Canadian Military Officer Exposes CPC's Lies and Attempted Cover U

[Catchme]

The blog and on line forum world is a buzz with this news, while most MSM proves they are coopted.

Canadian troops in Kandahar were so disturbed by the beating of a prisoner they had just transferred to the Afghan police force that they demanded to have the man returned to their care, a top soldier says in a sworn affidavit.

The testimony of Col. Steve Noonan, a former senior commander on the Afghan mission, casts doubt on the claims of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and senior ministers that they had no specific reports of abuse of prisoners in Afghanistan.

Noonan tells of at least one detainee who got a rough ride after being handed over to the Afghan National Police (ANP). And he says it's documented in the military's own reports.

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/210384

Now over at pogge, some more facts and commentary are going on.

Colonel Noonan: you're a hero of democracy now whether you want to be or not.

Meanwhile, government lawyers fending off a lawyer for Amnesty International, which is challenging government policy towards detainees in Federal Court, revealed that they had done at least a little time in one of Karl Rove's summer camps.

The whole neo-con house of cards is collapsing in Washington, and Stephen Harper wants to preserve it in aspic here? Why?

Stephen Harper, his bizarre ministers, and that foul-mouthed insubordinate CDS who hates democracy persist in pretending that there is a battlefield and there is an enemy, even though they are clearly misidentifying both, maybe because they are stupid, maybe because they are lying to us under pressure.

http://www.pogge.ca/archives/001563.shtml

Now tying the fact that the CPC and Harper himself are lying is Jeff over at where'd that bug go. He has a great list of harper denial, in the HoC no less. Canadains should be ashamed that we have such a PM.

I think what is disgraceful is to simply accept the allegations of some Taliban suspects at face value." - Stephen Harper

"Mr. Speaker, as I have just said and have said on many occasions this week, we have heard these allegations. We always take these allegations seriously. That is not the same thing as assuming that every allegation made by the Taliban is true."-Stephen Harper

Is Colonel Noonan the Taliban too Stephen? Way to go skadl you called it.

http://wheredthatbuggo.blogspot.com/2007/0...allegation.html

Now over at BnR, they have revealed another disquieting activity revealed by the Ottawa Citizen, this was during their attempt to try and smear peace activists in Canada, apparently the CPC could be planning to use CSIS to investigate peace activists in Canada. As a former CSIS levelled this comment:

One former official with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service has suggested that these "peace" activists ought not to be surprised if the Canadian security establishment will now take a closer look at them.

http://www.breadnroses.ca/forums/viewtopic...t=20503&start=0

This is all absolutely incredible and ugly behaviour by Harper and the CPC.

They have handbooks to block parliament and how to behave like children, they lie blatently to Canadians, and are discrediting Canada at home and around the world. At one time only dictatorships and 3rd world countries blocked Amnesty International Inquiries. But NO here we have it alive and well in Canada. Brought to us by Harper and Co.

Then over at The Galloping Beaver there is much much to be said about the mess the CPC are making regarding Afghanistan, but this really sums it up"

Your affinity to repeat the suggestion that people are "not supporting the troops" because they have a target lock on the way your government is dealing with Afghan detainees and subsequent transfers to Afghanistan government custody is, to put it bluntly, unmitigated bullshit.

None of it is about the troops. In fact, the issue surrounding the troops is that you and your government are putting them at risk by involving them in possible violations of the Geneva and Hague conventions and, worse, robbing them of the ability to believe they are serving Canadian values by treating captives humanely even if they surrender custody.

This isn't about the troops. It's about you.

http://thegallopingbeaver.blogspot.com/

[Keepitsimple]

This is old news and was covered on this BLOG 2 weeks ago. It was disrcedited then - and I would question your motives for raising it again. To refresh your memory, the detainee in question was never captured by Canadian troops. This should have been a good news story- our soldiers went out of their way to protect the rights of an Afghan...but as usual, the partisan media jumped on another opportunity to portray the military and our Government in a negative light without making an effort to get the full story. Here are the facts, as later reported by CTV:

DND issues clarification on Afghan abuse story

Updated Sat. May. 5 2007 7:45 PM ET

Canadian Press

OTTAWA -- The Canadian Forces has released more details about an incident in which soldiers in Afghanistan intervened to save a civilian who was being abused.

Reports of the June 2006 incident, taken from court transcripts, caused an uproar in the Commons on Friday.

Lt.-Gen. Walter Natynczyk, the Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff, said Saturday that the way the incident has been portrayed is inaccurate.

In cross-examination involving a lawsuit by Amnesty International, Col. Mike Noonan described an incident in which Canadian soldiers had to take custody of an Afghan man whom they suspected of being beaten by Afghan National Police officers. It was initially suggested the man had been captured by Canadian soldiers.

But Natynczyk said that's not the case and the individual had simply been questioned by soldiers in the village of Zangabad, 50 kilometres southwest of Kandahar.

The incident was used as illustration by Opposition parties that Canadian soldiers had handed prisoners over to abusive Afghan authorities, contrary to assurances by the Conservative government that no such incident had taken place.

Natynczyk said the Afghan man was later picked up by police, and Canadian soldiers, who later came across him, noticed he had been injured.

The troops arranged to have the man handed over to another police unit.

In a statement released late Saturday, Natynczyk said there was no indication of torture.

It is the first time the military has provided this kind of clarification about the controvery involving detainees.

A government lawyer had initially blocked release of the information in Saturday's statement, saying it might violate national security. There was no explanation for the change of heart.

Repeated interview requests to the Defence Department about the handling of prisoners have been directed to Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor's office. The only comment his staff have provided involves directing journalists to O'Connor's statements in the Commons.

Since allegations that as many as 30 prisoners transferred by Canadians to Afghan authorities may have been abused surfaced in late April, O'Connor has taken questions only in the Commons and before a Parliamentary committee.

Link: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...0505?hub=Canada

[Catchme]

No, actually it isn't and it is on going. And I missed the discussion prior. But those who tried to debunk it, by linking the disengenuous CTV article comments by Lt.-Gen. Walter Natynczyk, apparently did not read the ACTUAL court transcripts of Noonan's. Nor the ones by the foreign affairs minister. Moreover, if our military brass is trying to lead us astray in some fashion to support the CPC's lies, we should be deeply concerned.

Affidavit of Scott Proudfoot, Director of Afghan Policy and Advocacy Division in the Dept. of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, filed May 3. Contains details of the new supplementary deal on detainees sign in Kabul May 3.

Affidavit of Col. Steven P. Noonan, commander of the Canadian Task Force in Afghanistan from Aug. 2005 to May 2006. Filed May 1. Testimony includes information that Canadian Forces took back a detainee who had allegedly been beaten by Afghan police.

Transcript of cross-examination of Swords, conducted May 2, which contains admission that a senior advisor at Foreign Affairs did not read documents warning of torture in Afghanistan and admission at Line 137 that Human Rights is not in her job description.

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/210197

See # 56 of Noonans transcript pages 14 and 15. His official account does not equal the attempted spin by the CTV article. Nor does the foreign affairs testimony regarding the document they did not read.

http://www3.thestar.com/static/PDF/070503_noonan.pdf

This is why the HoC is still calling the CPC to account and so they should be.

[Alexandra]

As a Remind-er, why cross post from the Rabble-babble and ex-babblers, Skadl, BreadNRoses group to this board especially with all of these old comments and observations by the noted lefties, all of whom despise the conservative party in any form, past, present and future.

How boring is that.

[cynic43]

As a Remind-er, why cross post from the Rabble-babble and ex-babblers, Skadl, BreadNRoses group to this board especially with all of these old comments and observations by the noted lefties, all of whom despise the conservative party in any form, past, present and future.

How boring is that.

what is boring is the accusation that the lefties hate the cons....

it's the old neo-con trick of if you don't like our policies you're anti american

to question the government is our right and only brainwashed idiots will call that" despising the

government"

[newbie]

As a Remind-er, why cross post from the Rabble-babble and ex-babblers, Skadl, BreadNRoses group to this board especially with all of these old comments and observations by the noted lefties, all of whom despise the conservative party in any form, past, present and future.

How boring is that.

what is boring is the accusation that the lefties hate the cons....

it's the old neo-con trick of if you don't like our policies you're anti american

to question the government is our right and only brainwashed idiots will call that" despising the

government"

Right on!

[Catchme]

As a Remind-er, why cross post from the Rabble-babble and ex-babblers, Skadl, BreadNRoses group to this board especially with all of these old comments and observations by the noted lefties, all of whom despise the conservative party in any form, past, present and future.

How boring is that.

what is boring is the accusation that the lefties hate the cons....

it's the old neo-con trick of if you don't like our policies you're anti american

to question the government is our right and only brainwashed idiots will call that" despising the

government"

Well its obvious alexandra has nothing better to do but watch forums and try to guess who they are

why? so she can try to trash people, deflect away from the topic, as opposed to discussing the topic.

Thought Greg was supposed to clean up the trolls?

[scribblet]

As a Remind-er, why cross post from the Rabble-babble and ex-babblers, Skadl, BreadNRoses group to this board especially with all of these old comments and observations by the noted lefties, all of whom despise the conservative party in any form, past, present and future.

How boring is that.

what is boring is the accusation that the lefties hate the cons....

it's the old neo-con trick of if you don't like our policies you're anti american

to question the government is our right and only brainwashed idiots will call that" despising the

government"

All you have to do is go to the above mentioned sites and read some of the posts there, hate is the right word.

check this out http://tinyurl.com/yp2fh6 N.Beltov and that's minor to what else is said.

[Argus]

As a Remind-er, why cross post from the Rabble-babble and ex-babblers, Skadl, BreadNRoses group to this board especially with all of these old comments and observations by the noted lefties, all of whom despise the conservative party in any form, past, present and future.

How boring is that.

what is boring is the accusation that the lefties hate the cons....

it's the old neo-con trick of if you don't like our policies you're anti american

to question the government is our right and only brainwashed idiots will call that" despising the

government"

Don't be obtuse. Questioning policy is one thing, but the attacks on Harper and his government from the left are filled with bile and hate not for what they do but for what they are - conservatives.

[madmax]

Don't be obtuse. Questioning policy is one thing, but the attacks on Harper and his government from the left are filled with bile and hate not for what they do but for what they are - conservatives.

The answers from the Government regarding torture, have been inept, incompetent and detrimental to the mission in Afghanistan.

[geoffrey]

The answers from the Government regarding torture, have been inept, incompetent and detrimental to the mission in Afghanistan.

How so?

[Topaz]

I came across an article by the US government saying they that knew that Afghans torture their prisoners last March. It said there are executions, disappearances, torture and detention without trial is all too common. Is Harper paying attention to this war and is he believing everything Afghanistan's tell him? IF he does he's very foolish PM and endangering the troops even more! That govt is corrupt and that's one of the reasons I am against our soldiers being there. I've read on a forum, where Afghans also say they don't want this govt (Afghanistan) because of the corruption of the opium and the heroin which the President refuses to destroy the poppy fields.

[Who's Doing What?]

Don't be obtuse. Questioning policy is one thing, but the attacks on Harper and his government from the left are filled with bile and hate not for what they do but for what they are - conservatives.

Kind of like the garbage you and a few other randomly toss against anyone who disagrees with you as you label them Leftie hacks and partisans and wingnuts. Pot meet Kettle - Kettle this is Pot.

[Catchme]

I came across an article by the US government saying they that knew that Afghans torture their prisoners last March. It said there are executions, disappearances, torture and detention without trial is all too common. Is Harper paying attention to this war and is he believing everything Afghanistan's tell him? IF he does he's very foolish PM and endangering the troops even more!

Well to be fair, one could say, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of National Defense, and the Ministry of Justice controllling the RCMP and CSIS, and oh yes, Harper's newly minted Homeland Security person, are failing to inform Harper adequately.

But then one realizes that that is unfair to those Ministries to think they have failed Harper, as Harper is a micro manager and they are not allowed to think or say anything anyway.

So yes, Harper's failure to inform himself, even to the extent of the President of Afghanstans corrupt government that is demanding negotiations, is jeoporadizing NATO military personell and Afghanistan civilians.

[Figleaf]

It's amazing how badly the Conservative government has conducted themselves. They had every opportunity to be straight-forward, decent, honest, and respectful of our institutions. But at every critical point they seem to instinctively resort to deception, cover-up, spite, and reckless bull-headedness.

What ails them?