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Today's Top News
Antiwar Activists Clear Border
Diane Wilson, an antiwar activist from Texas, drove over the U.S. border south of Vancouver on Sunday just to see if she could.Whether or not U.S. antiwar activists are allowed into Canada was key to Sunday's Our Way Home Vancouver Peace Conference at Simon Fraser University's Harbour Centre.
Wilson was part of a convoy on-hand to support two of the event's participants.
The keynote speaker, retired U.S. colonel Ann Wright, who resigned from the State Department over the invasion of Iraq, and Medea Benjamin, another leading U.S. political activist, were not expected to make it across the border.
Both were denied entry to Canada last year, with Canadian authorities claiming they are named on a FBI watch list due to misdemeanor convictions stemming from participation in antiwar demonstrations.
But after more than two hours of Canadian questioning at the border crossing at Blaine, the pair arrived at the conference.
NDP MP Libby Davies, who was part of a group of supporters who drove across the border in a van with Wright and Benjamin, said she sat through the questioning.
"I don't think I've ever had to do quite so much to welcome people to the city of Vancouver," said Davies, adding that such treatment of two leading U.S. peace activists raises questions about the government's security provisions. "These are two individuals that pose absolutely no security risk to our country. They are here as peace activists."
Wilson said she was not stopped at the border despite about 20 arrests for civil disobedience related to activism. She said she hopes the Canadian government decides to support Iraqi war resisters.
"I just say, let 'em stay. Let 'em stay," said Wilson, adding she values the three months she spent in Toronto in 1970.
Benjamin said she is excited that parliament is expected to vote Tuesday on a motion that would call upon the government to allow U.S. war resisters to stay in Canada.
Wright said she was relieved to be back in Canada, even if just for the day: "I was hoping I could stand on Canadian soil again in my lifetime and it is with great pleasure today that I do."
© The Vancouver Sun 2008
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9 Comments so far
Show AllUh oh! Those border guards at Blaine had better start checking the help wanted ads immediately.
Hard to throw Ann, Diane and Medea out this time with Scotty Boy finally screaming the truth from behind the smokescreen. More likely than not, the criminals now occupying the seat of government did not react because they did not want the predictable backlash from the ever-growing peace movement. No news is good news for them right now.
Call Scotty what you want, but he has changed the dynamics of this struggle. Sure - most of us have known the truth for years - but now the right-wingers have to question themselves more intensely than ever. Is that possible - actual introspection? Internal adjustments toward the actual truth? Just look at the poll numbers and answer that one out for yourself.
Had Davies not been present the border crossing would probably not have been successful. The Canadian and US border agencies have merged, in case people didn't know. One uniform, one name, one office decor. The US is doing all it can to annex canada, which has 25% of the world's fresh water...or it did. I wonder how much water flows from Canada into the US daily in pipelines?
Canada has way too many natural resources (in addition to water) for the Bush Regime to ignore. Expect more Harpers to be showing up in Ottawa in the future.
^^^^ Absolutely correct. Unfortunately, there are plenty of Canadian quislings like Mulroney, Harpo's "conservative" predecessor, who are more than willing to hand over their country's sovereignty and resources in exchange for U.S. inducements and retirement sinecures with Bechtel and its corporate ilk. There is no doubt whatever that Harpo and his party have received considerable "under the table" assistance from the U.S. neocon cabal.
Saddest of all, however, is the fact that ordinary Canadians themselves seem to have succumbed in large measure to the political disfunctionality and dumbness that causes people to put traitors in high office. I only hope they get themselves off the Koolaid by the time the current minority government falls.
To whomever is responsible in the Canadian government for assuring the discernment of peace activists as not being criminals - Thank you.
Hmmm... They'll let Karl Rove (one of the evilest human beings alive today) across the border to speak at the fraser institute, yet the antithesis to Karl gets stopped and questioned and potentially denied entry. That doesn't sound like the Canada I grew up in. Harper and his Nazi party MUST be thrown out!
the world has already established a one world government: the money party!
All it takes to be in the elite club is a lot of power and money with a demonstrated love of money and power and you're in!
That's why the Canadian gov is so shrewd with the politicos.
someone needs to sit on the war folks to stop iran bombings....quickly