Do you make your friends break the law with you?

This is an interesting statement. In Canada we are currently discovering the horrific events in the case of Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen who was rendered to Syria and tortured for one year after being detained on a stop-over in New York.

Hearings are underway to determine culpability, why it took so long for Cdn officials to intervene with Syria on Arar's behalf, and what information the RCMP and CSIS gave American officials etc.

What came out last week was particularly chilling. The US were prepared to release Arar on the condition that Canadian officials arrest and CONVICT him. Yes, convict. Forget about due process. The US would only release a Canadian citizen into Canadian hands if they promisted to convict and jail him. When Cdn officials said they couldn't promise that, Arar was rendered to Syria. And furthermore, the RCMP had told the US that there was not enough evidence to charge Arar.

This is ludicrous. And another incident that damages relationships. You cannot force countries to charge and jail people without proper due process.

I'm afraid if this is what we do know, how much worse are the things we don't.