680News - Lisa Brandt

Some days the news rolls off our backs. Then there are days like today. If nothing else, it makes a person happy to be living free, here in Canada.

Soldiers in Myanmar have announced that they’re hunting pro-democracy protesters and pulling people out of their homes during the night. And we know from the sudden lack of Buddhist monks in the country that the ruling military means business. The government claims 10 people have been killed in the violence.But protestors say the death toll is closer to 200 with as many as 6,000 people detained.

Sylvester Stallone was filming his next movie in Thailand and returned about a week ago.He even says he was aware of the violence going on from down the river which is currently the only way into Myannmar. The word “atrocity” was invented for this situation.

In Somalia, the search is on for a Toronto woman who hasn’t been heard from since August when she apparently refused to marry a local man. Her boyfriend back here at home says she may have been punished for wanting to marry him. She claimed, in a phone call from jail, that her own mother called Police to report her refusal to marry her family’s choice of husband. Then…silence. Canadian officials have launched a search.

It is, indeed, good to be here, safe, warm (or cool!) and knowing we can marry who we want and sleep through the night without fearing a visit from an unfriendly soldier.

I wish I could remember where I heard it — it was not on 680News. It may have been on television. I’m not sure because it was in the periphery and I listen to, watch and read a lot of news. But at the beginning of the Provincial Election Campaign some so-called “expert” said that the faith-based school funding issue would “not” become a major one.

To that I can now confidently say: HA!

The Liberals have made sure the issue stays foremost in voters’ minds by continuing to hammer home the position that funding schools for all faiths takes away money from the public system. The PC’s say that’s not how it works, but does that really matter if it’s how people PERCEIVE that it works? The NDP is fine with the status quo. And the Green Party wants to pull all religious-based funding - that means no more public money for Catholic schools.

Meanwhile, the PC’s are either pulling back a bit or more fully explaining their position on faith-based funding.

It is definitely the big issue. Education is usually a big one anyway but pull religion into it and you’ve got yourself a polarizing hot potato. Please pass the sour cream and chives!