Who says the young are wastrels?
Read this and rejoice. The young people at St Mary's are at least doing something - standing up for what they think is important today. Cobourg students rally for Khadr
Just an ornery guy, not quite a curmudgeon
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2 comments:
What a conversation starter! I printed off the article and shared it with my co-workers, who are now loudly arguing the relative merits of both the Khadr case and Brenda Martin's, branching off to discuss the Canadian woman being held in Pakistan for so long.
It is very gratifying to see the actions of these kids at St. Mary's. Gives an old tired activist some hope for the future.
Gary O'Dwyer is the kind of guy I call a hero, and I don't say that lightly. He will be very much missed when he retires this year.
Let's hope the school board can find a replacement with the same commitment to social justice and teaching the young to stand up for what they believe in. There isn't enough of that anymore.
Way to go St. Mary's!
Two Canadians were arrested and tortured, one in Syria and the other in Egypt. One is free in Canada and the other is not free, but continues to be tortured, and tortured in a way that makes Omar Khadr's torture seem tame.
The two Canadians are Mohammed Essam Ghoneim el-Attar and Maher Arar.
Tarek Fatah, author of Chasing a Mirage and one of the founders of the Muslim Canadian Congress put it this way:
"Mohammed el-Attar was just like Maher Arar. Arar was Arab, and so was el-Attar; Arar was a Muslim, and so was el-Attar; Arar was arrested by a dictatorial Arab government, and so was el-Attar. Arar said he was tortured, and so was el-Attar. So what was the difference? While Arar was straight, el-Attar was gay. Because of that, not a single Muslim organization other than the Muslim Canadian Congress spoke about el-Attar. It was no surprise for me that Muslim organizations would refuse to advocate for a gay man, but the silence of the left and mainstream human rights groups was disturbing."
El-Attar confessed to his crime, just as Arar had confessed to his. El-Attar is facing a death sentence, which is something that Omar Khadr is not.
It is my guess that not one of O'Dwyer's students know of the plight of el-Attar. O'Dwyer is consistent with his 1980's political activism -- consistently anti-American and never publicly critical of Soviet totalitarianism.
He's no hero -- he's a shallow patsie. Terek Fatah faces death threats in Canada on a regular basis, whereas O'Dwyer does not. I'm transparent and open whereas Anonymous is not. I have the courage of my words, whereas Anonymous does not.
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