~ DON’T MISS THE Incredible FreeMarkSteyn.com contest! Even MORE Glittering Prizes …. (Prize Central)
He Begs To Differ
Maclean’s Magazine print edition, March 24th, 2008, pp 5, 7.
Kangaroo Court?
I TAKE EXCEPTION to Mark Steyn’s unfounded allegation that the human rights racket is a disgrace (“I prefer living with space lizards,” Steyn, March 10). I am proud to say I was one of seven commissioners on the Alberta Human Rights Commission from 1995 to 2006 and never felt I was part of a racket, much less a disgraceful one. Nor do I accept the kangaroo court epithet thrown around by the erudite generalization-manufacturer, Steyn.
First, why does he place “human rights” in quotation marks? The Universal Declaration of Human, forged by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948 uses the phrase, so it needn’t be treated as something foreign to most people.
Second, in my years with the commission I chaired 15 panel hearings, most of which featured lawyers for the respondents and/or the commission. All decisions I made were subject to appeal to the Court of Queen’s Bench, so some were overturned and some were upheld. I didn’t always agree with the Queen’s Bench judge if she or he overturned my decision, but it is obviously an integral part of the judicial process. Point being: does this sound like a kangaroo court?
Steyn may have some axes to grind with the Ontario and the Canadian Human Rights Commissions, but I write to let him know that his limited knowledge does not give him the right to generalize about all human rights commissions.
Bill Baergen, Stettler, Alta.
Binks to BillB:
— Thanks for coming out, and confessing your crimes. Maybe some data-miners out there can see if you were behind any of the really egregious ones. Here’s the archive of the former website.
— Is “erudite generalization-manufacturer” not an erudite generalization?
— Exactly how much did YOU pay for legal representation at your cases?
Have you actually ever READ the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Bill? Since you wanna rub our non-erudite un-tribunalist noses in it, here’s some real words from same:
Article 7: “All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.” That’s EQUAL, Bill, if a Queen’s Bench isn’t there to help you with with the small print. Unless you’re prepared to tell us all how AHRC victim the Rev’d Stephen Boissoin is as equally protected as other Canadians like– say– noted leftists Svend Robinson, or the Rev’d Brent Hawkes.
Article 11(2): “No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.” Presumption of innocence. Look it up.
Article 18 and 19 are pretty neat, too: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.“
And 19, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.“
How very helpful! Thanks for bringing it up! Looks like some HRCs and their minions need a refresher after being replaced and downgraded!
Kinda puts a cramp on lots of the Warman cases, the Levant & Steyn cases, and your whole “Here’s your fine for thought-crime: now foot the bill for your prosecution, stay silent, or it’s up to 5 years in prison” type thing, Bill.
It’s spelled Kang. Ga. Roo.
Binks
A Currently Non-Equally Protected Canadian
Steyn News
~ STEYN: PAPANAZZI SEEKS APPRENTICE– The price is right – plus: Humbling Pieman …. (steynonline)
~ DEBORAH GYAPONG: “Confusion will reign at tomorrow’s CHRC hearing.. “Gender” confusion, to start. Because someone is going to go dressed as me! (But maybe really as the Church Lady from SNL) And I was planning to go dressed as Mark Steyn, as are several other people, to confuse the contestants in the WK meet and greet photo contest” …. (deborahgyapong.blog)
~ HE LIKES TO WATCH illegal pictures— Kinsella is offer a $100 for a pic of Steyn shaking hands with Lemire at the CHRC hearing tomorrow …. (JC, FreeD)
~ WHITE MAN’S BURDEN, 2008? Whites ‘must do more to help Muslims feel at home’ says research group. “Migrants say discrimination undermines their sense of belonging in Britain” …. (dailymail.co.uk)
~ UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO— Permission to speak, by Andrew Dodds …. (uwaterloo.ca)
~ FREEDOM OF RELIGION: “Egyptian Christian sentenced to 10 years for marrying Muslim convert”.. Mohamed Elmasry goes on hunger strike to bring attention to human rights abuses in his homeland of Egypt …. (magicstatistics)
~ SHAIDLE: Fearless predictions for Tuesday’s HRC smackdown; on Kinsella …. (5fof)
~ RIGHT GIRL: The Big Reveal– “Tomorrow is the big day – the day when the kangaroo court of the Human Rights Commission is forced to publicly identify and speak to its own crimes. Entrapment, provocation, abuse of the system” …. (girlontheright)
~ STEYN IS NOT A NEO-NAZI BUT… Professor concerned …. (thecornellian.com)
~ KATE @ SDA— “Since yesterday evening therefore my name is Magdi Crisitano Allam” …. (sda)
~ DAIMNATION: “Can’t argue with that logic” …. (damianpenny)
~ “SPEECH ROW ROCKS MULTI-ETHNIC CANADA”: The BBC reports …. (bbc)
~ SHIRE NETWORK NEWS— “Podcast talks Europe with a real Member of Parliament” …. (shirenetworknews)
~ FREEDOM OF SPEECH: “Conservatives, too, are becoming disgusted”, apparently …. (ideas-issues.com)
~ FEARLESS PREDICTIONS for the March 25th Warman v Lemire hearing …. (blazingcatfur.blog)<!–
~ YOUR DAILY HATE SPEECH CASE: Owens v. Saskatchewan (Human Rights Commission) (Sask. Q.B.) …. (davinburlingham.com)
~ VIA CATFUR: Breath of the Beast: It’s War! …. (blazingcatfur.blog)
~ DR. ROWAN WILLIAMS hezz got his knickers in a twist again …. (blazingcatfur.blog)
The Heroic Wafa Sultan Speaks Back To Jihadism
Ezra Levant
~ SAITH EZRA— “Haroon Siddiqui is right” …. (ezralevant.com)
~ EZ ARTICLE: Canadian Lawyer column …. (ezralevant.com)
A Swift Sunrise 
Bill Baergen in his letter states that he is proud to say he was one of the commissioners on the Alberta HRC. After initially being “dumb-flummoxed” that anyone could be proud of that, it occurred to me that this is a perfect example of several well known psychological phenomenon. The obvious one is Group Think, which is credited with getting Kennedy into the Bay of Pigs fiasco. Members of a cohesive group censor their thoughts and words in such a manner as to contribute to group cohesiveness. Nothing could be more true about commissioners on the HRC.
The other phenomenon, which I recall reading about in grad school, was a study in which participants were split into two groups, Both groups were required to tell something untruthful to others (non-participants). The one group was paid a very small amount for participating. The other group was paid a substantial amount for particiipating. Afterwards, it was determined that the group paid a large amount of money had a much lessor tendency to believe that what they were saying was true, as compared to the other group which was paid a pittance.. The explanation was that those being paid a pittance tended to feel that what they were saying must be true as they couldn’t be bought for such a small amount.. Those being paid a large amount readily accepted that they were being bought, and recognized the falsehood. I would suggest that Bill Baergen falls into the group being paid (relatively) a small amount of money, and so he would begin to feel that what he was doing was right and just.