Genocide: Has "Never Again" become a catchy slogan or will the world ever really learn?

NOTE: IF YOU CHOOSE TO COMPLETE THIS POSTING, IT MUST BE DONE BY 7AM ON OCTOBER 31 SO THAT IT CAN BE MARKED IN A TIMELY FASHION.

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to visit the Friends of Simon Weisenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies. I think we can all agree that the discussion was entirely thought-provoking and we all share a sense of confusion how it is that events surrounding genocide continue to happen in spite of the lessons learned from the Holocaust.

1. Give an example of genocide that has taken place after the Holocaust (e.g. The rape of Nanking, Cambodia, Bosnia-Herzogovina, Armenia, etc.). Provide a summary of the issue, who was involved and what happened. How was this event similar to the Holocaust? (20 marks - knowledge)

2. Read the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide at this website: http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/genocide-convention.htm. The Convention was adopted in 1948 and yet, many instances of genocide have occurred since. Why do you think this is the case? Can the UN be the only voice in the world taking a stance on this issue? Do other nations of the world need to get involved? Who? What do they need to do? (20 marks - thinking)

3. Respond to something posted by a classmate that particularly struck you. (10 marks - application)

The Bedrooms of the Nation

Once you have responded to the previous posting, click on this link and watch the video of a very young Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who made famous the quote, "There's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation."

http://archives.cbc.ca/politics/rights_freedoms/topics/538-2671/
-watch the clip
-read "The Story"
-click and read "Did You Know?"

Consider the context... The year is 1967. Canada is undergoing a sexual revolution. Birth control is a hot political topic, especially for young feminists. (For more information, perform a Google search and find out more about this particularly turbulent time in our nation's history. It is because of times like this that if people ever say Canadian history is boring, it's because they don't know ANYTHING about Canadian history...) Was Trudeau right? Or did Trudeau open a big can of worms? (15 marks, inquiry)

Please post your response by Tuesday, October 14, 2008.

Can You be Religious AND Political?

These postings should be interesting... I'm sure that at one point in your young lives, your parents or any adult told you, "You should never mix religion and politics in a conversation..." When I was your age, especially at family gatherings, I waited for this moment when the two topics would erupt into yelling and screaming across the table, not too long after we all expressed how thankful we were to be able to get together as a family to share the meal. Ah, the memories... To date, you have all proven yourselves to be extremely political and you are quickly approaching the voting age, if you aren't already. You may find yourself having a conflict of conscience or faith when faced with choosing leaders to represent you, especially when they are proponents of certain actions not supported by your religion. Can you be political and religious?

Your Task:

1. (15 marks, inquiry) Look at the pie chart. It is the result of a 2003 American poll. People were asked, "Should churches express views on political matters?" What is your opinion? Do you think result would have been different if conducted in Canada? Consider the following example...

When the same-sex marriage legislation was recently passed, the Catholic Church in Canada was very vocal about its position on the matter. Some politicians who supported the bill felt the immediate repercussions in their own parishes -some were refused the Eucharist and others were asked to leave. The Church's position on same-sex marriage is very clear. The intent is not to perpetuate hate of homosexuals but rather, it seeks to establish the teaching that marriage between a man and a woman is natural law. Same-sex marriages defy natural law and do not allow for the couple to share in the creative process with God. Historically, the laws of this land have been based on Judeo-Christian principles. This law completely disregarded this tradition. Was the Church realistic to believe that it could influence the actions at least of Catholic politicians? Once elected, does one check their faith at the door and replace it with secular views because they are charged with representing a diverse constituency?

2. (15 marks, inquiry) What are your reactions to Father Mario's presentation? What were some of the things you had trouble with? With what did you agree? Ultimately, what point was he trying to make? Do you agree? Be specific...

3. (10 mark, inquiry) Click on the following link:

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/politics/pg0020.html

Read the article. Do you agree with the "Practical Suggestions" being made? Why/why not?

4. (10 marks, application). React/respond to any comment made by your classmates.

You should post your responses by Friday, October 10, 2008. This should be very interesting... Looking forward to reading what you have to say!