Canadian Politics: Defence Of Religion Bill Equals Hate Mongering

Part of: Canadian Politics in Review

Steven Harper and the Conservative Party of Canada are hatemongers. Does that sound a little extreme to your sensitive ears? Well how else would describe a political party which is introducing legislation that would make it legal for anyone who felt like it to speak out against a group, refuse services to a group and in general treat them like second class citizens because of who they are.

They've given the bill a nice sounding name; it's called the Defence Of Religions Act. You see it's meant to defend the rights of poor Christians against the contamination of having to have homosexuals as equal members of society.

Now we all know that real Christians have no compassion and are filled with hatred against those who are different from them. So the government is moving in a timely fashion to ensure that they can tell anyone they want about the evils of homosexuality. Contravening the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the process, by denying them the services of a government office by a government official based on a reason of race, creed, colour, or sexuality, the government has spared no effort to ensure that real Christians everywhere will be able to discriminate to their hearts content.

I mean if you, as a good Christian, were a sworn officer of the court who had taken an oath to uphold and enact the laws and Constitution of Canada wouldn't you want to be able to refuse to do so whenever it was convenient for you as an individual? If you were a Justice of the Peace whose duties include performing civil, secular, marriages for those couples who don't want religion to play any role in their marriage, shouldn't you be able to refuse to marry them because you don't like them for who they are, because it offends your religion?

Well the Conservative Party of Canada thinks so. In fact they are going to let you if they have their way. In spite of the fact that the existing laws state that no religious organization has to perform any act that contravenes the tenets of their faith, our fearless government seems to think that is not sufficient protection for those people who wish to discriminate.

But they're not just going to defend your right to refuse to marry gay couples; they're going to do a whole lot more. You'll be able to refuse to do business with openly gay businesses. It says gay activist companies in the bill, but I doubt if anyone will argue with you too closely if you just refuse service to any business you know to be run by gays. (Aren't they all radicals anyway – buggers are lucky they're even legal, right?)

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Article Author: Richard Marcus

Richard Marcus is the author of the forthcoming book What Will Happen In Eragon IV? and has had his work published in print and on line all over the world. The not so long-haired Canadian iconoclast writes reviews and opines on the world as he sees …

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  • 1 - Dave Nalle

    Oct 18, 2006 at 10:13 am

    Richard, correct me if I'm wrong, but as I understand it no such bill has actually been introduced yet and there isn't even a proposed text for the legislation. It's just a sort of theoretical concept that's been floated by the Tories.

    And aside from fearmongering representations of this hypothetical legislation on the left, what makes you think that such an act won't just defend the right of people of faith to speak their minds openly on any subject, which has to be a good thing - rather than specifically targetting gays for discrimination?

    Dave

  • 2 - Ruvy in Jerusalem

    Oct 18, 2006 at 10:24 am

    If you change the word "Christian" to "secular" and the word "homosexual" to "religious Jew," you have the standard practice of the Israeli media here - this, in spite of the fact that such actions are officially called "incitement" on our law books.

    I think your article was a bit on the fear-mngtering side also, but you live in Canada and I don't, so I assume you know whereof you speak...

  • 3 - Rich Frankel

    Oct 18, 2006 at 12:31 pm

    I think what you're writing about, actually speaks to the strength of democratic systems. It is unlikely that this proposed bill would pass, or that it would stand up to the courts of a common law society. Still, I defend your right to write about it, because without education we are left with apathy, and detrimental bills get passed in the heat of passion, without an informed constituency. In the US, our collective fear after 9/11 caused the USA PATRIOT Act to be passed, and we've been fighting for our civil liberties ever since.

    To my Israeli friend:

    The hatred is mutual and devastating to all Jews, regardless of practice or where we live. Just as the secular Jews discriminate against the Orthodox, the Orthodox discriminate against religious Jews who are more liberal in practice (violence at the Western wall). Jews are one people, and it's tragic that the nation raised from the desert would become a place of division for us.

  • 4 - Martin Lav

    Oct 18, 2006 at 4:46 pm

    If you replace the word "Christian" with "all other people in the world" and the word "homosexuals" with "Ruvy" then you will have a fairly good understanding of the depths a perpetual persecution complex can sink.

  • 5 - Donnie Marler

    Oct 18, 2006 at 5:37 pm

    "Now we all know that real Christians have no compassion and are filled with hatred against those who are different from them."

    If you substitute the word 'liberal' for 'Christians', you might see you are what you hate. You just don't like to think that way.
    How can one so virulently anti-Christian write a story condemning intolerance of any kind?

  • 6 - Matthew T. Sussman

    Oct 18, 2006 at 9:21 pm

    "Steven Harper and the Conservative Party of Canada are hatemongers"

    If you replace:

    "Steven Harper" with "Huey Lewis,"
    "The Conservative Party of Canada" with "The News,"
    and "hatemongers" with "musical pioneers,"

    You'll have the power of love.

  • 7 - RedTard

    Oct 18, 2006 at 10:19 pm

    You harbor hate towards christians and are allowed to speak. They should have the same rights.

  • 8 - Jet in Columbus

    Oct 18, 2006 at 10:40 pm

    Those damned heterosexual are always making trouble aren't they?

  • 9 - RJ Elliott

    Oct 19, 2006 at 2:25 am

    "Well how else would describe a political party which is introducing legislation that would make it legal for anyone who felt like it to speak out against a group, refuse services to a group and in general treat them like second class citizens because of who they are."

    How about: A political party that supports freedom and liberty?

  • 10 - Christopher Rose

    Oct 19, 2006 at 5:30 am

    Suss: if you truly believe that Huey Lewis is any kind of musical pioneer, you should stick to your Yankee sports beat!

    Har Har!

  • 11 - Richard Brodie

    Oct 19, 2006 at 12:09 pm

    Under the new act you're going to be able to get up in public, in front of school students, and in front of your congregation and tell everyone just how evil homosexuals are.

    Sounds like the First Amendment. If you are a person of normal self esteem, the proper response to someone talking shit about you is to simply ignore them. Only an abject coward goes squealing to the government, demanding that lethal force be used to shut people up you'd rather not have to listen to.

    Think about it. YOU are talking shit about Christians. YOU are trying to spread hate towards THEM. How would you like it if they got some fucking law passed that would put a muzzle on you, the way you want the government to muzzle them.

    Without a solid Constitutional protection of Free Speech, societies like yours degenerate into a free for all brawl about who can get the governmnet to muzzle whom. The proper job of the governmnet is NOT to protect your fragile feelings from getting hurt.

  • 12 - Jet in Columbus

    Oct 19, 2006 at 12:24 pm

    Richard, you mean like all those speeches that Hitler made about the Jews? That hate speech killed millions and you'd advocate "well just ignore him and he'll go away".

    That kind of mentality causes hate crimes.

    That kind of mentality spawned Anita Bryant against the gays

    it spawned George Wallace against blacks

    ...but of course that's only my opinion!


    Jet

  • 13 - Richard Brodie

    Oct 19, 2006 at 1:21 pm

    you mean like all those speeches that Hitler made about the Jews? That hate speech killed millions

    Well, that's what the Jews want you to believe anyway. So, might the author's hate speech against Christians result in millions being killed? And what about Bush's hate speech against the "evil" Iranians, North Koreans, etc.

    Hate speech doesn't always result in hate crimes. There's nothing wrong with hating something you regard as evil, nor with saying so. Marcus is free to hate Christians and to publicly say so, and likewise Christians should be free to say that homosexuality is evil.

    This bullshit about trying to muzzle people by forbiding "hate speech" is no different than the Patriot Act trying to spy on people. In both cases the advocates of limiting freedom or invading privacy are justifying it by claiming that it is necessary to prevent crimes - hate crimes in the one case, and terrorist crimes in the other.

    That kind of mentality causes hate crimes ...
    ...but of course that's only my opinion!


    MY opinion, and MY mentality is that it's always best to have FREEDOM from government intrusion - whether it's the government spying on me without my knowledge or permission, or the government trying to impose THOUGHT CONTROL by telling me what opinions of mine I am free or not free to express.

    And Hitler had a good point. The Jews in post WWI Germany wielded a power and influence VASTLY out of proportion to their numbers in the German population. They were essentially an occupation government that had to be gotten rid of. And I for one don't believe there were anywhere near 6 million of them killed. The "Holocaust" is 90% official fable.

  • 14 - zingzing

    Oct 19, 2006 at 1:39 pm

    wee-oo. richard! "They were essentially an occupation government that had to be gotten rid of."

    ?

    wow.

    i'm a bit perplexed. there were jews in government? no, no, wait. the businesses jews ran were the government? no? what? "had to be gotten rid of?" like, as in killing them? or even just stripping them of their legal rights?

    why? because they were jewish?

    i don't see how you, AS A HUMAN BEING, can hold such views. you are truly a sick, sick person.

    "And I for one don't believe there were anywhere near 6 million of them killed."

    watch the video footage! take a look-see. maybe read some of the documents or watch the nazi confessions at nuremburg. or something. "90% official fable?" even if it was 10% true, it would still be fucking nasty. kind of like you.

    (you know in france, you would go to jail for saying such things. that's a bad idea. here, we take care of your kind by beating your ass. i hope you don't express such sentiments in NORMAL SOCIETY, because you're going to get slapped around something awful one day.)

    in fact, i DARE you to step outside your door and truly use your first amendment rights. tell everyone, especially that black person, especially that jew just what you think is best for the blessed white folk of america. i fucking dare you. if you won't, well then you're just some closet racist fucker, ain't you? pussy.

  • 15 - Richard Brodie

    Oct 19, 2006 at 1:47 pm

    I think I'll just ignore your violence-filled anti-white hate speech.

  • 16 - gonzo marx

    Oct 19, 2006 at 1:50 pm

    as for Richard in #15...

    i call pure bullshit

    to paraphrase our favorite troll
    *take your wanna be nazi bullshit off my bridge*

    i'll stand up for your Right to spew your bile, Richard Brodie...

    at the same time, i Reserve my Right to call it bullshit

    Excelsior?

  • 17 - zingzing

    Oct 19, 2006 at 1:53 pm

    mmhmm. ok richard. i am white. white as white can be. my hate speech? when did i say anything bad about white people? i am insulting you. just you. you are a bad person. my mother is a white person. i don't think she is bad. it's an individual thing, richard. i just don't like YOU. get it?

    now stop being such a coward and answer the question! here it is again, edited down for your sensitive eyes:

    richard: "They were essentially an occupation government that had to be gotten rid of."

    i'm a bit perplexed. there were jews in government? no, no, wait. the businesses jews ran were the government? no? what? "had to be gotten rid of?" like, as in killing them? or even just stripping them of their legal rights?

    why? because they were jewish?

    i don't see how you, AS A HUMAN BEING, can hold such views.

    "And I for one don't believe there were anywhere near 6 million of them killed."

    watch the video footage! take a look-see. maybe read some of the documents or watch the nazi confessions at nuremburg. or something. "90% official fable?" even if it was 10% true, it would still be firetruck nasty.

  • 18 - Jet in Columbus

    Oct 19, 2006 at 2:20 pm


    In order of Country-Initial Jewish Population- Estimated % Killed-Estimated Killed--Number of Survivors

    POLAND 3,300,000 91% 3,000,000 300,000
    USSR 3,020,000 36% 1,100,000 1,920,000
    HUNGARY 800,000 74% 596,000 204,000
    GERMANY 566,000 36% 200,000 366,000
    FRANCE 350,000 22% 77,320 272,680
    ROMANIA 342,000 84% 287,000 55,000
    AUSTRIA 185,000 35% 65,000 120,000
    LITHUANIA 168,000 85% 143,000 25,000
    NETHERLANDS 140,000 71% 100,000 40,000
    BOHEMIA
    MORAVIA 118,310 60% 71,150 47,160
    LATVIA 95,000 84% 80,000 15,000
    SLOVAKIA 88,950 80% 71,000 17,950
    YUGOSLAVIA 78,000 81% 63,300 14,700
    GREECE 77,380 87% 67,000 10,380
    BELGIUM 65,700 45% 28,900 36,800
    ITALY 44,500 17% 7,680 36,820
    BULGARIA 50,000 0% 50,000
    DENMARK 7,800 .8% 60 7,740
    ESTONIA 4,500 44% 2,000 2,500
    LUXEMBOURG 3,500 55% 1,950 1,550
    FINLAND 2,000 .03% 7 1,993
    NORWAY 1,700 45% 762 938


    TOTAL 9,508,340 63% 5,962,129 3,546,211


    For the rest of this article click anywhere in the colored section

    You're a fool Richard Brodie

  • 19 - gonzo marx

    Oct 19, 2006 at 2:36 pm

    anybody else go to Richard Brodie's URL?

    sad time indeed that the bundists are in america and doing music videos with little girls

    woe is U.S.

    Excelsior?

  • 20 - Richard Brodie

    Oct 19, 2006 at 2:39 pm

    Well, let's see, whose request shall I honor. I think gonzo. He respects my rights. zing selectively ignores 90% of MY posts and then has the gall to petulantly insist that I answer every one of his lame points. Plus he advocates "ass beating" and "slapping around" for having an opinion different that his own. Besides, one should never take too seriously some lazy ass who can't be troubled to press the shift key. So I leave you all to wallow in your own foolishness on your little bridge.

  • 21 - gonzo marx

    Oct 19, 2006 at 2:57 pm

    Richard, i made no *request*

    also to note, while i respect and defend your Rights, the same does nto hold true for you or the positions you advocate...

    for those who hold Interest, the link provided by Brodie in #20 stands at odds with objective Facts, as well as the actual records and testimony of those tried for the crimes under discussion relating to nazis and their "final solution"

    you might want to check the transcripts of more than oen trial at Nuremburg to get the full picture, if there is any doubt after the list fo facts laid out in Jet's link above...

    just for one, there was a film in 2001 called "Conspiracy" is the imdb link for the film... which took the nazi's own transcripts of a meeting on this "final solution" and showed a dramatization of the meeting using the transcripts seized from the nazi government itself...

    Excelsior?

  • 22 - zingzing

    Oct 19, 2006 at 3:16 pm

    i don't advocate any violence towards you. i just warn against and dare you to (i am conflicted, but not really) shout out your racist crap in the real world, not just here, you wilting flower.

    and i don't ignore 90% of your post. i read the whole thing. i'm just responding to the part i disagree with. your first point, that the first amendment is more sacred than your personal feelings, is quite right. your second point, that the jews a)deserved it, and b)perpetuated some fantastic lie, however, is complete shit.

    so i respond to your bullshit.

    ok, ok, here's the other 90% of my response:

    go richard! go first amendment! whoop, whoop!

    happy?

    now, why did the german people have to "get rid of" the jews? and what makes you think that the holocaust is some sort of jewish conspiracy? is there some lack of proof?

    i think you protest too much. you can't back up your claims, and while i think any decent human being would be horrified to make such claims, especially the first, i don't think you want to take them back, i think you just want to spout off nonsense. anything to make those minorities look bad. anything at all.

  • 23 - zingzing

    Oct 19, 2006 at 3:18 pm

    HE DIDN'T PRESS THE SHIFT KEY!? that's why you won't respond? come on now... be a man.

  • 24 - Jet in Columbus

    Oct 19, 2006 at 5:03 pm

    So I guess it was useless and foolish of me to bother presenting facts and figures in #18?

  • 25 - gonzo marx

    Oct 19, 2006 at 5:09 pm

    neither useless, nor foolish, Jet...

    Facts are exactly what areneeded in all these discussions...

    and my apologies to Richard the gypsyman for an unintentional highjack of his Thread...

    unfortunately, even tho they sit just a bit north of where i am sitting, i know damn little about Canadian politics...

    Excelsior?

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