I encourage you, Ms. Davies, to look again carefully at the thorough discrediting of anti-semitism on these forums before presenting such views as definitive, and look forward to your corrections on anything we've missed or misrepresented here.

There also remains a concerned, thoughtful and intelligent position that a valid comparison can be made between the persecutions of the holocaust and the drug war. Whether it's convincing is something you'll have to decide for yourself.

Well I don't like using 'Naziism as a metaphor for Renee's case', but rather as the larger situation with the war on cannabis culture in general of which renee is a victim.

There is a cultural genocide taking place, and as Cotler's decison surenenders my wife to the unthinkable and destroys our family, he is the perpetuator of cultural genocide, but this has nothing to do with him being Jewish, although it is dissapointing to see a man whose own ancestors suffered an even worse fate, would turn out to be the same type of person who perpetuated those crimes. How sad when we become what we hate.

This makes me ashamed that I have to send a letter like this. Smarten up, people!

Quote:

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Libby Davies, MP
House of Commons
Ottawa
K1A 0A2

Dear Libby:

I read your note to Chris Bennett concerning anti-Semitism on the Cannabis Culture forums (http://www.cannabisculture.com/forums).

As a regular participant (under the username 'escapegoat') I share your concerns about certain posters espousing racist views. They detract from our struggle and add nothing to the debate.

While I very strongly disagree with Minister Cotler in his decision regarding Renee Boje, I also very strongly disagree with the characterization and use of "Nazi" imagery in an attempt to ridicule the Minister.

Those people do not speak for me and the vast majority of Canadians who want reform to our cannabis laws.

Sincerely,

Tim Meehan
Candidate, Ottawa South
Marijuana Party of Canada


cc: Len Rudner, Canadian Jewish Congress
cc: Hon. Irwin Cotler, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but this arguement, which has devolved here into an attack on Irwin Cotler's being Jewish, was once upon a time centred around his commitment and longtime defense of human rights issues, as cited on his website:

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An international human rights lawyer, [IRWIN COTLER] served as Counsel to former prisoners of conscience in the Soviet Union (Andrei Sakharov), South Africa (Nelson Mandela), Latin America (Jacobo Timmerman), and Asia (Muchtar Pakpahan). He recently served as international legal counsel to imprisoned Russian environmentalist Aleksandr Nikitin; Nigerian playwright and Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka; the Chilean-Canadian group Vérité et justice in the Pinochet case; Chinese-Canadian political prisoner, Professor KunLun Zhang; and, most recently, served as Counsel to Professor Saad Edin Ibrahim, the leading democracy advocate in the Arab world. In the words of his students on the occasion of his receiving an Honourary Doctorate, “A pioneer in the area of international human rights law and advocacy, IRWIN COTLER’S legal briefs have emerged as models for the new 'genre' of advocacy…his initiatives have broken new ground in this area, and he has achieved international renown for his defence of political prisoners.” A feature article on him in Maclean’s magazine referred to him as, “Counsel for the Oppressed”.

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Chris Bennett started out by saying, understandably, that someone like Cotler must know that Renee's plight bears merit as a human rights issue.

There's much more to be said about Cotler's turn from his humanitarian principles--which judging from his previous actions, put him at the forefront of judicial and academic human rights activism in the country--than about the supposed religous connection to his recent decision. The introduction of the "race card" here is bound to hurt Renee's ultimate chances of winning influence with allies in the present government.

Awesome post, WebFX, you took the words right outta my mouth. Just to emphasize some of your points:

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Indeed, if we put Naziism up on a pedestal in terms of hate, ignorance and fear, and refuse to examine its parallels with circumstances that exist today, we are in danger of losing the entire lessons that period should have taught us....

Having said that, on the whole, I don't think your average North American citizen's world view and intellectual curiosity is nuanced enough to comfortably see those comparisons....

...maybe all such comparisons should be removed from these threads...It's not lightly that I would advocate removing thoughtful discussion, either, but... do we want to be right or do we want Renee to be allowed to stay in Canada?...

...these forums are read widely and one has to be mindful of how others interpret things. If the discussion is a political liability, let's get rid of those posts.

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I fully agree. At least move them to another thread...?
I have been talking about Renee's case with anyone who'll listen, I've been writing mad letters and urging everyone I know to do the same, but I hesitate to direct people to this thread because I don't want them turned off by some of the ideas, even if those ideas are legitimate. Like Web said, do we want to be right or do we want to actually HELP Renee???

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There is a cultural genocide taking place, and as Cotler's decison surenenders my wife to the unthinkable and destroys our family, he is the perpetuator of cultural genocide, but this has nothing to do with him being Jewish, although it is dissapointing to see a man whose own ancestors suffered an even worse fate, would turn out to be the same type of person who perpetuated those crimes. How sad when we become what we hate.

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You know what? I agree.

I agree with you and DML and others that there is a cultural genocide taking place, in violation of our Section 27 Charter rights.

I agree that that the RCMP, throught the DARE program, and others, are violating our Section 27 Charter rights.

I agree that deporting Renee would be a violation of her, your, and Shiva's Section 27 Charter rights.

I also think that the comparison of the systematic physical, sexual and emotional abuse by the Bureau of Prisons of the United States of America to the systematic physical, sexual and emotional abuse and cold-blooded murder of millions of Jews, Gypsys, Homosexuals and others under the Adolph Hitler regime is valid on some levels, but not others.

For those whose eyes gloss over and don't make it to the back end of the Charter:

http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/charter/

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27. This Charter shall be interpreted in a manner consistent with the preservation and enhancement of the multicultural heritage of Canadians.

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Many politicians have told me that court cases and legislative initiatives don't ask "the right question" of courts and polticians.

I strongly feel the Section 27 argument to preserve the Cannabis Culture is the right question to ask.

You ppl defending the nazism comparison are missing the point.

It's not whether its true or not. It's whether its a useful or winning political argument or public strategy to wage, and in this country, if you left coasters think it is, you must really be smoking more than just dope.

Quote:

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1) Unless there is a string of abuse that doesn't have any point or content to it, it should not be deleted.

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Several such posts have been deleted from this thread. You may not have seen them. Some of them were deleted at my request and others requested it too. Several more people probably pressed the "notify moderator" button.

As for the racism charge by The Individuals against "spark one" that is incorrect. I have posted in many threads that spark one has posted in. In several forums. He is a committed progressive activist, and is not racist. In fact he has attacked many other racists. So have I. I have gotten many racist posts and threads moderated by the moderators here. Because I informed them.

I agree with Chris Bennett that it doesn't matter whether people use ALL-CAPS or lots of exclamation points. And Jodie wasn't going to ban them or delete their messages for that reason. She only pointed out that it was considered rude to use either. Then The Individuals totally insulted her. That message was deleted.

This thread is about Renee Boje. This forum is about Current Events and News. It is well-known that this forum is more strictly moderated to stay on topic.

It is also well known that Marc Emery does not want luminaries smeared and libeled here. You were almost banned for it David.

I did not call for The Individuals to be banned from all the forums. Just this one. I said some of their posts here should be deleted, and some of them were deleted.

And I have a webpage on racism here:
http://corporatism.tripod.com/charts5.htm and
http://members.fortunecity.com/multi19/charts5.htm

I am a student of racism, and I have a close Jewish friend whose parents survived the concentration camps.

Has Irwin Cotler ever done any activism where he took some real risks, got arrested like Martin Luther King, etc.. I have. Several times.

Irwin Cotler, whatever he did in the past, has SOLD-OUT. We all have seen this happen with many people who join mainstream political parties. They tone down their rhetoric and activism. And for some politically incorrect issues like medical cannabis and the brutality of American prisons, they ignore many aspects of it. To please their party lines.

The Jewish people I know are not offended by comparisons to the Holocaust or conditions before the Holocaust. And the Holocaust concentration camps also killed millions of gays, the disabled, gypsies, slave laborers, etc..

As long as the comparisons are done with accuracy then most people will understand. The moderators need to delete anti-semitic and racist posts from these forums.

I said early on that comparisons to pre-Holocaust conditions would draw fire. Better to draw fire than to be ignored. And the press is already ignoring this issue of Renee Boje. Anything that wakes up Canadians to the fact that the Liberal Party is selling out and becoming like the Democrat Party is good.

It may prevent Canada from trying the concentration camp solution of the U.S. astronomical incarceration rate system.

The concentration camps did not kill people at first. Know that!

I have read most every post in this thread and see no reason for the pic...maybe Spark One will explain it to us.