Friday, January 26, 2007

Finally

PM Steve issued a formal apology today and announced that Maher Arar will be awarded $10.5million in compensation for the monumental fuckup that led to him being grabbed off the street by US government thugs, "renditioned" to Syria and tortured for a year. Not nearly enough for a year of torture, but then Canada wasn't alone in throwing a fuck into Arar's life.

In spite of Arar having been completely vindicated by the Canadian government, the US government refuses to take him off their watchlist, citing "other information" they supposedly have on him. However, the Canadian government has seen the "other information" and still says he's innocent and is giving the guy $10million. In so doing, they've answered the question of why the US refuses to take Arar off their watchlist. Arar had a similar lawsuit against the US government dismissed on "national security" grounds: that might come back for a big bite if he was cleared. And hell no, you wouldn't want to set some kind of precedent where detainees at Guantanamo that are found innocent can start suing the US government. That might be giving them, you know, due process.

Yes, it's really that simple, that odious, that ignominious. And the motherfuckers have no shame.