They'll Tolerate A Nativity Scene As Long As The Word "Life" Isn't There

A plaque commemorating a pro-life priest was regarded as a "political" / "anti-abortion" message by the city of Toronto. Which ordered it to be removed from the nativity scene in front of Old City Hall:

Baby Jesus can stay, but the anti-abortion message has to go.

That's what the city told the Roman Catholic group behind the nativity scene at the Old City Hall courthouse Wednesday. The Jesus, Mary and Joseph figures are a 13-year tradition, but not the new plaque paying tribute to a "Pro Life hero."

"You've got an overtly political group that's getting a city endorsement of their agenda," said Doug Macdonald, an East York resident who complained in writing to his councillor, Sandra Bussin, and to Mayor David Miller. "And here we are putting their political message in front of the courthouse."

Macdonald said in an interview he's not offended by a glass-enclosed, two-metre-high scene – but by Campaign Life Coalition's sponsorship plaque stating it was donated "in honour of Pro Life hero Fr. Ted Colleton."

Colleton, a retired priest and anti-abortion activist, was arrested more than a dozen times for civil disobedience – most famously for padlocking Henry Morgentaler's Harbord St. clinic in 1985.

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Interestingly, Toronto Star refers to the plaque as "anti-abortion message", even though there was nothing there that actually mentioned abortion. Apparently, for those guys, anything that has "pro-life" in it, automatically becomes an "anti-abortion message" and it's automatically "political".

And another thing - this was just a plaque, not a billboard. Unless the complainer has a habit of carrying a binocular with him, he must have had to approach the nativity scene just to figure out that this was actually a plaque, not just a metal part of the structure and then he had to take a closer look at the plaque, to read what's there and to figure out that he finds the text offensive. The very first question is - did someone force this guy to do all that?

Obviously, he didn't come there because he adores the baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph. So what exactly prevented him from just walking by - as so many others did? If we try to analyze his behavior, the latter will remind us of yet another fierce fighter for political correctness that keeps a close eye on everything that his opponents write, looking for controversial opinions that would warrant a "human rights" complaint. Too bad, the secular humanist activists at the City Hall chose to side with him.

Now, he claims that "Christmas stays politics-free". Oh, really? How come he doesn't notice all those businesses and government offices that avoid mentioning Christmas in their posters, billboards and greeting cards, yet they consider it their duty to mention Kwanza or Ramadan? If the complainer truly wanted Christmas to be "politics-free" - maybe he should have started with them, instead of walking around the nativity scene in search of a would be controversy to complain about?