chuck wiley on the u.s. occupation of iraq: "it's legally wrong, it's morally wrong, and it shouldn't be happening"

As I mentioned last week, US war resister Chuck Wiley is on a speaking tour in Nova Scotia. The schedule of event is posted here; you can still catch him in Halifax today and tonight.

This story ran in the Halifax Chronicle Herald. If you live in Nova Scotia, please consider writing a letter to the editor in support of Chuck's bid to stay in Canada. He needs your support.

By the time he reached the age of 38, Kentucky native Chuck Wiley thought he would be retired from the United States military and working at a civilian power plant "until I was too old to get out of bed."

Instead, the trained nuclear engineer has been living in Canada since 2007. He has not spoken to his parents since moving north and is waiting to learn if he’ll be deported back to the United States, where he’s sure he’ll be jailed as a deserter from the U.S. navy.

A former chief petty officer, Wiley has paid a high professional and personal price for his decision to oppose the Iraq war.

"I wish it could have gone better," he admits. "But at the end of the day, the fundamental problem is that what the military is doing in (Iraq) is wrong. It’s legally wrong, it’s morally wrong and it shouldn’t be happening."

There are about 50 former members of the American military seeking sanctuary in Canada. They are pressuring Ottawa to enact safe haven legislation for anyone who opposes fighting in a war not sanctioned by the United Nations.

But as it stands now, the federal government is moving to deport Wiley and the others back to the U.S.

Wiley is in Nova Scotia this week speaking to various groups about his opposition to the war in Iraq and the push for sanctuary for war resisters through War Resisters Support Campaign.

The sailor is as surprised as anyone that his life has taken such a turn.

Coming from a family with a long history of military service, he happily signed up at age 17 with the consent of his parents.

"It was the honourable thing to do for the men in my family," Wiley said.

He started off in the army in military intelligence but later transferred to the navy where he was trained as a nuclear engineer.

By 2006, he had been promoted to chief petty officer and was sent to Iraq aboard the USS Enterprise, an aircraft carrier.

Wiley said he spent most of his time in the military doing what was asked of him and not getting mired down in the politics of the war.

"It was easy to stick your head in the sand and not be concerned about what was going on outside the ship," he said.

"At that point, I didn’t see anything wrong with what was going on."

Eventually, though, he started asking questions about certain missions that didn’t seem right, he said. The answers he received didn’t add up and, eventually, he questioned the point of the entire exercise.

"I kind of got into a pissing contest with my chain of command, for lack of a better term. I asked questions and I got responses like, ‘you need to shut up and go back to work. This doesn’t concern you.’ That offended me."

. . .

He said Canada Border Services Agency will interview him next week about why he wants to stay in the country but other American servicemen before him have been sent back and jailed.

While the personal price to object to the war has been high, Wiley said he could not condone what he considers to be an illegal war.

"It wasn’t just that we have found ourselves in the midst of a wrong operation, but the feeling I got from my chain of command is that we’re willingly doing something that we know is wrong," he said.

"That to me, honestly, is exactly what a military force can’t ever be."

Stay tuned for new information about how you can help Chuck and other US war resisters in Canada.

ontario health study

Ontario readers, are you participating in the Ontario Health Study? Where did you hear about it? If you decided not to participate, why was that?

I saw ads for the study on the Toronto subway on my way to school. I've been looking for ads in Mississauga, but I haven't seen any. I'm wondering where non-urban, non-transit-riding Ontarians will hear about the study. Perhaps there are TV ads that fall outside my viewing habits.

I'm participating. It seems like an easy, perhaps even fun, way to contribute to public health. The goal for the study is two million people - a huge sample!

About the study:

The Ontario Health Study (OHS) will be the biggest community-based health study ever done in Ontario, and one of the biggest in the world. The OHS is a long-term study that will help us understand the causes, prevention and treatment of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, asthma, and diabetes. . . .

The Study began with an initial phase in which more than 8,000 adults living in three communities in Ontario took part. The main phase of the Study has begun, and is now open to all residents of Ontario who are at least 18 years old. We hope to follow participants in the Study for their entire lifespan. This will allow researchers to see how environment, lifestyle and genes affect the risk of common diseases.

The OHS is also part of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project made up of five regional health studies across the country.

Medical researchers at universities, research institutes and hospitals across Ontario are conducting this study. The governments of Ontario and Canada are funding the Study.

If you are at least 18 years old, regardless of whether or not you are in good health, we would like you to be part of the Ontario Health Study!

FAQs are here.

To participate, you have to enter the number for your Ontario Health card. I wonder if that puts some people off, since we're accustomed to anonymous surveys. But it seems like the most logical system - to keep track of records, to ensure that only people enroled in the provincial health system participate, that no one is double-counted, and so on. You can give the Study permission to link to your actual health records, or you can opt out of linking; the privacy policy is here.

The initial questionnaire asked about eating habits, exercise, medical conditions (current and past), family medical history and certain environmental factors, like where you live and what kind of work you do. After the first phase, you're contacted annually for ongoing updates.

One thing really struck me in the first questionnaire. You are asked to calculate how many hours a day or week you spend standing, sitting, walking, sleeping, and so on. I was shocked at how many hours a day I spend sitting! Although I exercise regularly, I do spend most of my life sitting. This is probably pretty typical for many contemporary Western people, but seeing the number of hours totaled up took me aback. I'm using that shocking number as an incentive to increase my exercise - not so much more days at the gym as ways to work more movement into my life.

Yesterday morning, Tala and I saw a huge V of geese flying north, one of the most beautiful harbingers of spring. Warmer weather makes it much easier to get more exercise - only one of many reasons I can't wait for spring.

stephen harper explains why we can't have an election - ever

Aaron Wherry in Maclean's: This is no time for democracy! Stephen Harper says we can't have another election until the world is completely stable and at peace.

If you think about the implications, you'll know that would suit Harper just fine.

editor of national review speaks up for bradley manning

Raw Story reports that Robert VerBruggen, editor of the ultraconservative National Review, is speaking out against the US Army's torture and abusive treatment of Bradley Manning.

I assume everyone already knows that P. J. Crowley, the US State Department spokesperson who called the treatment of Manning "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid," was forced to resign. Much to his credit, Crowley did not backpedal or detract his statement. VerBruggen also comments on Crowley's statement.

Bradley Manning has found yet another unexpected defender.

An editor at the conservative National Review magazine is speaking out on behalf of Manning, the Army private accused of leaking U.S. State Department cables to WikiLeaks.

Robert VerBruggen declared Tuesday that there was "no excuse" for subjecting Manning, who has not been convicted of a crime, to harsh conditions.

Manning attorney David Coombs revealed earlier this month that for at least two nights in row, the Army private had been "stripped naked" for as long as seven hours at a time.

Manning has been held at the Quantico brig since July under a maximum security regimen, which leaves him in his cell for 23 hours a day, because authorities say his escape would pose a risk to national security.

"He has yet to be convicted of a crime -- and, regardless, prisons should avoid inflicting arbitrary and pointless miseries on their charges," VerBruggen wrote.

"On at least two and possibly three occasions, prison officials have used their discretion to subject Manning to harsher procedures than would normally be used under the brig’s policies. Manning’s treatment may well be legal, as the general counsels of the Departments of Defense and of the Navy found — the policies in question are just guidelines — but that doesn’t make it right," he added.

. . .

"The fact that the State Department's P.J. Crowley spoke out against Manning's treatment, however ill-considered the outburst was, should encourage Americans to demand a better explanation," VerBruggen noted.

"Manning is an American citizen in an American detention facility, and he has not yet been convicted. There is no excuse for subjecting him to harsh conditions, so long as he poses no threat to himself or others. The American people deserve an explanation as to why Manning remains in maximum custody and on prevention-of-injury watch," he concluded.

So the National Review is more humane and just than Obama.

click to donate free food to animals rescued in japan

FreeKibble donates pet food to animal shelters all over the world. You answer trivia questions, and right or wrong, your click provides 10 pieces of kibble to a homeless animal.

Today, all the food donated through FreeKibble will go to animal rescue efforts in Japan.

Click now! It's free, and the more you click, the more food is donated.

(And don't forget to test your vocabulary and support the World Food Programme by clicking on FreeRice.)

the conservative party of canada just rang my doorbell

The election hasn't even been called yet, and the Tory candidate in my riding is already campaigning. Our riding will be very hotly contested: it's in the coveted "905"s, and our Liberal MP is retiring.

Looks like I will have to edit this sign --

-- to read AND NO CONSERVATIVES.

harper and the g20: "when does a government decide it's time to become accountable?"

This is painful to watch, and important.

standing up for canadian democracy

A friend alerted me to an amazing blog post written in the form of a letter, or perhaps a letter that's been turned into a blog post. The author of the letter is Peter Black, a Canadian citizen. He's writing to the leaders of all the opposition parties.

Dear Messieurs Ignatieff, Layton, Duceppe and Ms. May

In the 2006 election, the Conservative Party’s slogan was “Stand Up for Canada”. In the coming election, your common slogan must be “Stand Up for Canadian Democracy”.

I know that you will explain to Canadians why you disagree with various policies of the current government. I am asking that, in addition, you remind Canadians of the numerous practices­ of Stephen Harper which are undermining our democratic institutions - Parliament; the Judiciary; the Civil Service; and Canadians’ right to information and the truth from their government:

The letter goes on to summarize some of the government's worst anti-democratic excesses, neatly filed under these categories: Abusing Parliament, Undermining the Canadian Judiciary, Attacking the Civil Service, and Lying to and Hiding Information From Canadians. Read the excellent post here.

For a much longer version of Black's list, I refer you to this list, compiled by a member of Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament going by "Defend Parliament".

* * * *

Update. In posting this, I am not suggesting or predicting campaign strategy for any party. I am not generally interested in partisan analysis, so this blog seldom comments on such matters. I offer Peter Black's letter as an excellent summary reminder of the Harper Government's anti-democratic practices.

gay rights back in citizenship guide. sort of.

Let it not be said that the Harper Government™ does not support equality! Why, there's an entire sentence about gay rights in the new version of the Citizenship Guide! And that's a full sentence more than when the guide was published. See?? Progress!!

(Thanks to West End Bob for alerting me to this.)

breed-specific insanity continues in ontario; tea partiers support animal abuse in missouri

Breed-specific insanity continues in Ontario, under the radar of the media and most of the public, but inflicting lifelong pain on the families it tears apart.

Someone claims your dog is a banned breed, and it's up to you to prove she's not. And how do you prove such a thing? You can't. So your dog is taken from your home, and killed. Now, with a later amendment to the law, the dog can now be re-homed out of the province. But what will happen to the dog? And what of your family?

This almost happened to me, a week after we moved to Canada. In the story below, note the day the law went into effect: August 29, 2005. That's the day before we landed. Two days earlier, and we would have been safe. As it was, we were at the mercy of a kind Animal Services person, who may have showed leniency because we had just moved to the country.

Without this, I can't imagine what we would have done. We spent years healing Buster from the tortures he endured, and nursing him through his many chronic illnesses. To think our life with him could have been ended just days after we moved to Canada...! It's too terrible to contemplate.

A family in Cobourg, Ontario, is suffering this way right now. The dog Chaos (pictured above) has caused no trouble. He is not aggressive. He's not even a banned breed! But if you read the story carefully, you might discover what is really going on. The dog is barking. And someone found a way to fix the problem.

Stop K9 Profiling - End BSL (here on Facebook) is asking people to contact Ross Barth at Animal Services at 905.885.7808 and politely ask that Chaos be released.

Those of us who oppose breed-specific dog laws are asking for only one thing: that all dogs be treated equally. It's illegal to arrest people and lock them up because they might do something wrong in the future. (It happens, but it's still illegal.) Why can we do this to dogs?

Dog lovers protest breed ban after pet seized
By Pete Fisher, Northumberland Today

COBOURG/PORT HOPE - Punish the deed, not the breed: that was the message of a protest Saturday in front of the Northumberland County courthouse in Cobourg.

Tracey Van Slyke organized the protest after Animal Control officer Ross Barth and four Port Hope Police officers served a warrant at her home on Wednesday, March 9, and subsequently seized her 11-month-old dog, Chaos.

Officers said Chaos appears to be a pit bull, and therefore falls under banned breed legislation which states that no pit bulls are to be born after the legislation was enacted in August 2005.

"So, we've got an 11-month-old dog that shouldn't be here based on what I determined as to be a pit bull-type dog," said Barth, who was acting as a result of a complaint he received.

Though the dog wasn't at the home, it was later seized at a Cobourg residence.

"I don't believe I ever had an illegal dog," Van Slyke said at Saturday's protest.

Approximately 30 people from Cambridge to Kingston took part in the rally to call for changes to the Dog Owner's Liability Act.

As of Aug. 29, 2005, that restricts ownership of American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers and any dog that is deemed to be substantially similar can be seized.

All pit bulls born before August 2005 were to have been sterilized, tagged and registered. Any dog born after can be seized and destroyed or sent to a research facility for animal testing.

Van Slyke said she has two dogs and is doing her best as a "responsible dog owner," but has also been informed her dogs are "interrupting the enjoyment of other tenants" with their barking.

"My dogs occasionally bark," she said. "I've been working with them to get them to stop.

"I have contacted the legal clinic and they are going to assist me in my eviction notice.

"We need our dog back," she said.

"He's never done anything aggressively other than bark and we've been working on behavioral management with him. He doesn't deserve to die just because someone doesn't think he should be where he is."

. . .

Barth said he has to act under the law when a complaint is made, and if the owners can prove the animal is not a pit bull it would be released back to them.

"I can't say whether I agree with the law or not," he said. "That's not for me to decide. The law is in place and I have to enforce the law."

Barth said nobody involved in this incident wants to see the dog destroyed, "but we know if the court decides we have no option."

Chaos is currently being housed at the Shelter of Hope on Theatre Road in Hamilton Township because Barth couldn't find another place to keep the dog.

Some shelters are shipping the dogs like this to Quebec because that province has no ban on the breed.

Barth is an animal lover himself said it's a disturbing case for all involved.

"It's breaking my heart. I had the dog in my lap. I watched the police officers doing their job and I don't think anyone of us want to see the dog taken away from its owners."

Elsewhere, anti-government freaks will bring suffering and death to countless puppies and dogs, because even the most basic, bare-bones animal protection laws are really just "government meddling" in citizens' lives.

I wrote about this back in October, when tea-party activists were trying to block legislation that would limit some of the most egregious abuses of puppy mills in the state of Missouri. Despite those efforts, that legislation passed. And now they're trying to get it repealed.

For years, Missouri earned the dubious distinction as the nation’s “puppy mill capital” because its lax humane regulations and enforcement allowed dog breeders to raise puppies at low costs in terrible, overcrowded conditions. Last fall, Missouri voters approved a referendum to finally solve this problem — the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act — which mandates regular veterinarian inspections of breeding facilities and ensures a basic level of treatment for dogs, such keeping temperatures between 45 and 85 degrees. Tea party groups stridently opposed the referendum, arguing it was “just another example of big government meddling in people’s lives.” Now, capitalizing on the big gains they made in November, Republicans in the state legislature are poised to repeal the regulations Missouri’s voters enacted. . . .

The bill still has to make it through the state House, and Gov. Jay Nixon (D) has not yet said whether he would sign or veto the bill. Editorializing against the state Senate vote, the Kansas City Star wrote that the “senators showed an arrogant disrespect for Missourians” who voted for better treatment of the animals. “The state legislature, held hostage to interests that regard dogs as just another form of livestock, has ignored the problems for years,” the paper added.

By this light, we should be well on our way to repealing child labour laws, fire codes and minimum wage laws (a cruel joke in most US states anyway).

For more on puppy mills, go here. "Overcrowding" doesn't begin to describe the tortures these dogs are subjected to.

meltdown expected, the wheat's growing thin, a nuclear error

All those people who claim nuclear energy is safe, and who ridicule those of us who fear it, claiming we are antiquated treehuggers... where will they hide from the radioactive wind?

Dr. J: Nuclear meltdown is not an alternative to global warming.

Good thing my comrade Dr. J writes so much faster than me. Saves me a lot of work.

joe hill by phil ochs by billy bragg

Joe Hill - Phil Ochs - Billy Bragg. That's quite a trio right there.

Don't mourn, organize!

wikileaks' forgotten man: documentary on bradley manning: watch on tv or online

On CBC this weekend, and online anytime, please watch "WikiLeaks' Forgotten Man", a short documentary about Bradley Manning.

WikiLeaks boss Julian Assange has been cast as a heroic champion of free speech and public enemy number one to the most powerful government in the world. But his ongoing expose of US foreign policy would not have been possible without the work of a young American soldier - Private Bradley Manning. It was Manning who allegedly stole the classified video and documents released to the world by WikiLeaks in 2010.

WikiLeaks' Forgotten Man says the U.S. Army private masterminded the biggest intelligence breach in history from a humble military desk in Iraq - and it tells the story of the man who betrayed him, former hacker Adrian Lamo. In an extraordinary interview Lamo reveals how he came to know Bradley Manning, claiming the soldier openly confessed to his role in the WikiLeaks scandal through online chats that are presented in the film.

Manning is quoted saying "I'm a high profile source...and I've developed a relationship with Assange". He says he released the cables because "I was actively involved in something I was completely against". But one of Lamo's old friends, former hacker Kevin Mitnick, is suspicious of Lamo's evidence and his motives, "I call into question the authenticity of the chat logs, because I know his personality".

While Julian Assange awaits the results of British efforts to extradite him to Sweden for sex charges, Manning now languishes in solitary confinement in a US military prison, facing a possible life sentence. But he's considered a hero to people like Daniel Ellsberg, the whistle-blower who released the Pentagon Papers in 1971. He says "Bradley Manning has shown a willingness to give his life and his freedom for his country. And you can't be more patriotic than that."

Ellsberg writes in support of Manning in The Guardian.

This shameful abuse of Bradley Manning
by Daniel Ellsberg

The WikiLeaks suspect's mistreatment amounts to torture. Either President Obama knows this or he should make it his business

President Obama tells us that he's asked the Pentagon whether the conditions of confinement of Bradley Manning, the soldier charged with leaking state secrets, "are appropriate and are meeting our basic standards. They assure me that they are."

If Obama believes that, he'll believe anything. I would hope he would know better than to ask the perpetrators whether they've been behaving appropriately. I can just hear President Nixon saying to a press conference the same thing: "I was assured by the the White House Plumbers that their burglary of the office of Daniel Ellsberg's doctor in Los Angeles was appropriate and met basic standards."

When that criminal behaviour ordered from the Oval Office came out, Nixon faced impeachment and had to resign. Well, times have changed. But if President Obama really doesn't yet know the actual conditions of Manning's detention – if he really believes, as he's said, that "some of this [nudity, isolation, harassment, sleep-deprivation] has to do with Private Manning's wellbeing", despite the contrary judgments of the prison psychologist – then he's being lied to, and he needs to get a grip on his administration.

If he does know, and agrees that it's appropriate or even legal, that doesn't speak well for his memory of the courses he taught on constitutional law.

The president refused to comment on PJ Crowley's statement that the treatment of Manning is "ridiculous, counterproductive and stupid". Those words are true enough as far as they go – which is probably about as far as a state department spokesperson can allow himself to go in condemning actions of the defence department. But at least two other words are called for: abusive and illegal.

Crowley was responding to a question about the "torturing" of an American citizen, and, creditably, he didn't rebut that description. Prolonged isolation, sleep deprivation, nudity – that's right out of the manual of the CIA for "enhanced interrogation". We've seen it applied in Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib. It's what the CIA calls "no-touch torture", and its purpose there, as in this case, is very clear: to demoralise someone to the point of offering a desired confession. That's what they are after, I suspect, with Manning. They don't care if the confession is true or false, so long as it implicates WikiLeaks in a way that will help them prosecute Julian Assange. [More here.]

"WikiLeaks' Forgotten Man" is available online here.

viva wisconsin libre

Narayan Mahon for The New York Times

As the senators walked around the Capitol square, where one of the largest protests in what has been a daily outpouring of union employees and supporters was under way, the crowd pressed in to shake hands and shout words of encouragement. Many called the senators by name, a fact that caught some off guard.

Senator Timothy Cullen was visibly moved and called it his greatest experience as a public official. “We heard about how strongly they felt,” he said. “But you have to be here to feel it.”

The size of the crowd, which the Madison police estimated at around 100,000, and the amount of positive energy was striking, coming a day after the long battle over the bill was lost, though legal efforts were under way to keep it from taking effect.

For weeks the rhythmic chanting of protesters has filled this city like a heartbeat, proof that despite the lack of legislative power, the political left in this state is still a visible, and audible, presence. At the very moment that the noise was expected to fade in disappointment, that thumping proof of life — the staccato refrain of “This is what democracy looks like,” was the most popular of the chants — continued with renewed vigor.

It's almost enough to make me miss the US. Almost.

stephen harper's effect on canadian youth

For goodness sakes, won't someone please think of the children???

As a Facebook friend said: the smartest child in Canada.

unshelved: imgagination?? maybe your imagination can double tap a word!!!

Raoul Dahl's Matilda Gets An e-Reader by Aaron Renier

And the music to go with it. Enjoy!

in 21st century canada, judges are still blaming rape survivors for being raped

I saw headlines from this story when it first broke, but it took a while to muster the nerve to click. I post now without adequate comment; I'm too nauseated to write anything.

In Manitoba, sexual assault means having to say you're 'sorry'
By Christie Blatchford

Along with no jail time, judge sentences defendant to write his victim a letter with "a fulsome apology"

She was just 26, and is petite. She was intoxicated and vulnerable. She was raped, briefly penetrated anally, and subjected to oral sex. She was so afraid of her attacker that, by the side of a highway in the middle of the night, she fled, pant-less, and ran through dark woods, trying to flag down help.

And, most chilling, the young woman feared her assailant might kill her.

These are the facts, as they were established in court, in the sex assault case that last month saw Kenneth Rhodes of Thompson, Man., given a conditional sentence - no jail time - of two years less a day.

When a precis of the presiding judge's remarks hit the media a week after the Feb. 18 sentencing, it sparked a firestorm.

By month's end, the province filed a complaint with the Canadian Judicial Council, and Judge Robert Dewar of the Court of Queen's Bench was temporarily prohibited from handling cases of a sexual nature.

But a transcript of the proceeding received on Thursday by The Globe and Mail reveals the matter as even more troubling than it may first have appeared.

Judge Dewar convicted Mr. Rhodes, who at 40 is much older and larger than the victim, of sexual assault.

As part of that process, he made certain findings of fact, among them that the woman had asked Mr. Rhodes if he was planning to kill her; that when she complained of pain during a digital assault, he told her that it "would only hurt for a little while," and that when she walked with Mr. Rhodes, to his eye allegedly willingly, she had picked up a stick (the inference is to protect herself) and gone with him only because she was afraid.

And, as senior Crown attorney David Gray reminded Judge Dewar that day, when convicting Mr. Rhodes, the judge himself had found "three independent indicia" that the woman had rebuffed his advances - once in the back seat of a car as they were driven by friends from a bar parking lot to a nearby lake, a "certain coldness" to her demeanour, and that she'd "gone off into the bush."

Yet Judge Dewar appeared to have difficulty getting his head around the fact that the victim didn't consent to have sex with Mr. Rhodes.

"And then the no," the judge said at one point, "she says no when?"

"When she says no by saying - that hurts," Mr. Gray replied.

"Okay," said the judge. "That's the time."

Judge Dewar quoted his own reasons at length when finally sentencing Mr. Rhodes.

"It must be acknowledged that the parties met in what can only be described as 'inviting' circumstances. At 2:30 on a summer morning, two young women, one of which was dressed in a tube top without a bra and jeans and both of whom were made up and wore high heels in a parking lot outside a bar, made their intentions publicly known that they wanted to party," he read aloud from his conviction decision.

Later, the judge said, when Mr. Rhodes saw his friend making out with the victim's friend, it "could further heighten the anticipation in the mind of the accused that further sexual activity could well occur." As he inimitably put it, to Mr. Rhodes, it seemed "...the door was then not closed to further sexual activity... he honestly believed that the increased sexual activity was still a possibility."

Then, in an astonishing apparent reference to the fact Mr. Rhodes had digitally penetrated the woman, the judge said, "Even his sexual activity, bizarre as it was and as hurtful as it was to the complainant, cannot be said to be only self-gratification. It had the characteristics of a clumsy Don Juan."

Especially jarring is how defence lawyer Derek Coggan and the judge appeared to fail to grasp what the Alberta Court of Appeal has called the violence inherent in any major sex assault, this despite the fact that Crown Sheila Seesahai argued this very point forcefully.

"It's not as though he was violent towards her except for the unwanted sexual act," Mr. Coggan said. "He did not raise a fist to her. He did not scream at her. He did not yell at her. He did nothing - her fear of him was not brought forth by his actions."

Perhaps the young woman's fear was also ... just in the air that night.

Why, Mr. Coggan said, Mr. Rhodes even thoughtfully "picked up her pants and her shoes and held onto them while he waited for her to come out of the bush."

The judge concluded, "Make no mistake Mr. Rhodes' failure to make inquiries warrants sanctions. Apart from anything else, women deserve respect and consideration. And when strangers are involved, greater care must be exercised in showing that consideration because there is no track record of familiarity on which to gauge the consent."

He ruled out a jail term, saying that prison "in my view, for non-thinking behaviour tends to stifle constructive change rather than encourage it." He noted that by being sentenced to house arrest (but for work), Mr. Rhodes would miss out on the freedom "to fish, to camp, to go out and visit."

The judge's sentence is well-known by now - a conditional sentence of two years less a day, with the usual mandatory bans and reporting conditions.

But what isn't is that Judge Dewar also ordered Mr. Rhodes to write his victim a letter with "a fulsome apology" for his conduct within 30 days of the appeal period expiring.

Yes, indeed. That's bound to smart.

More:

Rape victim 'inviting,' so no jail, Judge rules woman's clothes, conduct ease blame on attacker

Judge removed from cases "of a sexual nature"

Transcript of decision

u.s. war resister to tour nova scotia

Supporters of peace in Nova Scotia will have a unique opportunity to meet and learn more about a US war resister in Canada. Chuck Wiley, a 17-year veteran of the US Navy, will be speaking in several Nova Scotia locations, on a tour organized by the Halifax Peace Coalition and sponsored by several local groups.

Chuck's story is extremely compelling and affects everyone who hears it in a profound way. I can't tell you how many times I and other campaigners have heard people say their minds were opened - or changed - by hearing Chuck speak.

If you live in Nova Scotia, I hope you'll attend one or more of these events; if you have friends who might be interested, I encourage you to send them this information.

The full list of Chuck's tour dates can also be found on the websites of the War Resister Support Campaign and the Halifax Peace Coalition, and on this Facebook page.

* * * *

Breaking Rank: U.S. War Resister Chuck Wiley Speaks Out In Nova Scotia
Talk & Film Screening of "Breaking Ranks"

Tour Dates:

Wednesday, March 16, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Community Room
New Glasgow Public Library
182 Dalhousie Street
New Glasgow

Thursday, March 17, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Riverview Room of Jenkins Hall
Nova Scotia Agricultural College
College Road
Bible Hill

Thursday, March 17, 7:00- 9:00 p.m.
Room 241
Beveridge Arts Centre
Acadia University
10 Highland Avenue
Wolfville

Friday, March 18, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
Room 1107 Mona Campbell
Dalhousie University
459 LeMarchant Street
Halifax

Friday, March 18, 7:00-9:00 p.m
Sobeys 255, Sobeys Building
903 Robie
St. Saint Mary's University
Halifax

Vigil for Justice for Iraq
Saturday, March 19, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Halifax Public Library
5381 Spring Garden Road
Halifax

Free public talk and film screenings with Chuck Wiley, the most senior US military officer to become a war resister in Canada. Chuck was with the US Navy for 17 years and deployed to Iraq on the USS Enterprise. In 2007, he refused to re-deploy to Iraq and came to Canada as a war resister.

He will share his compelling personal story of conscience. Plus there will also be a special screening of the NFB documentary "Breaking Ranks" about four U.S. soldiers seeking sanctuary in Canada.

Chuck is on a tour of Nova Scotia to raise awareness of the plight of war resisters in Canada and to mark the 8th anniversary of the illegal war and occupation of Iraq and. Part of the national campaign to LET THEM STAY.

Tour Organizer:
Halifax Peace Coalition

Sponsors:
New Glasgow Public Library, Students' Union of the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, Acadia University, Saint Mary's University, SMU-PIRG, and the Centre for Foreign Policy Studies

bradley manning in his own words: truth-teller speaks out about his prison ordeal

This is the first we've heard directly from heroic war resister Bradley Manning, in his own words, since his prison ordeal began. Please share widely.

Stripped naked every night, Bradley Manning tells of prison ordeal

US soldier held on suspicion of leaking state secrets speaks out for first time about experience

'Stripping me of all of my clothing is without justification'

Bradley Manning, the US soldier being held in solitary confinement on suspicion of having released state secrets to WikiLeaks, has spoken out for the first time about what he claims is his punitive and unlawful treatment in military prison.

In an 11-page legal letter released by his lawyer, David Coombs, Manning sets out in his own words how he has been "left to languish under the unduly harsh conditions of max [security] custody" ever since he was brought from Kuwait to the military brig of Quantico marine base in Virginia in July last year. He describes how he was put on suicide watch in January, how he is currently being stripped naked every night, and how he is in general terms being subjected to what he calls "unlawful pre-trial punishment".

It is the first time Manning has spoken publicly about his treatment, having previously only been heard through the intermediaries of his lawyer and a friend. Details that have emerged up to now have inspired the UN to launch an inquiry into whether the conditions amount to torture, and have led to protests to the US government from Amnesty International.

The most graphic passage of the letter is Manning's description of how he was placed on suicide watch for three days from 18 January. "I was stripped of all clothing with the exception of my underwear. My prescription eyeglasses were taken away from me and I was forced to sit in essential blindness."

Manning writes that he believes the suicide watch was imposed not because he was a danger to himself but as retribution for a protest about his treatment held outside Quantico the day before. Immediately before the suicide watch started, he said guards verbally harassed him, taunting him with conflicting orders.

When he was told he was being put on suicide watch, he writes, "I became upset. Out of frustration, I clenched my hair with my fingers and yelled: 'Why are you doing this to me? Why am I being punished? I have done nothing wrong.'"

He also describes the experience of being stripped naked at night and made to stand for parade in the nude, a condition that continues to this day. "The guard told me to stand at parade rest, with my hands behind my back and my legs spaced shoulder-width apart. I stood at parade rest for about three minutes … The [brig supervisor] and the other guards walked past my cell. He looked at me, paused for a moment, then continued to the next cell. I was incredibly embarrassed at having all these people stare at me naked."

Full story here.

students and farmers join the fight in wisconsin; state senator admits budget is really about hurting obama

If the Wisconsin state senators who cast their surprise votes on Wednesday thought they had fired the last shot in this battle, by now they may know better. The 14 absent Democratic legislators, emboldened by relentless public outcry, are challenging the legality of the vote.

That public outcry is only getting louder and stronger, as more ordinary people recognize that they have more in common with each other than with the corporate-controlled elite. Here are two exciting and inspiring developments of the ever-growing resistance.

Hundreds of students at multiple Madison middle and high schools walked out of class Thursday to participate in protests at the state Capitol.

And students are planning another walkout for 2 p.m. Friday, organizer and East High School senior Jesse Banks said.

"There's been a lot of claims that we're wasting educational times and the student walkouts are counterproductive," Banks said. In response, the walkout is scheduled during the last hour and is expected to include a rally at Library Mall where high school students will discuss a Republican bill that dismantles public sector employee collective bargaining.

"The plan is to use it as a tool for education," Banks said.

Banks joined about 600 students who walked out of East High School around 10 a.m. Thursday to join protests of Assembly action on the collective bargaining bill, which was passed unexpectedly by the Senate Wednesday night.

. . .

As many as 800 West High School students also marched to the Capitol around 10 a.m., senior Jacob Fiksel said. . .

"I want to be part of stopping this," he said, adding that the students at the rally were excused from class by their parents.

Tomorrow, Saturday, March 12, members of the Wisconsin Farmers Union will descend on the capitol this Saturday - riding their tractors.

The Farmer Labor Tractorcade will bring tractors and solidarity to the Capitol to fight for labor rights and a just state budget. Rural communities will be disproportionately hurt by the cuts to education and Badgercare. Farmers in Wisconsin stand with state workers and all working and middle class families in the state. The event is sponsored by Family Farm Defenders and the Wisconsin Farmers Union. All farmers - and eaters - welcome and encouraged to come!

For more information and to learn how you can support Tractorcade, go to this Facebook page or the Family Farm Defenders website.

Meanwhile, ThinkProgress and Raw Story report that Wisconsin State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald made a bit of a slip on Fox News: he spoke the truth!

State Sen. Scott Fitzgerald (R), the Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader, must have forgotten his talking points while appearing on Megyn Kelly's Fox News show. This afternoon he admitted on-air what many liberals have long-suspected: rescinding collective bargaining rights from state workers is Wisconsin is as much about the 2012 presidential election as Wisconsin's 2011 budget shortage.

As first reported by ThinkProgress, Fitzgerald told Kelly: "If we win this battle, and the money is not there under the auspices of the unions, certainly what you’re going to find is President Obama is going to have a much difficult, much more difficult time getting elected and winning the state of Wisconsin." [You can watch the clip here.]