PM feared Galloway--Linda McQuaig

By the way, it was "fear of galvanizing anti-war sentiment in peace-oriented Canadians" that has led Mr. Harper to simply ACCEPT - publicly, at least - the end of Canada's "combat mission" in Afghanistan

That's been his sonorous  - even dreary - theme from the start - "Combat Mission over 2011, period" -

So why, now, would you say he " fears" Galloway's influence re "WAR"?
We're OUTA THERE! NO?
My prediction is that they want to announce a REVERSAL of that polilcy, and Galloway made that very very difficult to stage

Cold War xenophobia was much the same. The Merricans openly hounded people, sometimes to death, in the era of McCarthy witch hunts. Canadian authorities prefered to destroy people's lives more quietly, secretly even, and never let their victims know what happened.

I think I prefer the American approach ... and not just because MP Galloway was able to tour the US but prohibited, on spurious grounds, from visiting and touring Canada.

I'm so sick of hearing pro-Apartheid lobby groups and supporters claiming that he gave the money and supplies to Hamas.  He didn't give it to Hamas.  He gave it to the head of the democratically elected government of Palestine.

If Canada had gone through some sort of disaster and was given aid money, it would be Stephen Harper accepting the money on behalf of the Government of Canada, but that doesn't mean the money was being given to the Conservative Party.  It was being given to Canada through the government.

Same with George Galloway's aid money for Palestine.  You know, my 10 year-old understands this distinction perfectly.  Because he's not a fucking moron.  You'd think that the representatives from the JDL, the CJC, and the Conservative Party (well, I guess they're all pretty much the same thing these days) would be smarter than a fourth grader, but unfortunately not.

but I'm repeating myself - to the wind - ad nauseum - perhaps in the hope of having the issue take flight

Sure, "The whole "democratically elected" thing cuts both ways" - unless you examine the actual INTENT of both men.

Mr. Galloway, by his message, is not engaged in the blatant, deliberate suppression of a people - Jean Marie Le Pen IS

I'm concerned that you can't see the difference!

Should Mr. Le Pin(head) be allowed into Canada? to say whatever the hell he feels like saying?

I daresay he'd transgress hate-speech laws in CAnada, were he to do so.

NOT SO Galloway. NOTHING he's saying is "hate-based" OR inflammatory - unless it is "inflammatory" - for Jews in Canada, at least - to say that Palestinians are being horrifically-treated by Israel.

THAT is what the govt. of Canada is trying to prevent by barring Galloway entry.

They (Harper, Ignatieff, et al) simply don't want the apple-cart - ie, the push, by NATO, to remake the Muslim Middle East for Israel - to lose a wheel - by hitting the ROCK called Galloway - at this stage of the game.

Where do you get this idea that Section 34 of the immigration act pertains to crimes of hate speech?

The case of La Pen, et al, are completely different. Those cases were to do with expectef violations of the Britich criminal code regarding hate speech. It had nothing to do with wether or not they were "threats to national security." They were not, almost certainly. Galloway was refused on the grounds that he was a threat to national security, not that he was promoting hate or any such thing. These are completely different cases.

Galloway's case is that his and his Canadian supporters right to freedom of speech have been abrogated based on the misapplication of the law regarding national security. It has nothing to do with anything that Galloway was expected to say... at least not officially.

They would never be able to bar Galloway under Canadian hate speech laws, so they chose to abuse section 34 of the immigration act pertaining to terrorism, and national security.

Michelle wrote:

I'm so sick of hearing pro-Apartheid lobby groups and supporters claiming that he gave the money and supplies to Hamas.  He didn't give it to Hamas.  He gave it to the head of the democratically elected government of Palestine...

...You know, my 10 year-old understands this distinction perfectly.  Because he's not a fucking moron.  You'd think that the representatives from the JDL, the CJC, and the Conservative Party (well, I guess they're all pretty much the same thing these days) would be smarter than a fourth grader, but unfortunately not.

I'm pretty sure the CJC, Conservatives and JDL understand the difference, which is why they keep hammering the "Galloway supports Hamas" propaganda.  Unfortunately, when media such as the CBC pick up the refrain and broadcast it (which has happened), those who don't follow the Palestine issue probably make the assumption that Galloway is some sort of terrorist.