Life Is Not Purgatory

In Defence of Freedom
… Religion v. Expression

In the past few weeks I have been wallowing in self-pity and self-doubt over my romantic interests and employment difficulties that I have been remiss in standing upon my soapbox and pontificating… something I intend to redress immediately.

Of the fundamental rights in a modern democracy none is more important than Freedom of Speech and Expression. There is a disturbing trend in modern society to censor free expression for fear of insulting or antagonizing a particular religion community.

Most who are reading this are likely thinking of the virulent reaction of many Muslims to a series of caricatures of Mohammed that were published in a Danish newspaper and reprinted in a number of European periodicals. In nations such as Syria, Iran and Jordan where secular interests are suborned by religious tenets the sacrilege of the cartoons has been met with violent protests, assaults upon foreigners, the destruction of embassies and consulates, and calls for the deaths of the cartoonists. In more secular Muslim nations protests are just as outraged, but have so far – for the most part been non-violent. In western nations, the protests are more subdued but Muslim leaders are using the court system try to prevent the publishing of such depictions because they are sacrilege in Islam.

I’ll remind people of the story of Ernst Zundel, the holocaust denier who was held in a Canadian prison (without charge) on a security certificate, for disseminating his beliefs to like-minded individuals. Eventually he was extradited to his native Germany where he now faces charges relating to his anti-Semitic, halocaust-denying beliefs. I don’t agree with Mr. Zundel, but I think that the damage we are doing to the fundamental right of free expression is dangerous. The German Republic is undermining its democracy out of collective guilt for the actions of Adolph Hitler and his Third Reich for fear of alienating the Jewish community. Where is the threat that Ernst Zundel poses to the world that he should be incarcerated? Certainly his beliefs are distasteful, but he does have the right to express them.

Freedom of Religion is also Freedom from Religion and therefore I have the right to draw a caricature of Mohammed – should I so choose. In fact anyone has the right to draw a picture of Jesus, Mohammed and Jehovah in a circle-jerk, while eating pork on the Sabbath. Offensive, yes. Criminal, no.

Modern democracies must safeguard Freedom of Expression from attack, regardless of the source. Once dissent and satire are silenced – despotism is not so far away.

Fingernails on the Chalkboard
… the twilight days of my current employment

Everything about this place annoys me. I see changes being made as we prepare for my fade into the background, changes that frustrate me and yet I am utterly powerless to stop them… it’s not a feeling I’m used to. I think this must be how lame-duck politicians feel in their final days in office, mentally preparing themselves for their disappearance into oblivion only perhaps to be remembered as a footnote in some future history book. There are few of the things that are more than simple annoyance and it is only my eminent loyalty to my mentor that is keeping me from packing up and arriving hat in hand at my friends places in Edmonton. I’m certain I’ll be able to struggle through it… I just need to make sure I’m on the same page – currently I don’t think I’m reading the same book.

As for good news, I spent the past two days job hunting, having applied to well over a score of places in Edmonton and elsewhere and I’ve even had a few telephone interviews, and been short listed to move onto the next stages. The least successful was an amazingly good interview for a casual restaurant chain that ended in a personality test – only they discovered that I’m a little to independent minded to fit into their cookie cutter management style.

The most successful was an interview for one of several first-time GM slot with a major hotel management company that has GM vacancies in Red Deer, Brooks, Regina, Saskatoon and points further east. I’ve been short-listed for a face-to-face interview with the Regional Manager and the VP of HR early next week.

Another quite successful set was for the Operations Manager of a lodge-style resort in Jasper that seems very interested in my unique and rather eclectic experience, and they moved me to the second step of a employment questionnaire… and I am supposed to hear from them by the 20th.

So, while my future employment is up in the air – the prognosis is good!

Arrrgh!
... Blogger ate my posts!

I'm trying it this way to see if this works, as I have had to retype these posts three times as blogger keeps eating them.