THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK

I take my hat off to the Alberta Government for the steps they have taken to ensure that parents rights to raise their children the way they see fit is being upheld in the Alberta school system. A new bill introduced by the Alberta government proposes mandatory notification of parents when classes will be discussing evolution, sexuality or sexual orientation, as well as allowing the parents to opt their children out of these classes should they find them offensive or inappropriate for their children. An organization by the name of Egale Canada immediately took offense to the notion that parents would be in control of the direction of their children’s education. They are particularly concerned about what they call LGTBQ (Lesbian, Gay, Trans gendered, Bi-sexual and Queer) students. (By the way, I didn’t make that up). The organization seems to be particularly concerned about students from religious families that may have alternative sexual tendencies and face pressures from parents and religious leaders thus confusing them and creating roadblocks for their future sexual fulfillment and happiness. According to Helen Kennedy, Executive Director of Egale Canada. "The impact that this will have on the early development of young LGBT persons from religious families, already in an extremely difficult situation, could be catastrophic." Egale Canada is Canada's LGBT human rights organization advancing equality, diversity, education and justice. I just don’t understand, when did parents actually give up the right to guide their own children in moral and spiritual issues? When did teachers or for that matter any public school educator become experts on teaching our kids anything other that the curriculum that we used to be taught as children, how did we ever survive? How did we ever learn that we actually are male and female? If Egale Canada is standing up for the advancement of equality, diversity, education and justice for LGTBQ (Lesbian, Gay, Trans gendered, Bi-sexual and Queer) students, who is standing up for the likes of the religious community? Egale Canada claims to stand up for equality and justice but they appear to want to exclude anything that they dont’ agree with or don’t understand. I don’t understand why evolution, a theory that really has never been proven is being taught as fact. If theories such as evolution can be taught in schools, why can’t religion, and I don’t just mean Christianity, I also mean Muslim, Judaism, Buddism and such. Give our children the full spectrum of human belief. Give them the chance to choose their own belief system, not just what the education system and for that matter, Egale Canada deems appropriate. I believe it’s only right that if children are going to be taught one world view over the exclusion of all others, parents should have the right to pull their children from those classes. In reading the Edmonton Journal, I came across an interesting tidbit on this issue. A fellow from Ontario by the name of Roy Grandy wrote in an opinion that states: “Oh the shame! I truly (niavely, it turns out) thought Canada was a bastion of enlightenment. Alberta is planning to pass a law excusing studenst from classes where the subjects of evolution or homosexuality are being discussed. This is a huge step back to the dark ages of religious censorship and persecution, and a dangerous precedent. Shame on all of us, but especially on Alberta.”
Wow Roy are you ever right on the mark there, the only problem is the fact that you have it backwards. Instead of going back to the religious types persecuting those of alternative thought, we now have the shoe on the other foot. Those of alternative thought are now persecuting anything that doesn’t fit in their little pigeon hole that they call their world. It just bogles my mind that so-called forward thinkers such as Ole’ Roy seem to accept anything that fits into their own idea of what is right or wrong. However they have no intention of ever accepting or even considering anything that might shake their beliefs. They have no problem jumping on the religious persecution bandwagon never giving a thought to the freedoms of any group that does not believe as they do. Roy! When you talk about a dangerous precedent, you weren’t just kidding. You’re teaching persecution 101. I don’t really care for our provincial government a whole bunch, but bully for them on this one. What’s good for the goose, is good for the gander.