Levant Takes Peek Inside The Gravy Train

(Take a moment to see how hard Jennifer Lynch, the chief commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, works. She jets off to Africa, at a cost of $5,800; then Geneva, for a mere $8,300, Australia, for a bargain of $7,500. I can’t remember the last time I spent $90 on breakfast, but then again I don’t work for the CHRC. Maybe the reason she goes overseas so often is she can’t handle the CHRC’s “organizational conflicts” — though a $150 lunch on the subject must have made her feel better. My favourite expense of hers has to be the $1,300 to get from Ottawa to… Toronto. Let me guess: it’s a “human right” to have a chauffered limousine.)

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Judge: Not Serving Child-Killer A Vegan Menu Violates Civil Rights

[Boston Globe] Fourteen years ago, Henry K. Boateng was sentenced to life in prison without parole after a Worcester jury convicted him of beating his 5-week-old son to death and viciously attacking the baby’s mother.

Now, Boateng — who changed his name to Daniel Yeboah-Sefah and identifies himself as a Buddhist — has won a significant legal victory: A federal judge found that the state prison system violated his civil rights by denying him a vegan diet.

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When It Comes To Telling People What’s Good For Them, No Plane Ride Is Too Long

[GMA News] MANILA, Philippines – Some 339 world activists approved a resolution opposing all destructive offshore mining activities in the Philippines during the Third International Assembly of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) held in Hong Kong last June 18-20.

…

Corpuz said those who approved the anti-offshore mining resolution in the Philippines include social activists from the United States, Canada, Brazil, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Turkey, Austria,Italy, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Australia, and New Zealand.

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Canadian Human Rights Commish: I’m Protecting You

She’s not elected to anything, so you’ll just have to trust that she has your best interests in mind while she helps the law “evolve.” Give yourself another pat on the back for assisting the Commissioner: you pay her salary.

[Windsor Star]. “The current debate on how to balance freedom of expression with the need to protect Canadians from hate messages in the Internet age is an important one,” [Jennifer Lynch] said.

Lynch said Internet-related complaints make up about two per cent of the 12,000 to 15,000 complaints received by the commission each year. But there’s growing public interest and continued advances in technology that all point to a need to examine issues surrounding hate on the Internet, she said, adding that the commission is dedicated to ensuring that the Canadian Human Rights Act remains effective. “Legislation must evolve — when necessary — to respond and reflect changes in society.”

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School Uses Psychic To Make Child Abuse Accusation

[National Post] Shortly after arriving home, Ms. Leduc received a phone call from Victoria’s teacher.

“The teacher said you have to come back to school right away — it’s urgent. My heart was racing,” said Ms. Leduc, who went back to the school and met with the teacher, vice-principal and principal.

“The teacher looked at me and said: ‘We have to tell you something. We have to tell you that Victoria’s EA went to see a psychic and the psychic asked her if she works with a little girl with the initial V. When the EA said yes, the psychic said, ‘Well, you need to know that this girl is being sexually abused by a man between the ages of 23 and 26.'”

…

“The principal looks at me and says, ‘We’ve called CAS.’ Then I got sick to my stomach.

“I challenged them and asked if the other children in the class with autism exhibited these behaviours. They said, ‘Oh yes, all the time.’ But they were not reported to the CAS because they didn’t have the psychic’s tip.”

Ms. Leduc credits the Children’s Aid Society of Simcoe County for its handling of the matter. She said on the following Monday she met with a CAS worker, who quickly decided to close the case.

“She said to me: ‘This was an open file, but it is now a shut file. This is ridiculous. I can’t believe they are basing this on a psychic, and I’m sorry this happened to you.'”

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OECD’s “Future Of The Internet” Review Puts Freedom Of Expression At Top Of The List

[Mediacaster] * Freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is being violated around the globe by state censorship and by more subtle measures such as content filtering, privatized censorship and restrictions on so-called “harmful content.” We urge the OECD to defend freedom of expression and to oppose mandated filtering, censorship of Internet content, and criminalization of content that is protected under international freedom of expression standards.

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Globe and Mail: Wise Canadian Human Rights Sages Wish To Ponder Hate

Sure. It was their idea all along.

[Globe and Mail] Hate is a subject that the Canadian Human Rights Commission wisely wishes to think about. A law professor at the University of Windsor, Richard Moon, will write a wide-ranging report for the CHRC, to come out in October, on “the most appropriate mechanisms for addressing hate messages.”

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Activist Complainant: Speaking In Public OK, Just Don’t Dare Put It In Writing

More from the When Human Rights Collide file.

[Toronto Sun] Wells adds the commission has not been fair in giving him a full opportunity to argue his case because he was only allowed to file three pages of information to back up his complaint and argues there is much more to consider.

He argues the material on the magazine’s website “does not represent Catholic teaching” and wants the human rights commission to proceed with his complaint expeditiously.

“It’s hateful, discriminatory and it has to be challenged,” argues Wells, who adds the controversy is not about religious freedom.

“I don’t care what they say from their pulpit,” he says. “But when they put hate messages or messages that are likely to expose minority groups to hatred or contempt, it’s against the human rights legislation.”

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488 Discrimination Complaints Being Investigated In Victoria, Australia Schools

A PRIMARY school teacher accused of calling a pupil a “dumb blonde” is among those to be hit with discrimination complaints.

The teacher, accused of repeatedly making demeaning comments in class about the girl being blonde, was counselled. The pupil was transferred to another class.

A confidential payout and apology was made after the girl’s furious mother consulted Victoria’s discrimination watchdog.

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The UN’s Diplomatic SWAT Team

The UN’s done such a great job of “quieting” things so far, that they now have their own elite busy-body taskforce. Bonus: you pay their salaries!

[China View] Team leader Joyce Neu, an American with extensive experience on conflict resolution, liked the idea of comparing her squad to a “SWAT team,” a notion that highlights its speedy response to requests from the field.

“We react quickly, and we react with some expertise like a SWAT team. We are professionals,” she told Xinhua. “But do we react only to terrible fires? Maybe not.”

The team is less like a fire brigade, Neu said, adding that it may also react to an early warning, or “quiet things where assessment is needed and then further recommendation.”

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