A Gabriola Christmas for Cliff
From The Province: Deserter from U.S. army gets small reprieve.
A Gabriola Island shop clerk facing deportation by Christmas Eve was given a temporary reprieve by Immigration Canada.
Clifford Cornell has another month to build his legal defence to stay in Canada. [continue]
See also: War Resisters Support Campaign.
More news about Cliff Cornell:
- Desertions highlight manipulative draft tactics by U.S. military – Nanaimo Daily News
- Gabriolan Cliff Cornell given one month extension on deportation order – Gabriola Sounder
- Cornell gets the gift of time for Christmas – Flying Shingle
- Gabriola army deserter keeps close eye on case – Nanaimo Daily News
- Cornell loses appeal – Flying Shingle
- Gabriola war-resister arrested at border in Washington – Nanaimo Daily News
Update, January 14th: ‘Keep Cliff on Gabriola’ bumper stickers have begun appearing on the island, and posters urge Gabriolans to write letters on Cliff’s behalf. Do you think it will change anything?
Filed in Gabriola people 8 Comments so far
8 Responses to “A Gabriola Christmas for Cliff”
wickedscholar on 07 Jan 2009 at 5:39 pm #
Oh for heaven’s sake, go home and take your punishment like a man. You joined the military of your own free will. If you don’t want to serve, don’t, but don’t hide out in Canada and tie up immigration officials whose time is better spent helping legitimate refugees. Most Canadians do not want deserters in this country, and I wish our government would have the guts to round all of you up and put you on the first plane home. By the way, I haven’t heard of a single Canadian soldier deserting from Afganistan and running to the states and hiding out. I guess your typical Canadian soldier is a person of character.
Rob on 30 Jan 2009 at 1:11 pm #
I agree. There is no way that these people are legitimate refugees. If they get sent home, they get a slap on the wrist and a dishonourable discharge. No big deal. It’s not like they are being sent back to Rwanda. And what if they would be otherwise inadmissible because of criminal records etc. Is this just a nice way to get around that and jump the immigration queue? Meanwhile, taxpayers like me are probably paying these guys to sit around and smoke pot all day. Enough – it’s time for our government to round the deserters up and send them home. I wonder how many will apply to immigrate to Canada after their legal problems are taken care of. Not many I would hazard to guess. Then they would be just Joe Blow, holding down a menial job, and no longer the celebrities they are now with a gaggle of leftists and sychophants supporting them. Go home now, you’re not welcome here!
Gabriolan on 30 Jan 2009 at 2:03 pm #
Of course you agree with yourself – you seem to have posted both comments, Rob, just under different user names. *sigh*
Jen on 02 Feb 2009 at 1:18 pm #
Rob, they don’t just get a slap on the wrist. They face jail time. And ‘most Canadians’ have more brains than you, because at least they do a bit of research before spewing off at the mouth. As for Cliff, he has PAID the Canadian government to WORK here for three years. (ever heard of a working Visa?) AND the Canadian government has taxed every cent of his earnings. So, Cliff has effectively helped out our neighborhood by paying taxes and working – with little time off. So, you are not paying for anything, at all. Sheesh. Enough said. I’ve better things to do.
Rob on 03 Feb 2009 at 11:19 am #
The fact remains, he’s not a legitimate refugee. I think the war in Iraq is stupid, but if I was an American deserter, I would be a man, go back to the US, and do my time. I guess I’m just funny that way – when I make a commitment, I follow through with it, and if I break a contract, I pay my dues. There are real refugees in this world desperate for our help, yet our courts and immigation officials are wasting valuable time dealing with people like Cliff and his buddies. They need to do the right thing, and go home voluntarily and stop wasting tax payer’s money. Big deal, so they get a year in jail. Small price to pay if you ask me. It’s not like they’re being sent back to Rwanda. Just letting one of these people stay here sets a very dangerous legal precedent that could open the floodgates for all kinds of fugitives and other undesirables to run to Canada to escape prosecution in the US. Do we really want that? Go home Cliff, we don’t want you here.
Rob on 03 Feb 2009 at 11:28 am #
Maybe you good people of Gabriola Island should pool your resources and bring over a couple of families from somewhere like, oh, I don’t know, Ethiopia, and then feed, shelter, and keep them safe while their refugee application is being considered. Much better use of your time and energy if you ask me.
Gabriolan on 03 Feb 2009 at 11:42 am #
Rob / wickedscholar,
There are many on Gabriola who believe that Cliff should be allowed to stay. There are also many people here who think as you do, that Cliff is a deserter, not a refugee, and should therefore be sent back to the US.
I don’t care which view anybody holds.
However, statements like “Go home Cliff, we don’t want you here” seem over-the-top to me. Who’s we, anyway? The whole population of Gabriola, of BC, or of Canada? It’s clear that you don’t want Cliff here, but perhaps you should let others speak for themselves.
Rob on 03 Feb 2009 at 12:10 pm #
You’re right, and I will keep my trap shut. Polls do seem to indicate though, that the majority of Canadians do not consider deserters to be refugees, and they want them deported. It just really bothers me that our government is wasting so much time going back and forth with these people when there are much more serious cases to deal with. Deserters do not face starvation or murder if they get sent back to the US . . . a lot of real refugees do.