Maher Arar

Once again, Andrew Sullivan reminds us that there is nothing, literally nothing that stands between you or me and the treatment that Maher Arar faced in Syria. Is it too soon to remind ourselves of Martin Niemoller's poem? You know the one:

"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—
and there was no one left to speak out for me."

I think as soon as the state (being the "they" here) starts coming after anyone simply for a religious or political association with just suspicion and no charges, we need to speak up. Many programs of state abduction and torture start out small - almost as a test of public tolerance - before ballooning to something that is out of control. Let's nip this in the bud.
Tags: Torture.