Speaking of Wikileaks...

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amid a sea of self-righteously angry yanks, this is one reluctantly ashamed american. god, i wish i had been born in some other western nation.

OTTAWA — Former CSIS director Jim Judd complained to U.S. diplomats in 2008 that the Canadian courts were tying his agency "in knots" and making it difficult to detect and prevent terror attacks in Canada and abroad, according to a leaked diplomatic cable from the American embassy in Ottawa.


The cable is just one of thousands that are being released by Wikileaks; a copy of it appeared Monday on the website of the New York Times, which is among several media outlets given advance access to the documents.


Also in the cable:


- Judd told U.S. officials that a videotaped recording of a tearful Omar Khadr at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay would trigger "knee-jerk anti-Americanism" and "paroxysms of moral outrage, a Canadian specialty."


- Judd said that CSIS was not encouraged by progress in Afghanistan, due in part to President Hamid Karzai's "weak leadership, widespread corruption, the lack of will to press ahead on counter-narcotics, limited Afghan security force capability (particularly the police) and, most recently, the Sarpoza prison break."


- Judd told the Americans that "he and his colleagues are 'very, very worried' about Iran." CSIS had talked recently to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security after that agency requested its own "channel of communication to Canada," he said. The Iranians had agreed to "help" on Afghan issues, including sharing information regarding potential attacks. But Judd told the Americans "we have not figured out what they are up to," adding that it was clear the Iranians wanted the NATO military force in Afghanistan to slowly "bleed."


- Judd said CSIS had "responded to recent, non-specific intelligence on possible terror operations by 'vigorously harassing' known Hezbollah members in Canada." CSIS felt no attack was in the offing but Hezbollah members and their lawyers were considering using recent court rulings to hamper the work of the intelligence agency.

Australia is a great country, we are free, have universal health care and near full employment. However, we live and die by the international leadership of the United States, the values of that country support and defend our ability to be as free and wealthy as we are. The great downside is that we have much less say in international affairs than the average American citizen does. Our soldiers fight with you. Our economic prosperity depends on you but we don't get to vote for the leader of the free world. The average American citizen has more power than our prime minister in deciding who presides over our joint cause. Where you were born is such an incredible advantage.

amid a sea of self-righteously angry yanks, this is one reluctantly ashamed american. god, i wish i had been born in some other western nation.