Vandalizing public spaces under the delusion that such acts make yesterday a better today is sad-sack politics that fosters democratic weakness
For her book Talking Stones: The Politics of Memorialization in Post-Conflict Northern Ireland, Elisabetta Viggiani mapped 157 publicly visible sites of Troubles commemoration in Belfast. Broken down, the city’s memorials alone offer a ratio of one wall plaque, garden, public tableau or statue for every 25 of the 4,000 or so people killed by the…
Since the brutal killing of George Floyd in May, left-wing radicals have been vandalizing and destroying historical buildings, landmarks and statues around the world. U.S. presidents (George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and Ulysses S. Grant), and Confederate soldiers and leaders (Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, Charles Linn and J.E.B. Stuart) were targeted. Statues of…
People want to live here because Canada is a welcoming country where all races and creeds live together without persecution
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently publicly contradicted RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki for saying there’s no systemic racism within the RCMP. Actually, Lucki said she didn’t know what “systemic racism” is. In her words, “I have to admit, I really struggle with the term ‘systemic racism.’ I have heard about five or 10 definitions on TV.…
Pushing back against emboldened righteousness isn’t a task for the timid. J.K. Rowling is not timid
J.K. Rowling – the British author who created the stunningly successful Harry Potter series – is a political liberal. In 2008, she donated £1 million to the U.K. Labour Party. In 2016, she campaigned for Remain in the Brexit referendum. She’s a professed admirer of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. And so on. Despite these…
Protesters have silenced free speech through a combination of media pressure, inflated security costs claims, boycotts, riots and violence
The Cancel Culture has claimed another victim. Renowned poet George Elliott Clarke has backed out of giving the University of Regina’s Woodrow Lloyd Lecture over accusations from Indigenous activists that he associates with another poet with a criminal background. His talk was to have been titled ‘Truth and Reconciliation;’ versus the ‘Murdered and Missing’: Examining…
There are powerful men on Parliament Hill who are sexual predators. The #MeToo campaign should be exposing their sins
It’s hit Hollywood. It’s taken down big names in the media. All over Capitol Hill in Washington, too. So why hasn’t the #MeToo movement claimed any of the creeps crawling through Ottawa’s corridor of power? Because, God knows, there’s plenty of dirty old (and young) men up there. The stories are legion. So where is…
A recent incident at the University provides a glimpse of what the future may hold for Canadian post-secondary education – and it ain’t pretty
At one time, universities respected free speech and the exchange of different ideas. Intellectual discourse and thought-provoking debates were viewed as healthy, vibrant and treasured. Unfortunately, speech isn’t nearly as free on today’s university campuses. Intolerance of opposing philosophies, and hurt feelings among the hordes of special interest groups, have come to define modern institutions…
We must avoid using prejudicial labels against those who express opinions we may disagree with
“Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship,” said the great spiritual leader Baha’u’llah. These are certainly high ideals for any society or institution. While we’re making progress, we still have a long way to go.…
Righteous indignation and claims to victimhood are instant and valuable weapons in a world driven by social media
Once they were big. Really big. Kings of Hollywood, producers of movies that were nominated for more than 300 Oscars. But when their founder was outed as the captain of the American freestyle groping team, The Weinstein Company’s name became toxic: board members resigned, industry players rushed to disassociate themselves from the firm, and the…
With a whole industry made up of people ready to points fingers, it is getting harder and harder to pick one
Halloween is fast approaching and it’s time for parents to ask themselves an important question: How offensive do I want my child’s costume to be? As children prepare to take to the streets to beg for obesity-producing and tooth-decaying treats, they should also be prepared to be judged on their political correctness. There’s a whole…
For her book Talking Stones: The Politics of Memorialization in Post-Conflict Northern Ireland, Elisabetta Viggiani mapped 157 publicly visible sites of Troubles commemoration in Belfast. Broken down, the city’s memorials alone offer a ratio of one wall plaque, garden, public tableau or statue for every 25 of the 4,000 or so people killed by the…
