Khadr back in the news

I suspected that he would be back in the news soon enough. President Elect Obama said recently that he would close Gitmo in his first week as president. This is a very wise move on Obama's part as this is a sore thorn in the American identity. However, challenges would arise with such a move.

The issue I am concerned about is where and what will happen to Khadr. I just read about Romeo Dallaire's request to Obama on the CBC. The thing I like about online news sources is that you are able to read other people's opinions on the matter. I am still amazed at how little informed Canadians are in general when it comes to worldly matters. It is bothersome to me, as a Canadian, that our country does not create more global citizens.

I don't know how many times one must inform people of the actual illegality of the case before it sets into their skull. Without taking into consideration the terrible investigation of the US intelligence units (and lets be honest here they have been terrible in recent times), Omar Khadr was a child at the time of his arrest, A CHILD. Under UN Convention laws that pertain to children--child soldiers in particular--this whole case would be considered a farce. You can not charge a child with war crimes or terrorism. You don't do it in Africa, you don't do it in Latin America, you don't do it in Asia so you definitely should not do it in Afghanistan.

All I can say is I hope Obama makes the right choice to send him back to Canada and I hope that Bush is made to apologize for his treatment of the child and I hope that Canada has the audacity to apologize to the family for lack of involvement on this case. This my friends is a shameful thorn in our Identity.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a child as "every human
being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier." Biologically, a child is anyone in the developmental stage of childhood, between infancy and adulthood.

What great firewall of China?

It's been since months since I last wrote on the blog. My guess is that since the Beijing Olympics the great firewall of China has relaxed it's control on the internet so I've got access to blogger again. Although some can argue that you've had access since the summer--it's only since the prospect of my daughter writing her own blog on her time here in China that I have been re-discovering my old friend--the blog!

As for the update in my life--I'm still in China and living and working a good life. My daughter is coming back for a visit. This will be fun and full of surprises. I can't wait until she discovers what I have planned for her.

This blog is about to get a lot more interesting. You'll still have my rants and raves about politics and social justice issues close to my heart but there will be a focus on travel, work and general life in China.

Until my next entry--Zai Jian