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/hypocrisy-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.

Therefore, it seems to me that if they had that much authority, then those who fought for them seem to be a military. Obviously you could argue the opposite, and the situation is more complicated now. But in the first years of the war, the Taliban were much more like an official military than they are now (even now, though, they are about as legit as the Northern Alliance was in 2001, which is not to say they are not much more horrible.)

Please note, I realize I’m sounding a bit neoconish right now… I haven’t been sleeping a lot.

Lindh seems obvious; however, that too it questionable. Just going off what my passport says, if you join the military of another nation, you renounce your citizenship. If I were in charge of this sort of thing, I would read that clause as negating both his criminal rights as a citizen and his obligations to the United States, making him a soldier of what was effectively the Afghan government at the time, and thus giving him rights as a POW. I agree with right wing opinions that taking up arms against the US in a foreign nation robs you of your right to a civilian trial as a US citizen; however, I would say it also gives you rights as a soldier. (If you take up arms as a terrorist planning to kill civilians, you are still a soldier, but one committing war crimes and subject to treatment as such.)

The case of John Walker Lindh, in part, illustrates a precedent for this case.