A Quest for Good News

I love to read, and quite frankly I look to the dailies for the national stories about medical advances and human interest features.  Articles that are informative and don't necessarily raise my blood pressure. However, the media is a hard maiden, and it does not matter where you turn, there is always bad news at our doorstep.  So in my quest for good news this week, I tried to see the brighter side of the bad.  Here is what I found.
 
Another week goes by and it seems that British Petroleum (BP) and the US Government are not really doing anything about the oil pouring into the ocean as a result of the off-shore derrick disaster.  Now with the oil choking the life from the Eco-system, and waters controlled by other countries will probably have been affected as well.  Maybe then Obama will put his “Yes We Can” attitude and plug the hole.  While Barack Obama and his cronies stand by and allow BP to flounder, the problem will not just go away.
 
I truly wish I could just grab a daily newspaper, or read from several news sources online and actually enjoy reading. But each day I am reminded about the BP's environmental assault and I just wish they could put a cork in it.  It may even come down to having to use nuclear charges to plug the leak.  But do two wrongs make a right?  Nothing good can come out of this, so I pushed on.
 
Maybe Obama has his hands full with the North Korean affair.  With the stubby despot's navy torpedoing the South Korean patrol ship killing 46 sailors, many countries including Canada have spoken out against Kim Jong-Il.  I just hope Kim Jong-il did not have a submarine near the oil derrick. Sorry but I guess just don't trust him.
 
These two stories alone dominated the press, from news print to television and radio.  It is no wonder people get agitated being bombarded by such negative stories.
 
Then perched below a headline about Polar Bears dying as a result of the BP's cock-up, I spot the headline, “Prepare for a bit of cooling predicts geologist.”  Now, here was something that I could sink my teeth into.  According to geologist Don Easterbrook, professor emeritus from Western Washington University, “Global warming is over―at least for a few decades.”  Easterbrook, who is an ardent believer in Anthropogenic Global Warming, says that the earth is in for some harsh winters and cooler summers for at least three decades.  Or, for those in Australia, they will have harsher summers and cooler winters.  If you think about it, Australia can really mess with your mind.
 
But, according to this piece of climate news, data collected from global sources shows that we are in for another mini-ice age.  The culprits for this climate change are cited as being reduced solar activity (no flares) and the end of El Nino.  Of course, all the sources for this story concluded that the colder climate will result in more human deaths, shorter growing seasons resulting in food shortages, and more hunger.  They always need to toss in a little fear, even with good news, so I kept flipping though the newspaper then paused.  A thought came to me.  In Australia, does a toilet really flush backwards.
 
Huh, so I kept reading.  I turn one page and a young woman is murdered, turn another page and we read of gang activity on the rise in smaller communities.  One page after another and the human condition is reported with true vigour.  My quest for some good news was not going anywhere.  Was there no news source willing to blow some sunshine at me from behind?
 
Then it happened. News that kinda made my day.  The headline read, “Marc Emery pleads guilty in U.S. court, awaits sentencing.”  Yes, I truly like it when the 'Prince of Pot', the fella who have been on the march to legalize marihuana is given a dose of reality.  Mark, please note that I used the word “dose” and not “hit.”
 
I have been watching Mr, Emery's defiance for many years.  Truly believing that he can snub his joint at law enforcement by openly breaking our narcotic laws.  It is a misguided belief that his activity can actually change Canadian legislation. His followers openly wept as he was arrested last year on charges of conspiring to manufacture marihuana on United States soil.  Then the anger followed when he was extradited, sending him into a country that has actually waged war on drug offenders.
 
To our Conservative Federal Government promising law reforms, please take notes.  Mr. Emery folded quickly in the hands of the US legal system.  His defiance crumbled when he copped to a plea.  A deal was struck that will probably see him in an American prison for 5 years.  If he had been convicted in Canada on similar charges he would have probably received a fine, or little jail time.
 
So the moral of the post-long-weekend tirade is this.  Yes, some good news can be found,  if you really search for it.  You just have wade through some muck to get at it.

Never Enough Time

It would be fair to say that many people are not satisfied with the justice system.  When someone is found guilty of a crime as a result of a costly trial or after providing a guilty plea, we hope for the best.  We would like to see a deterrence, a punishment that fits the crime and not just a slap on the wrist.

Last week a Peter Terence Jones was sentenced on charges relating to two church arsons that he committed last October in Wetaskiwin.  First the United Church on 50 Ave., and then the very next day he broke into, stole items and then torched the St. John's Lutheran Church.  The devastation that occurred are well known to the citizens of that city.  The United Church building is just ‘No More’ and the St. Johns Lutheran Church building, after an inspection, was determined to be non-salvageable.

All we know from what the courts were told is that the arsonist started the United Church fire in an attempt to cover up the Break and Enter he had committed.  In the second case, there was no real explanation which leads us to conclude that it was deliberately lit in an effort to gain a thrill.  In sentencing the judge concluded that it was a “totally senseless wanton act of destruction.”  Jones was sentenced to four years in prison with recognition of eight months he served while remanded in custody. With good behavior we may see Mr. Jones out and about long before the full sentence is served.

Some can say that his sentence fits the crime.  Many may believe that four years in a federal institution will teach Mr. Jones a lesson and once he gets out he will mend his ways.  Personally, I just don't buy it.

It's not that I know Mr. Jones, it is just the nature of the crime that concerns me.  The truth is that many, even psychologists, don't have a real handle on the what makes an arsonist tick.

The motivating factors behind arson have been identified as either money, peer pressure vandalism, attention-getting, political activism or pyromania due to an underlying psychological condition.  According to a British study  titled the “Home Office Arson Scoping Study,” vandalism, boredom and trill-seeking covers 80% of arson that have come before the courts, where the arsonist has admitted the ignition was a spur-of-the-moment decision targeting vacant property, abandoned buildings and automobiles.  Five percent of arsons were malicious, where they were lit as an act of revenge, retaliation, rivalry or racism, or for political ends.  An even smaller percentage of arsonists have an underlying psychological problem, where only 2% of arsonists in Britain received a court ordered hospital stay, while about 10% of arson arrests are considered mentally ill.

It has been reported that around half of all arsonists are male under the age of 18, and the majority of the offenders are males under thirty, and according to an FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, the vast majority of 'profiled' arsonists have a below-normal IQ – typically between 70 and 90.

In cases where the arson is motivated by money, politics or revenge, the culprit has usually revealed that information during the course of the investigation.

The public is properly apprised during the court proceedings and citizens can see past whatever sentence is handled down.  We can at least be assured that the problem has been contained and properly dealt with by the authorities.  But when the motivation for arson has not been properly disclosed by the offender, as in our Wetaskiwin case, we are left with an uneasy feeling that perhaps the arsonist may re-offend after he is letout.

The truth is that, unlike a Hollywood movie, when an arson occurs the police have no real way of profiling an offender.  Psychologists just do not know enough about the mental state of a firebug to make any type of determination.  That is because arson investigations do not have a high solve rate and what the public knows of that type of offender is only gleaned from those culprits that are caught and charged in the first place.

Mr. Jones did not just steal a car, bicycle or broke into a business to  steal electronics for financial gain.  He entered into a church, a building that commonly provides nothing for a criminal to gain other than salvation. Mr. Jones torched the church and repeated that offense within 24 hours.  To say that the police did an outstanding job in catching him is an understatement.  The fact that he was arrested outside of Alberta, is to some reassuring for the citizens of Wetaskiwin that there is hope that once released he will leave our province.

This is the type of case that needs a full disclosure with an explanation for the  offenders actions.  Because, with less than fours years before Mr. Jones is once again out, without peace of mind, it is never enough time.

In the Heat of the Night

We have all witnessed the scene in all forms of movies.  A natural disaster has hit a large metropolitan area.  Thousands of people are being evacuated from the city and somewhere huddled in a destroyed structure is our hero, who has along the way met a young woman in distress.  Her hair is disheveled, her blouse is torn and she has what looks like soot rubbed on her face, but her lipstick is not even smudged.  Our hero, masculine, with a chiseled chin, who goes by the name of Biff, peers out the basement window at the world coming to a swift end!  Yes he is separated from his family and his best canine friend Mitzi is lying not far away close to death!  But in all this terrible calamity, our hero formulates a plan.  It is a brilliant plan! Biff looks over to our femme fatale who is shaking in fear and says, “Hey, we may not live to see tomorrow and I don't want to die a virgin.”

Of course this is just the way it is.  It is the survival of the species under the worst conditions.  Today there is this terrible calamity creeping upon us.  Scientists from around the world have been watching for it, and as we observe nature the menace is seen around every corner.  Man-made global warming is, by all accounts, going to consume this planet by the year 2050.  According to popular culture fueled by the pulpit of the eco-evangelist, carbon dioxide will raise the overall temperature of the planet by 15 degrees. Causing the oceans to raise by melting polar caps, lands to flood, fresh water to pollute the gulf streams, creating aberrant climate events which will reverse the temperatures back to an ice age that will kill off every living critter on the earth!  Except a dude name Clem who has a log cabin and wood burning stove west in the wilderness somewhere away from the political media nonsense we are all exposed to.

Recently an Inuit hunter shot and killed a polar bear in the high arctic.  This bear looked rather odd so the hunter brought it to the attention of biologists who discovered that its genome was a combination of Polar bear and Grizzly Bear.  The Pizzly, or Grolar as it has been called, is the offspring of an 'odd couple' an anomaly of nature.  It is a bit like a cooperative Chihuahua and a St. Bernard producing a Brangelina hybrid.

The fact that these two bears mated is nothing unusual.  Both the Polar Bear and the Grizzly Bear are of the same species.  But what was reported of this union is that it was the cause of climate change due to anthropomorphic global warming that made the grizzly look passionately into the eyes of the disheveled female in distress.  As reported by Canwest News Service, “A warming climate has prompted hungry grizzly bears to increasingly move north, encroaching on Polar Bear turf, according to experts.” Yes, our hero bear must have gotten the message of the coming doom, because according to 'experts' it was man that put these two 'kids' together.

I know I promised to leave this alone, but in the wake of the exposed falsified climate data reported by the mainstream press debunking increased temperatures, and the fact that the polar caps have increased and not shrunk I was really hoping that the media would stop looking for eco-ghosts around every corner.

But no, in fact the media has been even more so pervasive on the climate change front. Even going as far as reporting that while having a “casual pub chat” Antarctic scientists concluded that whale poop may be the answer to reducing carbon dioxide levels, thus saving the planet. (Reuters)

Then coming off his Academy Award nod, the movie maker James Cameron took a shot at Alberta by announcing that the oilsands developments are a 'black eye' on Canada's environmental record.  One can say, “So who is Cameron to give scientific advise?”  But then again, science has lost a great deal of credibility in the eyes of many in light of the shift from the empirical to a spiritual discipline.

So I guess until the next headlines, whale poop is the answer. Now if only the whales could subscribe to the main street media we could scare the crap out of them so that we can re-segregate the bears and the world will be once again in harmony.

Turning the Other Cheek

It is probably safe to say that not many Canadians can quote any or all the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Many just assume that we have rights under the law, but other than a clumsy attempt at quoting an American Bill of Rights as provided by Hollywood, in a drunken stupor before a uniform holding a tube to blow in, many are ignorant of this important piece of Canadian legislation.

We all want to live in Canada and do so in the pursuit of prosperity, and freedom from fear, discrimination and loathing. In fact, not a day goes by when we step out the door and head off to work, that many subconsciously are on the vigil ready to defend ourselves from opposing viewpoints, lifestyles and opinions. For the most part, we do live in a country where we are free from judgment by our neighbours, employers and fellow workers. Yet, we still hear about fellow Canadians not enjoying the freedoms and rights that we are so blithely ignorant of.

I am a believer in the separation of church and state, however our Charter of Rights and Freedoms very much agree with principals found in biblical teachings as spelled out in the Bible. Those such as love your neighbours, feed your enemies and judge not or you shall be judged, and of course when struck, turn the other cheek. All teachings that fundamentally point to the more legal groundings found in law.

Yet, last week in Vancouver the Little Flower Academy, a Catholic High School for Girls, found themselves in a position where they asked a music teacher to stay home and complete her assignments away from the school, effectively dismissing the teacher. Lisa Reimer, who hadn't disclosed to the school prior to her commencing employment that she is a homosexual agreed to respect the Catholic schools faith. It was reported that Lisa was granted three weeks leave as a result of her partner giving birth to a child. While on leave, the school decided to address the situation and have Lisa stay home in fear that she would share her experiences with the students. “Its not like a mob of people showed up demanding things be done. We're just conducting ourselves within the tenets of the Catholic faith,” was the comment from the chairman of the school boards directors.

Our Charter clearly spells out that every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination. Our fundamental freedoms state that we have freedom of conscience and religion; freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression; freedom of peaceful assembly; and freedom of association.

Freedoms are wonderful when they are protecting you but when we have opposing beliefs and lifestyles the Charter can be conflicting. In the schools position they can claim that they are acting in accordance with the freedom of religious beliefs. Those beliefs being that the Catholic church does not condone homosexuality so they are enforcing their stance on Reimer. In Reimer's case, her lifestyle is also protected under the Charter, and it can be effectively argued that her personal choices are not privy to the policies of her employer, and as long as she separates the two, no conflict should arise.

The real interesting development in this matter is that Reimer has chosen to turn the other cheek, and has stated that she will “let this unfold” and not launch a humans rights complaint against the school.

The situation Lisa Reimer finds herself in is one good example of what our Charter of Rights and Freedoms was designed to prevent in Canada. The persecution from an employer where the lifestyle of the employee is in opposition with the lifestyle choices of the employer. The real question would be, is whether the employee is doing a good and proper job, or was there a performance reason for dismissing the teacher. Because if that was the reason for this action, one would expect the school to show cause for dismissal.

Similar occurrences outside of Canada in relation to homosexuals on the school systems have also occurred in the last year. In Mississippi a Ceara Sturgis' photograph was excluded from the school year book because she wanted her grad picture taken in a tuxedo.  In the same state, a school district called off the senior prom when it was learned that two lesbian students were planning to come to the dance escorting each other.

For the majority, homosexuality is a hard pill to swallow and in the cases where a perception arises that their lifestyle will adversely influence others around them, those in authority such as managers, and administrators need to understand the fundamental rights afforded each person living in this country. In the case of the Little Flower Academy in Vancouver, I believe the proper action would have been to allow her to return after her leave and teach. Because nowhere in the school responses was their any indication that Reimer could not teach music or was not doing her job. It will be interesting to watch this institution’s response to Reimer ‘turning the other cheek.’