Source: Crosstalk: 2007-04-23
From WhyNotWiki
This was apparently "miscellaneous news story day"...
http://www.crosstalkamerica.com/shows/2007/04/current_news_stories_2.php
[edit] [Marriage commissioner] in Canada fined $5000 for refusing to perform a same-sex marriage
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/apr/07041905.html
He referred the gay couple to another commissioner because he didn't want to do it himself, and that's what got him into trouble.
He said ~ "I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if went against my own conscience and performed a same-sex marriage..."
I can't understand how the government would actually criminalize someone for just trying to follow their religious convictions / conscience! It's not like his failure to marry the couple was preventing them from getting married; there were other commissioners who would be willing to perform the marriage. So why was this such a big deal?
[edit] Billboard company refuses to put up homosexuals-can-change message
The message was ~ "Homosexuals can change [/get out of it]. Find out how."
Somehow they were offended by that?!
Fortunately, another billboard company was willing to put up the message.
[edit] Gun control
http://digg.com/politics/25_years_murder_free_in_Gun_Town_USA Digg - 25 years murder-free in 'Gun Town USA'
As the nation debates whether more guns or fewer can prevent tragedies like the Virginia Tech Massacre, a notable anniversary passed last month in a Georgia town that witnessed a dramatic plunge in crime and violence after mandating residents to own firearms.
In March 1982, 25 years ago, the small town of Kennesaw – responding to a handgun ban in Morton Grove, Ill. – unanimously passed an ordinance requiring each head of household to own and maintain a gun. Since then, despite dire predictions of "Wild West" showdowns and increased violence and accidents, not a single resident has been involved in a fatal shooting – as a victim, attacker or defender.
The crime rate initially plummeted for several years after the passage of the ordinance, with the 2005 per capita crime rate actually significantly lower than it was in 1981, the year before passage of the law.
Prior to enactment of the law, Kennesaw had a population of just 5,242 but a crime rate significantly higher (4,332 per 100,000) than the national average (3,899 per 100,000). The latest statistics available – for the year 2005 – show the rate at 2,027 per 100,000. Meanwhile, the population has skyrocketed to 28,189.
...
http://digg.com/politics/25_years_murder_free_in_Gun_Town_USA Digg - 25 years murder-free in 'Gun Town USA'
This is a tale of two cities. Kennesaw, GA, requires every head of household to own a firearm and watches its crime rate plunge. Morton Grove, IL, bans all firearms (except for police officers) and watches its crime rate skyrocket.
