MINDLESS HYPOCRISY

Several years ago Canada refused to extradite an American fugitive named
Charles Ng who was wanted in the San Francisco area as an accomplice in
multiple murders. Canadian officials insisted on trying and convicting Ng
for a shoplifting offence committed while a fugitive. He served his time in
Canada before being returned to the U.S.

The excuse offered by Canadian officials was that Ng could face the (gasp!)
death penalty if he were returned and that it was against Canadian law to
extradite someone facing that penalty. And so I fail to understand the
prosecutor's zeal to deport Morteza Borhania to certain death in Iran
because of what amounts to an old drug conviction for which he's already
done his time. Am I missing something here? I always thought that we
Americans had a corner on that type of mindless hypocrisy, but I guess I was
wrong.

Tom O'Connell

Checked-by: Rolf Ernst