SHAKEDOWN

Read "Shakedown" by Ezra Levant. An excellent review of the incredible, almost unbelieveable abuse of civil rights of Canadians by the so called "Human Rights Commissions/Tribunals" across this country. This is a must-read - one of the most important books to come out and shake people up about how their constitutional freedoms and civil rights are being quietly trampled on by political appointees and ignorant fools in these commissions. They should be disbanded and our rights more properly protected in the real courts. It's a wonder that these dreadful commission decisions have not been challenged in the courts and that the commission appointees not charged themselves. The politicians must address these abuses and do something about these "human rights" commissions that have exceeded their original mandate and grossly abused their positions.

EqualismActivism

Check out this new blog ( www.equalismactivism.com ) arising from Justin Trottier and group, focussed on the damage that overly politically correct thinking does in our society. As their blog blurb says: "

We believe in equalism, not equity. Provide people equal opportunities, be they atheists and theists, secularists and religious, or men and women; groups should not be subject to social engineering meant to enforce equality of results or systematically bias our neutral public spaces.

This blog is dedicated to the defense of those seemingly all powerful in our society:

1) Scientists: pioneering inquirers, denigrated as arrogant elitists,

2) Rationalists: searching for truth with openness and fallibility, lambasted by the postmodern left and the religious right

3) Secularists: striving to maintain church-state separation, squeezed between religious accommodationists and multicultural ideologues,

4) Men: who die younger, are at greater risk of the top ten causes of death, suffer legal biases against fathers, are denounced in the media, are greater victims of violent crime, yet can't stop apologizing for their gender

We speak for those groups supposedly invulnerable to slander...not because we believe in censorship and wish to silence our critics. Just the opposite. Because we believe in the most uncompromising freedom of expression. So we're going to say some things that need to be said."

Their bi-weekly podcasts "The Pendulum Effect" is accessible from their blogsite above and at www.pendulumeffect.com. The RSS feed for this podcast is at: http://pendulumeffect.libsyn.com . Check it out.

January Meeting of Sudbury Humanists

Guest Speaker/Discussion Leader – Greg Stott

Human Rights

Amnesty International

Humanist Activism

Thursday, January 15

7:00 pm

1233 Paris Street, Sudbury

ALL ARE WELCOME!

The Science Network

For a fascinating series of video presentations on science, humanism, secularism, etc, see The Science Network at http://thesciencenetwork.org/
Some excellent interviews with Philosopher A.C. Grayling, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett and Steven Pinker to name a few are presented. You can save these videos with the right software and also download the transcripts in pdf. Great stuff!!

Theocratic Threats are Endemic

Here is a timely quote of 28 years ago from the Information Clearing House Newsletter of Jan 2, 2009:
"There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in 'A,' 'B,' 'C,' and 'D.' Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me? And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of 'conservatism.' " -- Barry Goldwater - (1909-1998) US Senator (R-Arizona) Source: Congressional Record, September 16, 1981

I Thought We Were Safe

Just when you think we were safe from those south that put ideology over reality Prime Minister Harper hauls off and appoints a wing nut ideologue. The Honorable Gary Goodyear not only suffers the embarrassment of having to admit he's a chiropractor but also studied and practiced acupuncture on real people!

Canadians don't ask for much. Really. We just expect the people we elect to be smarter than us rather than someone we would would like to invite to dinner. This guy you could invite to dinner, get a massage, a bone crack and jam darts in your butt to rearrange your chi.

He also opposes same-sex marriage which garnered him high praise from Christian Conservatives. You know that's going to end up badly. Perhaps he'll provide some funding for Intelligent Design although there wasn't any in his appointment.

My favorite Canadian blog Sandwalk has some more details.

If You Can't Join 'em...

The best part about being an atheist is that one has to be informed to enjoy the state of atheism. While the arguments against existence of god or gods are essentially the same from religion to religion it is still incumbent upon us to have a working knowledge of that religions we dismiss and there is nothing wrong with knowledge as long as it is viewed with a skeptical eye.

There is one such fascinating opportunity coming up real soon:

Date :
Tuesday, November 25th at 7 pm
Place :
Hindu Temple /Sudbury Prarthana Samaj, 485 McNeill Blvd
Dr. K.V. Nagarajan, from Laurentian University, will speak on the following topic:
HINDUISM: FROM ANCIENT TIMES TO THE 21st CENTURY

Within the short time at my disposal, it is not possible to go into great depth. So, my plan is to introduce the audience to key writings and some major ideas and doctrines.

Bring friends.

RSVP : Ranjana : 524-1225 : Punam 522-2213

While they can no more support their religion than can the Christrian fundamentalists we have to put up with every day it is still a fascinating insight into another culture.