CTV, as always, in order to get the very most absolute objective and “smart” analysis of a news item, deploys its university professor Rolodex and pulls this one out: Amir Attaran, from the University of Ottawa. He teaches law. So you know what he says is all about the law, and nothing he says will be his opinion, or outside of what is simply “the law”. Right? Well that’s how CTV hopes you’ll take it.
For analysis of the news story on the CSIS watchdog report on CSIS’ handling of alleged (but, you know, duh) al-Qaeda prisoner Omar Khadr being held at Guantanamo (where he should of course stay, as those of us in the sane, sober, smart set all know), Amir Attaran first sets up his “case” by vastly over-blowing the members of the CSIS “watchdog” and their credentials. Speaking to CTV News anchor Jacqueline Milczarek, he says right at the start:
“That watchdog is made up of former members of cabinet — members of the Queen’s Privy Council —THE most respected politicians the country has got! So it wasn’t simply parliament…”
Not “simply parliament”, huh?
Well then. I’m in awe of them. Former cabinet ministers you say. Whoa. Hey I wonder if any of Jean Chretien’s sponsorship scandal deputies are on the big watchdog panel! And that Bush doll-stomper Carolyn Parrish!
He then re-tells what the “most respected politicians” we’ve got said in their report, by repeatedly using the words “what they essentially said was…”. For example:
“And what they essentially said was that CSIS did two things HIDEOUSLY WRONG.”
Well I bet I won’t see the words “hideously wrong”, essentially or otherwise, in the awesome report by the members of the “Queen’s Privy Council”. Actually, as CTV even reports in their own online story, “Overall, [inspector general] Plunkett found CSIS did not act beyond its legal authority, nor did it contravene any ministerial directions or exercise its powers “unreasonably or unnecessarily.” … Plunkett says she is continually impressed by the calibre and dedication of CSIS employees…”
Well that sure is a damning rebuke of CSIS.
On the other hand, both he and his beloved “watchdog” panel actually appear to rely on little more than “news” reports (and ostensibly, opinion columnists) in what we know for an actual fact to be an overtly liberal media, and their ridiculous claims of “torture” taking place at Guantanamo (remember: “torture” starts at being “sleep deprived” and “hearing loud rock and roll music”, and their inventive reports of other forms of “torture” never end. Anything but “full release” is “torture”).
Yes, Amir Attaran and the watchdog both point out, to bolster their “case”, that media reports were “well known” in 2003. And apparently based on those newspaper and television reports, which we all know to be bastions of facts and accuracy, and aren’t at all skewed against Guantanamo and America generally, CSIS should literally have altered their methods of questioning the young Omar Khadr. Yes, these “very most respected” genius politicians with such solid credentials agree that CSIS should have acted based on an even more well-known and actually true fact: that the media is overtly skewed, biased toward the liberal-left, anti-George Bush and America, anti-war, and patently ridiculous MEDIA reports! They should have acted based on political opinions of liberals and the many anti-war leftist nuts and zealots.
So if I understand correctly, we should also call Sarah Palin “Bullwinkle Barbie”, and claim that she’s a dog who pees on the carpet, and people should refrain from voting for her or even listening to her because she’s a total idiot, and we hate her. It’s a fact, because it’s all over the media.
I rest my “case”.
“What the panel said, was that these facts were well-known in 2003. Essentially [there’s that word again!] …Anyone who picked up a newspaper in 2003… would have known that those sorts of torture were used in Guantanamo.”
CTV News anchor Jacqueline Milczarek’s actual response at that remark: “Mmmm hmmm”.
But then the ingenious professor jumps the shark with this funky legal opinion:
“What’s utterly TERRIFYING here is, our security services, who we think of as ‘nice Canadians’—well we better put THAT thought right out of our minds! We’re working with known torturers and rapists!”
No question from the intrepid CTV News anchor about that newsy remark. And certainly nothing, per se, “essentially”, or even in a dreamlike Alice in Wonderland state of mind, in the CSIS watchdog’s report about that new little legal “fact”.
Then the CTV turned to another genius: Bare-Ass Bob Rae, Liberal-left failure, for his “expert” analysis.
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
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