Happy Canada Day!
And congrats for being determined to blog on a topic and seeing it through to a successful conclusion including, perhaps as important as the outcome, a gratifying human connection.
this is a great story, but don't forget how 'national security' was used to abuse, torture and violate Mr. Abdelrazik. However, I hope you had a great day, all of you are heroes.
What a wonderful picture, Doc -- I wish I'd been there.
That pic has made me a bit weepy... it's lame and silly and trite to say this, but over the last 2 days (my July 1 and the real one) I've been missing the hell out of home.
Thanks for this pic and your hard work Dawg, it's reminded me of everything that I love about Canada.
Cameron:
Go. Read. You haven't even begun to get weepy! 
Best to you and yours down under, Brother. Kia kaha.
How absolutely fantastic! What a way to celebrate this day.
Congrats and thank you, to you Dr. Dawg for all you have contributed to this cause.
I'm not sure I've seen two brighter smiles.
Happy Canada day to you
It still amazes me how the right side of the blogosphere never got that this case is about each and everyone of us. Governments cannot pick and choose which are accorded full rights as Canadians.
Glad to see him back. THAT, should be important to say, 33 million people.
Best Canada Day Story EVER!!!
what Zorph said, that goes double for me too!
Dawg, I am proud to know you (well, bloggily, anyway). A lot of nonsense gets said about the power of bloggers. You've provided a fantastic example of how this medium can actually promote social change. You're one hell of a smart, committed guy. Well done.
I'd be interested to hear your impressions of what he's like versus the sort of impression you had prior to meeting him.
Ake ake Dawg, and to you and yours as well.
Neo at Halls of Crazynutz is still convinced that Mr. Abdelrazik is guilty of something because our Gooberment would never ever just pick on someone,... Of course being cleared by CSIS and the RCMP just simply doesn't registered with that freaking retard and wrongwing retards,...
Seriously though dawg, what Balb said, It is truly amazing what your were able to help to achieve this Canada Day,... If for the rest of your life you never achieve anything else, you can at least say you helped save one life, which is more than what most people can say.
With affection, friends, let's not overplay my own part in this. If it hadn't been for Paul Koring of the Globe & Mail, who stuck to this story like a pitbull; the legal team, doing hundreds, maybe thousands of hours of work pro bono; the Project Fly Home group, who developed the groundswell of support, arranged the ticket, brought groups like the CLC on board; Paul Dewar, MP, Ottawa-Centre, who just kept pushing; Abousfian himself, whose strength and courage kept him sane; the media, which began editorializing about the outrageous inaction of the Harper government--where would we be? I was just one blogger, helping in a small way. There were others. I'm proud to have been part of the effort, but my role, if role I had, was minor in the extreme.
I'm simply overjoyed today that we all won. It makes me proud to be Canadian, as cliched as that sounds. And that will suffice.
Raph:
Really hard to read--I didn't have a particular impression of Abousfian until I met him. He seemed like a gentle man awaking from a terrible dream. Obviously pleased to be surrounded by friends and supporters. Grateful. Relieved. Happy. Shell-shocked and still jet-lagged. He needs time with his family.
Little else to report.
That is terrific, Dawg! I know it's almost over where in your time zone but Happy Canada Day all the same!
Kudos to Dawg and all the others who helped bring our fellow Canadian home.
Nice story Doc...really makes you appreciate what we have and hope it isn't thrown away by those who, for some reason, hate it.
Well, welcome back to Canada. Sorry I wasn't loud enough on your behalf. I did send an angry letter to the cabinet minister, but much too late.
Outstanding.
And now it is time to look really seriously at how this happened and why the government tied itself into such absurd knots and why it took an Order of the Federal Court to achieve Abousfian's return.
And don't be too modest Dawg: the reality is that to get a government to do anything is a huge accomplishment. You worked this file hard on your blog and, I suspect, behind the scenes.
Well done.
9 Visitors Online
Commenting by HaloScan
