You're either with the US or against us.

Maher Arar exonerated.
Completely. Unequivocally.

I am happy for him. I am angry for the rest of us.

On Saturday Arar flew from Kamloops to Calgary and then on to Ottawa to hear the results of the federal inquiry that would both clear his name and accuse the RCMP of wrongly telling US authorities that he was "an Islamic extremist suspected of being linked to the al Qaeda terrorist network".

He chose this route over a more direct Vancouver/Ottawa route because of the danger of that flight veering into US airspace. Understandable, wouldn't you say?
He presents his ticket and driver's licence to the Air Canada check-in clerk in Kamloops.
A flag on his name results in a fifteen minute security check
Arar asks the reporter travelling with him why his name is still flagged after four years.

Anyone want to tell him?
Air Transport Association of Canada uses the US Homeland Security no-fly selectee list to screen passengers even on domestic flights from one point in Canada to another. They do this despite Transport Canada's statement that there is no requirement for them to do so. There are reportedly 70,000 people on that list.

In his report, Justice O'Connor "recommends the RCMP and CSIS review their policies governing how they supply information to foreign governments with questionable human rights records."

Are you laughing yet? That's Stockwell Day's department.
It's a fine recommendation but what do you think the chances are that this government, this government with its "You're either with the US or against us" record, will consider the US of fucking A to be 1)a foreign country and 2)with a questionable human rights record?