in the transaction. Legal settlements do not fall under taxable income, so Mr. Khadr will not have to pay taxes on the $10.5-million.

The payment halts efforts by lawyers for the widow of a U.S. Delta Force sergeant and a retired U.S. special forces soldier from seeking an emergency injunction to stop Ottawa from giving the multimillion-dollar settlement to Mr. Khadr and his lawyers.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...ticle35581403/

[Natalka]

It's been so interesting hearing/reading the reactions of people to the above - locally, provincially, nationally, and internationally. The majority are just aghast that this payment was made, let alone with an apology.


Stephen Harper‏Verified account @stephenharper 11h11 hours ago

My full statement on the Canadian Government's decision regarding Omar Khadr: https://www.facebook.com/RtHonStephenHarper/posts/10155280193047110 …

[walkonby]

wow! I watched an exchange between Chris Cuomo and Kelly-Anne Conway on CNN a short while ago and it got very heated.
I can usually only take so much of Kelly-Anne, but this was such an in depth discussion regarding Donald Trump Jr.'s newest revelation that he took a meeting during June of 2016 with a Russian woman who said she had some " dirt " on Hillary Clinton.

The fact that the meeting turned out to be fruitless ( for Don Jr. ) in that the woman never offered anything about Hillary but instead changed the subject to Russian Adoption. First he said no he never met with any Russians, but now he reveals this.
Naturally CNN does a segment on it, that is their job.

Kelly-Anne insists that CNN never covers the President in a positive light, but it is not their job to flatter the President or make him feel good ( like Fox news does every day, that is nauseating ), they report on everything he does, says, tweets.

The fact that President Trump hasn't held any news conferences since February speaks volumes.
Even after the G20, he never did any interviews., because imho he never wants to answer anything directly.
Liars are like that....avoid, avoid, avoid.

Then there is the White House shutting out all cameras ( audio only allowed ) on various occasions from the press during briefings is insane. Calling every story " fake news " that this administration does not like.
Anyways....so grateful I am Canadian.

[GoodBoy]

Interesting article ... good facts and information.

Opposition to Omar Khadr’s settlement is puzzling and cynical: Paradkar

It didn’t seem possible that any Canadians would look askance at making reparations with a man whose life has been shaped by repeated betrayals, but the rage is palpable.

When it became known last week that Canada was to issue an apology worth $10.5 million to former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr, a Canadian, it came to many as a no-brainer.

After all, it aligned with Canadian values of freedom, ethics and social justice.

Morality aside, it wasn’t as if the government had a choice.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in favour of Khadr three times after his lawyers took the case to court, and in 2010 had unequivocally stated that Canadian officials had violated Khadr’s human rights under the Charter and that his treatment “offends the most basic Canadian standards about the treatment of detained youth suspects.”

There was no chance of the government winning the $20 million civil suit Khadr’s lawyers had launched in 2004.

...

Link: https://www.thestar.com/amp/news/can...-paradkar.html


Sent from my iPhone

[GoodBoy]

Who knew?

Khadr settlement far from unprecedented; U.K., Australia made similar deals

by COLIN PERKEL, THE CANADIAN PRESSPosted Jul 10, 2017 3:09 pm EDT Last Updated Jul 10, 2017 at 3:40 pm EDT

TORONTO – The Canadian government’s breach-of-rights settlement with Omar Khadr is far from unprecedented, but its public apology to the former Guantanamo Bay prisoner sets Canada apart from other countries whose citizens were held at the infamous U.S. prison, an international human rights group said Monday.

The settlement — sources say Khadr was paid $10.5 million — echoes deals reached years ago by the governments of the United Kingdom and Australia, who also spent millions settling lawsuits.

Link: http://www.680news.com/2017/07/10/kh...similar-deals/







Sent from my iPhone

[walkonby]

I love how Donald Trump Jr has posted the emails he received from Russia NOW, as if it was all his idea to be forthcoming and transparent about the meeting he had to get some promised dirt on Hillary in June of 2016.

The truth is the NYTimes contacted him a few days ago and said they were going to publish these emails, his camp asked for more time and he put out a couple of tweets in the meantime to try and dismiss the meeting as fruitless or and WH staff described this as a " nothing-burger " .

But by today he released them himself trying to put on this holier than thou face. I mean if you read what was offered to him ( and his Dad ) in this email it is shocking. Well.......Special FBI Investigator Robert Mueller will sure have fun investigating and questioning Trump Jr. sooner rather than later I suspect.

here is one page of the emails

[GoodBoy]

And yet more in depth details.

Omar Khadr fact check paints a clearer picture of the case and the incident underlying it
Many of the purported facts fueling arguments either in support of the settlement or against it have been wrong

Link: https://www.thestar.com/amp/news/wor...rlying-it.html


Sent from my iPhone

[GoodBoy]

A little levity to start the political day

https://twitter.com/colbertlateshow/...47747182456833


Sent from my iPhone

[Darth Penguin]

Sint Maatren jet engine blast kills New Zealand woman

A New Zealand woman has died on the Caribbean territory of Sint Maarten after the blast from a powerful jet engine knocked her to the ground.
The incident happened at the famous Princess Juliana International Airport, which is just metres from the beach.
Beachgoers can walk up to the airport fence as planes take off.
Police said the 57-year-old woman had been holding on to the fence before the force of the jet engines threw her backwards, causing serious injury.
She was taken to hospital for treatment, but died later.

The particular stretch of beach on the Dutch territory is popular with tourists, partly because the planes fly extremely low over the sand before landing.
The beginning of the runway is just 50m (160ft) from the fence on Maho beach, and about the same distance to the waterline.



There are prominent warning signs in the area instructing beachgoers not to stand near the fence because of the dangerous air blasts.
Despite the danger, a number of videos circulating online show tourists clinging to the fence to prevent being swept away - and in some cases, almost being lifted off the ground.
The island's tourism director, Rolando Brison, told the New Zealand Herald he had spoken to the family of the dead woman.
"I met with the family of the deceased this evening and while they recognised that what they did was wrong, through the clearly visible danger signs, they regret that risk they took turned out in the worst possible way," he said.
The newspaper also said the plane taking off was a Boeing 737, a commercial jet. A number of local media reports said the woman struck her head on concrete when she was blown back from the fence line.

[Darth Penguin]

Builders find live British cannonball in Quebec

Builders in the old part of the Canadian city of Quebec have unearthed a live cannonball fired by the British during a siege in 1759.
They posed for photos with the large, 90kg (200lb) projectile, unaware that it was still potentially explosive.
Army bomb disposal experts later collected the device, saying there was still a danger, CBC reports.
The British besieged Quebec while fighting the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham.

Quebec City archaeologist Serge Rouleau, who examined the munition before the army and noticed that it still contained a charge, said it was more an incendiary bomb than a cannonball, Le Soleil news site (in French) reports.
He had taken it home after the builders' firm, Lafontaine Inc, contacted the municipal authorities.
"The ball would break and the powder would ignite, setting fire to the building," Master Warrant Officer Sylvain Trudel, a senior munitions technician, was quoted by CBC as saying.