it already does affect us, as I'm sure you are aware pdc.

John Ashcroft has defended sending a Canadian citizen to Syria to be tortured by stating that he, Ashcroft, was given assurance by the govenment of Syria, that the Canadian citizen wouldn't be tortured there and he (Ashcroft) was misled. This despite the fact that, according to US's own State Department, Syria is one of the top listed nations which regularly practices torture.

One might surmise that Mr. Ashcroft was naive or of limited mental capacity to accept Syrian assurances.

One also might surmise that John Ashcroft was a tad forgetful, for not recalling that the United States, as a signatory of the International Convention Against Torture, is obligated to avoid deporting people to countries known to practice torture.

One might surmise too, that Mr. Ashcroft forgot that Arar was a citizen of Canada and it just slipped his mind to inform Canadian officials of Arar's detention, in apparent violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

However, I for one, do not believe one becomes US Attorney General by being naive, of limited mental capacity or absentminded. Arrogant perhaps.....a liar, quite possibly; a danger to Canadians and Americans alike, in Ashcroft's case, most certainly.