This is half-pie.

This is not a political blog. Occasionally I’ll say things in passing that reflect a fairly unformed but liberal view of the world. But it’s not really something that I want to be the focus of this blog. And then who’d want to express any opinion of a vaguely left-ish persuasion given the rabid, slavering nature of the Instapundit echo-chamber that is the right-wing blogosphere?

But some things do bestir the political conscience. Like the case of Ahmed Zaoui.

Tonight’s Insight program on TVOne confirmed the suspicions I’ve had for a long time now, that Ahmed Zaoui should not be in prison; he’s not a threat to this country; and that he and his family should be allowed residence here as refugees. There’s some general information on this case here, and No Right Turn keeps a good and lucid watching brief on what’s happening.

But basically Zaoui is a man banged up without trial on secret evidence provided by the SIS that cannot be made public, evidence that many reasonable people refuse to believe exists. This is not New Zealand, surely…?

I think the Zaoui case is a test of our fortitude as a democracy. Are we the kind of democratic nation that shoots itself in the head at the first hint of an external threat? Or can we assess; decide; and act for ourselves in the open, and in the light of day?