The chart below is from a 1999 study conducted by the FBI titled The Color of Crime: Race, Crime and Violence in America and in summation we learn that For virtually all crimes, there are consistent and pronounced differences in arrest rates for violent crime by race and ethnicity.

The deep reality is that certain racial groups commit more crimes than others. This is something we tend to ignore in Canada as it is deemed to be politically incorrect. As a case, while we note that aboriginals are over-represented in our Canadian prisons our politicians and media alike treat the data set as if they are victims of an unjust society and ignore the possibility that there may be more aboriginals in prisons simply because they commit more crimes.

A brave proposal that is sure to incite negative feedback:

Canadian police departments should collect race-based crime data, two Ontario criminologists say.

Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Criminology, and Paul Millar, a criminal justice professor at Nipissing University, make their controversial argument in a report titled Whitewashing Criminal Justice in Canada: Preventing Research through Data Suppression.

The study appears in the current issue of the Canadian Journal of Law and Society.

“Information on race is essential for the equitable provision of policing services and for the development of police policy,” Owusu-Bempah said on the U of T's website.

The two cite recent studies showing blacks are over-represented in local police stops in Canada and Aboriginals are over-represented in Canadian prisons.

Part of the explanation for over-representation, the authors say, is that these minorities are often situated in positions of social disadvantage, putting them at greater risk of involvement in crime as both victims and perpetrators. But differential treatment by police and others aspects of criminal justice is an important factor as well.

“If we are serious about reducing racism and making our law responsive to behaviour instead of personal characteristics, we must systematically collect data on race,” said Millar. “Suppressing race statistics makes quantitative anti-racism research impossible. Further, failure to collect data does not prevent racial profiling." (QMI)

How do you know where you are going if you don't know where you have been?

I particularily like the sentiment that social disadvantages are only additional contributing risk factors for criminal behavior and not the primary cause. Growing up poor is not a reason to be a criminal however a lack of morality is.

Collecting and publishing data on racial crime stats is bound to open up a world of very uncomfortable worms as it will deny races with heavy crime attributions an excuse. An excuse that they are being dealt with unfairly which can be used to gain media sympathy and hide the cold hard facts. As in my case, there are more aboriginals in prisons because they commit more crimes. The problem begins there and what over-representation we perceive is not a valuation of discrimination.

Suppressing race statistics makes quantitative anti-racism research impossible.

A true and open statement but good luck selling it as there are a lot of people out there who earn a living delving on the opposite.

The murder of Aqsa Parvez in 2007 was the catalyst which brought the term 'honour killing' into the everyday language of Canadians and the cultural differentials brought on because of it has been on a roller coaster ever since.

Islam does not condone honour killings, there is no honour killings in Islam, honour killings are not sanctioned in the Koran, ect... 

This is pretty much what we've heard from Muslims high up on the food chain ever since. At question however, is if Muslims do not commit honour crimes then why does it seem like all the honour crimes are connected with Islam?

The recent case of the Shafia killings has once again brought the term into the spotlight and Muslims from coast to coast have been left scrambling to find a new antidote for why this has nothing to do with them and their religion.

Amusingly, a  group of Muslims even went so far as to complain about the use of the term honour killings by those outside the religion because it reflected bad on Islam. The thing is, if it reflects bad on Islam it is because there is an inherent connection.

In steps Calgary Imam Syed Soharwardy who has a bad habit of saying and doing the wrong things at the wrong time, to clear up the air:

Imam Syed Soharwardy, from Calgary, was surrounded by a dozen other Islamic Supreme Council of Canada members at the Jamia Riyadhul Jannah mosque in Mississauga on Saturday as he delivered the official religious edict — a bold step meant to prevent another tragedy like the Shafia family killings.

"Those who think honour killing is OK are dead wrong," Soharwardy said. "There is no place for violence in Islam."

"A very small minority" of Muslims think this way and they "need to be corrected," he added. (Toronto Sun)

And there we have it, directly from the mouth of the head honcho of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada - An admittance that a minority of Muslims think this way and believe that honour killings are justified. Wasn't that easy?

It has to be tough to be at the top of the food chain of your respective career path and end up being horribly wrong. Even tougher to come out and fully admit it.

In what was predicted to be one of the coldest and most miserable winters on record we Canadians have so far been enjoying one of the mildest on record.

Dig the gee-whiz response from the head guru at Environment Canada:

"Boy, never have we been more wrong in the West as this year," said Dave Phillips, chief climatologist for Environment Canada.

"I mean, you know, to have just been normal would have been a real error," he added.

"But my gosh, when you come out of December and January to be the second-warmest on record, I mean, it really is embarrassing almost. I mean it truly, when you look at it, it's been sort of the non-winter." (CBC).

To be fair, that other bastion of what the weather will be got it wrong too. The Farmers Almanac was calling for an ominous 'clime and punishment' but to date I've noted no apology from them.

Somebody must be to blame for us poor Canadians spending needless time and effort preparing for the worst and true to form, some leftists have managed to string a line between the cuts to staff levels at Environment Canada to the apparent confusion we are dealing with today.  It is part of that hate science agenda or something.

But then in steps Environment Canada who are seemingly determined to right a wrong as they are now predicting warm weather ahead for most of Canada.

Interesting enough, this latest prediction falls in line with Canadian groundhogs who because of hibernation remained untainted by any unscienced inclinations of the Conservative government.

Out of Winnipeg comes a heartwarming cross-cultural story of sharing beliefs that is sure to touch the nation from coast to coast.

In 1984, Haitian-born Gregory Bromby viciously raped and then murdered 15 year old Tara Manning by stabbing her 51 times. He was sentenced to life in a Quebec prison but was transferred to a Winnipeg facility in 2010. As Gregory Bromby committed his crimes while still a minor he is eligible for parole even though he is supposed to be serving a life sentence, and that is where our story begins:

According to a letter sent to Manning [Tara's father] by the Parole Board of Canada, Bromby asked for the elder-assisted hearing.

First introduced in 1992, the cultural hearings are designed to “provide an environment that facilitates a culturally sensitive hearing process for aboriginal offenders,” according to a parole board document.

Participants in the hearing are seated in a circle with an elder facilitating. There’s a ceremony portion of the hearing, which involves smudging and prayer, and a decision-making portion.

Manning said that, to his knowledge, Bromby has no aboriginal heritage.

“This has to do with their culture, their way of life,” he said of the cultural hearings. “And he is Haitian.”

Manning said he doesn’t have a problem with Bromby accessing a culturally sensitive hearing process if he can demonstrate he has been following an aboriginal spiritual path for a sustained period.

“But they won’t tell me anything,” he said. “If he joined the Red Road a week before he applied for parole, then he can go and say to people two months later, ‘Listen, I’m following the Red Road. I’m doing really well.’ It’s all smoke and mirrors.”

The Parole Board of Canada said anyone who meets specified criteria can apply for an elder-assisted hearing, even if that person is not of aboriginal descent.

“The Correctional Service of Canada will submit information regarding that offender’s participation in aboriginal programs and spiritual activities,” said Amy Wood, a regional spokesperson for the Parole Board of Canada.

The parole board then makes a decision based on three criteria: commitment, engagement and progress in aboriginal teachings.

She said there is no set amount of time a person must follow these teachings before applying for the cultural parole hearing, she said. Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Wood said the decision reached by the parole board at the end of the hearing is “exactly the same as if it was a regular hearing.”

There were 492 applications for elder-assisted parole hearings last year. Of those, 56 applications were made by non-aboriginal people.

She could not comment on Bromby’s case because of privacy regulations. (CBC)

The indian way didn't appear to have any extra sympathy for Gregory Bromby as he was denied parole. As a non-aboriginal asking for aboriginal treatment I bet the general consensus is that Gregory took this route because he must have felt that he would be treated differently, even more leniently. That is what I would think and do.

If the general consensus is agreeable to the course towards leniency or differential treatment then that explains the sudden media interest in this story, because if there was no inclination to thinking that way, then this wouldn't be a story at all.

The reality is, there is no dishonour in adopting the spiritual beliefs of another culture, however the case here seems so outrageous, we would want to believe otherwise.

If Gregory Bromby wants to be an indian I don't see why anyone should care. But, if Gregory Bromby wants to continue to be a Haitian who gets to be treated like an indian, then hey, we have a problem.

::

Notable - Charles Adler gives his 02. Kinda whishy washy Readers Digest sad smack but his points are good.

The story of Rwandan war criminal Leon Mugesera and teacher at Laval University first caught my eye back in 2005 when media reports surfaced about the governments plan to deport him because of a previous inclination to incite genocide against 800,000 Tutsi's back in 1992. He apparently gave a fiery speech to a couple thousand like-minded individuals urging them to exterminate the bastards.

Possibly he was thinking that nobody would take him seriously as when the killing started he took off to Spain and then came over here to our fine country where he was granted landed immigrant status in 1994. A little over ten years later, after Leon had gotten nicely settled in, somebody in our beuaracracy said holy crap - it probably isn't cool to let this guy stick around and then the deportation hearings began.

The typical appeals process began to ensue, he might get the death penalty if sent back to Rwanda but then Rwanda promised that they wouldn't pursue one.

The usual winner that tends to work for a lot of war criminals hiding out here is the don't send me back or I will be tortured plea and in this case, it has kept Leon Mugesera on our soil for an extra 16 years.

The latest appeal involved Mugesara contacting the UN directly which brought in the UN Convention Against Torture which Canada is a partner with. Does anyone remember what the UN did when 800,000 Tutsi's were getting hacked up with machetes? Pretty much nothing despite all the desperate pleas so it is notable to see them stick their nose in here.

Our own government who are well aware of the hypocrisy said the hell with the UN, let's kick him out anyways.

Leon Mugesara, fell ill from the apparent stress:

Canadian authorities will deport Léon Mugesera, an alleged Rwandan war criminal, in spite of a postponement request from the United Nations committee against torture.

The UN committee asked Canada to delay Mugesera's deportation, after the former Rwandan politician's legal team lobbied the commission to investigate claims that he could face possible torture or death if he is sent back to his native country.

Officials with the federal Department of Public Security confirmed Wednesday night that they will go ahead and execute the deportation order.

It's not clear when that will actually happen — Mugesera's scheduled deportation will likely be delayed after he suffered a medical crisis Wednesday afternoon that put him in a Quebec City hospital.

His legal team told CBC News that doctors at the Centre Hospitalier de l'Université Laval (CHUL) won't let Mugesera fly until his medical situation is resolved.

The UN's intervention came at the 11th hour of Mugesera's anticipated Thursday afternoon deportation.

Justice Michel Shore denied Mugesera's appeal for a delay on his deportation order earlier Wednesday in a Montreal courtroom.

Less than three hours later, Mugesera was rushed by ambulance to hospital, suffering what his lawyers described as a stress-related attack. (CBC)

Sneaky... Reminds me of the antics of one Laibar Singh who as a suspected terrorist faced deportation but held it off for years by faking paralysis. The last grip on the door frame.

Leon might not have to be too ill for too long however, the latest twist comes courtesy of Quebec Superior Court Judge William Fraiberg who issued an 11th hour ruling stating that Leon can stay here pending the UN's review of his case. How he can overide a federal ruling is beyond me but what isn't, is the last play of a stressed out man:

"Daddy is in critical condition," the family said in a statement. "We urge Canada to meet its international obligations as demanded by the High Commissioner for Human Rights." (QMI)

And until we meet the obligations as demanded by the High Commissioner for Human Rights that rule in favor of Leon Mugesera, we'll be staying right here...

::

01/15/12 - Did I ever doubt this government... Released from hospital and arrested, another hearing on Monday.

I've been watching the Alberta reserve of Hobbema struggle with it's violent gang problems for almost a decade. After every stabbing or gunshot they make national headlines and vow to clean the place up, and I believe, that the chief and council have really tried to clean the place up.

Nothing has worked and the violence continues on a daily basis. Media watchers only see what is bad enough to make the papers but lower level threats have become normal because of the prevailing gang culture, and people live in fear everyday. A culture of intrinsic violence (have been there and seen it) is what really runs the community. The bigger infractions are just enough to make us point.

Enter the last resort of the traditional aboriginal practise of banishment:

A Hobbema councillor who's "tired of burying young people" is backing a proposed bylaw that would boot troublemakers off the Samson Cree First Nation reserve.

Kirk Buffalo, a Samson band councillor for nine months, is in favour of Wednesday's referendum on a residency bylaw at the largest of four Hobbema reserves aimed at evicting gang members.

Under the proposed bylaw, any 25 residents can apply to have someone legally removed from the reserve.

"This residency bylaw is not a solution. It's merely a tool," Buffalo said.

"We've had two murders, drive-by shooting, gang activity, drug activity," Buffalo said of some of the events leading to the referendum.

"As dysfunctional as Hobbema sounds, we're very rich with our elders, our language, our culture and that's what we need to connect. The people who we are talking about are disconnected to themselves."

The referendum, which was announced weeks ago but discussed for years, created a buzz through Hobbema, 70 km south of Edmonton.

"The only people who are worried (about the referendum), the only people that are against it, maybe, are in the drug or gang (culture)," Buffalo said. "Because most of the people, if you respect the law, and respect yourself, it doesn't affect you."

Buffalo said his work with the court system has allowed him to deal directly with the underlying issues and is a strong believer in what he termed the "home fire."

"If everything is well at home, the family, the father, the mother, there's roles in our culture. There's a role as a young man and there are roles as a young woman, and if you can teach that to these parents - young parents - it would be a lot better than what we see today," he said. (Sun News)

I heard Kirk Buffalo on the radio today and his greatest misgiving was that because the bigger picture of the reserve is divided up into four communities a positive vote for banishment would mean that those banished could still maintain their neighbourship as the other communities haven't gotten on board with the program yet. Interviews of elders from the Hobbema community by the Aboriginal People's Television Network (APTN) give us the opinion that this is a positive move. They just seem to be plain tired of the constant crap.

Those against banishment mostly follow the case against Manitoba's Norway House First Nation who passed a banishment law in 2009. The idea against is that corrupt or nefarious chiefs and council members (like we never see them) could banish other members of the community for political purposes. My friend Cory Morgan picks up on this piece of injustice and furthers a case against the tradition.

My own view resides on the fact that the traditional form of banishment is a punishment that is worse then a death sentance. A disavowing of all ties from ones community.

It is different then say a non-aboriginal being a black sheep in the family and being 'turn-backed' from the shaking fingers of relatives. This is about soul and the deeper sense of who you are being repelled and being rejected.

Kick them out and let them stand on their own feet outside the community and let's see how they fare. Typically, the fear that they live on will not be that easy to get once outside familiar grounds, and they soon turn to nothing.

::

The people speak: Hobbema reserve votes to allow eviction of gang members