It's amazing how many "human rights" we have here in Ontario. The "right" to fish while Asian. The "right" to not be offended by "hate speech." Why, you could say that here in Ontario we're awash in "rights"; stinking with "rights". And now Babsy Hall's pro-active "human rights" busybodies and a few like-minded partners are about to squander spend oodles of our money bombarding us with info about another of our "rights"--the "right" to housing:
Toronto The Ontario Human Rights Commission, the City of Toronto, the Federation of Rental-Housing Providers of Ontario the Greater Toronto Apartment Association and the Human Rights Legal Support Centre have joined forces to promote housing as a human right. The partners are encouraging Toronto tenants and landlords to learn more about these rights by today launching a poster that will appear in 120 transit shelters across Toronto during the month of March.
The “Housing is a human right” campaign tells people about their rights and how to use them. The poster directs people to the websites of the partnering organizations for more information.
The campaign reflects the principles contained in the City’s recently adopted Toronto Housing Charter – Opportunity for All. In addition to supporting the human right to housing, the Charter is also intended to discourage the not-in-my-backyard reaction to the creation of new affordable housing.
This is the first phase of a province-wide OHRC initiative to educate tenants and landlords about their rights and responsibilities relating to human rights and housing.
“When we did public consultations for our new Policy on Human Rights and Rental Housing, we often heard that tenants and landlords did not know that human rights applied to housing,” said Barbara Hall, Chief Commissioner of the OHRC. “I am pleased that such a diverse group is helping send such a strong collective message.”
“Access to safe, secure and affordable housing is the foundation on which successful lives and healthy communities are built,” said Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, chair of the City of Toronto’s Affordable Housing Committee. “This campaign reminds people that housing is a human right and highlights the City’s support for people to live in the neighbourhood of their choice without discrimination.”
“Everyone looking for housing deserves respect and fair treatment,” said Vince Brescia, President and CEO of FRPO. “All housing providers have an obligation to be educated about their human rights responsibilities and FRPO is proud to work with our partners today to promote awareness. There is no place for discrimination in the housing marketplace.
“We are proud to be part of this important campaign in Toronto,” said Brad Butt, President and CEO of GTAA. “Discrimination in any form is unacceptable. Housing providers have a responsibility to respect the Human Rights Code and promoting that adherence is essential.”
“We are pleased to work with landlords to send a clear message that there’s no room for discrimination,” added Kathy Laird, Executive Director of the HRLSC...
Got that, Mr. Landlord (you miserable capitalist bloodsucker, you)? So if some deadbeat undesirable type wants to rent one of your apartments, he's got loads of "rights". You, on the other hand--not so much.
It seems to me that one of the reasons why Babsy is so intent on finding new "rights" for us--aside from it being a way of keeping her and all the other busy little OHRC beavers busy and justifying their generous salaries--is so we'll be so delighted with all our new "rights" we won't notice that our most valuable old right, the right to free expression, has become officially defunct.
Obama owes Stephen Harper a case of suds--his "debt" for betting on the losing team in the U.S.-Canada Olympic hockey duel.
Harper's brewski should be coming right up. Provided Obama doesn't get to it first, of course.
Canadians from coast to coast are on a collective high, the result of our athletes having won 14 gold medals (including the one that's most important to us--men's hockey) on home turf. One would have to be an utter churl to throw cold water on the nation's euphoria, but, hey, that's what I'm here for. So while others are crowing about our Olympic victories and a newfound sense of national pride that, dare one say it?, verges on the American, I'm a little more, shall we say, reticent to rejoice. That's because I know that while winning medals can definitely make you feel good in the short term, there are some "prizes" that Canada cannot and will not win--ones with disturbing ramifications for the long term. The prize for esteeming freedom of expression, say. Also, the prize for being wised up to the multiculti cult, and all the damage it has wreaked on our body politic. However, were there to be a gold medal awarded to the country with the most "human rights" outfits, federal, provincial and territorial, you can be sure that Canada would--now what was that expression all the kids were using over there in Vancouver? oh, yeah--own the podium.
Not that that's anything to be proud of.
A GOP "strategist" endeavours to explain the thinking of those opposing Obamacare (my bolds):
Political strategists doubt whether there is enough support among Democrats to pass President Obama's health care legislation, even though House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., expressed confidence Sunday she would eventually have enough House votes to do so.
Political strategists James Carville and Matthew Dowd debate the issue."The math is pretty daunting," Democratic strategist James Carville told "Good Morning America's" George Stephanopoulos today. "I don't think it's impossible, but it's going to be difficult. This is going to be a real, real fight."
Republicans want the bill to pass because of its unpopularity, but at the same time, they can't be complacent on health care overhaul, said Matthew Dowd, ABC News contributor and former adviser to President George W. Bush.
Polls show that even though a majority of Americans dislike the Democrats' bill, they do want health care overhaul.
"Republicans [would] like this bill to pass, because they know how unpopular it is," Dowd said on "GMA." "Right now, it's all upside for the Republicans whether the bill passes or fails."...
Republicans would like the bill to pass? I find that hard to believe since, once passed, there's literally no going back on the aggrandizement of the federal government. Hard to see much "upside" for Republicans in that for, even if Obama's "unpopularity" enables them to return to power, "Big Government" will be a fait accompli--permanently.
The UN's new head nuclear watchthingy is having a spot of bother with Iran, reports the Beeb:
Iran is not co-operating with the UN nuclear watchdog's investigation into the country's nuclear programme, the new head of the agency has said.
Iran's insistence its nuclear programme was peaceful could not be confirmed, Yukiya Amano told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.
Mr Amano is taking a more critical line than his predecessor, analysts say.
The news is likely to strengthen calls for sanctions on Iran. Iran's foreign minister has rejected Mr Amano's claim.
"The agency continues to verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in Iran, but we cannot confirm that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities because Iran has not provided the agency with the necessary co-operation," Mr Amano said.
He was speaking at a 35-nation board meeting of the IAEA in Vienna, the first since he took over as the head of the organisation in December.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki rejected Mr Amano's statement.
"We have fully co-operated with the agency. This co-operation will continue," he told journalists...
Amano sounds like he has a bit more bite than his predecessor, all bark no bite Mo ElBaradei. Even so, I doubt the new guy will be any more successful than Mo was in getting the glorious Islamic Republic to come clean about its nuclear plans (which, in any case, are as clear as can be).
Oh, sorry, make that Islamists deprive hungry Somalis of food.
You probably didn't hear about the latter (true) story due to the tremendous clamour being made about the former (false) one.
From the Beeb:
More than 5,000 people have shed their clothing on the steps of the Sydney Opera House to pose for a photograph by the American artist Spencer Tunick.
The organisers had only expected about half that number to take part.
The installation had been commissioned by the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, which took place over the weekend.
For once the eye was diverted away from the magnificent white sails of the Sydney Opera House.
It was drawn instead to the tableau of naked flesh assembled on its steps.
"Gay men and women lay naked next to their straight neighbours and this delivered a very strong message to the world that Australians embrace a free and equal society," Tunick said...
M'kay. I think the message it sends is, "We're a pack of lemming-like exhibitionists." But, hey, I guess we tend to read our own messages into these sorts of things.
Did you happen to catch the 60 Minutes segment last night about Turkey's 1915 genocide of infidel Armenians? It's amazing--and appalling--that all these decades later the Turks remain adamant that it wasn't what it obviously was. Bob Simon did his best to make Turkey's U.S. ambassador 'fess up to the historical reality (the prototype for the Holocaust), but since any Turk who does so can be thrown in the slammer--or worse--you can well understand his reluctance to do so. Hence the statement quoted above, the ambassador's explanation of how and why 1.5 million Armenians ended up dead.
Ezra Levant posts the video someone shot of NDP leader Jack Layton at a Toronto pub celebrating Canada's winning goal in the Olympics hockey game yesterday.
Anyone else spot the huge irony here? Back when Jack was a Toronto city councillor, he was instrumental in scotching Toronto's Olympics bid. Had Toronto gotten the games that ended up going to Beijing, there would never have been a Vancouver, 2010.
Guess Jack's all for a Canadian Olympics, as long as it's not in his own backyard.
The Canadian Union of Public Employess, Local 3907, advises union brothers and sisters of an upcoming event, a fundraiser for this year's Orwellian Hate Week (and, no, this is NOT a parody):
Saturday, March 6: ISRAELI APARTHEID WEEK (Toronto) PRESENTS HIP HOP FOR PALESTINE WONT STOP ‘TIL DA WALL DROPS FEATURING SABREENA DA WITCH, THE NARCICYST AND LOCAL DJS.
@ The Blue Moon Pub
725 Queen St. E. (at Broadview)
Doors Open: 9 pm
Tickets $10 in advance, $12 at the door (tickets will be availabe during IAW events
* This event is a fundraiser for Israeli Apartheid Week 2010
Israeli Apartheid Week is proud to present Palestinian hip hop artist, Abeer Alzinaty’s (aka Sabreena Da Witch) debut performance in Canada. The event will also feature Montreal based Iraqi MC Narcycist as well as local DJs. All are invited to this night of music and dance that will conclude the 6th annual Israeli Apartheid Week.
Abeer Alzinaty (aka Sabreena Da Witch) is a Palestinian hip hop artist. Born in 1984 in Lydd, she started performing R&B in Arabic and English in her teens and released her first original Mix-tape. Witch’s intifada, in 2008. Abeer has been featured in a number of documentaries about Palestinian music including Jackie Salloum’s award winning documentry Slingshot Hip-Hop. Abeer’s music speaks to her experiences as a Palestinian woman living in Israel. Critiquing multiple injustices resulting from or supported by the occupation, while celebrating freedom, equality and enlightement.
The Narcicyst is an Iraqi MC/Media Master. His musical career was spawned through the collaborative work of the Euphrates family; A growing collective of Muslim visual artists, musicians, painters, filmographers and photographers. Releasing two albums with Euphrates, the crew garnered worldwide attention from Time Magazine to publications out of the Middle East and Europe. With a book being released under the title “Fear of An Arab Planet”, and a brand new self-titled album and acting in feature length film “City of Life”, The Narcicyst is sure to make you see yourself through the proverbial mirror that is the current state of the world.
Oh, man. Welcome to life on the planet Crazy.
Update: Here's Sabreena performing "The Witches (sic) Intifada." I wish I could tell you what she's singing, but it's in a language (Arabic) that I no capiche. Had I to guess, though, I'd say it's probably something like this:
Jews stole our land, left us with nada.
That's why we launched an intifada.
We know you'll love us if we speak your lingo:
"Colonionist," "imperialist," "capitalist"--
BINGO!...
Two thoughts on the Olympic Games closing ceremonies (and, no, I didn't manage to stay awake for the whole thing): What's up with them plucking the mothballs off the old Soviet national anthem and presenting it as the Russian tune? Did they think no one would notice? Or did they think we would notice, and it's VladPut's way of announcing that, shades of Uncle Joe, the Ruskies are a force to be reckoned with?
Also--anyone else see a freaky disconnect between the high-toned Russian "cultchuh"--the ballet, Borodin, etc.--and the winter games themselves--hot-doggers on snowboards and what can best be described as roller derby on ice? The descent from the sublime to the ridiculous: when I went to school, they called it "bathos".
