democracy

• A New Police State
• Harper, The New George Bush
• Being Canadian
• Harper to Appeal
• Powering Up the Vote
• Carol James Plea, Desperation or?
• Power Up Your Vote
• Alberta’s Human Rights Assault
• Without a Warrant
• ISPs, Tazers, RCMP, Warrants, Freedom
• The Terrorist Card.
• Harper’s Assault on Human Rights
• Harper’s Solution To Everything
• Walking Out Solves Nothing
• Vancouver Olympics & Opposition
• Harper’s Twisting of Truth
• Lives at Stake, or Political Backsides?
• Sign of the Times
• Should Voters Decide…
• Supreme Court Rules Against Khadr
• Smart Grid or Spy?
• Harper Conservatives Must Go

Stephen Harper & his so called Conservatives are moving forwards, to force Internet Service Providers to keep substantial records on their customers, and more importantly, to require them to provide that information at ANY request of Law Enforcement. ( see my post  Without A Warrant )

At the same time, we have the RCMP under the gun, for the tazer death of a man at Vancouver Airport, where it now appears, that the officers involved PLANNED on using the Tazer, WITHOUT BEING AT THE SCENE. ( more on this from CBC News )

The fact is, that without proper oversight, we are asking for abuse to take place. I believe strongly in Law & Order, but I also believe in Democracy too. The two can exist together, but only when abuses are dealt with in a fair and open manner. Democracy isn’t about secrecy, or about ignoring criminal acts. It is about protecting everyone from false accusations, from wrongful actions by those put in charge of dealing with misbehavior.

The track record of the RCMP has not been very good, nor has the record of CSIS either been exactly model. Just look at the two high profile cases that exist, in regards to terrorists. We have Arar who was taken in a USA Airport, and based on improper information from CSIS & RCMP was deported to Syria, where he was tortured.

The head of the RCMP had to apologize, and it cost the taxpayer’s about 9 million dollars, and is still causing grief for Mr. Arar.

Then we have the man who went to the Sudan to attend his mother’s funeral, who has spent a year bunking at the Canadian Embassy, because once again, the RCMP & CSIS screwed up and he was detained, tortured in the Sudan, and the Harper Government refused to return his passport, so he could come home.

It has taken a Supreme Court Order to force a resolution in that situation.

In Vancouver a man was tasered, and died at the Airport from it. The public enquiry has now found out, that the plan to taser him, was discussed before the officers were even on the scene, despite their testimony to the contrary. In short, they LIED UNDER OATH.

Yet we are being asked to give these same groups, that have screwed up rather seriously, the ability to gather information on anyone they believe is a terrorist, is a criminal, WITHOUT OVERSIGHT.

Recent events have proven, that as much as one would like to trust in them, it is clear that we can’t. It is obvious that we NEED to have oversight into the actions of our law enforcement personnel, and agents, AT ALL TIMES IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE ABUSE.

When things are taken private, bad things happen. Abuses become common, and this proposed ISP law, is a good example of what should NOT BE ENACTED. It is dangerous, not in that it will catch any terrorists, catch any criminals, but that it will generate more abuse of  innocent people.

I believe in Law & Order, but I believe in DEMOCRACY MORE. The Harper Government by its proposed laws to force ISPs to secure more data on its subscribers, and to make all that data easily available to any law enforcement agency, without a warrant, is a dangerous step, that leads to tyranny, & dictatorship. I may want the criminals locked up, but not at the price of innocent people being ruined for life, like Mr. Arar has had happen to him.