Magic Statistics

Binks, proprietor of The Webelf Report, and his family have had a bad day.  His mother died in a car accident.  It was her birthday as well as Mother's Day.

Read the whole thing, and then pray.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

A US-based association of abortionists has intervened in a heated internal debate within the Canadian Medical Association.  The National Abortion Federation has asked the CMA to withdraw its policy allowing doctors not to refer patients to abortionists.

The federation says the policy jeopardizes women's access to publicly funded health care. "We're hearing from women across Canada and from our providers that this is a problem," said Vicki Saporta, president and CEO of the National Abortion Federation. "It has reached a critical mass that many women are upset that they haven't been able to get referrals from their physicians."

The CMA now finds itself in between the federation and the Canadian Physicians for Life, an organization that wants the medical association to strengthen its policy to further protect physicians who do not want to participate in abortion services.

Canada is already the only Western democracy that has no law restricting abortion, but that’s not enough “access”.  Doctors must now be bullied into violating their consciences.

Pro-abortionists fancy themselves “pro-choice”, but the truth is quite the opposite.  They’re only pro-choice if you agree with their choice.  If not, the iron fist is deployed.

As Ted Byfield points out, the CMA’s internal debate, now compounded by the abortionists’ intervention, has blown the lid off the carefully cultivated fiction that Canada has reached a consensus on abortion.

The fact is two thirds of Canadians opposed abortion-on-demand as provided in Canadian law.

But with representation in the media cut off and politicians terrified of any mention of the issue, the majority view was successfully squelched.

What could not be squelched was the view of most doctors. By simply refusing to do the work, they have increasingly thwarted the intention of the law. Such professional resistance was plainly never foreseen.

However, it grew significant enough for the editor of the CMA's Journal last summer to publish an article by two feminist lawyers berating doctors for their recalcitrant attitude and demanding that the CMA require their members to abort unborn babies, whatever their conscientious reluctance. The article set off such an avalanche of letters from doctors that the CMA Journal eventually had to refuse to continue printing them.

Death merchants Progressive minds are shocked.  We can’t have doctors obeying the admonitions of the Hippocratic Oath to harm no one and not to procure abortions.  How unprogressive can you get!

Canada’s no-policy policy on abortion is increasingly under threat.  How much longer will our politicians ignore this important issue?

Previous related posts:

• Canada’s policy on abortion is not to have a policy
• Tory candidates not allowed to answer abortion questionnaires
• Abortion: Risk factor for “major depressive illness”
• Impossible for Canada to be more extreme on abortion
• Abortion: Risk factor for breast cancer

Just to compound the absurdity of Zimbabwe’s appointment as head of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, it has emerged that Zimbabwe’s Environment Minister, who will represent the country on the UN body, was given a formerly white-owned farm in 2002 that now grows almost nothing. Francis Nhema was handed a highly productive and efficient farm and oversaw its ruination. 

The man is clearly a brilliant manager of sustainable development. Thus, the UN descends from absurdity to farce.

The 2,000-acre farm in the Karoi district, north of Harare, used to grow 220 acres of maize and 200 acres of tobacco, irrigated by water from a dam on the farm, as well as beef cattle, pigs and sheep.

But Chris Shepherd, 42, who still holds the farm's title deeds, said that when he flew low over Nyamanda recently, he was shocked by its decline. "There were about 50 acres of appalling maize, which will produce nothing," he said. "The place looks dreadful. Two of the tobacco barns that burnt down after Nhema moved in have not been rebuilt. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the destruction."

Mr Nhema also serves as Minister of Tourism, another economic activity that has almost totally collapsed, thanks in large part to the government’s negligent mismanagement of Zimbabwe’s wildlife.

Predictably, Mr Nhema defends his country’s appointment, sort of.

"I think it's not time to point fingers. There is never a perfect method. It's always a method which is appropriate to each country. So it's important not only to look at Zimbabwe but to look at each other and see what we can learn."

Actually, I would say that Zimbabwe has indeed implemented a “perfect method”—if one’s goal is to devastate an economy, a society, and a people.  I trust everyone can learn a great deal from that.

Previous related posts:

• United Nations now officially bonkers
• Farms seized from white Zimbabweans lie in ruins
• Mugabe to white farmers: No hard feelings

In two separate incidents today in south-west India, Hindu extremists entered Sunday morning Christian services, assaulted pastors, and abused worshippers.  In each incident, mobs of 25-30 militants set upon pastors in front of their congregations, causing serious injuries. Both attacks occurred in Karnataka state (shaded area in map at right).

In one incident, a church was invaded by extremists said to belong to Hindu youth group Bajrang Dal.

Around 10.30 am on Sunday May 13th, Bajrang Dal activists barged into Sunday Services of 'Village Mission India' and slapped Pastor JB George and abused him in filthy language.

The began thrashing the Believers, destroying furniture and the sound systems. The took the mike stand and struck Pastor George on the head and told him to stop converting people to foreign Christian faith.

The other church incursion involved members of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

On May 13th at around 1145 Am during Sunday worship, around 30 RSS activists with saffron stoles and a few with wooden clubs, gathered outside the Prayer Hall and hurled abusive curses at the Believers and Christianity.

The RSS activists then walked up to the dais and grabbed the microphone from the hand of Pastor Hosula and slapped and fisted him. The activists also began attacking the Believers who tried to escape from the Prayer Hall. The activists also kicked Pastor Hosula and continued to kick him even when he fell to the ground.

The RSS attackers then hauled Pastor Hosula to a police station where he was charged with illegal evangelism.  No word on whether any of the assailants was charged with anything.

(Note: In both of the above quotes, typos have been corrected.) 

Previous related posts:

• British Hindu tells Christians to stop evangelising in India
• Brutal attacks on Christian leaders in India
• Marxists attack Christians in south-west India
• Christian conversions present “grave threat to Hindu society”

The collect for today, The Fifth Sunday After Easter, from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer:

O Lord, from whom all good things do come; Grant to us thy humble servants, that by thy holy inspiration we may think those things that be good, and by thy merciful guiding may perform the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle: St James 1:22-27
The Gospel: St John 16:23-33