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You are here: Home / Politics / Don’t apologize, Ms. May

Don’t apologize, Ms. May

05/11/2015 by the editor 6 Comments

Cartoon: Elizabeth May swearing at Stephen HarperBy Montreal Simon

I’m very sorry to see that Elizabeth May is very sorry about livening up the deadly dull Press Gallery Dinner, with a choice comment about Stephen Harper and his cabinet.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May says she is ‘very apologetic’ about remarks she made on the weekend that included profanity and insulted the federal cabinet about how it has treated Omar Khadr.

May played a recording of ‘Welcome Back Kotter’ — a theme song from a 1970s sitcom — and stated that Khadr has ‘more class than the whole f—ing cabinet.'”

Because while she does owe everyone an apology for playing the theme song from “Welcome back Kotter” — that was a faux pas — in the matter of Omar Khadr she was only speaking truth to power.

Cartoon: Stephen Harper with mutants

Khadr does have more class than the whole federal cabinet.

And it’s Stephen Harper who has the Big Omar Problem.

The reason I say that is because I have been struck by how many Canadians seem to have changed their opinion of that young Canadian after seeing him and hearing him for the first time …

The day before that news conference 49% of those who voted in a “Power and Politics” poll thought he was a threat to society.

The day after the news conference more than 70% said they had changed their minds about him.

That huge and sudden swing is also reflected in the comment pages of newspapers all over the country. And in letters like this one. 

Tut-tutting like sour Victorian schoolmarms, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his talking point-equipped ministers speculate that Omar Khadr is a danger to Canadians. Out on bail, Khadr presented himself last Thursday as an articulate, reasonable young man with no apparent grudge over his questionable imprisonment as a child, including torture at the hands of U.S. government agents.

If those torturers enjoyed what they did to Khadr and now walk free in the U.S., they may visit Canada where we can speculate that their urges to inflict harm could lead them to commit awful crimes here.

So, one must ask, Mr. Harper, who do you speculate is the greater threat to Canadians? Are you with the torturers or against them?”

And when Stephen Harper loses the support of a Sun columnist, in Calgary of all places, you know he’s in trouble.

This unrepentant redneck — whose attitude towards the ‘War on Terror’ can be helpfully summed up in this handy, seven-word phrase, ‘Kill em all, let God sort them out’ — has one thing to say after notorious war criminal Omar Khadr has been turned loose on the Canadian public.

Welcome home, kid. And good luck. You’ll need it.”

For his attempt to demonize Khadr appears to have backfired big time.

Under Canadian law, if Khadr had been convicted of murder on our soil, he’d have been freed six years ago. But by any reasonable standard, Omar Khadr is not culpable. He is a victim. A child soldier who required therapy and rehabilitation. Not illegal incarceration. Certainly not to be declared public enemy No. 1 by Harper.”

And when in a few days time the Supreme Court delivers a judgement on whether Khadr should have been treated as a young offender, rather than being sent to an adult prison. And will almost certainly rule in his favour.

Stephen Harper will be left looking like even more of a bully.

Or even more of a sadistic monster …

And even worse for his chances of winning the next election, it will surely make many Canadian wonder whether they can trust ANYTHING he says about ANYTHING.

Which raises a fascinating question. Could the Guantanamo Kid, who Harper tortured for so long for crass political purposes, turn out to be his nemesis?

And wouldn’t that be ironic?

The child soldier in the orange jumpsuit came back to Canada to torture Harper.

And in the court of public opinion dressed HIM up in orange …

Yes indeed, wouldn’t that be poetic justice?

Liberated by Canada’s most famous prisoner.

And what a wonderful end to a horrible story …

Filed Under: Politics

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Comments

  1. Rob says

    05/11/2015 at 3:52 pm

    You Harper defenders ought to take off the blinkers. Unless you’re a 1%’er, he’s screwing you. And he has no mandate to remake the country. Cut the census, cut science? He’d cut universal healthcare if he could get away with it.

  2. James says

    05/11/2015 at 12:40 pm

    Typical lefties always in a rush to support abhorrent behavior, whilst vilifying those who disagree with their point of view. The left has become the new fascists.

  3. Janet Hudgins says

    05/11/2015 at 9:08 am

    Glad to see this, good stuff. What is galling is Raitt, trying to patronize a woman who has more honesty and intelligence in her little finger than anyone in the Harper government. And so glad Elizabeth got her punchline recorded. It will get repeated many times in the coming weeks and in the run-up to the election.

  4. beth byron says

    05/11/2015 at 5:11 am

    that is why he was captured and jailed in guantanamo because he was with his father fighting for the cause of ben ladin, a big time terrorist. and his father was killed. Now you think our prime minister is the bad guy. shame on you people

  5. beth byron says

    05/11/2015 at 5:06 am

    people forgotv that omar khadr was in afganishtan with his father fighting for ben ladin who is a known terrorist who has killed a lot of innocent people. remember 9/11 and now you are idolizing him. what is wrong with you people……

  6. David Kingsley says

    05/11/2015 at 4:24 am

    What a stupid woman.

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