Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 14, 2009, Winnipeg, Manitoba C m y k Page a10 the right thing to do a s his inauguration nears United states president elect Barack Obama is scrambling to work through things he promised would get done quickly some within the first 100 Days of his administration. A number of things touch upon americans relations with Canada and one of them is Omar Khadr the Canadian who has been held in Guantanamo prison for seven years. Or. Khadr was charged As an enemy combatant for allegedly fighting for al Aida in Afghanistan where he is accused of lobbing a grenade at american troops killing a Soldier. His on again off again prosecution his lawyers and human rights advocates have challenged the grounds upon which he has been held interrogated and brought to trial has kept him in prison in Cuba Long after Many have returned to their homelands. Or. Khadr is the last citizen of a Western democracy in Guantanamo All others have been returned Home for detention or trial at their countries insistence. Canada specifically prime minister Stephen Harper has refused to repatriate or. Khadr noting the seriousness of the charges against him. Or. Harper has insisted the american process continue apace even though it was revealed last year the u. Asked Canada to take him Back to try him Here. Or. Harpers position presents a particular problem then for or. Obama who vowed to close Guantanamo. There Are some 250 detainees remaining there some of whom Are described As dangerous indeed. Many though Are considered Low risk but in danger of torture or persecution should they be returned to their own countries. Portugal has recently stepped up offering to take some of those least dangerous men. Albania did the same earlier taking five uighur who could not be returned to China. Other countries Are said to be mulling Over some assistance and the Bush administration is giving More serious thought to bringing to America other dangerous detainees who cannot be released but can be tried in u. Court. Closing Guantanamo would be hugely symbolic of a fresh foreign relations Start for the Obama administration which is anxious to show the world America is turning the Page on the Bush years. It would shutter what has become a glaring anachronism for a country that sets itself out As a Beacon of Justice due process and Liberty in its Battles against tyranny around the world. Or. Obama however is coming to see that doing that is not As simple As putting 250 men on a plane and pad Locking the door. Or. Harper is to play Host to or. Obama soon. There Are a number of prickly issues that require Good co operation from both countries to resolve. Or. Harper can and should bring Omar Khadr Back Here to face trial. A gesture of Goodwill it would More importantly be the right thing to do for a country that regards human rights and Justice As democratic Cornerstones. Back to Gas when the Price of gasoline started rising and then went through the roof last year you could not turn on a television without seeing a Shell shocked Driver being interviewed at a Gas station. The Sale of sums and Large engined Gas guzzlers dropped drastically. The automobile manufacturers of these cars were hit perhaps harder than automobile Drivers. The Sale of hybrids on the other hand such As the Toyota Prius that runs on electricity and gasoline skyrocketed. Toyota could not make enough of them to meet demand for this new Breed of cars. It seemed the Oil crisis would spark a revolution in the Industry. Many pundits and Industry spokesmen said expensive Oil and High Price Gas were Here to stay facts of a new life in a new economic order. At the North american Auto show in Detroit this week automakers showed that they were responsive to the newly perceived reality parading a new and improved generation of electric cars and hybrids that they hoped would be the Way of the future. Toyota unveiled a version of the Prius that promised even better Gas mileage than its predecessor an impressive 21 Kilometres per litre. Unfortunately for Auto companies the Price of gasoline had already taken a drastic drop. Now that it is affordable again people Are trading in their sums not for electric cars but for new gasoline powered automobiles. Sales of the Prius dropped by 45 per cent in the u. In december according to the Globe and Mai while 35 per cent of Chrysler owners trading in their sums were buying new sums. The revolution May be Over unless the Price of gasoline rises again As it surely will. One can hardly blame the automakers for not knowing what a barrel of Oil will Cost a year or two from now. One can wonder however How it is that they need massive bailouts in Canada billions of dollars in the u. Hundreds of billions because the Market for guzzlers had fallen through and hint that they will need More help now that it is Back and hybrids Are no longer the car of Choice for Many. Simple human nature is As much to blame for this As anything. It is still Early Days in the making and marketing of hybrids and electrics and people can hardly be faulted for still feeling More comfortable with their familiar internal combustion engines. A punitive tax on gasoline As has been proposed in the u. S., might help automakers but it wont change human nature. If the people who make cars had a better understanding of the people who drive them they might have better Luck with the kind of cars they stake their future on. These new cars after All make sense in Many ways no matter what the Price of gasoline. Editorials Winnipeg free press wednesday january 14, 2009 Freedom of Trade Liberty of religion Equality of civil rights a 10 comment editor Gerald flood 697 7269 Gerald. Flood free press. My. Ca Winnipeg repress. Com have your say the free press welcomes letters from readers. They must include the authors name address and Telephone number. Letters May be edited. Letters to the editor 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg r2x 3b6. Fax 697 7412. E mail letters free press. My. Ca letters represent the opinions of their writers and do not reflect the opinions of the Winnipeg free press or its staff. Poll vote online at wow. Winnipeg repress. Com suck it up Winnipeg re bundle up. Or be quiet Jan. 10. Bravo Bartley Kives. Thank you for expressing what Ive always thought. We might even go a Little further and suggest that instead of complaining about the cold Winni Eggers could stand to be a Little More thankful for the benefits of building codes Central heating and High tech insulating garments. Only a few generations ago All that stood Between the average Winnipeg ger and death from exposure in wintertime were a couple of layers of boards and some tar paper a single Wood stove and Many Many layers of Wool. Lets suck it up Winnipeg the cold wont last forever. It never does. Alexandra g. Venema Winnipeg death to Pine beetles with regards to our current cold weather canadians can handle it but with any Luck it is killing millions of Pine beetles that have been destroying thousands of acres of Trees across Canada. Clint Mckechnie Neepawa excusing the Devil in what is hopefully Only a coincidence the term asymmetry appeared twice in last wednesdays paper. In a letter asymmetrical violence Val affray argued that israelis use of sophisticated weaponry against a amass crude rocketry affray neglects to add a amass mortar attacks constituted an asymmetry of violence. Affray declared that this was a War crime on israelis part. Idris Albakri the last occupied people also criticized israelis Superior firepower the asymmetry is staggering. What is really astounding is the fact that Hamas is so nihilistic and calculating As to Start a War with Israel with such inferior weapons. Hamas knows it can Only win in the Public relations Battle and there Are evidently Many fellow travellers willing to at least meet them Halfway. Israel is the Scapegoat of the left the screen upon which the old bogeymen of colonialism and occupation can still be projected the ancient injustice upon which missiles can be rained. Albakri says there is no equivalence of adversaries in this War. He is right. Hamas is sworn to destroy the state of Israel and who can doubt that Hamas would launch better missiles if they had them unlike Hamas Israel is not Bent on genocide. Some people would excuse the Devil if it gave them an excuse to denounce Israel. Michael Melanson Winnipeg a reasoned condemnation Idris Elba Kris column the last occupied people Jan. 7 was an eloquent and reasoned condemnation of the cruel asymmetry of israelis attack on Gaza. It is continually dismaying that so Many of Canadas politicians and Media figures seeking to be seen As pro Israel refuse to follow Elba Kris example and instead Overlook and justify any and All acts committed by Israel in Pursuit of its military objectives. In so doing they Are allowing Israel to ultimately doom itself to the moral defeat Albakri describes. By flagrantly violating International Law and killing huge numbers of innocent civilians Israel is creating endless enemies who will never forgive or forget what has been done to them. A truly pro Israel stance would hold the Promise of the Long term survival of Israel. Yet such cannot be the Case As Long As Israel is encouraged by its uncritical allies to plunge from one moral defeat to another. Michael Dudley Winnipeg the True crisis Why does All the humanitarian outcry take place after Israel takes military action against Hamas there is a double Standard implicit in the Calls of crisis from the likes of the in and red Cross. Where is the concern from these institutions when Hamas uses much of its Money on underground tunnels and rockets instead of lessening violence and investing in the palestinian people this has occurred for some time and is the True humanitarian crisis. Richard Pollock Winnipeg bait and switch tactic re main Street Complex not As billed Jan. 9. In response to fridays article regarding the Winnipeg regional health authority building on main Street it is Clear that there is More than enough blame to go around for this unfortunate debacle. Centre ventures apparent desperation to generate any kind of development activity is so palpable that there Are few architectural or planning standards it wont encourage developers to Compromise. As for the City of Winnipeg coun. Mike pasta khans comments gave the impression that it was totally in the dark throughout this project As it devolved from the attractive initial drawings to what was actually built. If the downtown development committee approves a specific Type of project it be the Cit yes responsibility to ensure that it gets built As proposed moreover who decided to allow an unsightly Parade without any provision for Street level retail As promised to be built in such a prominent location on one of Winnipeg Gas principal thoroughfares this project was heralded by Centre venture As an ingredient in the revitalization of main Street. The fact that this building is completely hostile to pedestrian activity As Well As the fact that it creates a huge void in the form of a Parade right on main Street Means that it will be a failure. It is Little More than bait and switch development and Winni Eggers will have to live with the consequences for years. In its haste to treat what ails main Street Centre venture and the City of Winnipeg have settled on a cure that is worse than the disease. Walter m. Krawec Winnipeg Winnipeg free press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 vol 137 no 64 2008 Winnipeg free press a division of up Canadian newspapers limited partnership published seven Days a week at 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg Manitoba r2x 3b6, pm 697 7000 a member of the Manitoba press Council Bob Cox / publisher Margo Goodhand / editor to Days question is Brendan Tamanis resignation Good or bad for the Winnipeg Blue bombers previous question would you like to attend Barack of amass inauguration yes 42% no 57% total 1,930 letter of the Day Warha project applauded with the recent coverage of the Winnipeg regional health project i am compelled to respond on behalf of Centre venture. To suggest that the Warha building is a blight on the Urban landscape is unfortunate Given its current state of construction. The Warha project As it presently sits is a work in Progress having been through an extensive design review Udac and building permit process. With a completion Date of june the finished product will be one which at the very least provides a significant upgrade to what has been present and neglected for the last 50 years. Projects such As the Warha in a location such As North main Street Are extremely difficult and Complex to Complete and require to a Large extent a major leap of Faith and commitment to a broader Community Good for them to become a reality. The Warha is to be applauded for its commitment to North main and for a project that reflects that balance. When Complete the Warha development will attract other investment to the area and will generate nearly $ 1 million a year of incremental taxes and if used wisely will be a major catalyst for future Community building efforts. We see this project As the tipping Point for a Long term sustainable redevelopment initiative that if undertaken As part of a tax increment finance zone Tidwill potentially see millions of dollars of future tax Revenue invested in this area for infrastructure upgrades future land acquisition conversion of so hotels Community development initiatives and rehabilitation of and construction of new affordable housing projects the objective of which is to re establish North main As a viable healthy and contributing mixed use neighbourhood. This would not be possible without the Warha project. Ross Mcgowan president and ceo Centre venture Dev. Corp. Winnipeg new Warha building on main Street. A 10_ Jan 14 09. Ind a10 1/ 13/ 09 8 58 41 pm ;