Canada, Justice and equal rights for all? Sort of

As Canadians we like to think that our justice system treats all individuals equally and fairly regardless of their heritage, gender, or religion. Canada is a country where the law is applied impartially to all of its people and we take pride in the fairness of our justice system. In fact the average Canadian takes great offense when we feel that an individual is being unjustly treated or harshly sentenced based on a perceived bias against the individual or a group they belong to.

After all, "Justice is Blind" right?

Well, partially anyways, it appears that recently Canada's Supreme Court has instructed our justice system to "keep one eye open"  when meting out justice to individuals of a certain heritage. How can this be in a country that prides itself on fair handed treatment for all, why would one group be singled out for specific punishment? This racist undertone is not something any of us would expect from Canadian courts.

By now your undoubtedly wondering what any particular group of people did to be treated in such a harsh manner, why would the courts unfairly base sentencing on a persons heritage, and what can be done to prevent this miscarriage of justice against these poor unfortunate individuals.

Well dear reader do I have a surprise for you.

The race hustlers have been busy lately

Unless you have been living in a cave for the last month you will have heard the name Trayvon Martin. Trayvon is the youth who was shot and killed in Florida by a neighbor hood watch individual, George Zimmerman.When Zimmerman was not arrested or even charged with a crime, the story took on a life of its own and went national.

An example of fair and honest reporting
by media outlets. Until recently the
  majority of them used the top 2 photos.

Now I am not about to make any judgements about the motivation or guilt of the shooter, that's the job of the judicial system. As well the last thing the case needs is one more voice weighing in an opinion based on nothing more than innuendo and bias. In fact the noise level on this one has gotten to the point that it's hard to discern fact from fiction. Case in point, attempting to research the incident I found literally thousands of articles and at least 3 spellings of the name Trayvon (sometimes all within the same article!). So apparently everyone has an opinion, many of which I suspect are based on second or third hand information derived  from God knows what source (ahhh, the wonders of the internet). So, I will wait to form my opinion on this one until it has played through the actual judicial system, and I would hope that readers of this blog would do the same. After all, lets keep in mind the underlying premise that a man is innocent until proven guilty.

However, that does not mean I have nothing to say about the events surrounding this case. The events I refer to have nothing whatsoever to do with the actual case itself, but everything to do with how the case is being exploited by many for their own benefit.

Labels, The pen is truly mightier than the sword

Here is the poster in question
Read More Here

Last week as I was driving into work and listening to one of my favorite talk radio networks a topic arose  that really caught my interest. Apparently the owner of  a barbecue joint in Texas is being accused of being a racist due to a poster he has displayed in his restaurant. The poster depicts an individual hung from a tree, surrounding him are a group of armed individuals posed much the same as a group of hunters would display a "trophy" kill. The caption on the poster reads "Lets Play Cowboys and IRANIANS!" 

Now although this may be viewed as being in "bad taste" by many, particularly in an eating establishment I would argue that it is in NO WAY racist.

Political Correctness, It just never ends

With Halloween just past and everyone packing away costumes until next year, here is something to bear in mind. It appears that the your choice of costume may have the potential to offend some and even worst, brand you as a "racist".

A campaign by Ohio University's Students Teaching About Racism in Society (STARS) focuses on Halloween and features posters incorporating statements such as  "We're a culture, not a costume.", "This is not who I am, and this is not okay". Students of various ethnic backgrounds are shown holding up photos of people wearing blackface, dressed up as natives, Geisha girls, or depicting "terrorists.

I am as much against racism and intolerance as the next guy, however there is a huge difference between bigotry and a child, student, or adult dressing up as a Geisha Girl or native (oops, sorry I should have said "First Nations" member). I will agree that "blackface" is crossing the line and not something I would encourage or defend.

Unfortunately in today's culture of political correctness we have to ensure that we make everyone, and all minority or special interest groups feel good about themselves and their culture, even if it means eroding our culture in doing so. As a born and raised Canadian I often feel that my culture is pushed to the back and trampled on in the process to ensure that no individual from any group feels slighted.

"Come On, Frustrated Joe we have to make this individuals feel welcome in Canada"
Yes we do, but not at the expense of reinventing our society and culture as a whole. Our culture has been described as a mixing pot, and that is a good thing, however we all need to mix, and unless something is outright racist, prejudice, or bias against a particular group, everyone needs to chill out a bit.

Occupy's 99%, Don't count me in on that!

I love the way the Occupy drones continuously preach that they represent the other "99% " of the population that falls outside of America's wealthiest 1% ( you know, the 1% of the population that pays close to 40% of the taxes). Funny thing is I fall into this 99% of the population and I have never given my permission to an Occupy drone to speak on my behalf. No fears, I don't feel slighted in the least as I want to be as far removed from these anarchists as possible. Many of them are no better than the hooligans that wear masks and riot at G20 conferences or after sporting events, there only aim is destruction. Unfortunately in the case of this movement the goal is pretty much destruction of a way of life that the vast majority of the "99%" (they continuously refer to) have actually come to enjoy.