March 8th, 2024

Offended by God

I begin this edition with a prayer by Pastor Jack Hibbs given in February before US Congress:

“Mighty God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, together we come before you in humility as a people in need of your forgiveness, your mercy, your goodness, and your grace. For these 250 years, our fathers in this Congress have prayed for your guidance and protection. And so we stand here in humble petition that you today might do the same—that this nation and its unparalleled constitution, your great gift to all freedom-loving people, might be renewed here and across this land as a beacon of hope to all who seek peace.

I ask you today, Father, to bring to us a great awakening of righteousness and confidence in you, who alone is mighty to save. Hear my cry in this hour of great need, that we might be humbly blessed before you in the repentance of our national sins.

You, Almighty God, are the source of all wisdom, and there is no wisdom but that which comes from you. So please come upon those here who are the stewards over the business of our nation with your wisdom, which comes from above. And with your holy fear, knowing that your coming day of judgment draws near—when all who have been and are now in authority will answer to you, the great Judge of heaven and earth, for the decisions that they make here in this place.

I offer this prayer to you, Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Son, your Son, and our crucified Savior and resurrected Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Now more than two dozen House Democrats have filed a letter of complaint against this pastor, complaining about the “Christian nationalist” prayer that they described as “militant” and “fanatical.” (Pastor’s scriptural prayer burns some Democratic ears (afn.net) There seems to be no clear understanding of what a ‘Christian nationalist’ is, but clearly it is a label applied by those who are offended by the Bible.  In the gospel of Matthew (11:6) Jesus said, Blessed are those who are not offended by me.

Blue Water District School Board

As a parent and grandparent, I am appalled at the level of immaturity and childishness of some of the members of our local school board.  At the February 20^th meeting, a trustee was attempting to gain understanding of why they were not made aware of the “Get Real Movement” (promoting LGBTQ inclusivity) which came to area schools last spring.  As he was talking he was subjected to the absurd and juvenile behaviour of another trustee, who made a spectacle of giving him ‘the finger’.  Watch the video here.

This came after an earlier, unrecorded meeting, where another member of the board made a threatening throat slashing motion to the same trustee when he asked for further information about a student trustee’s request to speak on world issues.

While the superintendent and like-minded trustees make mockery of their elected positions, little of any consequence gets accomplished.  It makes my head spin and my blood boil as I listen to such infantile dialogue.  Three of our trustees are currently being bullied into submission by the vice-chair who continually mutes their mics, refusing to allow them to speak.  At the latest meeting when one of these trustees attempted to clarify the concept of ceded lands and unceded lands that was being erroneously defined, this vice-chair ordered the trustee’s phone connection severed!

Yes, a duly elected trustee had his phone connection severed because he wanted to correct a glaring inaccuracy at a board meeting.  But it went even further as the vice-chair had ordered the trustee to apologize for offending the board!  That’s right, it’s an offense to bring truth to the table.

I understand that there are the existing policies and procedures in place that address professionalism within the school board.  It’s about time they are enforced.  I believe it’s time for the superintendent and hand-gesturing trustees to be disciplined immediately.  I suggest they be removed from their position.

Plan of Action: to encourage as many parents and constituents as possible to attend the next BWDSB meeting, March 19^th, 7 p.m. We will have a delegation to speak to these and other pertinent issues.

George Orwell Saw it Coming

Justice Minister Arif Virani’s “Online Harms Act,” or Bill C-63, aims to reduce online “hate” and “hate speech.”  It will not just seek to terminate your social media account. Here’s what Bill C-63, proposes:

1) Update the Criminal Code of Canada (CCC)’s definition of “hate speech” and “hatred“ to include terms like “incites violent extremism or terrorism,” “incites violence,” and “ferments hatred” (specifically Sections 318 and 319 of the CCC). – Note that Canadian truckers were called terrorists by politicians and media!

2) Expand the federal bureaucracy by instituting a “Digital Safety Commission” and a “Digital Safety Ombudsperson” to receive complaints about “hate speech” and enforce speech “standards“ on internet platforms (Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, Rumble, etc.).  While this sounds admirable; who is identifying what is and isn’t hateful?  I have even been told that sharing truth is hateful – as its offensive to some.

3) Grant even more power to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, allowing them to force content removal and impose fines up to $70,000, with a maximum of $20,000 to the offended anonymous complainants.

4) Raise the maximum punishments for “hate propaganda” to life imprisonment!

5) Enact “protective measures” that empower a judge to act on anonymous reports of hate crimes by potentially requiring accused individuals to wear an electronic monitoring device, undergo house arrest, be banned from public spaces, or have a restraining order against them.

Like other bills of the recent past, definitions are so vague that “hate” and “hateful speech” could include almost anything. It all depends on who is defining what is hateful.  A very scary prospect when we live in a society that is run on the fuel of offence.

For more information on this Bill go to Government Bill (House of Commons) C-63 (44-1) – First Reading – Online Harms Act – Parliament of Canada

NRB Update

I had the recent opportunity to attend the National Religious Broadcasters’ convention in Nashville with my friend Laura-Lynn Thompson.  This is a networking event for publishers, film makers, producers, authors, etc. to meet.  As it was my first time there, I found it overwhelming.  I found myself continually heading to a workshop only to find myself engaged in very meaningful conversations that took precedence over the workshops!  I gave away approximately 150 books.

I believe my most valuable encounters were with Seth Gruber, founder of the White Rose Resistance and a part of the Documentary on The War on Children. The War on Children – Documentary ; Eden Gordon (Eden Gordon Media) and Tami DeVine (Divine Family Entertainment}.

The highlight of the conference was the Presidential address by President Trump.  I put together a short video with 3 clips of his speech which I leave you with.  Please watch that here!

Israel Update

Please click here for an update on what is happening in Israel from Stockwell Day, former Conservative provincial cabinet minister.

Upcoming Event

March 23, 2024

I will be speaking at Foursquare Gospel Church in Durham, Ontario. Click here for more details and to register or share : Understanding Trauma

Onward and Upward,

____________________________________________________