Dis-course

This article proves that the Sauds are the limit.

First of all, was Mohammed a prophet? Of course. Was he a good one? No. He was a war-monger, a pedophile, a rapist and a thief. To ask anyone to accept him or anyone like him as a prophet is intellectually and morally absurd, to say the least.

Secondly, what kind of person would demand that someone else embrace a tenet of their religion in order to be treated justly? You must embrace Christ to be a Christian but nothing should prevent one from treating someone else like a human being. Imagine if a Christian demanded that a Jew or Buddhist accept Christ before getting a drink of water. It would be outrageous. If what is being proposed in the article isn't outrageous, then I must not have a full understanding of the word.

Thirdly, who asks for dialogue and make demands immediately? A selfish, inconsiderate person does. Forever the victim and forever needy. The House of Saud has our oil money. They want out self-respect too.

Lastly, the audacity one must possess to behave the way the Sauds have (indeed, a great bulk of Islamists) is truly astounding. Everything and anything offends them. They have yet to prove that they are a peaceful and rational people awaiting dialogue and peaceful relations with everyone else. They lie when it suits them.

We have bended over for them. When will they reciprocate?

Dith Pran

Dith Pran, on whom the movie, The Killing Fields, was based, has passed away. He was a survivor (so, too, was Dr. Haing S. Ngor who portrayed him in the aforementioned movie) and a tireless reporter on the killing fields of Cambodia where the communist Khmer Rouge murdered an estimated 2 million Cambodians.

That we may not forget what he struggled to tell us.

Where There Is Fire...

The politically gruff Mark Steyn throws his hat into the Fitna ring. He has pretty much said it all.

I have no idea why some discussions even occur. Time and again, certain elements prove their fear of any freedom, especially freedom of discourse, by bullying people into submission. Yet, there are those who are comfortable with this. Youtube, the BBC, and other publications are more than willing to blot out anything critical of Islam (or the Chinese dictatorship) for fear it will impede dialogue. How? There is no dialogue. We can't even bring it up. We are to be cowed by thick-browed bullies. These things only serve to prove that those who criticise are utterly correct.
And in that, there is no argument.

Fitna

Watch this movie before it disappears. If anyone has any belief that Islam is a philosophy of peace, this film will definitely change your mind.

WARNING: there are rather disturbing and graphic images therein.

Bad Moon Rising

King Abdullah has called for an interfaith dialogue to combat what he feels are rising religious tensions. In the wake of what some call a controversial conversion, the Wahabist monarch wants Christians (in particular, the Pope) to realise the ripples in the sectarian pool. There is tension, the king claims. The press and certain Muslim pundits are (over) reacting to the conversion of Mr. Allam on Easter Sunday. What would be a private matter between an adult, who has thought over the matter of his religion for a long time, and God has become for others a matter of debate. The matter of interfaith dialogue has become for me a matter of speculation. Anyone who leaves Islam is an apostate and forced conversions in the Islamic world are well-known. For King Abdullah, the one of the wealthiest people on earth and a firm believer in the strictest sect of Islam, the thought that a well-known Muslim can leave Islam for Catholicism and be baptised by the leader of the Catholic Church on Easter must be horrifying. This interfaith dialogue, I think, will come to nothing but flowery words and empty promises.

Happy Easter!

He has risen.

Indeed, He has risen.

Russian Easter greetings.

And other miracles.

Shut Up, China

China, in all its infinite and possibly uranium-laced wisdom, has reminded Canada to keep its collective mouth shut concerning China and its woeful policies on Tibet.

China may feel that its over fifty years of totalitarian rule and its stranglehold over imports may entitle it to meddle in others' affairs, but I hardly think it is qualified to do so here or anywhere. Maybe when they allow a democratically elected government, basic freedoms, discontinue their ethnocentric policies and stop selling cheaply made garbage at slave-labour prices will their criticisms be welcome.

Good Friday

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

(Isaiah 53:5)

The Stupidity of Sin

Upon reflection of past deeds, it dawns on one that sin's end is not only selfish, but stupid. The ends seem pointless, redundant. Sure, someone might think that kicking a guy down the stairs, taking his money and leaving him there might sound good at the time but you ended up being late for your appointment and buying brownies which added unnecessary pounds, anyway.

Everyone has free will but should bend only to one Will.

You MUST Be Joking

Don't like your kid's marks? No problem. Just sue. That's what a boy's father in British Columbia is doing. The father alleges a teacher at a Montessori school has made every effort to destroy the child's self-esteem. Failing to make the boy do his homework, failing to display an unfinished poem in the hallway, failing to eliminate differences between the boy and his peers. All of these are offenses for which a teacher may lose her job.

Just reading this article makes me grind my teeth. Maybe my short-sightedness will not allow me to see how not following the boy home to make him do his homework, prizing an unfinished work, or making every other student the same as the offensive- I mean- victimised child but I can't wrap my head around this.

First of all, everything begins at the home. Manners, morals, work and study ethics are all the arena of parents. While I'm sure most parents are ardent about their children's educations, I think just as many take a lackadaisical approach. I've had parents tell me their kids didn't do their homework because of soccer or hockey games, or that they were just too tired after a vacation. Does the kid even have the ability to strive, or does he wait for the answer to be fed to him (I've seen lots of that). That being said, if plunking a kid down in front of a TV is one's idea of child-rearing, I'm not surprised why the kid ends up a C minus student.

Secondly, there are teachers who do know what they are doing. Not every teacher is hired for their ability to row or wrestle or coach a girls' soccer team. Not every teacher struggles to find Canada on a map but immediately knows where their superintendent-uncle can be found when a more plum opportunity arises. Some teachers care, and that is an uphill battle given the distractions and apathy of current times. If the parents expect their educators to be on-task, then a certain amount of trust must be had (that trust should be earned, though).

Thirdly, the material and environs do matter. Are the children fed and cared for at home? Are the school books up-to-date and accurate and without any bias? Are there any other working materials available for students? One would hope so.

I hope the parent in the article remembers his role as a parent and not as a litigious stress-basket who is afraid of letting his son experience real success and failure that come with schooling.

How to Anger the Perpetually Angered

Osama bin Laden (from whatever rock he's been under for the past two years) has accused Pope Benedict of re-igniting the Crusades. His words, according to bin Laden, have caused great offense to the Islamic world. The infamous Danish cartoons- which, I daresay, many have not seen- have insulted Muslims, left, right and centre. Anything, it seems, hurts the thin-skinned. When has there never been a violent outcry from hurts, real or perceived? One can almost predict the outcome- fires, riots, deaths, bombs, death to those who insult Islam (the list of those who don't offend Islam is desperately short). The Muslims are perpetual victims of the seemingly tyrannical Church, American/Canadian/Australian governments, the press, the SPCA, and society in general. And, predictably, the same press that doesn't understand the poor, downtrodden firebombers will side with them because the Roman Catholic Church cannot be trusted or believed under any circumstances.

My point is- isn't this whole thing wearing thin? The perpetually angry Muslims, the hiding coward who utters threats, the inevitable violence, the blameworthy organised religion. It's like those who stir the controversy pot have just stopped caring.

In sad news, the great thespian, Paul Scofield, has passed away.