The courthouse door is barred, or Why I fear the CIA more than terrorism. The continuing story of Maher Arar, reads more like a dark version of Alice in Wonderland than anything suitable for instilling a sense of justice in young Americans. Arar, a Canadian citizen, seized between international flights by American authorities at JFK and shipped to Syria via Jordan where he was tortured and then released has already sued the Canadian government for their complicity and been awarded $10 million. But what about the American authorities (presumptively the CIA's extraordinary rendition team) who actually did the deed. Does Mr. Arar get his day in an American court. Can he hold the US responsible for his abduction from JFK by American operatives and delivery into the hands of his torturers? Apparently not. A federal appeals court today dismissed his lawsuit because he was seized in the international transit area, that he was never technically inside the United States, therefore his claim could not be heard in the federal courts. How would you like to explain that to your children?