Canons and Culture

[I just submitted this to the Wanderer]
Hopefully, this is the first instalment in what will become a monthly blog-style column for the Wanderer. For our readers unfamiliar with this new medium, a blog is basically a cross between a webpage and an internet diary. It is much shorter than an editorial, and it allows the blogger – that is, author of the blog – to link and comment upon various news stories ignored by the mainstream media. In general, there are five rules for blog commentary: keep it short; stick to current topics; don’t hold back on sarcasm; be personal; and stay informal.
Many Catholics discovered the power of this medium last October when the Terri Schindler-Schiavo became hot news in Florida. Where the New York Whines injected its usual liberal spin, bloggers got the facts out in time to save Terri. Anyway, if you happen to be surfing the net, please stop by the two group blogs to which I regularly contribute. These are Catholic Light [http://catholiclight.stblogs.org] and Envoy Encore [http://envoymagazine.com/encore].

*****
Speaking of silence and the culture of death, Canada’s homosexual lobby is on the march again, seeking to silence faithful Catholics, Evangelical Protestants and Orthodox Jews. This comes in the form of Bill C-250, a private member’s bill that has passed the House of Commons and is currently proceeding through the Senate. This bill attempts to enshrine “sexual orientation” in Canada’s anti-hate speech laws. What terrifies many Canadians is that the terms “sexual orientation” and “hate speech” both remain undefined.
Yet if recent rulings from Canada’s various human rights tribunals are any indication, simply quoting from the Bible or the Catechism of the Catholic Church could now land you in jail for up to two years. The government could also stop at the border any outside publication critical of the homosexual lifestyle. Since the Wanderer has never been known to go down without a fight, should bill C-250 pass I’m hoping Al Matt will add an on-line edition to keep our Canadian readership informed.
*****
While on the topic of Bill C-250, the sponsor of this private member’s bill was none other than Svend Robinson. Mr. Robinson hails from the electoral riding of Burnaby-Douglas in British Columbia. Besides being a member of the Canadian parliament, he is also Canada’s most publicized homosexual. Mr. Robinson abandoned his wife midway through his career as a socialist celebrity to pursue a male lover. Despite their uncanny resemblance, however, I am told Svend Robinson is of no blood relation to Vicky Gene Robinson, the Episcopalian bishop of New Hampshire.
*****
Of course in Svend’s Canada, only active homosexuals are victims of hate speech. Mocking Christians and insulting Americans remain fair game. Who can forget Svend’s attack against Fr. Tony Van Hee on Parliament Hill?
Alas, this priest’s crime did not involve an alternative sexual orientation toward post-pubescent teens. Rather, Fr. Van Hee was given to something much more abominable in the eyes of Canada’s politically correct cultural elite. He had the temerity to picket Parliament Hill with a sign that stated Sexual orientation. Defeat of reason. Protecting disorder. As the [Canadian] Catholic Civil Rights League subsequently reported, “Mr. Robinson seized that sign and threw it over a wall when the protestor declined to remove it. It was later reported that the RCMP were investigating the legality of the signs.”
Moreover, Newsmax reports Svend’s following response when asked what he thought of born-again Christians: “Did they have to come back again as themselves?” Most shameful, however, is Mr. Robinson’s response to a recent Canadian effort to support our neighbors to the south in the aftermath of their greatest national tragedy in recent times. “According to Mr. Robinson,” Canada’s National Post reports, “9/11 might instead be named ‘Chile Day’ – a sneering reference to the fact that Chilean president Salvador Allende died on the same day in a 1973 U.S.- backed military coup that resulted in shameful bloodshed.”
*****
Since Mr. Robinson appears to share in Mr. bin Laden’s disdain for both Christians and Americans, one wonders where else Islamic extremists and proponents of the homosexual lifestyle might find common cause. Should Islamo-fascists ever invade British Columbia, the U.S. military must avoid any unilateral military intervention . Even if it means sitting out the war, what’s important is that one not risk the ire of Canada’s socialists and proponents of the homosexualist agenda. After all, the sharia can certainly accommodate bill C-250 within Canada’s tolerant and multi-cultural society.
*****
Alas, our own Canadian military would be as useful in such a scenario as a battalion of French mimes wielding baguettes. Don’t misunderstand; the men and women who serve our military are renown for their dedication and personal integrity. Yet they too find themselves victims of ten years of Liberal government and financial neglect. In short, many nations impose gun control upon its private citizenry, but Canada is the only nation to impose it upon its military.
*****
If I may be permitted an addendum as this piece goes to press, Svend’s political career just took a turn toward the surreal. He called the Canadian media to a press conference in which he confessed to having shoplifted a diamond ring. Valued at around $50,000 Canadian, Svend pocketed it at jewelry sale he attended on Good Friday. He claims the pressure of politics became too intense over the past few months and something inside him just snapped.
Granted, in a certain sense this action is consistent with his politics since socialism is just another word for kleptocracy. Yet I can neither judge what lay inside his heart, nor can I rejoice in his downfall. Rather, I can simply pray that he uses this opportunity to open his heart to Our Lord. Nevertheless, the ring can and has been returned. Bill C-250 still threatens to rob Canadians of their civil liberties and religious freedom. These are not as easily restored.