[Robert Dabkowski]

Barry, I can understand you being proud of being Canadian and wanting to fly the flag to show that but let me explain why I choose not to fly the red maple leaf.

We currently live in a democracy where Ann McLellan (remember the minister who has been lying to Parliament for three years about the cost of the gun registry ?) or any other Liberal minister can sign a "Security Certificate" and have you immediately arrested. No evidence, no investigaion, no charges, no phone call, no appearance before a judge, no right to council.

YOU, a citizen of Canada.

You can be held forever without charge or trial. Or deported. It does take a judge to sentence you to death and you CAN have a lawyer at that trial but Ann need NOT reveal the details of the charge to you nor your lawyer, nor any of the evidense, none of the witnesses if such exist can be cross-examined by you nor your lawyer. Nervous yet ... still proud to be Canadian ?

Can't happen here you say ? Just ask Mahar Arar (sp?). That is exactly what happened to him. Arrested on one of Ann's Certificates, deported to the US who then sent him to Syria (without charge) for a YEAR OF TORTURE before he was relaesed from prison (wearing only a shirt and a pair of pants) to make his own way back to Canada. Never charged with anything by any country. And not defended by his own country.

Barry, still proud to be Canadian ?

We'll be in real trouble if Ann decides to start locking up members of the Conservative Party via "Security Certificates". We'll not even hear about it for weeks or months. Can't happen here you say again ? Try reading up on the history of the October Crisis in 1970s Quebec when the Liberals under Trudeau had over 6,000 citizens arrested without warrant, mostly at gun point, held without charge, without trial, without lawyers, without communicatuion with their families. The dozen or so FLQ terrorists were allowed to fly to Cuba while the innocents sat in detention.

If you are a student of history then you know that our previous generations fought and died to OPPOSE just such tyrany. Until now we have followed the rule of law and the principle of "habeus corpus". By giving these concepts away we become just like those that we seek to defend ourselves against.

Our government (the Liberals) have given away our democratic freedoms, even though we were not attacked on 911, so that the Americans won't have to worry about terrorists attacking them thru Canada. I won't fly the red maple leaf until I can be proud of my government's and my country's behaviour again.

The Liberals seem to be jumping into bed with the Yanks on missle defense, fingerprinting at the border, exporting water south and trading security information. Maybe I should start to fly the STARS&STRIPES now to beat the rush ?

Care to join me Barry ?

Robert in Toronto (unless the Liberals are monitoring this website)