CIA's Revelations Find Echo North Of The Border

Indeed, the nature and scope of misdeeds by the CIA and other intelligence services today arguably eclipse those of the Vietnam War period in terms of the threat they pose to civil liberties and human rights. Methods of gathering so-called "intelligence" once deemed illegal or at least that tested lawful boundaries now have the veneer of legality. This new and convenient legal regime has been achieved largely through secret executive orders issued by President George Bush and enacted with the complicity of scores of Western democracies. Here are the incriminating facts: Secret CIA-run jails scattered across the Balkans and Central Europe hold terror suspects incommunicado and indefinitely without charge. The odious practice of abducting, and deporting men like Canadian software engineer Maher Arar – euphemistically called "renditions" – continues unabated. The use of simulated drowning or "water-boarding," sleep deprivation, dogs and other coercive interrogation techniques is now routine. More evidence of this new "legal" framework that effectively provides cover to America's spies can be found in the pervasive spying being conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA). No longer even nominally constrained by the need to secure judicially approved warrants, this super secret eavesdropping apparatus scours the electronic ether, sucking in email, cellphone and Internet traffic at will. The situation in Canada is no more reassuring. http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/234479 [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on July 13, 2007]

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