My eldest son is safely

My eldest son is safely on the plane to California for a visit with my family (lucky kid will probably sleep off yesterday on the plane.) It's just stupid bad luck (mine) that aviation security concerns are heightened by the recent al Quaeda threat just before his trip, but an article he read here and with which he agrees reassures me that he knows what is important and what to do if he's ever in that situation.

Mind you, I'm still going to check my email a number of times tonight until I get the one he's been ordered to send once he arrives. Mothers have rights too, you know.

Anyway, I'm going to wrap it up for today and try to forcus better tomorrow after catching up with yesterday's as well as today's news and some rest.

Take care.

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I am tired in a

I am tired in a way I hope is repeated a few more times in my lifetime after yesteday's concert. There are a number of references to the concert in the media, but a few things struck me that I'll share.

First, the love and pride for our Armed Forces was evident in voices that, hopefully, were heard all the way to Ottawa. A parachuting team from the armed forces (I believe called the Sky Hawks with the Maple Leaf insignia on the chutes) did some beautifully executed maneuvers on their way down to the area behind the stage to the oohs and aahs of the crowd.

An F-18 (or F14?) jet did a low pass circling the crowd and to a thunderous, standing ovation. In fact, everytime the armed forces of both Canada and the US were mentioned, either by citing the the fact that the concert was being broadcast to them or by messages of solidarity with them by the performers, the crowd responded enthusiastically and passionately. (I doubt that will be mentioned in the media!)

You'll see a lot written about how friendly and neighbourly the crowd was. It's all true. The only down note was when some of the crowd was disrespectful to Justin Timberlake, but as I watched the really young kids (aged +/- 10) dancing and rocking to him I was glad he came. There really was something for everyone.

When the crowd was urged to hold their fingers up in a peace sign to the Beatles song "Revolution" a surprisingly large number of people got the political message and pointedly saw down with their hands firmly in their laps.

People listen to their guts, not a group of people commonly perceived as the neediest in the world when it comes to public approval and lurve. Just my opnion.

Norman Jewison came on stage and showed a filmed tribute to Canada on the big screens. The crowds cheered their lustiest for two shots of Mike Meyers: Toronto loves Mike as much because he's a native son as because he came through for Toronto when the sagging tourist industry threatened the fiscal health of the city.

The crowd was terrific for all of the acts (with the one exception) but the younger folks got a big education when the Isley Brothers came on stage. Most of the younger crowd had never even heard of them; at first the ones cheering and dancing were us boomers, but the brothers came through with pure soul and quickly won over the youngsters (heh).

I swear to God sometimes I think the younger kids think my generation listened to the Beatles and Stones and then we switched over to Frank Sinatra type music. Well, we didn't. We'll never be too old to rock and roll, and we are way too young to die.

AC/DC proved an impossibly tough act to follow. I can't find the words to describe how electric and energizing they are. They were indeed TNT, and as tired as everyone was there was no way anyone could sit.

The Stones were great once they got going. There is this love affair between Keith Richards and Toronto that even Mick Jagger can't compete with. Keith said a few words expressing his sorrow that Toronto has been hit so hard that brought tears to our eyes. I don't know why Keith loves Toronto, he could think "those bastards busted me," but the affection he feels for us is as genuine as the affection Toronto feels for him. He's an amazing man.

Food sales were down, especially chicken burgers (damned straight we all ate beef) mostly because it was too damned hot to eat. Yesterday was the only day (including today) these past weeks when there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun was remorseless, but that's why they make hats and sunscreen.

As the sun finally set we were urged to put mosquito repellent on. I don't think anyone bothered; you've got 10 layers already of sunscreen and sweat and now you're going to dig through your bag to put more stuff on? Sure. No one around me did it either, and once again the people were right. We mock thee, West Nile. And, for whatever reason, there wasn't a single mosquito to be found on the field.

There's a pretty comprehensive news and analysis round-up at The Stones Rock Toronto if you want.

UPDATE: I had mispelt "Isley" and corrected it. Sigh. See what happens when you rock all night long?

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I won't be blogging on

I won't be blogging on Wednesday because I'll be attending the Toronto SARS concert.

The concert will be beamed to 2,000 Canadian troops in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Egypt and the Golan Heights and to US soldiers overseas as well.

See you Thursday, and God bless you all.

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Purported voice of Saddam mourns

Purported voice of Saddam mourns sons and calls them martyrs.

So he's purportedly still alive and ScrappleFace called it.

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No surprises here: President Bush

No surprises here: President Bush says that Sections of 9/11 report to stay secret.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Tuesday rejected calls to release classified sections of a congressional report on the September 11, 2001, attacks, saying his administration must protect intelligence sources during the war on terrorism.

The declassified material was sought by some lawmakers and Saudi Arabia, which says it has been smeared by the redacted report and unfairly tied to the hijackers by some members of Congress.

"It makes no sense to declassify when we've got an ongoing investigation. That could jeopardize that investigation," Bush said during a Rose Garden appearance with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Heh. Interesting photo op when making that announcement with PM Sharon before meeting with the Saudi Foreign Minister. I wonder if the funding of Hamas was discussed in either meeting.

It really pleases me that the Saudis are so nervous (however much they hide behind their deeply offended posture.) They could have figured out the game was up when former NYC Mayor Guiliani refused their sizeable donation but they too miscalculated what we're like when we're roused.

Well, too bad they are consumed with doubt. Too bad that our normally open, transparent political system has suddenly deprived them from learning what, if any, holes they have to plug to cover their sixes by the judicious use of a magic marker.

They are being forced to wonder not only what and how much we know, but how far up the chain our investigation has led us, and their main sources are speculations from Congress, the press, and their own paranoia!

I don't think President Bush is going to play partisan politics with this one however much the Dems try to draw him out. This is deadly serious, and if the stakes are between forcing the Saudi agenda into the open or them making much needed reforms in Saudi Arabia, so much the better. It will unwind slowly, and we'll build up Iraq in the meantime.

The part that doesn't exactly add up is the power distribution: the way the Saudis are acting, it's as though they feel they must maintain our good will, whereas the criticisms that have been leveled against Bush assume that it's us that need Saudi good will. What gives here?

I wish I could leap forward a few decades to learn how this is all going to play out, but for now I'll have to be content to rely on my untrustworthy crystal ball and predict that we'll see more arrests in Saudi Arabia as they strive to prove that they really are, you know, allies in the War on Terrorism. We might even see some cracks in the Royal family itself.

Just my opinion, of course.

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Right On! links and adds

Right On! links and adds some much needed snark to a innovative new scheme by the government Regulate me that, come to think of it, actually does sound like something dreamed up in Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" and will undoubtedly stop street-racing much as the gun registry has ended violent crime. Or maybe just end the Auto-Pact.

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I'm still in the gray

I'm still in the gray in my views on gay marriage (although I support gay rights), and I take it as a given that I must try to reconcile my beliefs in the value of the family and equal rights under the law with the evolution of our society, but then along comes the CBC who found someone to speak against the issue because gay marriage violates women's rights:

>From Agnete Kay of Calgary:

Opposition to same-sex-marriage is generally thought to be a right-wing -religious concern only. Not being very right-wing, I see it differently. My personal perspective is that there are issues of women's right here. Something that was always theirs is being taken away, namely the right to be an essential half of the institution of marriage.

Our Constitution's phrases about "not discriminate" once meant "not treat unfairly," but is now re-interpreted as "not distinguish." It is taken to mean that men and women are the very same thing.

Okay, I'm with her so far. There has been a blurring of lines these past several years because equality does not equate sameness if only because biological realities get in the way. I'm not as strong as most men, and I couldn't carry fire-fighting equipment up 50 stories or a victim down a ladder. But there are women who are strong enough and men who aren't strong enough, so the issue has always been (to me) one of evaluating our abilitities as individuals.

... Over the last hundred years there has been good progress in getting women represented in such institutions as the courts and parliament. If it is now decided that a man can represent a woman, will there be any necessity to have women in other institutions? (Emphasis added)
[...]

Huh? Maybe she's just too subtle for me. Read on:

Men are physically stronger than women. They have more influence in society. They earn higher incomes with better pensions. They are employable even after age 50. They are not subject to the potential dangers of childbirth, one of the many uncertainties of a marriage. How can two men, two equally privileged persons, say they form a marriage?
[...]

I hope she isn't saying that women need marriage to be exclusively between a man and a woman because it is the only way women can make up for inequality between the genders. Does that mean that lesbians who marry will be at an even bigger disadvantage? Where does that leave single women?

If her argument hinges on the contention that a man married to a man supposedly has an advantage over a man married to a woman, what does that have to do with women's rights? Am I to suppose therefore that a heterosexual man will look at the comparative advantages and decide "Hey! I'm gonna marry me a man instead of a woman because then I'll be more privileged!"

I really, really appreciate the tireless efforts of CBC investigative reporters who uncovered this threat to women's rights and brought it to the attention of those of us who are actually trying to work out our attitudes on this issue rationally.

(via Daimnation!)

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>From FOXNews: Senators: Pentagon Plan

>From FOXNews: Senators: Pentagon Plan Would Allow Betting on Terrorism.

When I saw the headline, I thought it was an office pool thing, but it turns out to be utilising the talents of futures traders:

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon ... views it as a potentially innovative way to get clues about terrorists' plans: a public, stock market-style exchange where traders can profit by correctly predicting terror attacks or assassinations in the Middle East.

M'kay. President Bush did warn us nearly two years ago that the War on Terrorism would be waged with both conventional and unconventional strategies but I'm really going to have to think about this one.

It does make sense to use the talents of traders, but I'm squeamish that they could actually profit on terrorism. It also raises an ugly picture when I think about market abuses like insider trading.

The article states that government agencies will not be allowed to participate and will not have access to the identities or funds of traders... but still I wonder if it is connected in any way to the ongoing investigation of the market dump of shares of American and United Airlines just prior to Sept. 11. (Emphasis added)

Read the article. I report, you decide.

(via Neale News)

UPDATE: Instapundit has a good analysis and some additional links about this here so I'm going to live with my squeamishness and stick with "it's not as crazy as it sounds."

UPDATE: According to the New York Daily News, Pentagon pulls the plug on bet-on-a-threat Website.

Pity.

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A bit of whimsey for

A bit of whimsey for the morning: Loch Ness monster does not exist, British Broadcasting Corp. says.

LONDON (AP) - The Loch Ness monster is a Loch Ness myth - at least according to the British Broadcasting Corp., which says a team that trawled the loch for any signs of the famous monster came up with nothing more than a buoy moored several metres below the surface.

Since the BBC has a poor track record on factual reporting, I'm going to continue to believe in Nessie.

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>From CNN Saudi official, Bush

>From CNN Saudi official, Bush to meet on 9/11 report:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A diplomatic source says Saudi Arabia's foreign minister will meet Tuesday with President Bush to seek the release of Saudi-related material that was kept out of the public version of the new congressional report on the September 11 attacks.

A White House official confirmed the meeting would take place, and another administration official said the Saudis are upset about recent verbal attacks in Congress against their government.
[...]
The diplomatic source said the Saudi government wanted "White House help" to quiet the dispute, and said the Saudi government was being "recklessly smeared" by some members of Congress who have said some material was kept classified because the administration is trying to protect the Saudi government and keep incriminating information out of the public eye. (Emphasis added)

Like the French, the Saudis don't get separation of powers, freedom of speech, or freedom of the press.

Asked whether the Saudis wanted the material declassified, this diplomatic source said, "That would be one way to stop some of the reckless things and one of the things to be discussed."
[...]

Looks like a case of soft diplomacy to me. The US government has put more pressure on the Saudis by what they didn't say than by what they did say.

I'm just speculating here, of course. Connecting the dots is a dangerous game which often leads to sticking my neck out.

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Progress slow in Kazemi case

July 29 - From the Toronto Sun, Progress slow in Kazemi case:

Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham provided little assurance yesterday that progress is being made in the investigation into the death of a Canadian photojournalist. "What we want to do is make sure that those who are responsible for this tragic death are apprehended and punished for it -- whoever it is," Graham said yesterday of reports the lead prosecutor in Iran was involved.

[...]

"We wish to use the case both to open further democracy in Iran and also the protection of journalists," said Graham, whose son Patrick spent time in Iraq covering the war. But Graham has yet to speak with the Iranian foreign minister or confirm the reports surrounding the arrest of five security officials. (Emphasis added)

By George I think he's got it! Finally. This is, and has always been, the crux of the issue. (Maybe he finally learned the difference between international laws and covenants and why calling on Iran to adhere to a law that doesn't exist or a covenant they haven't signed put Canada's case internationally on shaky ground.)

Graham is expected to meet with Hachemi who has called on the Canadian government to impose trade sanctions, charge the lead Iranian prosecutor with engaging in terrorist activity and involve the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Stephen Hachemi has been relentless in his pursuit of justice. Maybe whenever we start to whine "There's nothing we can do" we should stop short and remember him. He's pulling people together to fight a stone-walling Ayatollocracy (TM Paul), and everyone who believes in freedom of the press should be cheering for him.

Over at the Reporters Without Borders website they are calling on Canada to take the initiative:

Reporters Without Borders urged the Canadian government to take the initiative of setting up an international commission of enquiry and to pressure the Iranian government into accepting the commission.

"It is clear now that only an international enquiry will be able to identify who was involved," [Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert] Ménard said. "The Iranian regime clearly has no desire to shed light on this case and prosecute those responsible for this murder."

[...]

A total of 21 journalists are currently in prison in Iran, 13 of whom were arrested in the past 40 days. This makes the Islamic republic the biggest prison for journalists in the Middle East. Thirteen of the detained journalists are being held by Mortazavi's staff and Revolutionary Guards in the same centre where Kazemi was interrogated.

These detainees are denied all rights (such as visits from their lawyer and family) and are kept in deplorable conditions. Reporters Without Borders is very concerned about their fate, especially as their relatives have referred to physical and psychological torture in a letter to President Khatami.

In another statement, they have issued a Call for European Union to break with Iran over journalist's death:

Reporters Without Borders called on the European Union today to break off the "constructive dialogue" it has conducted with Iran since 1998 until officials responsible for the death of Canadian-Iranian photographer Zahra Kazemi earlier this month had been brought to trial.

It said it was "unthinkable" that such talks could continue while such a serious crime remained unpunished. It also called on the EU to back Canadian efforts to have Kazemi's body returned to Canada and for an international commission of enquiry to be set up. (Emphasis added)

[...]

A total of 23 journalists are currently imprisoned in Iran, making it the biggest jail for journalists in the Middle East. Thirteen of them are believed to be held by Mortazavi's department and by the Guardians of the Revolution, in the same place where Kazemi was interrogated. They are not allowed visits from family or lawyers and are held in very bad conditions. Reporters Without Borders is very worried about their plight. Their families have written to President Khatami saying they have been physically and psychologically tortured.

Speaking of Reporters Without Borders, there was a disturbing development at the UN last Thursday:

Reporters Without Borders's consultative status with the United Nations commission on human rights was suspended on July 24 for one year at the request of Libya and Cuba because activists with the organisation staged a protest during the inauguration of the commission's last session in March against the decision to let Libya chair the commission. (Emphasis added)

Reporters Without Borders insists that granting the chair to Col. Gaddafi's regime has been a disgrace to the commission.

[...]

Reporters Without Borders today publishes a report which details the excesses, shortcomings and accelerating decline of this commission, which dictatorships such as Cuba and China have taken over in order to strip it of all substance.

The reports proposes a series of reforms that are essential if the commission is to be rescued : limiting the right to vote to those states that have ratified the main international human rights covenants, naming an independent human rights expert to chair the commission, and abolishing the so-called "non-action" motions that have repeatedly been used to block debates.

The results of the vote on the suspension of the consultative status of Reporters without borders :

In favour (27) : Azerbaijan, Benin, Bhutan, Brazil, Burundi, China, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Libya, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

Against (23) : Andorra, Australia, Chile, El Salvador, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Peru, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and United States.

Abstentions (4) : Argentina, Ecuador, Japan, and Senegal.

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What can you say about

What can you say about this Bob Hope dead at 100 - Jul. 28, 2003 except "Thanks for the memories."

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How Trudeau fought terror

July 28 - A must read at Daimnation! How Trudeau fought terror, and why Cultural Protectionism doesn't work as he reminds us with a quick tour of history that Trudeau's legacy of fighting terrorism during the FLQ crisis differs greatly with Sheila Copps' views of appeasement and how her "cultural protectionism" views have impeded access to information in Canada.

It's not only instructive but hard hitting, so wear a helmet.

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Hachemi calls for case to go before ICC

July 28 - From the Toronto Star, Take case to world court, Kazemi's son says.

MONTREAL - The son of slain photojournalist Zahra Kazemi wants the Canadian government to take the case to the International Criminal Court.

In a letter sent Friday, Stephan Hachemi and lawyer Marlys Edwardh asked Ottawa to charge Saeed Mortazavi, Tehran's chief prosecutor, under the Criminal Code with engaging in "terrorist activity" outside Canada in relation to a Canadian citizen.

"It would seem clear that his conduct was in whole or in part for political, religious, or ideological purposes, etc. to intimidate a segment of the public with regard its security," the letter states.

Hachemi and Edwardh also asked the government to consider imposing trade sanctions against Iran and to use the court to ensure Kazemi's body is brought back to Canada.

Hachemi dismissed reports that five security agents were arrested in Iran this weekend. He called the arrests a "diversion" to throw the Canadian government off track.

"The Iranians have done that in similar cases; they arrest a few implicated agents so they can cover Mortazavi and cover high-ranking officers," Hachemi said yesterday. The International Criminal Court has the power to bring his mother's body back to Canada, he added.

Good for him. Keeping the pressure on both the Canadian and Iranian governments is essential.

(via Neale News because you know I don't read the Toronto Star!)

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>From the Daily Telegraph (UK)

>From the Daily Telegraph (UK) Israel frees militants in 'gesture of goodwill'.

Israel yesterday authorised the release of more than 100 Palestinian militants from its prisons in a "goodwill gesture" designed to boost the "road map" to peace.

The decision to free members of Islamic Jihad and Hamas was passed in the cabinet by 14 votes to nine. It reversed an earlier resolution barring release of prisoners from groups behind the suicide bombings that have killed hundreds of Israelis in the past 33 months.

What the hell is a Palestinian "militant" or "activist"? Is it someone who carries a picket sign or participates in a sit-in at a government building? Or maybe someone who circulates a petition?

No, really, I want to know. Are the words "militant" and "activist" to be interpreted as meaning the same thing when we apply them to Canadians and Americans, or are they cowardly media-speak for those who recruit, plan or carry out terrorist actions?

I want to know if the road map is truly being served by releasing these "militants" or if I need to cross my fingers and hope I don't hear of new homicide-bomb attacks on buses or in cafes in Israel.

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>From the Daily Telegraph (UK)

>From the Daily Telegraph (UK) Burglar shot by Martin to drop £15,000 claim.

The burglar wounded when Tony Martin killed his teenage accomplice is to drop his £15,000 claim for damages, his brother said yesterday.

The civil action cited "loss of income" as the basis for the suit.

The civil action by Brendon Fearon - with the assistance of legal aid - caused outrage among Martin's supporters. (Emphasis added)

Fearon, 33, a career criminal with more than 30 convictions, was released from prison on Friday after serving a third of an 18-month sentence for supplying drugs.

Martin, 58, will be freed today after serving two thirds of his five-year sentence for the manslaughter of 16-year-old Fred Barras. He opened fire with a shotgun during a burglary at his ramshackle farmhouse on the Norfolk-Cambridgeshire border.

Fearon's brother Joe, speaking at the family home in Newark, Notts, said yesterday that the civil action would be dropped in the next few days because of the distress it was causing Fearon's parents.

Malcolm Starr, Martin's most prominent supporter, said: "This action should never have been brought, let alone funded out of legal aid. (Emphasis added)
[...]

(Paul has the story here of the death threats that have accompanied Tony Martin's release Life in the U.K..)

Does anyone doubt this lawsuit could happen in Canada or the US?

DEPRESSING UPDATE: The lawsuit was evidently not dropped after all. Sigh. Well, I can still hope a sensible judge tosses it out of court.

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For a second time from

For a second time from the National Post (sans computer crash) Iraq looms as terrorist magnet: U.S.:

Iraq has become a "terrorist magnet" for guerrilla fighters wanting to attack U.S. troops, a senior American general said yesterday following the fifth death of a soldier in 24 hours.

"We've got terrorist activity, we've got former regime leadership, we have criminals and we have some hired assassins that are attacking our soldiers on a daily basis," said Army Lieutenant-General Ricardo Sanchez, commander of ground forces in Iraq.

"This is what I would call a terrorist magnet, where America, being present here in Iraq, creates a target of opportunity, if you will."

First, to give credit where credit is due. David Warren articulated this as a strategy July 5 in his essay Flypaper:

The U.S. occupation of Iraq has done more to destabilize Iran than the ayatollahs could hope to do in Iraq; and then something. This "something" has befuddled the various "experts" on regional security, trapped within their Pavlovian assumptions. They notice that the U.S. forces in Iraq have become a new magnet for regional terrorist activity. They assume this demonstrates the foolishness of President Bush's decision to invade. (Emphasis added)

And, only last February, Osama bin Laden released a tape which declared his partnership with Iraq and urged resistance to US forces and occupation by the faithful.

A senior Bush administration official who listened to the tape said that, if authentic, "At best it is a terrorist making common cause with a brutal dictator and at worst it demonstrates a burgeoning alliance of terror."

Read "Flypaper" by David Warren again, and ask yourself: If self-styled jihadists and terrorists weren't in Iraq, where would they be now and what would they be doing?

Never doubt the sincerity of people like me who voice their gratitude and respect for the brave men and women in Iraq. They are protecting all of us from terrorist attacks by "bringing it on" themselves and being the targets as well as the hunters.

God bless them and keep them.

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Canadian Bruce Balfour held in Lebanon

July 28 - From the National Post Canadian held in Lebanon:

A Canadian citizen has been detained for the past three weeks in a Beirut prison in Lebanon without any formal charges, CanWest News Service has learned.

Bruce Balfour, a 52-year-old Calgarian, was stopped on his arrival at the Beirut airport on July 10 and brought to the Rumy prison, where family and friends say he is being held without formal charges.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said a staff member from the Canadian Embassy in Lebanon visited Mr. Balfour in prison on July 24 and a diplomatic note has been sent to the Lebanese government requesting further information about his detention.

Marie-Christiane Lilkoff said the Canadian government is trying to find out the reasons for Mr. Balfour's detention. She did not know whether there had been any delay by the Lebanese government in informing the Canadian Embassy of Mr. Balfour's detention, as is normally done in these cases.

[...]

Mr. Balfour's sister, Laura Mackenzie, said the Canadian consulate in Beirut was not made aware of Mr. Balfour's detention until 10 days after the fact when "an informant" in Lebanon contacted friends in Canada about his situation.

In a letter written July 22 to the Canadian ambassador in Lebanon, Mr. Balfour says he was arrested at the airport because Lebanese computerized records indicated he had once visited Israel.

You should read the article in its entirety because there are differing opinions as to how effective the Canadian government has been in this case before jumping to any conclusions, but it is very troubling that we don't know on what charges or suspicions he is being held.

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First, I guess I should

First, I guess I should mention that Idi Amin came out of his coma. It is regrettable, in retrospect, that his comatose body wasn't sent to Uganda after all because he'd now be under arrest and facing Ugandan justice.

Mark Steyn in The Sunday Telegraph (UK) has a non-obituary in He will not be missed and, with vintage Steynness, finds the absurdities and takes a free shot at the Saudis:

A convert to Islam, he escaped to Saudi Arabia, where he's been on "pilgrimage" ever since, living on a stipend from the royal family. At least in this instance, unlike their more recent subventions, the House of Saud began giving money to a mass murderer after he'd stopped killing.

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After a brief (and sporadic!)

After a brief (and sporadic!) vacation, News Junkie Canada is back and posting with the same uncompromising sanity I look forward to each day.

Today's post include Multicult 101, a sharp inditement of the Federal government's refusal to give local and provincial police the information they would need to track down 59 war criminals loose in Canada. (These 59 are not leftover Nazis but recent would-be refugees who failed to appear for deportation as ordered.)

Refugee status is that which is granted to people who are fleeing such creeps. It perverts the whole notion of refugee status that the violators of human rights are not put on the first plane back to stand justice in their own countries.

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