Canada is Free and Freedom is Its Nationality

Sir Wilfrid Laurier

Thursday, January 28, 2010

The Bloggers are Coming!

"It takes philosophers and businessmen to create something like the Internet; it takes social engineers and commissars to wreck it. They're trying, too, from Ottawa to Beijing. Sensible chaps often yield to them. Only feral bloggers, muckrakers, limelight-hogs, centre-stage addicts, one-man content providers and similar unicorns stand in the way. Without hyperactive, self-promoting mavericks, the Internet, the printed page, every damn thing would go down the commissars' drain. We'd be in the outer darkness, gnashing our teeth (or dentures, as the case may be.)" George Jonas

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Awan Letters

Letter from Khurrum Awan to Jason Kenney. "our complaints were launched after a meeting with Maclean's senior editors, in which we proposed that they publish a counterview to this article from a mutually acceptable author."

Letter from Jason Kenney to Khurrum Awan, full of rich impudence.

Jason Kenney for Prime Minister!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Reinforcing Negative Muslim Stereotypes

Extreme Irony Alert

"
Hassan, 45, is charged with second-degree murder in the Feb. 12 beheading of his wife, Aasiya Zubair Hassan, 37. The Pakistani-born couple were best known for Bridges TV, the station they formed in 2004 to counter negative Muslim stereotypes... "

Apparently she was divorcing him.

To which all really moderate Muslims in North America go "Thanks a lot fella!"




Monday, January 25, 2010

Ezra Levant and the Sock's Suit

So..... Ezra Levant is getting sued for libel. By Khurrum Awan the, according to Ezra, sock puppet and liar.

The case goes like this. Mark Steyn wrote a book. An excerpt from this book was published in Macleans magazine. The original article called "The Future Belongs to Islam" is available here. Some people including Mohammed Elmassry and Kharrum Awan considered the article to be hate speech against Muslims and, after trying mediation with Macleans which did not work, brought a complaint to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal.

The Tribunal heard the case and decided that the article was not illegal hate speech. The ruling can be found here http://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bchrt/doc/2008/2008bchrt378/2008bchrt378.html

This trial was also liveblogged by Ezra Levant (scroll to the 2nd and 3rd of June) and Andrew Coyne http://www2.macleans.ca/2008/06/02/liveblogging-the-bc-human-rights-tribunal—part-i/

Awan kept telling the press that they wanted a rebuttal to the piece written by a mutually acceptable author and published by Macleans.

Only thing is, they never told Macleans the mutually acceptable bit.

This, according to Levant, is a lie. So he said so. Numerous times.

Awan took issue with this. So he brought a libel lawsuit because Levant called, or was said to have insinuated by implication that Awan was a liar, fool, stupid, serial malicious money-grubbing liar, anti-semite, purjurer, unethical, con artist, in a conflict of interests, unfit to be a lawyer, etc.

Here is his original libel notice and his statement of claim

Ezra Levant's blog response is here. http://ezralevant.com/2010/01/mark-steyns-wouldbe-censor-sue.html He is asking for donations to help cover his costs.

More commentary here:
National Post (old commentary)



Friday, January 22, 2010

They Call Us Crazy

When we say that human rights laws could be used to protect pedophiles. While it was not so used in this case I think there is some interesting food for thought in the excerpt below. The applicant is a teacher by the way.
"[38] The essence of this aspect of the claim of the applicant is that he was labelled as a pedophile by school administration, and that this is a disability under the Code. The applicant further states that in repeatedly raising these issues with him the respondents violated the Code. The applicant states that if the employer was concerned that the applicant was a pedophile they should have offered him counselling or sent him for an assessment.
[39]
I do not accept the applicant’s analysis. The concerns of the respondent were legitimate and they raised them with the respondent in the appropriate way. The seriousness of the concern was clearly raised and the reasons for it articulated. Their concerns were reduced to writing. Moreover the respondents asked the applicant on at least one occasion if there were any underlying issues that they should be aware of, that might explain why the applicant appeared unable to modify his behaviour.

[40]
There is no indication that the applicant is a pedophile and absolutely no suggestion that anyone involved thought that the applicant was a pedophile or that he was likely to engage, or ever had engaged, in any inappropriate sexual behaviour with any of the children with whom he had contact. The personal respondent was quite clear that he did not believe that the applicant was a pedophile or was involved in any inappropriate relationships with the children. He testified that if he had any such concerns he would have acted quite differently. He would, he stated, have called the children’s aid society and the police, and he would have removed the applicant from the school pending the investigation. There is no basis for concluding that the respondents perceived that the applicant was a person with pedophilia, whether or not that constitutes a disability within the meaning of the Code."
Whether or not it constitutes a disability? Surely it could not have been that hard to say it does not constitute a disability. I'm not saying the tribunal believes it is a disability but they are spending quite a bit of time discussing whether the respondents perceived him as being a pedophile. (language that relates to disability)

After all everything else, even drug addictions, is a disability, why not pedophilia?

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Techie Help?

Can anyone explain to me why hyperlinking sometimes works and sometimes doesn't? Anyone? Anyone?

Unbanned

"The State Department has cleared the way for the return to the United States of two prominent Muslim scholars once accused of having ties to terrorism, a spokesman said Wednesday....

Mrs. Clinton "has chosen to exercise her exemption authority for the benefit of Tariq Ramadan and Adam Habib," Mr. Holladay said. "We'll let that action speak for itself."

In a prepared statement, Mr. Holladay noted the change in U.S. posture since both professors, who are frequently invited to the United States to lecture, were denied admittance after making statements counter to U.S. foreign policy.

"Both the president and the secretary of state have made it clear that the U.S. government is pursuing a new relationship with Muslim communities based on mutual interest and mutual respect," Mr. Holladay said"

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jan/21/clinton-clears-2-muslims-for-entry/

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Roundup: Shriveling Weeds and Catching Horses

Parents fighting to keep their baby on a ventilator win a 90-day injunction.

Poverty is worse than critical injuries? B.C. childrens' aid not what it should be.

The Index on Censorship refuses to publish the Motoons saying that “The trustees took the view unanimously… that publishing the cartoons might endanger the security of not just the staff, publishers, printers and others directly associated with Index, but it might also endanger the other seven organisations that are housed in the same building, the Free Word Centre. To have done so wittingly would have put Index in considerable difficulty with them and with others.”
Yes I know I'm being a bit hypocritical here since I haven't published them either, but whatever.
Index on Censorship has a few bad moments in their past as well, when they laughed at Van Gogh's death and insulted Ayaan Hirsi Ali. From a Guardian article; "He (Rohan Jayasekera the associate editor) told me that, like many other readers, I shouldn't have made the mistake of believing that Index on Censorship was against censorship, even murderous censorship, on principle - in the same way as Amnesty International is opposed to torture, including murderous torture, on principle. It may have been so its radical youth, but was now as concerned with fighting 'hate speech' as protecting free speech."

Avatar kills. Cue the music.

Some artifacts from the past, 2006 to be exact. A Telegraph article with extensive quotes from Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo, a Muslim turned Anglican priest. It was taken down for "legal reasons".
"Dr Sookhdeo adds that he believes that "in a decade, you will see parts of English cities which are controlled by Muslim clerics and which follow, not the common law, but aspects of Muslim sharia law.....
Several years ago, Dr Sookhdeo insisted that the next wave of radical Islam in Britain would involve suicide bombings in this country. His prediction was depressingly confirmed on 7/7 last year.....
The Prime Minister's ignorance of Islam, Dr Sookhdeo contends, is of a piece with his unsuccessful attempts to conciliate it. And it does indeed seem as if the Government's policy towards radical Islam is based on the hope that if it makes concessions to its leaders, they will reciprocate and relations between fundamentalist Muslims and Tony Blair's Government will then turn into something resembling an ecumenical prayer meeting.
Dr Sookhdeo nods in vigorous agreement with that. "Yes - and it is a very big mistake. Look at what happened in the 1990s. The security services knew about Abu Hamza and the preachers like him. They knew that London was becoming the centre for Islamic terrorists. The police knew. The Government knew. Yet nothing was done.
"The whole approach towards Muslim militants was based on appeasement. 7/7 proved that that approach does not work - yet it is still being followed. For example, there is a book, The Noble Koran: a New Rendering of its Meaning in English, which is openly available in Muslim bookshops.
"It calls for the killing of Jews and Christians, and it sets out a strategy for killing the infidels and for warfare against them. The Government has done nothing whatever to interfere with the sale of that book."

Canada has decided not to seize the Dead Sea Scrolls. Wonder of wonders.

In 2100....."The Intergovernmental Cultural Climate Change Panel (ICCCP) declared its support for the recent UN announcement that all cultures are equally valid. Expanding on the resolution the group declared the rights of people are now culturally defined, rather than being based on any universal notion or concept. They suggest the term "human rights" is therefore both outmoded and racist as it would impose value for human life which some cultures don't accept. They recommended the term "multi-cultural peoples' rights" be used instead."

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Climate of Censorship

Kurt Westergaard can't even donate a non-controversial cartoon to a charity auction because of possible reprisals.

The Prime Minister of Denmark has criticized the move because "the people should not live their lives ‘in the shadow of fear’." story

It is very tempting to think that the free speechers are exaggerating when they talk about censorship chill and a climate of fear, but they are increasingly being proved right. Even on this blog I am more careful than I want to be and I am a free speecher myself.

So here is a question, in Canada would the Muslim woman who refused to cut Westergaard's hair because she was afraid of reprisals be illegally discriminating? The answer is probably no but it is food for thought.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Google Will Stop Co-operating WIth Chinese Censorship

Google is "no longer willing to censor its Chinese search engine - google.cn." since it discovered that someone was hacking the gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8455712.stm

"This is a high stakes game for Google which has said that over the next few weeks it hopes to sit down with the Chinese government to work out a deal that would let it operate an unfiltered search engine.

In its blogpost, Google said it may well shut down its operation and close its office in China unless that happens......

Some industry experts worry that it could complicate matters for other tech companies sensitive to being seen as accomplices of the Chinese government."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/maggieshiels/2010/01/the_google_v_china_face_off.html

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Times Like These

It is forced upon one that there is a beautiful trade going the way of the buggy makers. The honourable art and science of being a satirist.

A satirist (for those Liberals who don't get it) is someone who exaggerates reality. Today, you cannot exaggerate reality.

A while ago I could have probably gotten some few chuckles if I had suggested that someone who publicly calls for the random (or not) murder of (Jewish) civilians could get the government to take seriously his hate speech complaint against someone who (accurately) quoted a couple of imams.

Then again I might not have. Some people like wild exaggerations about the culture of politically correctness and the tone deafness of certain types of activists. Others don't like satire that they feel is just so inaccurate it's tasteless. I wouldn't have blamed anyone for thinking that joke fell into the second catagory.

Until it happened of course.

So now what do we satirize? Do we make silly jokes about women having the right to be forced to wear sleeves? Oh yeah. Not so much.

However I'll bet I can come up with something funny given enough time. What if I said this;

"Who cares what you observe. Just because something's true doesn't make it legal to talk about it. Idiot."

Then again why would I make that up when I could just quote this.

"“It is irrelevant whether Wilder’s witnesses might prove Wilders’ observations to be correct”, the ‘Openbaar Ministerie’ stated, “what’s relevant is that his observations are illegal”."

I tell you, it's a dying trade.

But although some people like to compare satirists to rats (and they don't think about rats the way the Vinyl Cafe's Rat-a-Tat-Tat does, or even Ratatouille) they are slower to abandon a sinking ship. Some might even say they swim out to sinking ships so that they can go down with them in style but those people have agendas (cue creepy music). Usually trying to advance their career in liberal satire (I'm told it exists but is indistinguishable from liberal serious debate).

So here are some satirical predictions for 2010. And if anyone brings a hate speech charge against me for them, well, I may just have to mail them an English Writing Dictionary 101 (35.99 + tax and you can pay Liberal 7% tax)

The Imam who called for the murder of homosexuals will lodge a HR complaint against the blogger who complained about him on the grounds that that complaint was discriminatory. It was discriminatory because the only reason the blogger brought the case was that the Imam was Muslim. The Tribunal will find him (Imam) a credible witness.

Richard Warman will win the Order of Canada for anti-racism activism. This will mark the first time in Canadian history that someone simultaneously wins a national anti-racism award and is under investigation for racist hate speech.

Jennifer Lynch will lose it in public and will scream at a panel of MPs to get the * out of her Dominion. Said committee will vote to expand the CHRC budget and powers.

Someone will blow up a clogged airport security line while waiting to be frisked. (Okay so everyone's making this prediction)

Warren Kinsella will wake up one morning to find a Maple Leaf painted on his car by a bunch of irate soldiers. Kinsella will then hyperventilate about the possible offense said leaf might cause agoraphobia communist immigrants.

Warren Kinsella will make nasty remarks about my blog as a result of this prediction. (Okay so I hope this one comes true. I could use the traffic of conservatives who visit Kinsella's blog to find out who is really worth reading.)

A Green Party member will blow up an airplane to reduce carbon emissions. The Greens will then throw a street party where they celebrate the end of racial/ethnic/religious profiling in airports and burn Mark Steyn and "those deniers" in effigy (as long as they can't actually get their hands on Steyn and said "deniers"). May will issue a press statement about respecting diversity and the enthusiasm of youth.

All pro-life club members will have to attend mandatory diversity training run by a panel of Elmasry, Morgentaler, and Napolitano (on special loan). "Patients" will not be released until they can read the Toronto Star without screaming. Life sentences will be considered.

Bans on human sacrifice between consenting adults will be ruled unconstitutional by the courts.

Someone will try to shut down the blogosphere but will be deterred when Blazing Cat Fur and his pet competition buddies collect all feral cats in Toronto and dump them in said killjoy's bedroom.

On Canada Day all flags are flown at half mast out of respect for Aboriginals. (Except in Newfoundland where they are already flown at half mast so they take them down the other half and send up the laundry)

Ignatieff will disappear and never be seen again except for randomly released videotapes taunting Canadians who are stupid enough to live through Canadian winters (At which point I may find myself agreeing with him so profoundly I could almost vote Liberal. Only if he promises to bring about massive global warming though)

HRT will decide that homeschooling a child is denying them a service (government education) based on discriminatory grounds (I'm guessing religion here).

Someone will kill a cartoonist or author and then bring charges against the dead man for inciting the hate crime of his own murder. Murderer will win.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Media Vita

Anuna is awesome.

Let's just leave it at that. There's not much more to say. Except totally unique, absolutely beautiful, mind-bogglingly talented, great camera work, an incredible sense of drama, and neat costumes. Convinced you to look them up yet? I should have. They are even good linguistically, their songs are in English, French, Latin, and Irish, and that's just the one's I've listened to so far.

Bringing to you my personal favourite. Media Vita.

Of course at this point I can't get the embed to work. Well here is the link and I dare you not to follow it.

Then there is my brother's favourite. The seemingly faster than the speed of sound Fionnghuala.

These are the Latin and English lyrics for Media Vita. Courtesy of New Liturgical Movement and lyricstime

Media vita in morte sumus
Quem quaerimus ad iutorem nihi site domine
Qui pro peccatis nostris

Chorus:
Sancte Deus, sancte fortis
Sancte misericor salvator
Amare mortis ne tradas nos

In te speraverunt patres nostri
Speraverunt et liberasti eos

(Chorus 2x)

Media vita in morte sumus

Can't they find any other word for it than chorus? Reminds me of Shine Jesus Shine.

"In the midst of life we are in death; of whom may we seek help but you, O Lord, who for our offences are justly displeased?

Yet, O God most holy, O holy and mighty, O holy and merciful Saviour, give us not over unto bitter death.

Cast us not away in the time of our old age; forsake us not, O Lord, when our strength fails us.

Yet, O God most holy, O holy and mighty, O holy and merciful Saviour, give us not over unto bitter death."

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

More Tribunal Cases

Woman brings case against "Bell Canada, Rogers Cable, Mississauga Hydro, Toronto Hydro, State Farm Insurance, State Farm Electrical, The Bank of Nova Scotia, aol.ca and aol.com...

The narrative included in the Application also made allegations about the RCMP and the CBC....Her submissions were largely concerned with alleged government corruption and drug trafficking, as well as high frequency noise over her telephone line and interference with her television service. She also indicated that one of the financial institutions broke a contract and was involved in an attempt to kill her." Tribunal dismissed the case. http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onhrt/doc/2009/2009hrto64/2009hrto64.html

Female doctor refuses to take on disabled patient because she does not feel comfortable doing house calls (which were requested). Mother of patient shouts and yells at doctor. Tribunal dismisses case although Commission supports it. http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onhrt/doc/2009/2009hrto50/2009hrto50.html

Bus Driver Trainee was given accommodation for her learning disability but still failed the test. Tribunal dismisses complaint. http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onhrt/doc/2009/2009hrto54/2009hrto54.html

Firefighter claims discrimination due to disability. Tribunal dismisses complaint.
http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onhrt/doc/2009/2009hrto996/2009hrto996.html

Woman with guide dog refused entrance to restaurant. Tribunal awards $2,000. http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onhrt/doc/2009/2009hrto1032/2009hrto1032.html

Woman, while off work caring for her injured daughter, is rude to her employer and hangs up on her. She is afterwards fired. Tribunal dismisses case. http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onhrt/doc/2009/2009hrto1023/2009hrto1023.html

Construction worker claims discrimination based on race. Employer argues successfully that he was a poor worker. Based on the Tribunal's decision it is also highly probable (if not absolutely certain) that the employee lied to the Tribunal. Tribunal dismisses case. http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onhrt/doc/2009/2009hrto1040/2009hrto1040.html
Woman on social assistance claims discrimination on age, disability, etc, etc, etc in the way her social assistance case was handled. Tribunal dismisses case. http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onhrt/doc/2009/2009hrto1047/2009hrto1047.html

Employee claims discrimination on the grounds of place of origin, ethnic origin, creed and age mostly over a dispute about vacation times. (Who got to be off over Christmas, the Muslim or Sikh employee)
http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onhrt/doc/2009/2009hrto1046/2009hrto1046.html

Employee with disability says that her employer shouldn't have relied on a Workplace Safety and Insurance Board ergonomics evaluation when providing her with modified work. She also said she should have been given another position, like cleaner or security guard. Employer points out that they already have a cleaner (with more seniority) and do not have nor need a security guard. Tribunal dismisses case. http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onhrt/doc/2009/2009hrto1053/2009hrto1053.html

Employee is directed to go for monthly checkups for a set period but does so for much longer (years), to a doctor 200k away (he liked that doctor apparently). Then he tries to claim gas and lunch money for visits from his employer. Tribunal dismisses case.
http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onhrt/doc/2009/2009hrto1066/2009hrto1066.html

Prospective student thinks that posting a minimum LSAT score for enrolment is discriminatory. He shouldn't actually have to write the LSAT at all since LSAT requires a certain test in order to asses mental disability for accommodation that costs $5,000. Tribunal dismisses case. http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onhrt/doc/2009/2009hrto1086/2009hrto1086.html

Employee who was using company credit cards for private purchases injured himself and was fired. Tribunal finds disability was a factor in firing and awards $5,000 but because the employee lied to the tribunal he would only get $3,500. The rest went to a charity. http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onhrt/doc/2009/2009hrto1082/2009hrto1082.html

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Comment Moderation Policy

In case you are wondering why your comment never showed up.

Watch your language, this is a PG/PG-13 website. No vulgarity, profanity, or just gratuitous filthy language.

No death threats, extreme hate speech (which I define), or other filthy minded comments.

Trolls and spammers who post comments that are not related to the subject matter of my post should not be surprised if they disappear.

Then again, if your comment disappeared I may have accidentally clicked delete when I meant to click publish so don't take it personally.

Friday, January 1, 2010

November OHRT Cases

Selection of Ontario Human Rights Commission cases for November 2009.

Renter alleges that the respondent discriminated against him in accommodation based on creed and origin. The Tribunal found that "There is no credible evidence to support the claim that the respondent colluded with the applicant’s former landlord, works for Canadian and foreign security intelligence agencies, deliberately used sound and psychotronic devices to implant noises in the applicant’s brain, obstructed the applicant’s job search, tried to steal the applicant’s identity, intruded without authorization into the applicant’s apartment and removed personal documents, broke into his rental car or made false allegations against him to the police."

Male alleges that he was discriminated against by police who broke into a party and assaulted and/or arrested some attendees. Tribunal dismissed application because it had not been submitted in a timely manner.

Employee alleges discrimination on the basis of drug addiction. Tribunal dismisses case as having been taken care of in settlements.

Employee alleges harassment and failure to accommodate a disability against Hydro One. Tribunal dismisses failure to accommodate but will allow harassment charge to go forward.

Prospective Employee alleges discrimination by the Director of the
Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre because he said she discouraged him from seeking employment with the CCSC because he was Chinese. Tribunal dismissed complaint in part because the person eventually hired was Chinese.

Customer alleges discrimination because he is Turkish. Tribunal awards $15,000.

Employee on probation alleges discriminatory comments and behavior at the workplace. Tribunal dismisses case.

Woman
who was arrested after not complying with a police officer's orders and who resisted arrest alleges discrimination on the grounds of race and gender. Tribunal awards $5000. This case was the subject of a National Post article for the Tribunal's creative use of racial stereotypes (in other words using stereotypes that no one had ever heard of).

Permit welder who was laid off alleges discrimination on the grounds of race. Tribunal dismisses case.

Male alleges that he was a victim of gender bias in investigation of a domestic assault matter. Tribunal rules that under new Code only Commission may bring public interest cases where there is no affected individual.

Student alleges racial discrimination in handling of a grade challenge at her university. Tribunal dismisses case.

Job candidate for a position involving tech knowledge alleges age discrimination. Tribunal dismisses case.

Restaurant patron alleges racial discrimination when he was barred from a restaurant following an incident where he yelled at a waitress.

Employee who had an illness which was under control but whose underlying cause was not known was told not to return to work until she discovered the reason for her symptoms. Tribunal awarded $81,623 in compensation.

Man arrested by police alleges discrimination. Tribunal dismisses case.

Tenant was not provided with large print copies of all tenant notices. Tribunal awards $3000.

Man
"alleges that he was denied a gun license; was not successful in his appeal regarding the denial of a gun license due to false allegations by the police; experienced government harassment, massive criminal collusion concerning religious based hate crimes against him and ongoing public endangerment, death threats, ongoing violence and malicious persecution; was subjected to false and misleading court transcripts in his hearings; was accused of criminal behaviour and a conspiracy to murder for profit; and was accused of being a member of Hell’s Angels and has had to live undercover and under the protection of several churches." Tribunal dismissed case.

Tenant violated apartment rules and was told not to do so. He alleges that this was discrimination because of disability however he neglected to tell the landlord that he required accommodation in the matter because of a disability. Tribunal dismissed the case.


Parents of school child
allege failure of school to accommodate the child's disability but refuse to release relevant documentation. Tribunal dismisses case.

Police officer
who engaged or was said to engage in drug dealing, drug use, and admitted to possible impairment at work alleges that the police department discriminated on the basis of a drug addiction and race. Tribunal dismissed the case. ( How's this for an interesting phrase: "Rather he voluntarily resigned, fully aware of his right to remain employed and allege that his addiction should be taken into account in assessing his culpability in any potential Police Services Act proceeding.")