Posted on 08/16/2006 11:29:58 PM PDT by Marius3188
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - The director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said Tuesday that the spy agency avoids racial profiling because it is "fundamentally stupid'' and does not knowingly use information gleaned under torture offshore because the practice is "morally repugnant.''
James Judd told a gathering of Canadian judges on Tuesday that he is "acutely aware'' of complaints that the agency, along with several other organizations, targets the Muslim community in fighting the war on terror. "We don't profile because it's fundamentally stupid and we don't have enough resources,'' said Judd. "From a national security perspective, we can't afford to have whole communities feel alienated.''
Rather, the agency has embarked on community outreach efforts to combat "this legend that this is how we do business,'' Judd told a panel discussion on human rights and national security.
Alex Neve, secretary general of Amnesty International, told the panel that "when it comes to the issue profiling, there is "obviously a reality'' that has been well documented since the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.
"There is a varied landscape,'' he said. "There are a number of reports prepared by cultural and religious groups that have tried to compile and document some of the experiences that people across the country have had, be it in airports or other situations ,where they feel they have been pulled aside or questioned or have someone show up at their place without an appointment and start asking questions.''
Justice Dennis O'Connor, an Ontario judge who presided over the inquiry into Maher Arar, agreed there are "perceptions out there among some in those communities that they are unfairly targeted.
"That's not healthy for anyone,'' he said. "It's certainly not healthy for agencies that are trying to develop co-operation for those communities to help with their investigations.''
Arar, an Ottawa engineer and Canadian citizen, was detained by U.S. authorities in September 2002 during a stopover in New York on a flight from Tunisia to Canada. Suspecting him of terrorism ties, he was sent to Syria under a policy called "extraordinary rendition."
A federal inquiry into Arar's detention found he had been tortured while in Syrian custody.
O'Connor's report into the affair is slated for release next month.
Judd also took aim at information obtained under torture, adding his voice to a growing international debate over whether confessions obtained under torture should be used in criminal investigations or as evidence in court. ``Like most Canadians, I find torture to be sort of morally repugnant ... and from an operational perspective it's not particularly reliable. Certainly in my own case, I'd probably admit to anything if I was tortured.''
He added CSIS does "not knowingly'' use information obtained through torture.
Neve said international conventions dictate that information gleaned under torture is not admissible in court.
"It is less clear whether it should be used in the investigation itself and we take the position that it shouldn't. It is simply condoning torture and we can't allow that.''
Part of the difficulty with torture , he said, is the definition is not legally set so "where do you draw the line on what torture is?''
Socialism is fundamentally stupid. You folks should know that from personal experience.
Sorry about the incomplete thought, but I wish someone would tell the GOP about it.
"From a national security perspective, we can't afford to have whole communities feel alienated".
From a national security perspective, a certain community existing within it is something that cannot be afforded.
Who do you think is more likely to hijack an airplane?
Take off your shoes please Mrs. Walker.
.
.
Please proceed to the jet way sir.
GOOD ONE!
However, #2 might slip something into #1's luggage while she was showing off pics of the great-grandkids.....or is even more likely to be working as a baggage handler.
But if all the #2s in the country were identified, monitored, tapped (after drilling, of course LOL), and banned from airports, schools, chemical plants, welfare benefits, and immediately deported at the first hint of a problem, #1 and the rest of us would be far safer.
Sorry for sounding like I was from DU for a while there. I hope the second paragraph clarified things a bit.
You clariried them perfectly and you never sounded like you were from DU. Been there. Seen it.
If you are posting from China now, you must just be getting your day started.
I bet someone in the government over there gets a kick from my tagline too!
You believe Bangkok is in China?
doesn't want to alienate... terrorists??
Is CSIS really an intelligence agency?
It's a difficult issue, this London plot was foiled because a Muslim turned them in. Back in 1995/1996 a plot was foiled in Brooklyn because an arab guy went to the police about his roommates. (I bet if they 9/11 hijackers stayed in NYC, they would have been turned in). Innocent Muslims will be the first to hear of these plots, we have to make sure they feel they are part of the country, the community. It's not "Terrorists are blowing up white people." but "Terrorists are blowing us up."
On the flip side, when we are talking about "profiling" is just having to answer a few more questions, unpack your bags, etc. Nobody is going to throw you in a darken jail and beat you with garden hoses. So deal with it.
Finally, the easiest way around profiling is just recruit white men to your cause, give them a shave and a haircut.
How dare you inject common sense into the debate!
I'm in the states at present. Just got back.
What tag line? I did not think I had one going. What does it say?
You let me know when that starts happening and I'll go along with you.
But right now almost all these mutts seem to be arabic muslim males between the ages of 17 and 40, usually having 'mohamet' in their names, and usually having a bad mustache.
While I wouldn't exclude othere groups, I'd sure be giving any one who fits the above profile some real careful extra scrutiny.
L
MSM will highlight all who are white 'extremists' arrested in terrorist investigations... the sum total of which may equal 1/10th of 1% when all is said and done.
Nevermind the facts, each and every 'white' face will garner more press than thousands of Muslim/ME faces perpetrating acts of terror on peaceful citizens.
..the more things change the more they remain the same... same old cr@p, different bottle....
You let me know when that starts happening and I'll go along with you.
John Walker Lindh
Richard Reid
Do you know who Richard Reid is?
How about John Walker Lindh?
While you and your yahoos will be pulling over New York City cops because they're Arabs, you are going to let loony left white boys who are smart enought to shave go right on by and blow up a plane.
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