“Air India Inquiry. Without the ATA provisions, that Inquiry can’t do its work, the police won’t be able to investigate and the Air India families will never know the truth.”
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What a load of crap. Air India happened nearly 3 decades ago, and they have had these laws for the last 6-years, and now they say they need these laws in order to investigate the crime?

Other reports say these crimes have never been used in 6 years of existence. They were laws that were created in an environment of fear after 9/11. They are designed to forward a police state.

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BTW
Had flight 93 not been delayed 40 minutes on the tarmac at take off, than it would have been on time to wipe out the US Congress effectively ending all opposition to Bush. The delay could not be accounted for in the Dick Chaney NORAD stand down so flight 93 was brought down before it could be intercepted and proven to be under remote control. Remote control planes and the need for a stand down to avoid exposing this is why NORAD did not intercept any of the hijacked planes that day over the two hours America was under attack.

As Canadians we should be finding laws that allow us to protect the nation from those that would attack it from within, rather than laws that restrict our collective rights.

We should all be asking if NORAD is responsible for protecting our Canadian cities from the kind of thing that happened on 9/11, than why is it that we allowed President Bush to change the command for NORAD to the Secretary of Defence and not the commanders on the ground, thereby setting the stage for the NORAD stand down, and thus in effect violating Canadian sovereignty in a time of war. Maybe we should ask why is our government complicit in the cover up for the greatest treason attack on our civilization in its history? Wouldn't an open government wish to make all the facts clear through an unbiased investigation into these anomalies as they affect our nation and our national security through our sovereignty in situations of joint responsibility through organizations like NORAD?

I think not answering these questions puts the nation at risk far more than a law that was never used in the first place.

"I’ve been endeavouring to be less “partisan” in my weekly columns..."

Obviously, without any success whatsoever.

Sorry there jay , but your leader is not any better, his only grace is he was elected by who knows whom.
He has put "every" Canadian at risk by converting our troops to active fighting, instead of the peacekeepers that we have been ( and have done a great job on) so he could look good in his buddy, Mr Bush's eyes.
Now we too are bad guys and fair targets for the kooks of the world...

I think it is too early to judge our mission in Afghanistan. We can still do a lot of good over there. If the Taliban brings the fight to us than so be it. We will cross that bridge when it happens. Canada is not a country of cowards when it comes to human rights and assisting abused societies.

I don't support Iraq, and I don't support the use of 9/11 for political purposes, but at this time I do support our mission in Afghanistan.

That said check this out for a fascinating re-look at the minutes surrounding the collapse of the WTC#7 as per BBC live. Raises even more questions as to how they new WTC#7 would collapse 20 minutes before it actually did even though no steel structure building had ever in history or since collapsed from a fire, let alone a fifty story building in 6 seconds.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=49f_1172526096

Was not Jay Hill the loyal opposition as the defence critic at the time of 9/11 when GW gave the orders taking the decision making powers from NORAD and giving it to the Defence Secretary of the United States facilitating the stand down on 9/11.

Did Jay Hill ever raise questions as to how this impacted Canadian sovereignty as an equal partner in NORAD, or was it acceptable for Canada to let go of its equality in NORAD and thus our sovereignty in order to facilitate 9/11?

I would think if Jay Hill was concerned about national security he would have done his own job when he was in the position of responsibility to raise these questions. Maybe that is why he was the only Canadian ever admitted to the Privy Council without ever being a cabinet minister?

Talk is cheap. The fact of the matter is the Conservatives should have thrown this legislation out on their own, or allowed it to die on the expiration date. It serves no useful purpose. We can track and arrest terrorist the same now as we always have, we dont need to go to Gestapo tactics to get the job done. This is after all a democracy. Its time the Conservatives took care of some of these issues on their own, without fighting with the opposition.

Insofar as Afghanistan goes, a number of members of the Karzi Government are ex Warlords, and criminals, and some of them were going to be charged with war crimes, and have now managed to get these charges removed. This was one reason that they got into the Government in Afghanistan. In addition to suggest that this Government in power is a democracy is beyond the realm of understanding.

There is no member of the Karzi Government who would dare go anywhere in Afghanistan even though it has been 6 years since the Taliban were (supposedly) routed.

To suggest that we should continue to support a Government that is corrupt, infiltrated with war criminals, drug peddlars, and warlords is inconceivable. Harper and his Government should be looking at ways to get out of Afghanistan before they are run out like the Russians were.

Every Country that has ever invaded Afghanistan in the past 1000 years have been driven out, and the so called NATO force will be the next to go. We shouldnt forget that the Americans supported Osama Bin Ladin, the Taliban and other Muhajideen against the Russians for 10 years, supplying them with ammunition, rockets, and money. It was this American support that helped Afghanistan defeat the Russians. Are we now to beleive that the Russians are not covertly helping the Taliban, along with Pakistan. Seems to me that they all carry Kalashnakov Rifles, which as far as I know come from Russia.

The occupation of Afghanistan is Foreign Policy at its best, and has nothing to do with the man in the street, and all to do with influence in areas adjacent to Russia. Putin is not very happy about this.

If Harpers smart he will find a way out before Afghanistan becomes his Waterloo.

chandermando, where do you get this crap. Instead of some zionist conspiracy its a norad/bush conspiracy. flight 93 would have wiped out congress and eliminated all bush oposition??? whatever. this is what happens when you don't take your meds.

Palopu its hard to argue with that logic.

Funny you say Afghanistan will be Harpers Waterloo. I read the other day a comment that 9/11 was America's Waterloo, and not its new Pearl Harbour. The obvious reference being back to how the Rothschild’s took over London Banking on inside knowledge and manipulation related to the battle of Waterloo, rather than just a raw attack by another country.

I imagine you're just referring to the potential to lose face.

I agree with your assessment, but think we may have a chance to make a difference in the next year, and if not than I agree we should not stick around taking loses if the cause is hopeless.

Also observant about the Putin thing as per his comments earlier this month. Russia views missile defence as an offensive weapon designed to mitigate a retaliatory capability of Russia in a first strike nuclear attack. They view NATO expansion and bases of operation in Central Asia in this regard as well, and have announced they are resuming manufacture of medium range nuclear delivery systems as a result. Upping the anti in a dangerous way in response to a dangerous policy.

Time Will Tell

Dow you're living in the world of delusion. I'm just asking why, when things don't add up.

Facts are flight 93 was delayed 40 minutes at take off, and if not for this wrinkle in the timeline, they would have likely targeted the US Congress that was at the time sitting in session with both houses. How American democracy would look today would be speculation, but no denying it would be different if not for a tarmac delay on that fateful day.

I didn't say I think it is a NORAD conspiracy, but that the chain of command was changed only a month prior to 9/11 that in effect facilitated the lack of response on that day. That change in command was ordered by President Bush, and violated in a way the American treaty obligations to Canada under NORAD. The blame lies with Bush and not with NORAD, and questions are to our own government as to what they have investigated or had to say about this infringement on our Canadian sovereignty.

As for Bush and zionism, they are one and the same going under the neo-con flag to blur the lines of loyalty.

Dow list one example of my advocating a conspiracy if you can. I have not advocated any conspiarcy, and have only asked obvious questions that should be asked to shed light on the truth. Are you opposed to the truth as if the truth is a conspiracy?

Actually name two, because I did say I think 9/11 was an inside job, but other than that I have only asked questions based on known facts with unknown answers.

"If Harpers smart he will find a way out before Afghanistan becomes his Waterloo."

Well, that's it then! Looks like we are staying! Harper already said that Canada will stay *as long as it takes!* We are stuck there until Canada has a new Prime Minister and Washington a new President!

You may very well be right Diplomat, I suspect that Harper thinks he has Canadians onside for his Afghanistan policy, however he doesnt, and if it becomes a big issue in the election he may find a way out, if it doesnt then we are in for the long haul.

The only other pressure that will get them out would be a serious increase in fatalities, and we have to hope that, that doesnt happen.

Britian and the US have all but lost Irag, and may put their forces into Afghanistan so that they can claim some kind of a victory. Blair is leaving the Government a loser, and Bush is not far behind.

A peace keeping mission is one thing, but a combat mission which tries to establish some kind of peace is another kettle of fish altogether.

A surprising number of Afghans are sick and tired of the constant battles and the killing of innocent civilians - all that to prop up a government that was established under American pressure and rules.

The Afghans are accustomed to a clan type society that consists of regional rulers providing protection and law and order. Most of all they resent any foreign invaders on their soil, no matter what the geo-political agenda de jour is.

The West has to learn that in those parts an invasion is a no-no; it has been for hundreds of years. Invading them is not respecting them, their ancient customs and religion.

They showed the Soviets how they usually deal with those who trespass.

Already educated voices are being heard in the USA that consider an Iraq ruled by a benevolent dictator as a viable and acceptable outcome and the only ticket for a withdrawal of combat forces.

To think that hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians died needlessly is almost too much to bear for any human being with ethics, morals and compassion.

The Americans drafted the new constitution for Iraq, which I understand allows Oil Companies to drill for oil in Irag, the oil companies are of course American and British. These companys under the new Irag's law are entitled to recoup their costs of exploration, and then are entitled to something in the area of 20 to 30% of the available oil, this money is to be tax free.

Considering that world opinion beleives that Irag sits on 15 Billion barrels of oil, one can see why there is such an interest in having this oil legislation in the constitution. Even after the Americans leave as long as there is a so called Democratic Government they will be able to access the Oil.

If you wonder why the Americans are constantly knocking Iran you need only to go back into history a little, and you will see that Iran threw out the British, and the Americans, and nationalized their oil industry. This made them an instant enemy of the Americans, who I might add would still like to get their hands on Iranian oil.