I am a Canadian.
Free to speak without fear.
Free to worship in my own way.
Free to stand for what I think right.
Free to oppose what I think wrong, and
Free to choose those who shall govern my country.
This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.
It was in the days of my youth in 1960, when Kennedy was President,
the Prime Minister of Canada, John Diefenbaker, introduced this preamble to the Canadian Bill of Rights.
I am not always conscious of this ideal, but in retrospect, as I just turned 67, I now realize it has been my internal auto pilot governing how I conduct myself, and how I deal with others.
I think this Canadian ideal of Liberty is totally consonant with America´s highest ideals.
I suppose that´s why Americans don´t know much about Canada, your closest neighbour and friend. We don´t cause you problems like the other countries you do know about do. Canada is your most secure source of oil in the world, and we haven´t rocked your boat, even with the Great Lakes between us. We have been at your side when it mattered.
The American Declaration of Independence from the bad, old ways things were done embodies the very same ideal contained in the opening paragraph:
´WE hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.´
What has this got to do with the American Liberty Bell and all it symbolizes? There is a big difference between espousing high ideals and practising what you preach. The Liberty Bell rings hollow in proclaiming Liberty throughout the land when the early wealth of a Nation is built on the backs and labour of slaves. That is why the crack is there.
I believe, as a Canadian and objective observer, President Obama is beginning the attempt to repair that crack between people. Obviously, being a prisoner of The White House, it is up to WE, The People, to actually do it, whatever is necessary.
I was upwardly mobile in the business world in 1975 when I experienced a Spiritual awakening as powerful and unexpected as the conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus. At 30, I sold all my possessions, and with a back pack on my back, headed into the Unites States to discover the Spirit of ´76.
For part of that 14 month experience I spent time in Tempe, at Arizona State University. I joined with the Cardinal Newman Centre, the just off Campus Roman Catholic church. The Centre itself was a new, one level, L shaped building, built around the old church well over 100 years old at the corner. It was unsafe to use for worship. but it had a BIG Bell in the Bell Tower. Every Day, someone was assigned to ring that Bell by a long rope about 4 inches thick in diameter.
The Priest would let me read the scriptures during services, but as often as I asked, he would not let me ring the Bell. One Day, to my great joy, the priest gave me the key to the old church and told me to ring the Bell and call the Faithful to Worship.
Being my first time in the old church, the Bell looked so high up in 
the tower as I grabbed hold of the long rope.
Starting slowly, I started to get into it and pulled the rope as I prayed to the Angel of the Bell.
With every fibre of my being, with all my vibrations, praying/thinking to the Angel, I thought, ¨Lord, let the sound of this Bell rise above the noise and the din of the city traffic. Let the sound of the Bell rise above all the petty hatreds, squabbles, conflicts, jealousies, crime and violence. Lord, let this Bell proclaim Liberty throughout all the Land!¨ I was really getting into it.
The priest came running over in a panic. His hands were covering his ears as he shouted, ¨ Stop it! Stop it! You´re ringing that Bell too loud.¨ They never let me ring the Bell again.
Religious Politics | The Word by Ray Joseph Cormier 
Jesus of Nazareth 11 (book review), History unfolding (with bells)
“Ultimately, Benedict affirms, the pouring out of Christ’s blood brings Salvation and not a curse”
“And Jews bear no collective guilt for crucifixion”
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/marchweb-only/popepointsfinger.html?start=1
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Thanks for the link, Weldon.
I agree with Benedict. The Jewish people bear no collective guilt for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ anymore than extreme Islamic militants, extreme Zionists or extreme Right wing Christians represent the mainstream of the people, both believer and atheist.
The extremes exist to channel the mainstream into making a choice and decision. Multitudes! Multitudes in the Valley of Decision. The Day of The LORD is near in the Valley of Decision. Joel 3:14
Too many people are lukewarm and sitting on the fence when everyone can see the way the Future world is shaping up to be on the horizon. If the extremes dominate the news, with the fear they want magnified by the power of the mass media, eventually there will be no place to hide for anyone.
I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot: I would you were cold or hot.
So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. These are harsh words of Christ in Revelation 3.
I also agree with this, “the “Temple aristocracy” anxious to forestall a Roman crackdown on the Jewish people, and a crowd that massed in support of Barabbas, shouting for the convicted rebel’s release. The Pope goes on to place ultimate culpability for Jesus’ death upon the sins of mankind.”
But let’s call a spade a spade. Barrabas was an “insurrectionist” or in modern language as the world can now see, a “terrorist” fighting the occupying Imperial Power. He would have been a prisoner of Rome. Jesus was condemned to death on the recommendation of the religious Leadership. Only Rome could order the death penalty.
The unmistakable picture we see of Jesus in the Scriptures is that the common people flocked to him as he criticized the religious leadership for their hypocrisy, and for doing it by only by the Book, they did not know the Spirit of God. He called the religious leaders and lawyers some harsh names straight to their face. We all know what he said about the rich. Those are the three groups the Scriptures reveal Jesus basically singled out before the people. They hated him for that.
In the Jewish religion of the Temple they still offered a blood sacrifice to God as it had been practised from generation to generation long before anyone alive at that Time. Jesus did not want to be crucified. He prayed to God to have the Cup passed from him. He was smart He could have started up again someplace else outside the Roman Province of Palestine.
By him freely offering himself to God as the blood sacrifice and sacrificial Lamb, there is no more need for the Jewish blood sacrifice. Atonement was made once and for all to have access to the Tree of Life in the Garden of God. In the Common Era of Christ there is no difference between Jew and Gentile.
It was an obligation for Jews living in different Countries and parts of the world to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem, like the Muslims from all over the world make to Mecca every year. Jerusalem was teeming with people in the narrow streets.
The Priests of the Temple had created a sweet deal for themselves. Because it was an offering to God, you could only give God the Best. It had to be Kosher with the Rabbi’s Blessing. The Priests ate the best food and finest meats, fruits and vegetables, and used for themselves whatever other gifts the people brought for God.
On the Temple property the Bankers and Merchants had set up their merchandise selling at twice the price what the same thing cost off the Temple property in the street stalls.
There were different kinds of money from different places and the Pilgrims went to the money changers and exchanged their currency into Temple coin with which to buy the overpriced merchandise of the merchants having the Priest’s approval and licence.
And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.
And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves. Matthew 21:10-13
And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but you have made it a den of thieves.
And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. Mark 11:15-18
He was betrayed for money and the Temple Police arrested him in an isolated place in the night away from the people. He was condemned in the middle of the night while the city slept unawares.
There was no Facebook, no radio, no telephones, no tweets, no way for the people to know what was happening and do something about it. The only people to know about it were Barabbas terrorist friends and those the Priests sent to pack the Courtyard before the people woke up.
So the choice was left in a stacked deck between Jesus, a Peaceful revolutionary and perceived enemy of the established religious leadership, and a terrorist revolutionary, militantly resisting the outside Imperial Power imposing it’s will on an occupied people in a direct military way, or co-opting the local Leadership.
And so it is to this very Day. We are all Egyptians wanting Peaceful regime change.
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Nice site Ray. I bookmarked it.
I am also found of P Trudeu
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I appreciate your comment, mountain man. I get very little encouragement. I hope you and others may appreciate the True Life experiences I record here deal with a Spirit much greater than I.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written, For your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35-39
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You confuse me Ray.
Are you living in the past?
What is your goal, in the future?
Do you really see no future for humanity but Armageddon in our dwindling life time?
Did you ever read “The TAO tse tong”?
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mountain man, I have to confess I’m somewhat confused by your reply to the citation of Romans 8. While I admit it’s an ancient writing from the past, it’s current for me in this life. Maybe your comment was meant for another article since P. Trudeau has nothing to do with the substance of this particular story.
This article recounts just one Day in the Life that was interesting for me going through it as I describe it exactly the way it happened.
In 1977 I was sent to jail for breach of a 1 year court ordered un-Democratic probation with only 1 condition, “not to attend on the Sparks Street Mall or any other Street in Ottawa for the purpose of SPEAKING or shouting.
A same small cabal of Wikipedia Editors edited a Biography on me to be as non-notable as possible and then nominated it for deletion for being non-notable. The 3rd time was the charm for them.
Facebook deleted my account and all the comments I ever made in testimony to God and this world from their site almost two years ago in violation of their own stated Principles and still have not replied to my several requests for an explanation. I’ve been booted out of exclusively Christian sites for pointing out other scriptures in the Bible that should have caused them to moderate their limited or extreme views.
My citing Romans 8 was because despite all the efforts to silence my Testimony to God, I am still here, disappointed, but not discouraged, and not giving up.
This is the specific question you pose, Do you really see no future for humanity but Armageddon in our dwindling life time?
I see a bright Future for those individuals having a True Love of God and others in their hearts. You don’t have to believe in God to see the circumstances are shaping up and coming into view as evidence in this material world the Biblical concept of Armageddon could become a reality in our generation, especially now that we see the revolutionary changes sweeping the Middle East.
As I said, it’s possible you mentioning Trudeau was meant for another article of the 17 I have posted so far. I have made that mistake myself.
If you found Roman 8 depressing , you might find the other scriptural citation more to your liking in the discussion of the latest article ‘Elections’ .
Christ was asked for a sign and he says there will be none given except the sign of Jonah. Jonah was told by God it was becoming a very bad and desperate situation in Nineveh that great world city. He was told he had to warn the people if they didn’t change their ways the city would be destroyed.
Jonah tried to get away from doing that until he was cornered in the belly of the whale. Now I read that part of the Jonah story as allegory and not literal. Being swallowed by the big fish with no way of escape, was another way of saying you have to do what has to be done. There is no getting away from it.
Now Jonah finally did bring God’s message to Nineveh and the people repented of their wrongheaded ways, and God repented from bringing the evil that was going to come upon the city.
Today there are Jews, Christians and Muslims, much like Jonah, who want to see the whole world system destroyed by God and come crashing down on everyone’s head. They believe they will be Raptured, and physically ascend into Heaven, leaving only the unsaved sinners to deal with the Hell that will unfold on earth. I don’t believe in that kind of Rapture myself.
Every human has the potential to be made in the image and likeness of God according to the Book, but that’s free choice and free will.
So by the sign Christ gives, I can only HOPE the people wake up before it’s too late, and we avoid the worst of the terrible things written in the Bible awaiting humanity. You know what the people are like. What do you think? I’m doing the best I know according to the lights I have Today.
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8/5/11
Revisiting this article after a long time, I saw the 1st computer generated link at the bottom of my article indicating there may be some similarity to another Blogger on WordPress.
I clicked on it and it brought me to a Canadian mirror of the American National Rifle Association. Now that is a contrast in Blog themes by any stretch of the imagination but I also see the connection
Both Blogs start with John Diefenbaker’s preamble to the Canadian Bill of Rights. I closely observe what is happening in the US because it is important for those Canadians standing on Guard for CanaDa to know the possibilities and probabilities of what could be the realities in our Future material world. We will have to deal with them and survive in the chaos I can see shimmering on the horizon.
I am speaking of the US Minutemen and the many other Patriot Militias who have been stockpiling a large cache of weapons, training and waiting for the Day when government would abuse their power in suppressing the people. There are lots of those Patriot groups in the US who see that Day approaching rapidly.
I think everybody, both religious and atheist, can see the world is in dire straights and nobody that can be seen on earth, the Pope, Kings, Presidents, Princes, Prime Ministers, and the other great personages seem to be in control having a handle on it. It’s a ? about Multi-National corporations.
Depending how one looks at and interprets these current realities, it is good and bad. It is dangerous and bad because if we, the common mass of individual people just leave it in their hands without thinking, observing, weighing, and questioning, the gun theme could be a nuclear weapons mistake and then we are all screwed.
It is good in the sense of realizing the great and powerful men of the earth don’t know any more than the average ordinary Citizen and we are all being made equal on a new, level playing field.
If anyone took the time to read ‘The Imperial Pope’ article, this is within it describing events of a long time ago.
“Popes were crowned and enthroned like kings up to the election of Pope Paul VI. Pope John Paul I changed all that by coming down from the throne after 1000 years of Catholic tradition and Popes have not been crowned and enthroned since then.
The world, to this very day, has not perceived and understood this important and significant Spiritual symbol of a shift in power and sign of Christ coming closer to the common people.”
Whether one believes or not, that article is concerned of events in 1978 and there is no denying in this secular world of 2011, the Winds of Change are blowing like never before.
As I looked at the page theme compared to the topics of my Blog, for the 1st time I made a connection I never thought of before.
The Gun slogan in the US is guns don’t kill people, people do. It is True that people do. Guns are legal in the US and CanaDa.
In this Blog, I call for the legalization of Marijuana for so many practical reasons, both social and economic.
It is true that Marijuana does not commit crimes, people do but the natural plant God made is made illegal.
If Canadians are going to be realistic, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is not worth the paper it’s printed on. There is an escape clause for the governing power. If the Social order deteriorates, the government unilaterally, at it’s own determination, without asking Parliament or the Canadian people, can invoke the notwithstanding clause and just like that, the Charter rights of Canadians are no more. Build more prisons is the government’s preparation. No politician is going to tell the People like it is, because the people know, and they don’t in the pampered, cloistered, exclusive environments they move in.
p.s. On refreshing the page, the links disappeared, but I did copy them from back space in the Browser.
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Wow Ray. This is great information about the gun control issues and its relationship to freedom.
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Regarding the weed issue. I am now on heavy narcotics such as Andocet. Would the weed if allowed reduce my risks while performing the same or better? Only in case you know.
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Seeing we all have different metabolisms the only way for you to know if it helps you is to try it. You must know someone or someone who knows someone who can give you a test sample.
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Ha Ha as Jenna would say. My son and son in law. BUT. my wife will kill me if I tell them that I am thinking about it. I will check with my physician. Thanks Ray.
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