Family and friends joyously hugged 255 Palestinians freed by Israel yesterday, hoisting them on their shoulders for a boisterous heroes' welcome meant to give Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a political boost in his power struggle with Hamas.
FULL STORY
VisionTV picked up a lot of static yesterday.
A news report in the National Post revealed that the non-profit broadcaster aired an hour-long talk by Muslim preacher Israr Ahmad.
"Jihad in the way of Allah, for the cause of Allah, can be pursued either with your financial resources or your bodily strength when you go to fight the enemy in the battlefield," urged Ahmad in the broadcast. "So jihad, the highest form, is fighting in the cause of Allah."
Who is the enemy? All non-Muslims, but Jews in particular. According to the Post, Ahmad has in his books described the Holocaust as "divine punishment" and compared Jews to "parasites".
At first, VisionTV officials didn't have a problem with giving air-time to a hatemonger. All part of freedom of expression and religion, they said.
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FULL STORY HERE
CALGARY (CP) - Closing arguments were made before an Alberta human rights tribunal Friday into a complaint about a letter published in a newspaper that suggested homosexuals are as immoral as pedophiles and drug dealers.
The letter by former pastor Stephen Boissoin was published five years ago in the Red Deer Advocate.
University of Calgary professor Darren Lund complained that it exposed homosexuals to hatred and contempt.
In his closing statement, Lund suggested the letter was clearly an expression of hatred and contempt for homosexuals.
However, another University of Calgary professor, Barry Cooper, testified that Boissoin's opinions did not constitute hate speech, even though they may have been crude and offensive.
Lawyers for Boissoin have argued that a ruling in Lund's favour would hinder his freedom of expression and religion, as well as freedom of the press.
The Alberta Human Rights Commission now has 60 days to decide whether the letter incited hatred, or was merely intended to spawn political debate.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CP) - Prime Minister Stephen Harper became the first foreign leader in many years to visit the infamous Cite Soleil slum at the heart of the Haitian capital Friday - a symbolic gesture to demonstrate that the hemisphere's poorest and possibly most dangerous neighbourhood has improved along with the rest of the country.
But that image was far from clear. The prime minister's motorcade was led by an army jeep with three heavily armed UN troops, one pointing a mounted machine-gun directly at the throng of people lining the rutted roadway.
"I think all of us as fellow human beings, people who have our own families, only begin to understand the true difficulties and challenges that so many people face on a day-to-day basis, it is extraordinary," Harper said after seeing the troubled area.
"And I think Canadians should be very proud that they are offering to help, that our help is
making a difference in terms in safety of people's lives, in terms of giving them some hope and some opportunity."Preval noted that Canada's aid to his country is its second largest, next to Afghanistan, with commitments of about $100 million a year until 2011 - a large number considering Haiti's population of 8.5 million.
Harper's assessment was backed by Haitian president RenePreval , who said the Canadian leader's visit would have been ill-advised only six months ago, when gangs of thugs menaced the locals and anyone who ventured into the neighbourhood of dirt streets, open sewers and
tin-roofed shacks.
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FULL STORY
Canada was built by White European Mena and Women. Canada was not built by homosexuals. Why do homosexuals have an entire week dedicated to them, and their flag raised by the government, and Europeans do not? Why is there not even an official day for Europeans in Canada celebrating their heritage and history.
It's time that the people of Canada awake and see the corruption of values that is taking place all around them. There is still hope in the small towns and villages, but the large cities may be lost for all times.
Why all the hot air in flag flap?
They'll raise a flag at city hall today. Hamilton, Ottawa, Toronto, Windsor -- they've been doing it for years.
So where's the fuss in hauling up a rainbow flag to mark the beginning of Pride Week in London?
For those who might need reminding, London has a history with such celebrations. In 1995, then-mayor Dianne Haskett refused to declare a gay pride proclamation and fly the flag. That led to a discrimination conviction in 1997. Council was forced to issue the proclamation, which it did -- then passed the job of proclamations off to staff.
When the city clerk's office inadvertently issued one to a white supremacy group under the guise of a European heritage celebration, proclamations were banned.
Degenerates & traitors, the whole lot of 'em!
This disgusts me.
It wasn’t raining this morning, but there was a rainbow over city hall.
The Gay Pride flag was raised at 10 a.m. in celebration of the 10-day Pride London Festival.
“It’s like ‘Oh my God,’” said Chris D’Aguilar, who represented Pride London.
D’Aguilar is the partner of Eugene Dustin, president of the festival that ends July 29.
Several politicians turned out to watch the pride flag being raised at city hall for the first time in nine years.
MPP Chris Bentley, MP Irene Mathyssen, controllers Gord Hume and Gina Barber, and city councillors Cheryl Miller, David Winninger and Roger Caranci were on hand.
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