Blog of Adam Daifallah -- author, journalist, law student. Lover of politics, writing, golf, curling, fitness, fashion, bacon and maple products -- not necessarily (but probably) in that order. Partisan of the Anglosphere. Contact me via email at adam@daifallah.com.

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Great column!

Canada's first course on conservatism is underway:

Under the auspices of its Institute for the Study of Canada, McGill University has introduced an inter-disciplinary seminar, The Conservative Movement in Canada (CMIC). The title is prosaic; the course content and the students it has attracted are anything but.

CMIC's first 11 sessions of historical background examine U.S. and British influences on the growth of conservatism in Canada. As well, according to CMIC sessional lecturer Tasha Kheiriddin, this segment will emphasize the dominance of the national-unity issue in our politics in shaping a uniquely Canadian conservative brand.

Read the whole thing.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 4:31 PM

  

Collapse

No other word for it:

Bernard Landry, whose resignation as PQ leader in 2005 opened the way for Mr. Boisclair, said his successor is to blame for the party's "collapse."

From 50% in the polls and 20 percentage points ahead of the governing Liberals when Mr. Boisclair became leader in late 2005, the PQ has fallen to 32% and two points behind the Liberals, Leger Marketing reported in a poll for Le Devoir.

"What he has done has provoked this collapse of our party," Mr. Landry told the Quebec City radio station CHOI-FM. He singled out Mr. Boisclair's recently reported anti-union comments and his musing that the crucifix has no place in Quebec's National Assembly as examples of Mr. Boisclair's costly "misadventures."

Fun times ahead.

UPDATE: Chantal Hébert puts everything in perspective.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 9:56 AM

  

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

On reasonable accomodation

I'm surprised this story isn't getting more attention in the rest of Canada. It's the kind of thing one might expect to see in some small isolated town in Alabama, not in Quebec. But trust me, this story is not a joke:

The town council of Herouxville, a sleepy town dominated by a towering Roman Catholic church, has adopted a declaration of "norms" that it says would-be immigrants should be aware of before they settle in this town.

Among them, it is forbidden to stone women or burn them with acid.

Children cannot carry weapons to school. That includes ceremonial religious daggers like kirpans even though the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that Sikhs can carry kirpans in schools.

However, children can swim in a pool with other children - boys and girls alike because they can't be segregated.

And for the record, female police officers in Herouxville, 165 kilometres northwest of Montreal, can arrest male suspects. Also part of the declaration is to allow women to drive, dance and make decisions on their own.

The debate over what exactly constitutes an accomodement raisonnable ("reasonable accomodation") of minority ethnic communities and whether it has gone too far is the single biggest issue in Québec right now. Everyone is talking about it, and it will possibly be the biggest issue in the next Québec election. Mario Dumont's ADQ has been trying to use the issue as a wedge for weeks to try and pick up support in rural Québec ridings.

A Montreal policeman was suspended from his job for writing, singing and posting this song, which basically says "adopt our values or get out of here":


This deate will likely spill over into the rest of the country soon. It is a debate that should be had, but some of its undertones are disturbing.

UPDATE: Looks like the strategy is working for Dumont. A new poll has the ADQ at 24% province-wide, and in first place in the Québec City region.

UPDATE II: I was a bit misplaced when I said I was surprised this story isn't getting more attention -- I see it's on page one of today's National Post.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 9:31 AM

  

Monday, January 29, 2007

Not a leader

Go here to view the Tories' new TV adverts on Dion.

Reminds me of the ones the Harris Tories ran before the 1999 election. Remember those? With lots of ????????????????????? everywhere?

They were effective. Maybe these will be too.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 8:48 PM

  

Hope in Québec

Those who've read it know one of the points made in Rescuing Canada's Right is the need to build a conservative infrastructure in Québec. More signs that the chill on Québec conservatism is thawing ...

Graeme Hamilton from the National Post reports on L'Illusion Tranquille, an excellent documentary about the destructive effects of Québec's massive welfare state that is making waves in the province. I saw this and it is really great; those who understand French would really enjoy it, even if you're outside the province. It is really well put together and a lot of fun.

Second, check out the new Coalition des Esprits Libres. ("Free spirits coalition.") This is a new group of pro-freedom young Québecers of which I am a proud member. We are planning to pick up where Lucien Bouchard's Pour un Québec lucide left off -- meaning, speaking out in favour of less and fewer taxes, smaller government and non-statist solutions to Québec's very real social and economic problems.

These are signs the pendulum is starting to swing back. There's hope for la belle province.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 7:57 PM

  

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Louise Beaudoin: désistement inopportun

Nouvelle assez surprenante hier dans la scène politique québécoise: Louise Beaudoin, ancienne ministre et candidate vedette péquiste, a annoncé qu'elle ne sera se présentera pas sous la bannière du parti séparatiste lors des prochaines élections provinciales:

Dans une lettre parue hier, elle explique, sans faire la moindre allusion à André Boisclair, qu'elle demeure une militante du Parti Québécois et que son engagement souverainiste est «solide et vigoureux». À des proches, elle a à moult reprises exprimé à des amis ses réticences vis-à-vis André Boisclair et allant jusqu'à affirmer qu'il «n'a pas ce qu'il faut pour être premier ministre».

Il est de mon opinion que cette nouvelle est, de toutes les mauvaises nouvelles dont il est l'objet jusqu'à date, la plus catastrophique à l'endroit d'André Boisclair.

Ce qui est le plus surprenant dans cette affaire est que Mme Beaudoin avait mis dans sa candidature des efforts considérables durant les quatre dernières années. Elle écrivait dans le quotidien montréalais La Presse sur une base régulière en plus de faire des apparitions télévisées.

Il apparaît de la face même des faits que Mme Beaudoin préparait un retour à l'Assemblée nationale en tentant de faire connaître ses positions vis-à-vis de grands enjeux de la société québécoise.

Le fait que cette femme jouissant d'un haut profil dans la famille souverainiste se rétracte en réaction à l'incompétence présumée de son chef est de bien mauvais augure pour le Parti Québécois qui devra bientôt croiser le fer avec les libéraux menés par Jean Charest.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:32 AM

  

Friday, January 26, 2007

Either a major typo, or he's no golfer

From today's Globe and Mail Report on Business magazine profile of Microsoft Canada President-- and self-professed golf nut -- Phil Sorgen:

Where would you live, if you could live anywhere? Pebble Beach, Florida

Unless there's some other Pebble Beach I'm not aware of, I think he meant Pebble Beach, California.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 10:33 PM

  

Thursday, January 25, 2007

What's so great about America?

I was not surprised at some of the responses to the below post on Wesley Autrey, although the sources of some of them were a bit unexpected.

It's funny how whenever something pro-American gets posted, the immediate reaction for some is to bash the U.S. "Blame America first," the term popularized by the late Jeane Kirkpatrick, seems to have become an intrinsic part of being Canadian. What a shame.

In that post I was not trying to defend the Bush administration, nor point out that people in other countries wouldn't do the same thing in a similar situation. (Although in response to my dear old friend Philippe, I have to say I was perplexed when I learned in law school, as he did, that helping people in distress is a binding legal responsibility in Quebec's Civil Code -- I seriously doubt Quebecers would behave any differently in a situation where someone was drowning because of that provision than those in common law jurisdictions.)

First, I think it might be possible that people in America would be more disposed than those in other countries to help someone in trouble. I am not going to argue the point because I have no stats to back it up, although I would love to see some international survey data. If anyone knows of its existence, holler.

Second, I was more trying to draw attention to Mr. Autrey's comments and their context than his actual deed. He linked his act of heroism to the fact that American soldiers are overseas dying for freedom. I think that was a wonderful thing to say. I'm not saying a Canadian who rescues someone on the TTC might not say "We've got soldiers putting their lives on the line for freedom in Afghanistan, this is the least I could do," but for some reason, it seems unlikely.

I would love to hear from David Mader on this. I know he would have some interesting thoughts.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 8:52 PM

  

Telling it like it is

Dick Cheney on Hillary:

US Vice President Dick Cheney said that Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton will not win the White House in 2008 and would not make a good president if she does.

Cheney, who in October had called Hillary Clinton a "formidable candidate" who "could win" the race to replace US President George W. Bush, told CNN television "I don't" think she would make a good leader.

Asked why, Cheney replied: "Because she's a Democrat. I don't agree with her philosophically and from a policy standpoint."

One of the reasons I've always liked Dick Cheney is that he doesn't beat around the bush.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 8:48 PM

  

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Bob Rae's no dummy

This interesting story caught my eye in today's Globe:

One MP said that Mr. Rae's comments suggested that he and Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion will build an election platform that will emulate that of former Ontario Tory premier Mike Harris, who came up with a so-called Common Sense Revolution.

It also echoes the tactics of Mr. Harper, who focused on his "five priorities" and repeated key themes like a mantra throughout the election campaign that brought him to office a year ago.

To come up with ideas and encourage caucus participation, Mr. Rae had MPs and senators break up into small groups of about five that were asked to develop themes, in bite-size phrases, for the platform.

One MP said that marrying the economy with environmental action was a dominant theme -- "some form of 'It's the environmental economy, stupid.' " Some came up with slogans such as, "The environment is wealth" or "The environment is health," MPs said.

But there were other slogans -- from "Hope and opportunity" to "Leading edge" -- designed to portray the party as more innovative and progressive than the Conservatives.

Those who've read our book will probably recognize this theme (see p. 197): be positive, run on clear, crisp themes, offer hope, etc...

Bob Rae may have been a crummy Premier and he may be devoid of any ideological compass, but one thing's almost certain: the Liberals will be ready and armed with a decent platform next election.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 6:32 PM

  

What's so great about America

From the State of the Union:

Three weeks ago, Wesley Autrey was waiting at a Harlem subway station with his two little girls, when he saw a man fall into the path of a train. With seconds to act, Wesley jumped onto the tracks ... pulled the man into a space between the rails ... and held him as the train passed right above their heads. He insists he’s not a hero. Wesley says: “We got guys and girls overseas dying for us to have our freedoms. We got to show each other some love.” There is something wonderful about a country that produces a brave and humble man like Wesley Autrey.

What more can you say?

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 10:01 AM

  

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

If you care

Vanity Fair got itself a copy of the O.J. Simpson confession book -- even though all copies were supposedly destroyed.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 10:15 PM

  

The web is hot

The online world keeps steaming ahead with innovation and technology in the realm of political journalism.

The latest is The Politico, which just launched. This site is continually updated with breaking news stories, videos and more. Some really quality people have given up prestigious gigs to work there, including my ex-Sun colleague Ben Smith.

Also, I'm addicted to the new Macleans.ca online-only stories section, headed by my friend and former colleague, the other Adam. Kady O'Malley, Chris Selley et al are doing amazing work there. So many links!

Luiza is also a mandatory daily read.

The industry had two choices: embrace technology and keep pushing the envelope further, or die. They are choosing the former.

Need more hours in the day, need more hours in the day ...

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 7:46 PM

  

Monday, January 22, 2007

Ségolene Royal

You can always count on the French to do the wrong thing.

Nice response from Harper though.

UPDATE (Tuesday, 6:51pm): Didn't have time to write as much about this as I wanted, but I also found Jean Charest's response a bit lacking:

Charest suggested Royal ought to butt out.

The provincial government had invited Royal to visit Quebec, Charest said, but she declined - and as far as he knows, she has never set foot in the province.

''The future of Quebec will be decided by Quebecers, no one else,'' Charest said.

Would it have been too hard for him to say "Quebec is part of Canada"? (Perhaps he did, but it didn't make it in the story.) Maybe he was trying to be sensitive to the separatist member of his caucus, Mr. Descoteaux.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 9:54 PM

  

Sunday, January 21, 2007

No bitterness detected here

Sarkis Assadourian on giving up his House of Commons seat for Ruby Dhalla:

Assadourian said that after the election, Martin's office wouldn't even return his phone calls, although he ostensibly remained a special adviser.

"For 15 months I was lied to," he said.

Asked if he regrets accepting Martin's job offer and giving up his seat, Assadourian said: "I regret knowing him as a person."

You tell it, Sarkis.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 6:28 PM

  

Let's have a conversation

What was by far the longest build-up ever to an announcement of a presidential candidacy -- at least six years, I think -- is finally finished.

Hillary Clinton says she's "starting a discussion."

"Let's talk, let's chat," she says. "Let the conversation begin."

She isn't the first politician to use these vacuous terms to launch a campaign and probably won't be the last.

It makes you long for the days when politicians would throw a set of ideas out for all to see and ask people to support them.

Could you imagine Margaret Thatcher launching a campaign by announcing she's running to "have a discussion"?

Come on. Candidates for high office can and should do better.

UPDATE (12:15 pm): Ah, the irony. Just saw this.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 10:22 AM

  

Friday, January 19, 2007

Negotiating with the Taliban

"Actually I think Jack's fine on Afghanistan. And negotiating with the Taliban is not just Jack's idea. It's anybody who knows Afghanistan has said this is the way it's got to go."

-- Rick Salutin, The Agenda with Steve Paikin, January 16, 2007

This comment, a response to my assertion Tuesday that the NDP's position on Afghanistan was "recklesss", perplexed me. I have heard of some, but not many, people advocating negotiation with the Taliban. I would be interested in seeing more examples of people who support this course of action, so if anyone knows of sources, please let me know. I maintain that that would be the wrong way to go.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:01 AM

  

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Video of The Agenda is up

If you want to watch the video of The Agenda from last night, go here and click on "Jack Layton -- The future of the NDP" on the side-bar on the left. Panel discussion starts about a third of the way in.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 6:52 PM

  

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Tonight, on The Agenda ...

Looks like I'll be on The Agenda with Steve Paikin again tonight (8 p.m. ET, TV Ontario), this time discussing the future of the NDP with Jack Layton. (I say looks like because one never knows if a big news event will force a change in plans.)

This is an interesting topic, especially given the rise in the polls of the Green Party. If any readers have suggestions or comments for what could or should be said, feel free to share.

UPDATE: It went well. It is difficult to get a word in when you're not in studio, but Paikin is always fair. Will post the link to the video once it's up.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 9:52 AM

  

Monday, January 15, 2007

What could have been ...

Shocker:

France's government proposed forming a union with Britain in 1956 and also discussed joining the Commonwealth, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported Monday.

Citing documents in the National Archives, the BBC said Prime Minister Guy Mollet of France had discussed the possibility of a merger of the countries with Prime Minister Anthony Eden. That discussion came on Sept. 10, 1956, when Mollet visited London, but Eden rejected the idea, the BBC said.

I'm not going to venture into the realm of alternative history, but I would wager that France would probably be better off today had this actually occurred. Couldn't be much worse.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 11:57 PM

  

Curling in poverty

It's about time we had a curling post on here.

Curling is a great sport. It is played by about a million Canadians. Every year, the Brier is among the most-watched sporting events on TV in Canada. Yet for years, curlers have been unable to capitalize on their success and reap any meaningful monetary reward. Case in point: the near-total lack of financial success for curling superstar Russ Howard in the aftermath of last year's gold medal win at the Olympics. It doesn't seem fair:

While speed skater Cindy Klassen has reportedly signed endorsement deals in excess of $1-million (some put it closer to $2-million), Howard's team has only a single arrangement that won't even net each player $10,000.

"I never started curling to get rich," Howard said, "but you just hear so much about what the gold medal is worth and see what other athletes have managed and certainly there's some disappointment."

Part of that stems from the fact Howard spent $24,000 on his Olympic journey, most of that to bring his wife and two children to Italy for the Games. From flights to accommodation to tickets, the bills added up in a hurry.

"I certainly never expected the government or sponsors or whoever to pick up the cost of bringing every aunt, uncle and cousin, but I guess I just thought there would be some help," he said. "You don't really think about that when you first become an Olympian."

Howard said his representative, Landmark Sport Group, which also handles Klassen, has some irons in the fire and he's hopeful some arrangements will transpire. But he's also a realist.

"I guess that's curling," he said. "We're just not sexy enough."

And that really is it, isn't it. Curling just isn't sexy enough. This guy can't even get sponsored to bring his wife to the Games? What a sad reality of modern sport.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 7:06 AM

  

Thursday, January 11, 2007

More on Israel

My post from last week about my trip to Israel has generated the most private correspondence of any blog post I've written. Several Israeli citizens sent their comments and the post has been reproduced on a number of Jewish-Israeli blogs and websites. I appreciate that very much, but I want to clarify a few things.

First, I realize the trip was paid for by the "pro-Israel" lobby and that we did not go to the Palestinian territories. Everyone on the trip was aware of why we were sent -- to make us better understand and appreciate Israel. But trust me, the voyage was in no way akin to a propaganda tour. We heard straight talk about the security barrier/fence/wall, we heard from Palestinians who met us in Jerusalem -- including this courageous man -- and we heard from Israelis from the far left to the far right. (We could not go to the Palestinian territories because of security concerns.)

Second, it is mistake to call me "pro-Israel." I have never liked the terms pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian. That conflict is far too complicated to pigeon-hole people into convenient binary categories -- as the media all too often does. This issue has little do with nationalities or borders for me. It is about ideas and values. I support any country that respects and promotes democracy, freedom, free markets and human rights.

At present, Israel does; Palestine does not.

I want freedom for the Palestinians and I'm sure some day they will have it. But until they can demonstrate a commitment to live in peace with their neighbour, stop promoting terrorism and martyrdom and dedicate themselves to respecting basic human rights and freedoms (they have shown they "get it" when it comes to democracy already, as unfortunate as their voting preferences may be), then statehood will continue to elude them.

I am not pro- or anti- any country or ethnic group. I am pro-freedom, pro-democracy, pro-human rights and pro-free markets.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 6:54 PM

  

Talk about a waste of taxpayer dollars

Why not just wait the few extra months to save everyone the trouble?

Of course, there may never be a by-election. Harper has up to six months to call one, and there could be a general election before then.

And I seriously doubt Harper is in a rush to drop the writ in that riding.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 11:01 AM

  

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Why can't CNN be this much fun?

Do yourself a favour and watch this.

Nothing quite like being called a "Persion shoe" on cable TV news.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 7:28 PM

  

Monday, January 08, 2007

Nuke Iran?

There's been a lot of talk about a story that appeared in the London Sunday Times that Israel is preparing a nuclear strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

The story may be accurate, but it may not be. I got the sense in Israel that a consensus has formed that Iran will have to be attacked sooner or later, and probably by Israel. The Iranian president simply cannot be allowed to get hold of an atomic bomb. So, it is possible that battle plans are already drawn up for such a military operation.

But one thing you have to remember about the Sunday papers in London is that they tend to sensationalize. Sunday stories are held to a lower journalistic standing than the rest of the week. There tends to be a higher amount of anonymous sourcing on stories.

Jon M. at Daimnation has more.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 10:40 AM

  

Friday, January 05, 2007

Media got it wrong -- again

The big story about the new Harper cabinet is how wrong the media got it. For weeks, as in since well before Christmas, the Ottawa press gallery was reporting that Jim Prentice would become Environment minister. Ambrose would become Intergovernmental Affairs, and Peter Van Loan would move to Indian Affairs. Remember?

So today, Jim Prentice is still at Indian Affairs. Ambrose did go to IA -- her natural home -- and Van Loan is now House Leader.

Why do reporters waste so much time speculating instead of just reporting the facts? Is it because they hope one of their guesses will be right, thus enabling them to brag they were the first to report it?

Overall, this shuffle seems to be good. As a former John Baird intern back in the Harris years, it is good to see him being rewarded for his hard work and competence.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 7:13 AM

  

Thursday, January 04, 2007

On the wailing wall, Qassam rockets and hummus (or why everything you think you know about Israel -- if you haven't visited Israel -- is likely wrong)

Just under 10 days isn't a lot of time to travel a whole country. But our little group -- just under 30 Québec university students -- travelled from one end of Israel to the other in that time span, managing to visit many points in between. In that time we saw, amongst others: Old Jerusalem, a Christmas church service at Abu Gosh, the Israeli Supreme Court, the Knesset, Yad Vashem, the security fence/wall/barrier, a kibbutz, Mettula, Haifa, Caesarea, Ben Gurion University, Sederot, Ma'ale Adumim (a "settlement" in the West Bank that is more like a small town) and Be'er Sheva. We talked with scholars, journalists, students, politicians and activists from all corners of the Israeli political spectrum.

It would take too much time and I would bore you to death if I went through every detail of what we learned. So I will just offer my overall impressions of this country, which I was seeing in person for the first time.

Israel is a fascinating country. Its people are friendly, knowledgeable, westernized -- and most of all, tolerant. They have an amazing sense of purpose and resilience in the face of daily threats to its very existence. That's something no other country really has to grapple with, and I think it takes visiting there to fully understand the feeling of what that's like. The security barrier has put a virtual halt to suicide bombings, and security is tight: most restaurants, clubs and other public buildings have a security guard that pats down people before they enter, and some even have metal detectors. Still, how much can you really prevent? On New Year's Eve, we were dancing at a club in Tel Aviv. Security was tight. But if someone had wanted to drive by and chuck a grenade through the window, could anyone really have done anything? Doubtful.

Anyway, my two main thoughts: First, Israel must be supported.

I have no problem saying this as someone who is of partly Palestinian ancestry. Israel is a democratic, pluralistic western outpost in the middle of a cesspool of tyranny and despair. The image you get on TV of Israel as a country full of religious people is wrong. Israel is actually quite a secular country, and its inhabitants come from all different faiths. There are a million or so Arab Israelis inhabiting its lands, many of whom are Muslim. There are Christians, Druze, Zoroastrians -- and lets not forget the bedouins. When we visited a hospital, we met a bedouin woman who, while still living the traditional nomadic life, was being trained as a doctor by Jewish doctors.

As someone who thought he knew a fair bit about Israel before going there, I came away with a sense that I really didn't know the half of it. I think it probably takes a visit there to truly appreciate the nuances and intricacies of this country.

After all the terror and the two intifadas, it was amazing to see and hear so many Israelis still so committed to peace and willing to do just about anything to achieve it. If the Palestinians and their leadership would truly recognize Israel's right to exist tomorrow, I have little doubt a state would follow very soon. This is not just rhetoric. It is the sense I got from almost every Israeli we talked to, from the leftwingers on the kibbutz to the Likudnik settlers. Everyone wants peace, but it takes two to tango. The peace partner on the other side is simply not there.

Second thought, and this hit me hard when we visited the Holocaust museum at Yad Vashem: the world must never turn a blind eye to evil. Seeing prima facie exhibits and evidence of what happened in Nazi Germany rekindled thoughts of the modern genocides in Yugoslavia, Rwanda, the Sudan and many others. It even made me think of Jack Layton and his insane idea to break bread with the Taliban.

How do we let this happen? How is it that the lessons of history are so often ignored? Why is there such a willingness to appease and placate evil, especially in the West? I don't know - I don't understand it and I never will. But if more people visited Israel, I think more people would understand the need for vigilence and to stand up to wrongness and evil. War is ugly, but there are situations in the world in which no other option exists. Sometimes war is necessary to bring peace. Always has been, always will be.

Always try to remember: freedom isn't free. Too many people don't.



















Me at the Mount of Beatitudes in Northern Israel.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:39 AM

  

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

I was racially profiled -- and I don't care

When you arrive at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, you have to go through some intense questioning before being let into Israel. When you have a last name like Daifallah, that questioning is even more pointed. The name Daifallah, as you might have guessed, is Arabic -- Palestinian to be exact -- and its literal translation is "guest of God." So when I got to the wicket, the border control person recognized the name and immediately started asking probing questions.

Is this your first time in Israel? Why are you here? Do you have family in the territories? When was the last time you spoke to them? Etc. After she asked me about 10 questions, I was sent to a waiting area with about 10 other people who were waiting to be asked more questions. I then had to do a more extensive interview with another agent, who wrote down details, and then a third sort of "exit interview" with another agent who met with me and the leader of our student trip. He was able to explain to her the circumstances of the trip and my reason for being there.

I thought the questioning was a bit over-the-top. I understand the need to be prudent, and they had no idea who I was. But when it was repeatedly explained to them by myself and the trip organizers that I was part of a 25-person student trip organized and funded by the Québec Israel lobby it should have sunk in that I was not entering the country for nefarious reasons. Whatever...

All this is to say that this is the first time anything like this has happened to me, and I guess I shouldn't be surprised it happened in Israel. It didn't really bother me -- I'm just sorry it held up the whole group for about a half hour.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 11:30 PM

  

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Back from Israel. Where's the bacon?

Full report coming shortly.

# posted by Adam Daifallah : 2:23 PM

  

 

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