As anyone who might happen upon these digitized thought balloons will quickly discover, they have either nothing, or maybe everything, to do with grilled cheese sandwiches; and most likely never touch on anything relating to cooking or the kitchen... except perhaps, the very first posting. And so, with your indulgence, may I present, the ramblings of a reforming philosopher...

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Canada Eh?..

Like many who live in general comfort and peace, the political struggles that agitate other countries often seem too disconnected for common understanding. The issues are frequently confused by subjective commentaries, often too remote by physical location and in the main, totally foreign from our direct contact concepts of day to day reality. Regretfully, it is not until we become almost face to face witnesses of the deaths and destruction such as that which has recently taken place in Kiev’s Independence Square do we begin to partially comprehend the true price it continues to cost, for any people to struggle for, obtain, and preserve that elusive asset known as freedom.
 
Along with most Canadians, I’ve also had my attention temporarily interrupted from world politics by the  hard won medal successes of our dynamic Olympic teams. By proxy, those of us at home collectively share genuine pride and excitement every time our athletes reach the podium and our standard is raised in honor of the achievement.
 
As these contrasts have made effort to blend into some form of logic in my mind, the composite before and after photo shown above seriously kicked my conscience, not only in chastising me for not better appreciating the great privilege I have in being a Canadian but also for taking much too casually those rights and freedoms that rise in tandem with our flag.
 
And so… amidst the hustle and fervor of televised sessions and re-caps, I thought it pertinent to review the specific document which technically permits us to accomplish everything I was enjoying so vicariously. I’m not one much for legaleeze, and hereby claim no certification whatsoever to justify any of my markups pertaining to this particular set of laws, but I sincerely trust that the reader, if any, might take  away some deeper understanding of the subject, hopefully resource it even further, and ultimately treasure it a little more carefully.
 
 
… as I understand it, guarantees some fundamental rights and freedoms for all Canadian citizens and is subject only to those reasonable limits prescribed by law, which can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society. (please note the emphasis on FREE and DEMOCRATIC.
 
Everyone who is a Citizen of this country has the following fundamental freedoms:
 
·  freedom of conscience and religion;
·  freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
·  freedom of peaceful assembly; and
·  freedom of association.
 
In addition, Citizens of Canada have the following rights:
 
·  to vote in an election of members of the House of Commons or of a legislative assembly and to be qualified for membership therein.
·  to enter, remain in, and/or leave Canada.
·  to move to and take up residence in any province; and to pursue the gaining of a livelihood in any province.
·  to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure, as well as the right not to be arbitrarily detained or imprisoned.
 
If a Canadian Citizen is legally arrested or detained, they have the following rights:
 
·  to be informed promptly of the reasons of their detention.
·  to retain and instruct counsel without delay; and to be informed of that right.
·  to have the validity of the detention determined by a court of law (Habeas Corpus) and to be released if the detention is not lawful.
 
If a Canadian is charged with an offence, they also have the following rights:
 
·  to be informed without unreasonable delay of the specific offence and the right to be tried within a reasonable time. They also cannot be compelled to be a witness in proceedings against any person in respect of the offence.
·  to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, according to law, in a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal.
·  A witness who testifies in any proceedings has the right not to have any incriminating evidence so given used to incriminate that witness in any other proceedings, except in a prosecution for perjury or for the giving of contradictory evidence.
 
And, as far as I can tell… whether you are a citizen or not, if your situation happens to come under Canadian jurisdiction then the following also applies:
 
·  Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.
·  And here is some extra icing on the cake… No one is to be subjected to any cruel and unusual treatment or punishment in case of arrest, charge or conviction.
 
It is coincidentally, quite interesting then, that the monument topping the tall white pillar in the middle of Independence Square in Kiev, represents Berehynia, the Slavic goddess of protection.  J.  
 Article Copyright J. Michael Lyffe - 2014

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