A 'Values' Test

It’s a new year and methinks that it’ll be an amazing year for writers with political emotions.  

Unfortunately, for me, I really do wish there was something, other than politics, that was sufficiently interesting to write about, but is there ?

There is the liberal indoctrination of youth education (Nothing new there, it could be said);  International sport and drugs, of which I am quite ignorant;  Electric automobiles (This may absorb one paragraph);  Sustainable food supplies, requiring much research (For later);  etc.  This leaves me with Politics, Religion, or the misunderstood Global Warming.

Therefore, I will choose Immigration which, of course, is political (Smiley to be inserted).

I have just listened to a CBC radio programme about Quebec’s new immigration laws (rules) and discovered a few things that many people are ignorant about . This is a simple introductory Blog explaining those laws, such that you will be encouraged to discuss them with me (Fingers crossed).

Introducing a controversial "values" test that some potential immigrants will have to complete.

1. It is a questionnaire of 20 multiple-choice questions.

1. The Pass level is 75%.

1. An example question is:  In Quebec, women are equal to men —  True or false.

1. Or:  In Quebec the official language is;  English;  Spanish;  French;  English and French.

1. Every immigrant requiring a Quebec Selection Certificate for permission to apply for Permanent Residency will be required to pass the test.  This will usually be taken in their country of origin.

1. It may be available for taking on one’s home computer (Believe it or not).

1. This will ensure that applicants will understand Quebec’s values.

1. This test is related, also, to the controversial Bill-21.

I believe it ironic if, in this land of immigrants, people may be disinterested to engage into some, necessary, discussion.

Over to you, mes amies.

13,000 Views

Summary

The ‘Blazon’ has, now, climbed to 13,000 viewing figures and I present them, here, mainly to inflate my famed ego.

Each time I do this, following each period of 1,000 views, certain interests come into focus.  This time, for a change, the Statistics represent the overall period of seven years.  This places the following Posts (and their comments) in the five most-read positions.

• Politics 8 - Percentage Formula.  04/08/2013,  409 views.
• Politics 2 - Multiculturalism.  01/08/2011,  234 views.
• Photo - Muscat and Oman.  17/07/2011,  184 views.
• Photo - Du Fu’s Garden.  18/06/2011.  179 views.
• Politics 10 - Vladimir Putin, A Question.  02/01/2015.  171 views.

Comment:  I am intrigued by the interest in the photo of Du Fu’s Garden.

Statistics (2011 to 2018)

Views by country (Leading five):

• Canada, 4,701 views.
• United States, 2,918 views.
• Russia, 666 views.
• France, 570 views.
• United Kingdom, 395 views.

Leading five Browsers:  

• Chrome. -  48%
• Firefox. -  19%
• Internet Explorer  -  16%
• Safari  -  13%
• Opera  -  1%

Operating Systens:

• Windows  -  42%
• Macintosh  -  34%
• Linux. -  14%
• iPhone  -  3%
• iPad  -  1%

Comment:  Today, Macintosh is at 72%.

POLL - (Not Religion or Politics) Facebook?

Dear Friends;  unfortunately, the last Poll added to this Blog appears to indicate a reluctance to discuss either religion or politics.  Sadly, asking Friends if they Like (To use Facebook terms) any particular subject, using little detail, seems to cause a misunderstanding.

Way back, in the age of dragons (it seems) I explained that it is my view that every subject can not escape being associated with either religion or politics.  Thus, my last Poll not only mentioned "religion" but also implied politics.  Wow, wash your keyboards!

Therefore, now, I must struggle with an explanation.  Obviously, it is not sufficient to state that everything relates to these two taboo subjects, but sustained discussion needs some controversy.  Permit me to give some examples:

• Inoffensive Question 1 - Should Pets Be Allowed Within The Home?  Do we not create laws that require dogs to be licensed, and laws banning the possession of wild animals?  Could that be discussed without becoming political?
• Inoffensive Question 2 - Is Yoga And Meditation Useful For Health?  Will someone mention the spiritual aspects of these two innocuous pastimes, and introduce religious comments?

I wonder if it is probable that some of you prefer to keep your controversial views to yourselves.  To that, I can only remind you, once again, that you may make comments anonymously (Concealed from everyone, including myself). 

Please look at the right sidebar for the new POLL ... and, also, comment below, if you wish.

Politics 8 - Refugees

When one feels like discussing something interesting, it often becomes a debate. Then, we are told never to introduce those two dangerous subjects, Politics and Religion. But, try to discuss immigration and avoid an insulting argument, because immigration combines both politics and religion.

I wrote the following, as a comment, in a newspaper this morning.  Then, realized that I had a Blog, a worthy stage for my act.

Enter, stage right (or left).  No one political party in the world can design an equitable immigration policy, and those religions that preach 'Peace on Earth to all men', seem to forget those words when they leave the church or mosque.

Personally, I like to teach many people the difference between an 'immigrant' and a 'refugee'. In the 'ideal' world, immigrants should not cause major problems, but that assumes that immigration departments adhere to the regulations, i.e., no person (s) should be coming into a country without sufficient funds to support themselves for a defined period of time, or be sponsored by a business (or another individual) for a specific period of time, e.g., three years. After three years, they should qualify for resident or even citizen status.

But a refugee usually has no choice. They come, for various reasons, for fear of their lives. Once their case is proven, I am sure that most of us would be sympathetic to their situation. We may say, 'There, but for the grace of God, go I.' Nevertheless, I need to mention a rarely spoken, controversial point; If, and when, the fearful reason for their acceptance as refugees has passed, they must be encouraged to return to their safe country of origin ... and, from there, apply for immigration. A precedent exists, e.g., a tourist arrives in a country, loves it so much, decides to stay, but must return to their country of origin to apply at the embassy ... and prove educational skills, financial sufficiency, and criminal record, etc.

That is not discrimination.

Politics 4 - A Palestinian State

I do not think that there is one subject to be discussed that avoids politics.  Even religion cannot be discussed without involving politics.  One of my posts discussed tipping in restaurants in which I avoided the possibility of a government ban on the subject.  Could we discuss organic foods without the Ministry of Food applying some regulations?  Could I spank my child’s bottom without the police knocking on my door?  Could I walk my dog in the park without a regulatory-designed leash ... well, probably, that will be next.

Could a tiger nurse orphaned piglets?  Could a polar bear play harmlessly with tethered husky dogs?  Could a lion hug and lick a woman who had cared for it earlier?  I am sure that some of you have seen these videos, but I digress ... could humans live together in peace?

Time and time again the U.N. has asked Israel to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and, constantly, they refuse.  Iran has signed, has permitted inspections, yet we demand that only Iran provide discrete details, because Israel says that it “knows” that Iran poses a nuclear threat.  Israel bombed a nuclear power station in Iraq where, later, international experts could find no evidence of a clandestine weapons factory in the ruins.  Later, the U.N. released the Goldstone Report, a scathing report which accused Israel of 37 specific war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza earlier this year. Israel has denounced the report as "Anti-Semitic (even though Judge Goldstone is himself Jewish).  Declassified documents from the former South African regime prove not only that Israel has had nuclear weapons for decades, but has tried to sell them to other countries!

Finally, let us diligently read UN General Assembly Resolution 3376 (one of many) that states:  "Reiterates all relevant United Nations resolutions which emphasize that the acquisition of territory by force is inadmissible under the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law and that Israel must withdraw unconditionally from all the occupied Palestinian and other Arab territories, including Jerusalem"

Now, today, a slight, usually quiet man, President Mahmoud Abbas, stood in front of the U.N. General Assembly to cheers and almost tumultuous applause, to say that he believed that it was time for Palestinian statehood ... and I am one person who believes that this day has been a long time coming.

I wonder if you agree with me?

Politics 3 - Jerusalem

I wonder if the name Jerusalem is a religious or political thought in your mind.  Certainly, it is a city of religious significance, but today, politics overshadows almost all forms of religion there.  Of course, some choose to bring religion to the fore, specifically, Judaism and Islam, and one is bound to question the position of Christianity in all of this.

In this discussion, I wish to focus on the political aspect of Jerusalem.  What is Jerusalem — is it Jewish, Islamic, Christian, or all the above?  In my view it is all the above, in which case, for either one of the two present antagonists to decide its future without consultation with the others is doomed to failure.

Therefore, what is the answer?

In my opinion, there is only one answer, and I have never seen it mentioned before ... division.  At least, I have not seen it mentioned in the following way.

Now, before you look for the Comment button, please continue.

Presently, the Israelis declare, without any consultation, that Jerusalem will always be the capital of Israel.  At the same time, the Palestinians say that it should be the capital of Palestine (There shall be a Palestinian State).  It seems that the Christians will have no say in the matter.  Therefore, the situation may be described as a solid stalemate.

The answer can be seen by using the Vatican City as a model — a city state within a state.  It works perfectly.

Jerusalem must become a city state, bordered by Israel and Palestine, but governed by neither of them.  The city could be controlled (governed) by a representative group of all three religions within the population and, citizenship and security (for example) for residents could be equally state controlled within the city.  There may be a request for U.N. Peacekeepers initially because, as a religious city, citizens will not be permitted to carry arms ... amongst other things.

Finally, the capital of Israel would be Tel-Aviv and the capital of Palestine could be Ramallah, regardless of the agreed borders of the two countries.  The latter requires a separate discussion.


I wonder what you think of this idea?