○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ news bandersnatch Stressed to The Point of Spontaneous Combustion since 1971 Volume XXXIII Issue 6 Transit Strike Cripples JAC Lifestyle STM Maintenance Workers Discontent With Salary ○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ sucks”. Many feel the pain and if this pensation, in the opinion of the govern- Especially with the Christmas sea- Jade Pollack and Marc Nakhleh strike continues, the effects will be felt ment, for these qualifications and re- son fast approaching, discontent is Contributor and Opinion Editor by more than just the transport us- sponsibilities. That is 25 percent higher ○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ growing exponentially as citizens strive ers. than the average worker Panic struck hundreds of homes to find a viable alternative to the re- in public and private Monday morning as workers and stu- duced public services. Taxi companies What is the rea- sectors. The intent of dents’ radios tuned into the 6AM news. have been so busy with calls that many son behind this strike? the government is ques- “STM public transport will be limiting of their cars have been up to 45 min- Contrary to first im- tionable in regards to their service to morning, evening and utes late, transporting this new on- pressions, the de- the public transporta- night rush hours.” People lined up at bus slaught of customers at a slightly higher mands are coming tion. In September, terminals in abnormal multitudes to price. In fact, many taxi companies from the maintenance promises to lower stu- travel in hope of reaching their destina- have allowed people to reserve taxis workers of the STM. dent fees were met; tion on time. Students that maintain a hours in advance so that they might Their new contract however government dual status of “student by day, worker by have service close to on time. has not been settled funding in the transport night” (which seems to be all of us)are feel- due to the conflict in system was reduced. Representatives of both the union ing the heat in particular. As shifts and wage demands. These Evidently the equation and the government are planned to courses start at off-times, there is con- workers claim they leaves someone unhappy, and until all meet today, under the auspice of a me- stant pressure to figure an alternate route. work long hours, and they need to be are content, as Jay Bryan from Gazette diator, to negotiate an end to the strike So what do students of JAC have to say skilled in their domain. The safety of news stated, “a city of 3 million is held and hopefully a compromise that will about this whole kafuffle? The interjection the buses lies in their hands, however hostage by 2, 050 workers.” see both sides happy and satisfied. heard in bus line-ups and hallways is: “this a 23-dollar-per-hour salary is com- Mahar Arar Comes Home Canadian Citizen Returns After Thirteen Month Deportation ○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Thirteen months after his timony reveals alarming informa- in what was literally a “grave” for Nairra Tariq illegal expulsion from Canada, tion about CSIS’s involvement in ten months in Syria - a room with News Editor ○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Mahar Arar tells the terrifying the case. It appears that there was no sunlight, three feet wide, six “There have been many allega- account of his deportation to an open communication channel feet deep and seven feet high, fre- tions made about me in the media, Syria by the American authori- between CSIS and the Syrians. CSIS quented by rats and sprinkled by all of them by people who refuse to ties at a press conference in Ot- agents made two visits to Syria animal urine through ceiling vents. be named or come forward. So be- tawa. Arar was traveling from during Arar’s imprisonment. He was beaten repeatedly over his fore I tell you who I am and what Tunisia to Canada on his Canadian Shockingly, the Syrians gave CSIS body with a shredded electrical happened to me, I will tell you who I passport when he was detained at the interrogation transcripts and cable; threatened with electrocu- am not. I am not a terrorist. I am not New York’s Kennedy Airport on Arar’s torture extracted confes- tion and with being stuffed into a a member of Al Qaeda and I do not September 26, 2002.There he sions. This brings an important tire and beaten on the soles of his know any one who belongs to this was denied access to a lawyer and question to mind, “Are Canadian feet. He was regularly punched, group. All I know about Al Qaeda is was interrogated to the point of security agencies subcontracting kicked, slapped and as what he de- what I have seen in the media. I have exhaustion. Then he was vacci- torture against Canadian citizens?” scribes as perhaps the most pain- never been to Afghanistan. I have nated against his will, and de- Lorne Waldman, Arar’s lawyer be- ful punishment, he was deliber- never been anywhere near Afghani- ported to Syria despite his re- lieves so. He stated in a recent in- ately locked up for days in a wait- stan and I do not have any desire to peated objections and concerns terview, “It appears that our Ca- ing room, where he heard the ever go to Afghanistan. I am a Syr- that the Syrians would torture nadian security services are pre- screaming and wailing of other ian-born Canadian. I am a father and him. pared to use rogue states like Syria prisoners being tortured. to do what they are legally barred a husband. I am a telecommunica- Arar met with the Canadian Arar has demanded a public to do in Canada - torture in order tions engineer and entrepreneur. I Consul once before his deporta- inquiry and wishes to know why he to extract information and confes- have never had trouble with the po- tion to Syria at which point he ex- was subjected to the pain and tor- sions.” lice, and have always been a good pressed a fear of being sent away ture he faced for ten months in citizen. So I still cannot believe what and tortured abroad. The Consul Waldman’s theory can be Syria. Arar has said his main pri- has happened to me, and how my life assured him of the impossibility credited. In an interview with the ority right now is to clear his name and career have been destroyed”. of this and around four days later Washington Post a U.S. intelligence and get to the bottom of this case he was sent to Jordan from where official noted that there have been to make sure this does not happen he was taken by road to Syria. It “a lot of rendition activities” since to any other Canadian citizens in is not surprising that Arar's plea 9/11 and that, “we are doing a the future, as he stated at the re- SUJAC Update ........................ 3 to the Consul was useless. It ap- number of them, and they have cent press conference in Ottawa. Campus Life ............................ 4 pears that the RCMP was passing been very productive.” “The temp- “What is at stake here is the future Opinion ................................... 6 on detailed information about tation,” noted another official, “is of our country, the interests of Ca- Arts .......................................... 7 Arar to the American authorities. to have these folks in other hands nadian citizens, and most impor- At one point, U.S. authorities because they have different stand- tantly Canada's international repu- Entertainment ......................... 8 presented Arar with an apart- ards.” “Someone might be able to tation for being a leader in human Sports ..................................... 11 ment lease from 1997 and Arar get information we can’t from de- rights where citizens from differ- Scoreboard ........................... 12 was also questioned in detail tainees.” ent ethnic groups are treated no ○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ about people he knew or met in different than other Canadians.1 2003-11-19Canada. Furthermore, Arar’s tes- Arar spoke of being locked up ○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ news BANDERSNATCH Hope or Despair: The First Cut Is the Deepest John Abbott College with Christine Nadeau P.O. Box 2000 Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC I've discovered something amaz- ing this week: Nothing in Life Is Simple. Urgent Notice: 210 Bus Schedule Because H9X 3L9 No, lads and lassies, there is not a chance in hell in this world that one can Of STM Maintenance Worker's Strike Tel: (514) 457-6610 Ext 5389 live a flawless, good day. No matter Fax: (514) 457-6091 what, someone is bound to get hurt, E-Mail: [email protected] breakups are going to happen, your Attention Members of the John Abbott Community: Office: H-041 ○○○○○ meanest teacher will blow up at you, ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ and suprisingly...life will go on. The Editor-in-Chief wounds will heal and scar over, the Christine Nadeau tears will dry, and eventually, you'll Due to the bus strike, the 210 will run according to the following look back (if you're not too caught up in schedule: News Editor the next mess to bother looking up) and Nairra Tariq think: well, that was then. And this is Mornings: now. And I'm that much more alive, and Campus Life Editor a wee bit wiser. Smile often and hand Open out hugs. They're the best medecine. So From Fairview to JAC : 07h15(1stbus) - 18h05(last bus) is laughter. Sometimes making a fool of From JAC to Fairview: 07h44(1st bus) - 08h39(last bus) Opinion Editor yourself can make eveyone relax and Marc Nakhleh make you feel happy, knowing that your Afternoons: Entertainment Editor friends laugh with you, not at you.