Oct. 6, 2006: Bits & Pieces #2

Tories plan to protect same-sex opponents -- If government loses bid to reopen debate, Defence of Religions Act is next option , By John Ibbitson, Bill Curry, Brian Laghi, Globe and Mail, Oct. 4, 06

www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RT
GAM.20061004.wsamesex03/BNStory/Front

["Introducing a Defence of Religions Act"....] While refusing to discuss specifics, Justice Minister Vic Toews confirmed the government's intentions yesterday in an interview.

“The nature of the concerns that are being raised with me are relating to freedom of religion and freedom to practice religion [and] freedom of expression,” he said.

[....] Sources say the government is considering measures to protect individuals who oppose homosexual marriages or even relationships from human rights' complaints.

The measures would seek to ensure, for example, that churches cannot be forced to rent their halls for same-sex marriage receptions, or that a justice of the peace cannot be compelled to marry a same-sex couple in violation of his or her religious beliefs.

... the rights of individuals to criticize homosexual activity because it contravenes religious teachings, or to refuse to do business with organizations whose purposes he or she disagrees with, without being brought before a human-rights tribunal. [....]

.... Prime Minister Stephen Harper repeated his government's determination to protect the rights of gay and lesbian citizens.

“At the same time,” he added, “we also defend the right of people of religious faith to practise their religion and to express their religious views.” [....]

Some people still don't understand that people may live and let live but they will NOT be forced to celebrate certain lifestyles. It's a fact of life Jim and John, Ashley and Keesha, or whoever. We don't want to see your gay parade bare butts or whatever, any more than many of us would want you to see us in a heterosexual parade, blatantly displaying our ... whatevers. You might want to consider this a blessing. Accord us the same, and we'll have no problems.


Which brings us to this:

900 Protest in Vancouver Over Homosexual Activist Control of Gay Curriculum in Schools -- Parents may even lose right to withdraw children from gay indoctrination program , posted by gordholio, 9/30/2006 22:37:43 -- "Protest in Vancouver"

www.canoe.ca/mb2/messages/cnewsf/12723.html

www.lifesitenews.com

VANCOUVER, August 28, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Changes to the BC high school curriculum are under fire Saturday by parents who picketed the constituency office of Premier, Gordon Campbell. Over 900 protested the lack of public input in the proposed revision to the curriculum to include information on homosexuality.

After a long effort through the Human Rights Tribunals, two homosexual activists have succeeded in having the high school curriculum revised to include endorsement of homosexuality as a normal lifestyle. The CBC reports that classroom materials will also be used to assert that homosexuality is normal and acceptable.

Parents however, do not want their children indoctrinated in the sexual orthodoxies of the gay movement and have demanded input in the curriculum revision.

LifeSiteNews.com spoke with K. John Cheung, head of the Canadian Alliance for Social Justice and Family Values Association (CASJAFVA), who said that the rally was to bring to public attention the fact that changes will be implemented by the end of September without significant public input. [....]

Update and related: News Junkie Canada August 17, 2003 under the heading, "Canada's First Muslim Terrorist" -- From a link which no longer works on that webpage, perhaps compliments of the Gremlins:

It was the Charter that brought you the right for crooks, murderers, and other illegal aliens to come into Canada and to fight with Canadian taxpayers’ money any attempt to kick them out, and [even then, IMHO, Jean Chretien] still [hoped it would] provide more Liberal voters in future in the gay married community. Just wait for the et ceteras it will bring us. [....]

Ministers have right to know who asks for info, committee hears, Vancouver Province

www.canada.com/theprovince/story.html?id=
6f17680b-5759-4ece-91b1-1ca8795366d6&k=50230

Federal cabinet ministers have the right, if they so choose, to see the names of anyone who submits an access to information request to their departments, two senior Treasury Board officials revealed Wednesday. [....]

And citizens have a right to know exactly where the money goes. Which NGO's get how much money and how is it spent? The same for the Liberal set-up foundations, agencies and councils, etc. which became conduits for taxpayer dollars.



Fraser's Parliament audit proposal greeted with mixed reactions, CanWest, Oct. 5, 06

www.canada.com/theprovince/story.html?id=
7a425c4b-37c7-4bc5-9947-e98c93a1a3c8&k=38692

Auditor General Sheila Fraser is proposing the first audit of Parliament in 15 years but resistance is already building among MPs over the access Fraser, who audits the entire government for Parliament, should have to their own spending details. [....]

American wins Nobel Prize for chemistry , Mattias Karen and Matt Moore, AP, Oct. 4, 06

www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.2006
1004.wnobel1004/BNStory/International/home

Roger Kornberg's studies showed how cells take information from genes to produce proteins; his father won the Nobel for medicine in 1959

Mr. Kornberg was the first to create an actual picture of this process at the molecular level, in the important group of organisms called eukaryotes — which, as opposed to bacteria, have well-defined cell nuclei. Mammals, as well as ordinary yeast, belong to this group of organisms. [....]

This year's Nobel announcements began Monday, with the Nobel Prize in medicine going to Americans Andrew Fire and Craig Mello for discovering a powerful way to turn off the effect of specific genes, opening a potential new avenue for fighting diseases as diverse as cancer and AIDS.

On Tuesday, Americans John Mather and George Smoot won the physics prize for work that helped cement the big-bang theory of how the universe was created and deepen understanding of the origin of galaxies and stars. [....]

BBC's Jordon defects to Al Jazeera -- Another high-profile British journalist, Darren Jordon, has been poached by Al Jazeera International.

www.pressgazette.co.uk/article/051006
/bbc_jordan_defects_to_al_jazeera

CBC types need not worry about work; their political stance and the lure of filthy lucre will provide. Do look up Al Jazeera's telephone number.


A college professor with guts -- or here



Minister wants Muslims unveiled , Michael Holden in London, October 06, 2006
via: news.com.au

www.telgraph.co.uk/

A SENIOR British cabinet minister said today it would be better if Muslim women did not wear full veils, inflaming anger among the country's Islamic community and sparking heated debate on social integration.

Leader of the House of Commons Jack Straw ... the wearing of veils made community relations "more difficult" as they acted as "a visible statement of separation and difference".

"I'm not talking about being prescriptive," .... "But with all the caveats, yes I would rather (women did not wear full veils)."

[....] Two weeks ago Home Secretary John Reid, a possible successor to Prime Minister Tony Blair who is to quit the job within a year, vowed to prevent Muslim extremists setting up "no-go" ghettos.

On Wednesday, Conservative opposition leader David Cameron said many communities were growing up living "parallel lives" and that only better contact would overcome differences.

Straw said: "Communities are bound together by informal chance relations between strangers. That is just made more difficult if people are wearing a veil."

Britain is home to about 1.8 million Muslims [....]

I suppose the outrage is in full spate ... I turned off CBC so I wouldn't have to listen to how they play this one up.


Straw extends attack on veils , (Filed: 06/10/2006)

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=
VSTX5ZOQ25YSNQFIQMGCFFWAVCBQUIV0?xml=
/news/2006/10/06/uveil.xml

Jack Straw has extended his attack on the veils worn by some Muslim women after yesterday disclosing that he asked visitors in his Blackburn constituency to reveal their faces during meetings.

The Leader of the Commons said today that he thought the garment should be discarded altogether and highlighted the difference in opinions among Islamic scholars over the necessity of women concealing everything but their eyes when in public. [....]

Sheik Ibrahim Nogra, of the Muslim Council of Britain, hit out at that suggestion yesterday: "On the one hand he says this is a free country. On the other, he is denying that free choice to a woman who chooses to wear the veil. [Do they choose or is it imposed upon them, Sheik?]

"Does Mr Straw mean that people should give up certain cultural and religious customs and practices simply because a vast majority of the country do not share them? "That is calling for assimilation. That is saying that one culture or one way of life is superior to another."

In answer to that last paragraph, yes, Western culture and way of life are superior. That is why Muslims came in the beginning. You don't see a race to live in the Muslim world from anywhere in the West. It is time for us to take a stand. What goes on in France and Britain comes to Canada, eventually.


What the Koran says, (Filed: 06/10/2006)

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=
/news/2006/10/06/nveils306.xml



Is it possible to have gone too far with multiculturalism?

Race riots in Windsor , By Jamie Pyatt, October 06, 2006

www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006460449,00.html

EXTRA police officers were drafted into the royal town of Windsor yesterday as residents braced themselves for a fourth night of race violence.

Gangs of Asian and white youths have clashed after a mum and daughter said they were attacked by 20 Asians armed with bats and a pitchfork.

A Muslim-run dairy, which may become a mosque, was firebombed. [....]

A key question for this week -- re: The land of Stalin standing up to Russia , Rosemarie59

www.forumsvibe.com/elwoodpdowd/view
topic.php?t=437&mforum=elwoodpdowd
www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2381887,00.html

A key question for this week will be whether the G-7 leaders make clear that undermining neighboring democracies is not an acceptable policy. France and Germany will be reluctant to allow principle to interfere with commercial interests, which lie with Russia, not some tiny nation to the south. So it will be up to Bush.

Slippery slope

Muslim cop gets his own way , By Mike Sullivan, Crime Editor, October 05, 2006, posted by starboardside

www.forumsvibe.com/elwoodpdowd/view
topic.php?t=478&mforum=elwoodpdowd

THE decision to excuse a Muslim cop from guarding the Israeli Embassy was last night branded “the beginning of the end for British policing”.

PC Alexander Omar Basha told chiefs he was unable to carry out duties at the London embassy — a top terror target — due to moral grounds after Israeli bombings in Lebanon.

Top brass granted his request last week, but ... ordered an immediate inquiry after our story broke. ....

Critics slammed the decision. Ex-Met Flying Squad commander John O’Connor said: “This is the beginning of the end for British policing.

“If they can allow this, surely they’ll have to accept a Jewish officer not wanting to work at an Islamic national embassy? Will Catholic cops be let off working at Protestant churches? Where will it end? [....]

PC Basha, attached to the Met’s Diplomatic Protection Group, asked for special dispensation not to work at the embassy in Kensington Palace Gardens, Central London. The officer, in his late 20s, has taken part in recent anti-war protests. [....]

Sliding down the slippery slope ...

Most Czechs afraid of Islam

www.forumsvibe.com/elwoodpdowd/view
topic.php?t=481&mforum=elwoodpdowd

Prague, Oct 3 (CTK) - Some three-quarters of Czechs have a negative attitude to Islam, while 60 percent are afraid of it, according to a poll conducted by the STEM polling agency and published by the daily Hospodarske noviny (HN) Tuesday.

The fears may have been enhanced by the recent report of a threat of terrorist attack in the Czech Republic.

[....] The daily Pravo wrote Tuesday that the Centre of Islamic Communities has asked for a permit to teach Islam at schools, to establish religious schools and to hold Islamic weddings.

However, it does not fulfil two legal conditions: it has not been registered for over 10 years and it cannot submit 10,000 signatures of those for whom it would ensure the religious rituals as required by law.

[....] The secret services, too, are against it, Pravo writes.

The Justice Ministry is afraid of radicalisation of Islam, and the Education and Defence ministries have also voiced negative positions, Pravo writes.

More slippery slopes

The case is Eklund vs. Byron Union School District, 05-1539.


There's a personal story here: Update on treaty rights -- see comments.

[Coyote:] [....] Need I say, NO charges were laid and even a nod of approval was directed at the Ukrainians.

Again, a public fishery, being used for commercial purposes by "natives"!

[Alberta Rifleman:] We are talking about poachers. They are eradicating ENTIRE fisheries in Alberta. We aren't talking about drunks, or druggies or small time crime. These guys are screwing us, future generations, and ultimately themselves. And when they are done, they are going to blame whitey for it.