"Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day's office sent an alert to border patrol to "look out" for people with signs and pamphlets consistent with the messages that the church promotes and to keep them out of the country, Winnipeg MP Pat Martin told CBC News on Friday"
At least Stockwell Day gets it. These people are vile, disrespectful excuses for humans and shouldn't be let into our country. This is great news. However, I have a bit of a bone to pick with Winnipeg MP Pat Martin...
""Entering Canada by a U.S. citizen isn't an absolute right, and if you're coming here only to disrupt the social order and to promote what we consider to be bordering on hate crimes or hate language, they shouldn't come into Canada," Martin said."
He's absolutely right that entering our country is not an absolute right, but whats this about 'bordering' on hate crime or hate language? How can someone in our country publicly exclaim "Jesus Sucks" and be charged with hate crimes, yet a known hate group can come into our country, spew thier vile, hateful filth and that only boarders on hate crimes? It IS a hate crime. It IS hate language.
The reason why the Westborro Baptist Chruch's members havent been locked up or at least fined for what should be obvious reasons is beyond me. Oh, wait, nevermind. It's probably because they hide behind that impervious shield of religion. They get away with saying what they please because it's their "religion". They get to spew their intolerance because disagreing with them means you are intolerant.
So far they've only been barred from entering our country - the boarder guards have been instructed to turn them away. They haven't explicitly been BANNED from Canada and they may make their way in elsewhere. Hopefully the government realizes the need to have these lunatics outright banned and follow Massachusetts and keep them out for good.
4 comments:
I almost have to support the free speech issue a bit over the "hate language." I agree that we don't have to let them in, but most often the WBC clan aren't calling for violence, they're just sounding stupid - which I do think they have a right to do.
Free speech isn't necessary to give a voice to ideas you agree with.
I agree that they have every right to say the things they do and every right to believe those things. The problem is when they intrude and interfere with private gatherings, such as funerals. Then they are not simply expressing their right to free speech but using that speech in a manner that aims to cause disorder. If anything, they should all be booked for being a public nuisance.
I suppose I would allow them to picket outside the cemetary so long as they didn't interfere, which doesn't always happen.
There was a good follow up to this story that some 500 anti-protesters and RCMP showed up to support and protect the victims and then the Phelps never showed.
Also, can I ask you to update the link to my article to http://terahertzatheist.ca - just trying to build incoming links (all my old articles are transferred over, just need more incoming links)
A quiet, peaceful picket outside of the cemetary would be acceptable, but unfortunately, that's not what we've come to expect from the Westboro Baptist Church.
As for the Phelps clan not showing up: I wonder whether they even got across the border like they claimed they did, or if they ran with their tails between their legs when they saw the number of their opponents and police presence.
Regarding old/dead links: fixed.
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