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When mom feeds me, she has me braced against her chichi (still the only Spanish word I fully recognize) with one hand, while the other works her cell phone. She spends a lot of time reading the screen of the phone when she feeds me. This doesn’t bother me especially when I’ve got the chichi goin’ good.
On this particular day, while I am getting my fill, she says to dad, “I wish they would give it a break.”
“Give what a break?” my dad asked.
“They are going on and on about Omar Khadr.” she is referring to a long, never-ending email exchange. “I don’t care about Omar Khadr.”
Omar has been in the news since his 2002 capture by the Americans who had invaded Afghanistan — the start of America’s never-ending, much like the email exchange, war on terror. The settlement was reached as a result of successive Canadian governments colluding with the Americans and failing to protect Omar’s (a Canadian) charter rights. Perhaps an over simplification, but keep in mind I haven’t been around long!
The email exchange is debating if the organization should put out a statement in support of Omar Khadr who has just received an apology and $10.5 million settlement from the Canadian government. The statement of support is intended to counter the attacks the government and Omar are receiving from the righteous; the Conservatives; and the lopsided media coverage. Some think there should be a statement and some think there shouldn’t be. For those who think there should be a statement, there is further debate as to what that statement should be.
Dad doesn’t care about the email exchange, but he does care about Omar Khadr and is glad he got the settlement. Dad doesn’t like the Conservatives whom he views as pure evil.
While all this is going on, the exchange between mom and dad, mom finishes feeding me; passes me to dad; dad burps me and puts me down on my back. Then dad sits there looking at me. He often does that. I smile at him. I often do that. He looks closer.
“He’s got a tooth coming in!” dad announces to mom. “A tooth!”
“Does not.” mom answers. She refuses to look. Thinks dad is making it up.
Dad is excited, perhaps more excited than Omar was when he received news of the settlement.
Mom looks at the tooth creeping in and is terrified, way more than the righteous need to be of Omar Khadr and justice.
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