I'm not trying to be a wiseass but I'm failing to see the importance of divulging the tapes in regard to a P.O.W.

P.O.W.s have rights under the Geneva Convention. This is a 15-year-old kid being deprived of sleep and proper medical care, and held without rights as a Canadian citizen for over six years. It finally gives a face to the ugliness of our war tactics.

>> ^deadgoon:
I'm not trying to be a wiseass but I'm failing to see the importance of divulging the tapes in regard to a P.O.W.

Well, maybe the first problem is that the US do not acknowledge he is and therefore do not treat him as a POW:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/02/20020207-13.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6080644.stm

The releasing of the tapes is a Canadian 'blunder'. Special arrangements were made between the US and Canada to give the tapes to Canadian authorities. Then the Canadian media took the government to court to demand the release of the tapes to the public.
As a Canadian, I think the entire issue should be over his treatment at Quantanamo. If assurances can not be made that he is being treated humanely, in accordance with the Geneva Convention, then he'd better be released to the Canadian Government. If those assurances could simply be made, then the case would be none of Canada's business.
He wasn't even 18 when he was caught, but he was involved in a fire fight with American troops at the time. How do you deal with a prisoner like that when all the available options are just bad or worse?

Lt.C. Ralph Peters on Omar Khadr Gitmo Tape: "We Should Have Killed That Punk on a Battlefield where it was legal to do so!"

Watch video at http://muslimsagainstsharia.blogspot.com/2008/07/ltc
-ralph-peters-on-omar-khadr-gitmo.html

@ Octopussy: Omar was offered a Combatant Status Review Tribunal a few years ago to determine if he had already been correctly proven to match the US administration's definition of an "enemy combatant." Participation by the captives was voluntary, and Khadr chose not to be involved in his tribunal.

Khadr's "Summary of Evidence Memo" summary alleges that he has admitted he threw a grenade which killed a U.S. soldier, attended an al Qaida training camp in Kabul and worked as a translator for al Qaida to coordinate land mine missions. In addition, he was accused of helping to plant the landmines between Khost and Ghardez (Which actions are caught on video), and having visited an airport near Khost to collect information on U.S. convoy movements.

The unfortunate thing is that he turned 16 before being taken to Guantanamo so he was treated as an adult. We should consider that all of his alleged offenses were committed when he was a 15 year old boy or younger. In my book, he deserves a little mercy for that.

Hypocrisy of the "Repatriate Omar Khadr to Canada" Movement

As soon as the Gitmo interrogation tape of Omar Khadr hit the Internet, the blogosphere was flooded with demands to repatriate him to Canada. This wave is reminiscent of a Soviet campaign to free Luis Corvalán from the "fascist regime" of Augusto Pinochet thirty five years ago. The scenario is strikingly similar. A "victim" held by "fascist regimes" this time run by Bush and Harper, and a public outcry for justice. Except for the fact that Luis Corvalán didn't kill anyone and didn't fight for a terrorist group that wants to impose Sharia.

The "repatriate Khadr" crowd describes him as "a child", "a kid", "a boy", and even "a torture victim", with no facts to substantiate the torture claims notwithstanding. They complain about Khadr being mistreated, again, without anything to back up their claims. Some of them are outraged about "child abuse." And they all scream for justice.

They want justice? OK, let's talk about JUSTICE. What about justice for Sgt. First Class Christopher J. Speer, who was (according to an eyewitness) murdered by this "child"? What about justice for Tabitha Speer, who is a widow because of this "kid"? What about justice for Taryn and Tanner Speer, who are left without a father by this "a boy"? And what about all those Afghani civilians and NATO troops who are a little bit safer because this "torture victim" is behind bars? How many of these "repatriate Khadr" hypocrites concern themselves with justice for real victims? In literally hundreds of posts, we couldn't find a single one.

One would ask, what is the reason for this idiocy? The answer is simple. Ignorance. Complete and utter ignorance. Let's forget for a second that Omar Khadr killed Christopher Speer. Let's forget that Khadr's father was an al Qaeda financier. Let's forget that Khadr's family is known for it being al Qaeda sympathizers. Let's just remember what this "child" was fighting for in Afghanistan.

This is what Taliban-imposed Sharia looks like in real life:http://muslimsagainstsharia.blogspot.com/2000/07/hy
pocrisy-of-repatriate-omar-khadr-to.html

Why don't all of you, bleeding heart demagogues go to Afghanistan and spend a day in a Taliban-controlled territory? And let's talk about Khadr when you get back. If you get back.