Vancouver Christians Oppose Franklin Graham's "Crusade"

Franklin Graham, hate merchant

I often complain about the silence of "good Christians" in the face of the hatred that a pillar of the Christofascists' religious dogma.  Hence, when the foul agenda of the Christofascists and professional Christian class is in fact challenged by other Christians, the challengers deserve recognition.  Winning kudos today are both Catholic and Protestant church leaders in Vancouver, Canada, who are condemning a "crusade" to be held by Franklin Graham - a many who has made a lush living peddling hate and religious extremism - in that diverse and tolerant city.  The Vancouver Sun looks at the opposition Graham is deservedly facing.  Here are highlights:

Metro Vancouver Christians are colliding over the coming crusade of televangelist Franklin Graham, who is known for criticizing homosexuals, Muslims and U.S. President Barack Obama.

Saying that Graham is often “incendiary and intolerant,” some evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics are opposing his participation in the three-day Festival of Hope event at Rogers Arena in early March 2017, which many of the city’s mega-churches are supporting.

“Rev. Graham is a polarizing figure … His ungracious and bigoted remarks have the potential to generate serious negative impact on the Christian witness in Vancouver,” says a statement from five prominent evangelical and Catholic leaders.

“We … denounce the frequent incendiary and intolerant statements made by Rev. Graham, which he unapologetically reiterates,” said the letter, signed by Marjeta Bobnar of the Catholic archdiocese, City in Focus president Tom Cooper, Tenth Church pastor Ken Shigematsu, Calvary Baptist pastor Tim Dickau and First Baptist pastor Tim Kuepfer.

Franklin Graham, son of 97-year-old retired televangelist Billy Graham, has said homosexuals are “the enemy” and will “spend eternity in hell” if they don’t repent.

Earning more than $1 million a year as an evangelist and head of the charity Samaritan’s Purse, Graham led a crusade in Toronto in 2014 that was attended by 40,000 people of diverse ethnic origins.

After the Toronto event, Samaritan’s Purse terminated a Canadian volunteer because she refused to sign a standard statement opposing abortion and homosexual marriage.

In North Vancouver, another endorser of the Festival of Hope, Valley Church Pastor Owen Scott, declined to comment on the controversy other than to say, “I know Franklin is not the same as his dad. His dad is a pretty gracious person.”

While the opposition statement was signed by Catholic ecumenical relations official Bobnar, Paul Schratz confirmed the archdiocese also formally declined an invitation to take part in the Festival of Hope.

“Initially we were supportive of next year’s event, since it was intended to draw a large number of people to hear the gospel and grow closer to Jesus,” said Schratz, spokesman for the archdiocese, which includes more than 400,000 Catholics.

“While we obviously acknowledge Mr. Graham’s zeal in preaching the Gospel we had second thoughts about participating when we noted that American evangelicals, whom we were trying to work with on this event, were criticizing Mr. Franklin for various comments and stances that didn’t promote religious tolerance.”

The formal letter of opposition to the Festival of Hope’s leadership committee was signed by Christian leaders in Metro Vancouver whom the Billy Graham Association had asked for endorsements, including Cooper, Shigematsu, Dickau and Kuepfer.

Cooper — the president of City in Focus, which specializes in ministering to businesspeople —said those who signed the letter “were willing to provide suggestions for an alternative speaker. But the Festival of Hope leadership committee was content with having Reverend Graham give the major talks.  “We therefore, reluctantly, decided we could not endorse this event.

Franklin Graham is little better than a parasite who is living well living off his father's fame while peddling hatred and intolerance. 

America's Crumbling Infrastructure: I-5 Bridge Collapse Should Be a Wake Up Call

Thankfully, it appears that no one died but the collapse of the Skagit River bridge on Interstate 5 in Washington State (I-5 links Seattle with Canada), but the event ought to be a wake up call nation wide that the GOP and Tea Party opposition to taxes is putting our lives at risk on a daily basis.  Highways, bridges and other critical infrastructure doesn't magically maintain or pay for itself.  Here are details from the Seattle Post:

The collapse of a freeway bridge into the Skagit River derailed a key part of the Northwest's transportation system, but amazingly failed to claim any lives..

Three people suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the dramatic collapse of the Interstate 5 bridge, which occurred around 7 p.m. Thursday. Traffic was snarled on the freeway and nearby roads, and will likely remain so; investigators and one of the survivors say an oversized truck may have been to blame.

A car, a truck and a travel trailer fell into the water in the collapse. All three people who went into the Skagit were rescued safely. 

The Washington Post adds more to the story:

[M]iraculously, authorities said it appeared nobody was killed in the bridge failure that raised the question about the safety of aging spans and cut off the main route between Seattle and Canada.


Traffic along the heavily travelled route could be affected for some time.  “The I-5 corridor is totally disrupted,” said Gov. Jay Inslee, who went to the scene Thursday night.  He said work has already started to design detours, but state Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson asked people to avoid I-5 in the area for the next several days.

The National Transportation Safety Board was sending an investigative team.

“The bridge just went down, it crashed through the water,” he said. “It was really surreal.”  The bridge was about 50 feet above the water. Deyerin said it appeared that two vehicles - a car and the pickup with the travel trailer attached - fell into the river. He said the water depth was about 15 feet, and the vehicles half-visible in the water likely were resting on portions of the collapsed bridge.

The bridge was not classified as structurally deficient, but a Federal Highway Administration database listed it as being “functionally obsolete” — a category meaning that the design is outdated, such as having narrow shoulders and low clearance underneath.

The bridge was built in 1955 and has a sufficiency rating of 57.4 out of 100, according to federal records. That is well below the statewide average rating of 80, according to an Associated Press analysis of federal data, but 759 bridges in the state have a lower sufficiency score.

According to a 2012 Skagit County Public Works Department report, 42 of the county’s 108 bridges are 50 years or older. The document says eight of the bridges are more than 70 years old and two are over 80.

Washington state was given a C in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2013 infrastructure report card and a C- when it came to the state’s bridges. The group said more than a quarter of Washington’s 7,840 bridges are considered structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.

On our drive to Alexandria, Virginia, today on I-64 and I-95 we will cross bridges that are equally old and I shudder to think what their state of repair might be.  The surface of the I-64 bridge entering Richmond is in horrible repair and I surely hope that the under structure is in better repair.  Naturally, GOP gubernatorial nominee/nutcase Ken Cuccinelli wants to cut Virginia taxes further - I guess he thinks God will miraculously repair Virginia's crumbling highways.

Pride House: Safe Haven at the Olympic Games

With homophobia still rampant in the world of sports, the Vancouver Games have something new that has never been previously done before: an unofficial safe haven for gay competitors. With fears of outing and/or loss of promotional endorsements, not to mention competition on an unbelievably high level, the goal of Pride House is provide a sense of safety and welcome. It is unfortunate that in the 21st century it is still necessary for gays to face such bigotry, but sports seems to be one of the remaining bastions of homophobia. In a CBC article, a former Olympian describes his feeling of being in "enemy territory" during past Olympic games. I look forward to the day when no one will care who one loves and instead look merely to one's athletic prowess. Here are some story highlights:
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Pride House, in the heart of Vancouver's West End, is welcoming the world. The first of its kind at an Olympics, the unofficial pavilion is tucked away on a quiet side street in Vancouver's gay village, striving to be an education centre and a safe and welcoming venue for gay and lesbian athletes, coaches, friends and families.
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Canadian swimmer and former Olympian Mark Tewksbury, visiting Pride House during the Games' opening weekend, said such a venue would never have been tolerated when he was competing. Tewksbury, who announced he was gay in 1998, won gold and bronze medals in the 1992 Barcelona Games and a silver medal in Seoul in 1988.
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"Being at the Olympics was like being in an occupied country where you're never sure who you can talk to," said Tewksbury, who published the book Inside Out: Straight Talk from a Gay Jock in 2006. "If I made a mistake, it could have been the end of my livelihood and that climate is definitely [still] present."
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A sister Pride House has opened in Whistler, a rowdy pavilion considered a popular party venue. Vancouver's Pride House is much quieter, located three kilometres (a 20-minute walk) from B.C. Place and the centre of the Olympic Village.
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In his opinion, Pride House is a step in the right direction, but added it's not about athletes coming out at the Games. "The value [of Pride House] is not so much about gay people coming out, but straight people coming in. [That is] what will empower the gay teenagers [whether they are athletes or not] to feel comfortable enough to come out," Tewksbury said.

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Truth be told, we are just like everyone else - would that more folks could recognize this simple fact.

Vancouver Reflections; Most Liveable City

Watching the 2010 Winter Games has so far brought back memories of one of the best trips of my life: July 2004 when my son and I spent a week in and around Vancouver, Whistler and Victoria, British Columbia. The photo above is one that my son took from the car as we drove up the "Sea to Sky Highway" that runs from Vancouver up to Whistler. As the photo suggests, the scenery is so spectacular that it's hard to believe that it is real at times.

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The trip was remarkable and wonderful in ways far more important that the scenery. It was a time my son and I got to spend quality time together and experience our own special adventure if you will. It was a happy time before the divorce nightmare destroyed so much, before the collapse of my former law firm and the financial ruin that followed, and before my son largely ceased to communicate with. The trip generated memories that I will treasure always.

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Of course, the other memories that I have of Vancouver is that it is everything that Norfolk and this part of Virginia is not: tolerant, protective of all minority groups, open to diversity, cosmopolitan. The list goes on and on. Which is probably one reason that Vancouver was recently chosen as the world's most livable city by the The Economist:

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VANCOUVER is still the most liveable city in the world, according to a new ranking from the Economist Intelligence Unit. The Canadian city topped a "liveability survey" of 140 cities, as it did in 2008.
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The ranking scores each city from 0-100 on 30 factors spread across five areas: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. Vancouver's average score was 98—0.8 less than last year—but the margins at the top are all tight, with the best ten cities scoring over 96.
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What is also interesting three of the top cities are in Canada - a country much derided by the American far right - and three more of the top ten are in Australia. Obviously, those nations are doing some things right - just maybe the USA could lean from their examples.

Winter Olympics Start in 8 Days

Growing up through high school in the snow country of central New York State I had plenty of exposure to winter sports. Perhaps as a result, I have always enjoyed the Winter Olympics far more than the summer games. And this year, having been to both Vancouver and Whistler, Canada, the games will have even a stronger sense of connection. One of my favorite events is the ice skating. First because I skated myself before switching to snow skiing and, therefore, respect the skill, talent and artistry required to be a top skater. Second, having had a daughter who was a competitive skater some years back (see the photo below of my daughter), I have a true sense of the sacrifice and cost involved in reaching the upper levels of amateur figure skating (competitions sound exciting, but in reality involve a lot of waiting around and killing time). Representing the USA in the men's competition will be Jeremy Abbott (who took first place at the U.S. Nationals and is pictured above right), Evan Lysacek and the ever flamboyant Johnny Weir (pictured above left)

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One of the most amazing things I was fortunate enough witness during my daughter's competitive years was the Russian Ice Dancing gold medalists who used the University of Delaware ice facility as a training base. They were nothing short of amazing and watching on television fails to allow one to realize the speed with which they skate. Anyone who thinks make figure skaters are not top athletes doesn't know the true rigors of the sport - even if skaters like Johnny Weir like to push the envelop. Here are highlights about Weir's latest run in with animal rights supporters:

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This was only a matter of time. Johnny Weir has been forced to switch from real to fake fur. Weir wore a costume for his free program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships two weeks ago that included a small amount of -- gasp! -- white fox fur on his left shoulder. Not surprisingly, he received enough protests and hate mail from animal rights advocates that he has decided to replace the fox with faux fur.
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The death toll in Haiti is more than 150,000. Soldiers are dying in Afghanistan and Iraq. One in 10 Americans are unemployed and homeless shelters are swelling. But hey, Johnny Weir wore a piece of fur on his costume! We can't have that!
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"I would like to announce that due to pressures and threats from a certain animal rights group, I will be changing the genuine fox fur on my free program costume that I will use in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, B.C., to white faux fur," Weir said in a statement first posted on icenetwork.com. "I made this decision after several threats were sent to me about disrupting my performance in the Olympic Games and my costume designer, Stephanie Handler, was repeatedly sent messages of hate and disgust.
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Here's the above referenced photo of my daughter a number of years back (she's still beautiful).

Desmond Tutu Denounces Use of Religion Against Gays

Once again retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu has place himself as a counterweight to the abundant number of gay hating African bishops within the Anglican Communion. Tutu - as usual - doesn't mince his words and speaks what I believe is in keeping with Christ's gospel message which the modern day Pharisees seek to pervert. Often for their own gain and/or egocentric gratification. Tutu made these comments supporting gays for the opening of a peace summit in Vancouver, British Columbia (one of my favorite cities in the world). Here are some highlights from XtraWest:

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Retired Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu has denounced the use of religion to spread fear of homosexuals and those foreign to us. “Religion has often been used diabolically to encourage all kinds of awfulness — xenophobia and homophobia,” he said.

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He made the comments by video from South Africa Sunday at the opening of the Vancouver Peace Summit: Nobel Laureates in Dialogue. Tutu could not attend the summit in person due to a back injury.
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His comments were made on the day he and the Dalai Lama became the inaugural recipients of the $100,000 Fetzer Prize for Love and Forgiveness. The Kalamazoo, Michigan-based Fetzer Institute, founded by broadcaster John Fetzer to promote the power of love, compassion and forgiveness, conferred the award.

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Tutu’s statement against homophobia comes as the worldwide Anglican Church continues to be divided over the issue of same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay clerics. The first Anglican blessing of a same-sex relationship in an officially approved rite took place in Vancouver.

Vancouver, BC Pride

This past Sunday the Gay Pride Parade took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, a city that I truly loved when visiting with my son. What is amazing is the size of the turnout - 530,000 according to the Vancouver Sun. That number is equal to 1/3 of the entire population of the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. If that many gays and gay supporters turned out down here, Pat Robertson would probably either go catatonic or launch into a full blown conniption fit. This area remains such a backwater in terms of diversity and acceptance of those who are different, The Ghent area of Norfolk where I live is the exception to the norm here. Here are highlights from the Sun's coverage:

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VANCOUVER - The 30th annual Pride Parade "broke a lot of records," the president of the Vancouver Pride Society said, as nearly 530,000 people came out to the West End on Sunday. . . . . "There are more families, kids and tourists," he said. "I'm proud of the support this community is receiving."

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He [the president of the Pride Society] said he was very happy that 100,000 participated in the beach festival, while 7,000 people were in the parade itself. The procession included 164 parade entries, representing more than 200 organizations and businesses.

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During the parade, screams praising one of the grand marshals, Sahran Abeysundara, made the Sri Lankan break into tears, Boychuk said. "In his country you can go to jail for being gay," Boychuk said. "Be proud to be Canadian. I am."

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I'd be proud to be a Canadian too - I just need to find employment and/or a nice guy from BC to marry me. We stayed in a hotel during our visit not too far from the intersection pictured in the photo above. Below is a photo of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island where the ferries from the mainland arrive from Vancouver. My son and I sailed into that harbor on our wonderful trip to BC.

The World's Best Places to Live 2008

BusinessWeek has a new ranking of the best cities to live in around the world based upon on 39 key quality-of-life issues. Ranking number 4 this year is perhaps my favorite city in the world all things considered: Vancouver, British Columbia. The setting of the city is physically beauty and it is cosmopolitan and progressive, with a feel that is a mix of an American city and that of a European capital. I loved it, as did my son when I took him there back in 2004. What is amazing (or depressing depending upon one's view) is that the Hampton Roads area of Virginia has a similar population as the greater Vancouver area, but we are so backwards and lacking in progressive thinking. Pat Robertson and the loonies that he panders to definitely are an obstacle to this area's emergence as a first class metropolitan area. Hopefully, in time HRBOR and other progressive organizations can do some good in changing the area's image. Believe me, if I could find a nice Vancouver guy to sweep me off my feet and marry me, I'd relocate in a heart beat. A full listin og cities can be found at the link. Here are a few story highlights:

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What foreign postings are most coveted by expatriate executives? To find out, Mercer Human Resource Consulting, which provides advice to multinational companies on international assignments, has come up with a global ranking of the world's most livable cities based on 39 key quality-of-life issues. They include political stability, currency-exchange regulations, political and media censorship, school quality, housing, the environment and public safety. Mercer . . . considered 215 cities around the globe. Switzerland's main commercial and cultural center, Zurich, topped the list this year, followed by Geneva, and Vancouver and Vienna, which tied for third.

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No. 3: Vancouver, Canada
Mercer score: 107.6

2007 rank: No. 3

GDP: $1.274 trillion (2007 est.)

Population: 33,212,696 (total country);

560,000 (total city)

Life expectancy: 81.16 years

Vancouver tops list of Canada's most gay friendly destinations

I have only been to Vancouver once. That was back in 2004 traveling with my son following his graduation from high school, But my impression of Vancouver was one of a remarkable, friendly, and cosmopolitan city where a diverse population seems to get along pretty well, all things considered. It will be a cold day in Hell before you see gay flags flying along a street in Norfolk as they do on parts of Davie Street in Vancouver. Moreover, the scenery surrounding the city is utterly spectacular. I did NOT want to leave. Neither did my son.

In addition, my impression of Canada was/is that it is now the land of personal freedom and liberty that once was associated by many with the USA. The increased domestic spying and God knows what kind of secret record keeping on U. S. citizens that the Chimperator's regime has ushered in are more reminiscent of Nazi Germany or the former Soviet Union. Certainly not the USA I once knew. In short, Canada seems to be a nation that values all of its citizens, unlike this country, where if one is not white, wealthy, Protestant (or affluent white Catholic), English speaking, and straight, the powers that be - especially within the GOP - would prefer that you simply disappear.

Were I able to, I'd move to Vancouver in a heart beat, although after the divorce war I might not meet the financial criteria to immigrate unless I married a Canadian citizen (surely, there must be some nice Vancouver blogger who might consider having me. Hint, hint). This article from PageOneQ (http://pageoneq.com/news/2007/Vancouver_Tops_List_of_Canadas_Most_Gay_Friendly_Des_1029.html)

shows that I am not alone in my view of Vancouver:

Apparently, no city in Canada does it better for America’s gay and lesbian travelers than Vancouver, which, for the second year in a row, has been recognized as the no.1 gay leisure travel destination in Canada in a new Community Marketing Inc. survey. With a value of somewhere between $55 billion and $65 billion annually in the U.S. alone more and more destinations have invested in attracting the pink dollar in recent years and Vancouver has been at the forefront of the movement. According to the Vancouver Sun, Tourism Vancouver consumer marketing manager, Candice Gibson, said the gay travel market is a lucrative and loyal sector that has responded very positively to Vancouver in recent years.

Gay and lesbian tourism in Vancouver has also grown significantly since same-sex marriage became legal in the province back in July 2003, a factor that has both enhanced the gay-friendly image of the destination while simultaneously enticing hundreds of couples to exchange vows in its picturesque environs. Overall Vancouver was the fourth most visited international destination for U.S. gay and lesbian travelers, trailing London, Puerto Vallarta and Paris according to the results of the Community Marketing Inc. survey. Meanwhile, Montreal and Toronto ranked fifth and sixth.

Microsoft expands in Canada amid U.S. visa crunch

Yahoo News is reporting that Microsoft said it plans to open a Vancouver, British Columbia, facility by the end of the year. It will initially have about 200 workers, and employ about 900 within a couple years. Businesses, particularly technology firms, say they need to recruit foreign nationals, many of whom have received their graduate degrees in the United States, to compensate for a shortage of qualified programmers, engineers and scientists. Microsoft said in a statement that the Vancouver center will "allow the company to continue to recruit and retain highly skilled people affected by the immigration issues in the United States." But company spokesman Lou Gellos said Microsoft's frustration with the U.S. government's visa policy wasn't the only reason for the expansion in Canada.

Having visited Canada and Vancouver (pictured above) in particular, I suspect there is another reason for the move by Microsoft beside those named in the story: namely the intolerant image of the USA growing abroad. Canada is a far more tolerant country and Vancouver has a very diverse population where a cosmopolitan population seems to get along. Moreover, the policies of the Christo-fascists tied to Chimperator Bush's regime and which continue to dominate the GOP hold little sway in Canada. To be candid, when I crossed the border back into the USA, I felt like I was leaving true freedom behind in Canada.

Long term, the damage this administration has done to the nation is huge, with the Iraq disaster being only a small part of the overall damage. For the whole story, see: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070705/wl_canada_nm/canada_microsoft_canada_immigration_col;_ylt=At7N9_6A1t1SrDF_QEhaPzJvaA8F.