Time flies when one is busy which is no excuse to not sit down and collect one’s thoughts and post a few notes now and again. Sometimes it seems like the world is just a bunch of crazies and you wonder where they sane people are — don’t look at me.
Last week CSIS and the RCMP rounded up 17 males, 12 men and 5 youths, and charged them with terrorism related charges, then later in the week another male arrested in Britain allegedly in connection with those plots, yesterday Abu Musab al-Zarqawi , the most wanted man in Iraq killed by American troops.
I have to admit to being bothered at some level to hear someone like George Bush state that “justice was delivered to al-Zarqawi” refering to him being killed. At one level, the practical level, him being killed rather than captured denied him the opportunity that Saddam has — that is to turn a trial into a long drawn out circus. At another level I wonder how long it will take to start applying that implied definition of ‘justice’ to others the American or other governments don’t want to have to deal with democratically, through charges and a trial.
A group called The Freedom Caravan rolled into Colborne on Monday afternoon. We hosted them at Trinity Anglican putting on a potluck dinner when they arrived and then providing our currently empty rectory for them to sleep in and use of the church kitchen and hall the next day for them to make themselves breakfast. A public meeting was held on Monday evening so the group could talk about what they are doing and why.
They are making their way to Ottawa in time for Supreme Court hearings next week on the constitutionality of security warrants being used in this country. Under a security warrant, people (usually immigrants) can be arrested and held indefinitely without access to the evidence against them, charges or trial. Currently there are five Muslim men being held in a special jail in Kingston. The group is not advocating for the release of the men, they are advocating for them to be given due process, charges and a trial.
It was interesting spending time with them, sharing a meal, conversation and even a beer with them. They come from a cross section of people and everyone of them I talked with were intelligent, thoughtful people who care passionately about the freedoms we so often take for granted.
