Amnesty Interrupted

It appears that Allen Abney's (of Kingsgate, BC) unscheduled vacation stop at Camp Pendleton is about to come to an end. Abney was arrested at the Idaho border last week on desertion charges from 37 years ago. While the Carter administration offered a general amnesty to Vietnam War deserters in 1977, Abney did not apply for the required discharge review program. He had become a Canadian citizen that year, and doesn't the definition of the word Amnesty imply 'you're off the hook, free to go, no strings attached?'

Why would the U.S. government detain a Canadian citizen on charges from (at least for this page) a lifetime ago? It's obvious that this isn't about Abney, but rather a message to more than 8,000 U.S. military personnel who have left their units since the start of the current Iraq War, especially those seeking refuge in Canada. Ottawa's response to the de facto abduction of a Canadian citizen is a deafening silence, as the new Stephen Harper government intends to show Washington just how obedient they can be.

Mr. Harper should remember that 'stand on guard for thee' in O Canada means all Canadians, including those our American friends have a bone to pick with.