Freedom of speech and the freedom to express oneself is not a right, it is a privilege, a privilege gained from the sacrifices of others.
History shows us time and time again that our so-called 'rights' can be stripped away through war, genocide and famine.
Islam represents close to one-quarter of the world's population, Indonesia has 13 per cent of the world's Muslims, the largest by nation and no beheadings. The Middle East and North Africa have approximately 20 per cent of the world's Muslim population and the U.S. media and the Christian lobbies running middle America would have you believe that all Muslims are terrorists and that the women and children that make up a large number of refugees seeking asylum, like the little boy who drowned, are a scourge that are best ignored and allowed to die.
Julia Serup would have you believe that.
For many years I've read the 'Christian' rants of the Serups, who are allowed by our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to spread their intolerance. There comes a point however when speech becomes ignorance-filled hatred and straight discrimination.
We've seen over the centuries, the result of hatred through two world wars, ethnic cleansing in Africa, South-East Asia and Europe and we saw Christiandom exercise genocide on a vast scale in the formation of the New World.
Mrs. Serup believes her rants to be in the best interest of Christians and the country but she forgets that the basis of all religion is love, understanding and living by a code, a moral compass so to speak.
Mrs. Serup's biggest delusion is that we as a country, we as Canadians are in fact Christian and that our country is based on, defined by and subject to the whims of Christianity.
Canada represents 36 million people from all over the world and every one of us has a relative somewhere in the world that may one day need help. I subscribe to the ideal of humanity and extending a helping hand, not closing the doors on refugees based on religion.
I am an opinionated loudmouth but I would never write a letter to the paper that preached hatred or if I were an editor, allow people like Mrs. Serup to do the same.
Mike Maslen
Prince George
