Those Crazy Canucks

So. It's been a little quiet around here recently, hasn't it?
It's not that I don't have things to say though; never fear, I do.

What I don't have is enough time. For I have been blogging, you see. At the blawg. And at The Flight Deck. Right at the moment, it feels like I have become the point man woman in regard to every human rights complaint brought by Muslims in Canada. Okay, maybe a bit of an exaggeration. But over at Neptunus Lex, Babs does seem determined to have me respond to a lot of different cases.

Anyway, I figure that until I get a chance to talk about what *I* want to talk about, I might as well share with you what I have been blogging about. This was written in response to Babs asking my response to this recent “human rights” case in Canada:

Muslims and Human Rights Complaints ... The Resident Canuck Weighs In

Babs, there is a statement Ezra makes in his opening statement that I essentially agree with:

I believe that this commission has no proper authority over me. The commission was meant as a low-level, quasi-judicial body to arbitrate squabbles about housing, employment and other matters, where a complainant felt that their race or sex was the reason they were discriminated against. The commission was meant to deal with deeds, not words or ideas. Now the commission, which is funded by a secular government, from the pockets of taxpayers of all backgrounds, is taking it upon itself to be an enforcer of the views of radical Islam. So much for the separation of mosque and state.

I think there is a good argument that human rights legislation has more recently been amended to cover issues that it was never intended to. And probably shouldn't be. "The commission was meant to deal with deeds, not words or ideas." He is probably right there.

But first of all, that does not, in and of itself, make the premise of human rights tribunals wrong. And that's where Ezra and I disagree. He complains because the complainants don't have to pay lawyers but the defendants do. He's right. And the fact that the complainant doesn't have to pay for their lawyer is one of the main reasons I am in favour of human rights tribunals. Let's face it, the large majority of individuals can't afford the services of a lawyer. I know I sure can't. That's why things like small claims courts and human rights tribunals were created.

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*By the way, if you want even more fun, make sure you read the comments that follow the post too.