Canadian Society as we know it is about to face
the crisis of the century:
The philosopher Hegel said, "What experience and history teach us is this: that people and government never have learned anything from history or acted on principles deduced from it."
As
a young boy in high school, I resisted history taught by asking the question,
who cares? “It is only today that
matters.” Now as a senior citizen, I
reflect on that question and respond with, “ I do, I care for history can more
or less tell us where we are headed and what lies ahead for our children and
our grandchildren.”
Today,
it is evident that societies, nations, families are in trouble and are trying
to seek the answers to where they are going and why. We have heard predictions about the end of the world just prior
to year-end of 2000, while media elites are predicting the end of the family
and the end of Christian religion.
Be not afraid for Christianity and the
family will survive the current crisis and the current attacks by politics,
media and the imposition of insidious laws from the judiciary. Why or how can I say that? Because many
societies have come and gone and two things remained, battered but yet
survived, one has been religion, the church and the spirituality of man, and with
this, the survival of the family. It is
the spiritual dimension and what is written in the heart of man that gives rise
to hope and with hope the family survives. Family became that fortress and home
base for survival.
“Marriage
and the Legal Recognition of other unions” public hearings by the Liberal
government of the day in Canada in the year 2003 is but an indicator or a
symptom of where we are as a society and symptomatic of what’s to come. It too,
is a hallmark on how devious our system of government has become. On a scale
one to ten and (one) being the birth of a society and (ten) being the death of
that society. Canada would easily
qualify for an (8.5). As will be later
explained in this article.
See
note RE: B.C., Utah Politicians ponder strategy to probe polygamists...Chronicle
Herald, Dec 9, Pg A8, Halifax, NS
Kerby
Anderson in his essay, “The Decline of a Nation”,
points out, as does Will Durant in, “Lessons
of History’’, that civilizations are born and then decline. The problem is not due to political,
economic or social problems but spiritual factors. The symptoms are reflected in economics, political and social
areas of society. Anderson goes on to
point out that the average age of great civilizations is about 200 years. Russian, Harvard Sociologist Pitirim Sirokin
has analyzed cultures spanning thousands of years on several continents and
found that most political revolutions that brought about societal collapse were
preceded by sexual revolutions in which marriage and family were no longer
accorded a premiere status. (The American Sex Revolution, 1956 pp 77-105.)
The declines were described in stages from:
including without exception [Roman, Greek,
Moorish, Babylonian and Anglo-Saxon] flourished during eras that valued sexual fidelity. Inevitably, sexual morès would loosen and
the societies would subsequently decline, only to rise again when they returned
to more rigid sexual standards.
Carl Wilson, in his book “Our Dance Has Turned to Death”, interestingly
describes the stages with modern day clarity and in terms of what is happening
in today’s society.
·
The first stage was when men ceased to lead their families in order to pursue wealth,
politics or power.
·
Material values began to dominate thought.
·
Then came the change in men’s
sexual desires and values. Men who were preoccupied with business, war
or power neglected their wives sexually and /or became involved with lower
class women or homosexuality. Ultimately,
a double standard or morality developed.
·
The fourth stage affected women, women at home and with children lost value and status.
They were neglected and devalued.
Soon they revolted to gain access to material wealth and also freedom
for sex outside of marriage.
·
Women began to minimize having
sex relations to conceive children, and the emphasis became ‘sex for pleasure’.
·
Marriage laws were changed to make divorce easy.
·
Husbands and wives competed
against each other for money, home leadership and the affection of their children.
·
This resulted in hostility
and frustration and possible homosexuality in the children.
·
Many marriages ended in separation
and divorce.
·
The last stage was selfish
individualism that grew and carried over into society, fragmenting it into
smaller and smaller groups of loyalties.
The nation was weakened by this internal conflict.
Decrease in
the birthrate produced an older population that was and had less ability to
defend itself and less a will to do so, and were easily defeated.
Then came the dictator to save them and hence the cycle will begin to
repeat itself.
If these models are true, or
even close to reality, one should ask, where do we fit on either of these
models, given the current debate and the changes in our society during the past
30 years?
You’ve often
heard I’m sure, the statement:
"Those who cannot remember the past are
condemned to repeat it."
It is worth noting that
‘Families ARE the foundation of a nation’, the societal microcosm - a
reflection of the health of the larger society. When it crumbles, so will the
nation. Families have been organized
and have developed naturally for the protection of children, hence the
future. It is this smaller community
that makes up the larger community that ultimately form a nation for mutual
governance for the common good. Therefore,
the health of the family as a community is a concern for the health of the
nation.
Self-governing
people require a robust culture founded on marriage and family, which
nurture the qualities that permit self-rule; deferred gratification,
self-sacrifice, respect for kinship and law, and property rights. These qualities are founded upon sexual
restraint, which permits people to pursue long-term interests, such as
procreating and nurturing the next generation, and security for one’s children.
Any ‘de facto’ arrangement
either politically or legally manifested will make marriage mute and families
to become irrelevant. Once journeyed
down this road there will be no turning back until we succumb to the last days
of this society and prepare for the next.
History is no fool and will again be repeated. Once heard from Dr. Paul Marx, “mother nature never gets mad, she
gets even.”
I ask you Honorable
Senators, leaders of our country and members of the court of public opinion as
our last hope to stand firm on any matter that comes before you. Stand firmly
against bills that will diminish in anyway the social support for the family,
either by erosion or by making families mute and just as important the role of
marriage and how it plays out in support of families.
Sincerely,
PO Box 737
902 542 0719
Herm Wills, is an ordinary citizen, who pays his bills, and raises his family. He was once a orphan during the second world war era. Adopted and struggled against many odds to find a way in life, by joining the Royal Canadian Navy, and a civilian career in computer technology dating back to 1956. He has witnessed the depersonalization of people and developed a strong interest in family and life. He and his wife Rosalie raised five children, four boys and one adopted girl. He is now a proud grandfather of nine grandchildren. He still pursues what is right for families through community organizations.
B.C., Utah politicians ponder ways to investigate polygamists
VANCOUVER (CP) — A meeting of attorneys general from B.C. and Utah to discuss alleged sex abuse in polygamist communities drew concerned plural wives out of their community on Thursday to deny the claims.
Attorney General Wally Oppal was given a briefing from his Utah counterpart about strategies the state is using to make women feel safe enough to come forward.
Oppal said that’s something that B.C. has to do as well, considering allegations that women and children in plural families in Bountiful, B.C., are being abused.
"I think we can exchange ideas and look to see what the police and prosecutors in Utah have done with respect to obtaining evidence. It may be that evidence could pertain to offences that happened here," Oppal said.
Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said the U.S. wants to do the same.
B.C. and Utah have to work together to make progress on what he called "the most difficult kind of investigation you’ll ever do."
In a rare appearance women from Bountiful, as well as one of the community’s spiritual leaders, Winston Blackmore, showed up at the meeting to hear what the politicians were saying about them.
Blackmore said Bountiful’s local women’s group is already active and educating people.
And the women said they don’t know where the allegations of abuse are coming from, that they are happy and don’t know anyone who’s been abused in Bountiful.
However, they said they do want to work with the government to create a culturally sensitive counselling program in Bountiful.
Blackmore said he hasn’t ordered anyone to stay quiet and maintains that he hasn’t married anyone under 18 in the past six months.
It has been alleged that Bountiful girls in their early teens are married to older men who have multiple wives.
Shurtleff said the polygamist societies are very closed and police can’t infiltrate them.
"You really have to rely on victims who are willing to come forward," he said.
"But we’re talking about women who from the cradle, she’s been taught to distrust us, we’re evil, we’re Satan."
He said it takes a lot of work to build bridges with polygamist communities.
"What we’ve done is created a safety net, working with groups that are out there and make sure services are in place and that the women know about them," he added.
Second Article:
B.C., Utah politicians ponder strategy to probe polygamists
By AMY CARMICHAELThe Canadian Press
VANCOUVER — A meeting between British Columbia’s and Utah’s attorneys general on allegations of sex abuse in polygamous communities took a surprise twist Thursday when plural wives showed up concerned that their right to religious freedom might be trampled.
Ruth Lane and Leah Barlow travelled from Bountiful, B.C., to stand up for their community and deny claims of abuse, but they also said they want to work with the government to create culturally sensitive counselling and services for people living in polygamy.
"I am not abused and I don’t personally known of anyone who is," said Lane.
They showed up with one of Bountiful’s spiritual leaders, Winston Blackmore, to hear B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal and his Utah counterpart report on shared strategies on polygamy.
Utah’s Mark Shurtleff said his state has done a lot of work to make women in the secretive, closed communities feel safe enough to come forward and give testimony.
Oppal said that’s something that B.C. has to do as well, considering allegations that women and children in plural families in Bountiful are being abused.
"I think we can exchange ideas and look to see what the police and prosecutors in Utah have done with respect to obtaining evidence. It may be that evidence could pertain to offences that happened here," said Oppal at a news conference after the meeting.
Shurtleff said B.C. and Utah have to work together to make progress on what he called "the most difficult kind of investigation you’ll ever do."
Polygamy has been openly practised for more than 60 years in the fundamentalist Mormon community of 1,000 people in Bountiful in southeastern B.C.
More than a year ago, the province announced the start of an RCMP investigation into allegations of child abuse, forcible marriage and sexual exploitation. No charges have ever been laid.
Thursday marked the third time in the past year that women faithful to Blackmore have stood up to say they are happy living in polygamous relationships and they are doing so of their own free will. In April, some of the women held a public meeting in Creston, B.C., to discuss their lives.
The group is split off from others in Bountiful who follow Warren Jeffs, a fugitive in the United States who is charged with performing marriages involving minors and other crimes. His followers rarely speak publicly.
Blackmore said Bountiful’s local women’s group is already active and educating people about issues like domestic abuse.
Shurtleff said police haven’t been able to infiltrate the closed polygamous communities.
"You really have to rely on victims who are willing to come forward," he said.
"But we’re talking about women who from the cradle, she’s been taught to distrust us, we’re evil, we’re Satan."
In Utah, he said the government is trying to build bridges with polygamist communities.
"What we’ve done is created a safety net, working with groups that are out there and make sure services are in place and that the women know about them," he added.
"A woman may want to give us testimony but if she doesn’t have an education, which she’s been denied; she doesn’t have job skills, which she’s been denied; doesn’t own a home and has children, her first question is ‘How am I going to protect and feed my children.’"
Oppal said B.C. needs to do the same work.
Utah has also gone after polygamists on the civil front, seizing the assets of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints.