Yes, I realize it's unlikely that Jason Kenney suggested or authorized the appearance on a British television network of Meir Weinstein as the Canadian voice defending Kenney's decision to bar George Galloway from speaking in Canada later this month.
In one sense, Kenney cannot be that stupid. He must know that organizations like the Canadian Jewish Congress have distanced themselves from the local spawn of the Jewish Defence League (JDL), which the FBI called "a violent extremist Jewish organization" in their report Terrorism 2000/2001 and whose activities have since been described in congressional testimony by FBI agents as terrorist. Kenney may or may not know that Weinstein, under his pseudonym Meir Halevi, spoke in 1994 as the Canadian representative of the banned Israeli party Kach, refusing to condemn Baruch Goldstein's massacre of dozens of Palestinians at prayer in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron.
What any schoolboy should have known, though, is that Kenney's own shifty and shifting explanations of his reasons for barring Galloway (Afghanistan? Hamas? whatever?) and then the adolescent, subliterate performance of his spokesperson, Alykhan "pee on the carpet" Velshi, were going to lead to something like this:
On the turn, I'll transcribe a couple of Weinstein's closing remarks, just so you can savour the full chilling effect of his claims.
"We will be looking into these organizations in Canada that have invited him [Galloway], their links to terror groups as well."
"And therefore, and if he uses those other means, we will see to it that the Canadian government will be monitoring every individual and organization that will have anything to do with it ..."
Y'know, I want to say that that sounds like absurd hubris too, except in the first news reports I read about the ban on Galloway, the JDL were the only Canadian organization I saw quoted. They sounded confident then of their influence in Ottawa, and I've seen no repudiation of them since from Kenney.
I don't know which is worse -- that Canada should become an international laughing-stock over this episode, which undoubtedly we will when George gets to the border, or that we should suddenly find that we have a JDL thug as our international voice on the first of the human rights and freedoms honoured by all democracies and on our foreign policy to boot.
But think about it. Do you see that much light between Kenney's statements on Galloway's inadmissability on grounds of national security and Weinstein's? Do you see a difference? I don't see the difference.
Do be sure to go back to read Alison's great detective work on the "infandous" Alykhan "pee on the carpet" Velshi, another one of those curious little mouthpieces the PNAC crew keep sending us. And I promise an update on Viva Palestina one day, but for now, mission accomplished.
I'm glad you noticed those comments from JDL as well. I found them extremely odd. It was sad to hear this previous IDF goon extremism. Kenney's stance certainly isn't any different. They could be the same guy talking.
Could this guy sound any more like Joe McCarthy?
I'm guessing I'll be on this list then since I've blogged in support of Galloway AND signed the petition to let him in. So when do I get to appear before a Commons Committee and get asked if I've ever heard any of my friends express sympathy for the people of Gaza?
I think we should be asking if the federal government gives any of our tax dollars to the JDL organization or any front organizations for it.
I wish we had people like Mr. Galloway to vote for. What a fascist that JDL guy is. Anyone who agrees with Mr Galloway will be monitored by his organization and the Canadian Government. What kind of asshole even says that? Wow.
Of course Jason Kenney is that stupid. All these creeps are morons. That's what makes them devote their lives to garbage and puke. If they were smarter we wouldn't have this problem.
Actually, it was Kenney himself who made the "pee on the carpet" remark. Velshi went the other way by pretentiously describing Galloway as an "infandous street-corner Cromwell" - a description that doesn't make much sense to those who actually know anything about Cromwell but which uses a word, "infandous", which hasn't been part of the English language since shortly after Cromwell's time.
Guess it's the slammer for me then!
Email below sent to Ignatieff...........Sat 22 Mar/09
Hon. Michael Ignatieff:-
Sir:
Regarding the action of Canada Border Services Agency - Banning George Galloway
I uphold the comments you made via CBC this afternoon (Friday 20 March,) in support of George Galloway's "free-speech" admission to Canada. However, I'm a little disturbed at your references to his so-called "support" for terrorist organizations.
Galloway recently organized a huge motorcade carrying millions of dollars of humanitarian relief across Europe (starting in the UK), traversing North Africa and finally into Gaza. The motorcade was three miles long, and resulted in the opening of many border crossing points across the Magreb, - significantly that between Morocco and Algeria, - previously closed for many years. Quite an achievement. None of this was covered by BBC or CBC, - and one wonders why, because the motorcade was a fantastic response by sane people (George Galloway) to the murderous and insane policies prevailing in the Canadian-US-UK-Israeli policy sector. And this good man is banned from Canada?
Reflecting on the recent sickening Zionist massacres in Gaza, about which the Canadian Government has had pathetically little to say, - your criticism of George Galloway is difficult to understand.
Galloway does not speak rubbish, - in fact he has great perspicacity regarding what is proving to be a New World Order manipulation of the mainstream media. I suggest that you may like to start listening to some of his "single sentences," that you say you have so far ignored. Your dismissive attitude to Galloway is not supported by many, many Canadians; nor does it reflect your own widely respected intellect and statesmanship.
Regarding Galloway's stand on Hamas, the designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization by CBSA has anyway been a knee-jerk "George-Bush-instigated" reflex on the part of MY government here in Canada. Hamas was democratically elected remember.
Sir, did I here you remark on George W. Bush's recent intrusion into Canada (his Calgary speech?) Who is the more dangerous instigator, the war criminal Bush or the humanitarian and peacemaker Galloway? The Hon. Jason Kenney is going to have to do some explaining following the stupid and naive action perpetrated by his Ministry in allowing entry to G.W. Bush but blocking George Galloway. I, and millions of Canadians want to see and hear Galloway.
Regardless of your personal opinion of George Galloway, please continue to support his entry into MY country. For goodness sake, he can be heard and seen anytime by the whole world anyway, - try www.presstv.ir , or the proceedings of the British Houses of Parliament. Please ask the CBSA, - what good does banning him from Canada do? None, - such a ban just makes Canada look uninformed and intolerant, - if not furtively Islamophobic. The next time you bump into Jason Kenney, please tell him that Canadians don't need protecting from Galloway; they need protection from the lies of George W. Bush.
COPIED TO: Hon Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism
With respect,
Roger Dixon, P.Eng., MPH
Consultant, Health, Safety & Environment
Dal, if you watch/listen to Sue Turton's Channel 4 News interview with Velshi, which is up at Alison's place at Creekside (and linked from the Beaver), you will hear Velshi deliver the "pee on the carpet" remark.
Velshi does say it, as skdadl says below, right here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N...TjHGNSM#t=1m50s
link got truncated, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NezETjHGNSM#t=1m50s
I have been looking more and more in to this Weinstein fellow from the JDL. It seems the JDL and Weinstein both have shady pasts, and have either been called a Terrorist organization or have supported one.
Great post, skdadl.
What is also infuriating is how Weinstein seems to draw no distinction between the Taliban, Hezbollah and Hamas--a rotating door trick that seems to even have Galloway baffled as to how to respond. He even throws in Iran at the end there for good measure. Nuance doesn't matter to fascists, nor depth to a cartoon. Weinstein, Canada's new foreign affairs spokesman, is both.
This episode is absolutely humiliating to any Canadian.
March 30 : ENTRY DENIED.
I am a terrorist. I sent money to Viva Palestina and to Code Pink to help deliver humanitarian aid to the people in GAZA.
If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.