Injustice on two fronts

Islamic terror has reached Canada, at least on paper, and at least in the mind of newspaper publisher Bob Doull.
As president and CEO of the Christian History Project, Doull has been forced to lay off about 50 people and the planned 12 volumes of the $3-$5-million project, 'The Christians -- Their First Two Thousand Years' has ceased publication after only six volumes. And he identified a former technician of destroying or retrieving all the records, including the volumes of work from outstanding artists and writers, plus all the customer records from the expensive computer system, based in Edmonton, Alberta.
Doull, who is publisher of a number of community newspapers in British Columbia and Alberta, said that 'B', a member of contact center administration for the project, was either a Moslem or connected with Moslems in halting the massive publishing undertaking.
According to Internet sources, 'B', a native of Zimbabwe, was a 1999 graduate of Southern Illinois University, majoring in finance and banking. He also was named regional manager for northern Alberta for Go Hard Technologies, however, a spokesman for that firm said he had not been with them for at least two years and, he, too, was also concerned with his whereabouts.
The project, headed by Doull and well-known magazine publisher, Ted Byfield, had been hailed as "awe-inspiring" not only throughout the Christian community, but also in the secular world. It had been recognized as a high achievement in publishing by such notables as Charles Colson.
Doull said the computer system was certainly tampered with on Tuesday, December 28, 2004 and it provoked Doull to "set up a couch outside the server room."
Such precautions seemed useless, for the culprit(s) struck again on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2005. It was less devastating as they "tried to take down the telephone system."
Although six volumes had been published, the two incidents sent the project into a tailspin even though added security systems were in place.
"It paralyzed our customer service," said Doull, who at the present time is trying to clear up some accounts with various writers from the CHP before returning to full-time publishing in such places as Whistler, Squamish, B.C., and Banff.
As for renewing the planned 12-volume project, Doull was far from optimistic, stating about $700,000 would be needed to restore a workable system. "We certainly have lost momentum," he said.
Although there has been no direct contact with the Edmonton Moslem community, there has been "negative feedback." through letters to newspapers, said Doull, even though CHP supporter, Jack Klemke of Campus Crusade for Christ and president of KMG Mining, has attempted to get a dialogue going between Moslems and Christians.
While Doull placed the blame on a "Moslem," the former executive editor of "The Christians", Paul Stanway pinpointed that 'B' was not a Moslem, but a "beer-swigging Anglican." When informed of Doull's assessment of the situation, he said, the project had suffered financial woes with "overspending" before the computer problems. Stanway is the former editor, and now columnist, with the Edmonton Sun.
Doull informed me that 'B' had been questioned by Edmonton police, but had been released, and it's not known where he might be.
Stanway added that 'B' had broken into the computer system and was 'kiting' CHP cheques.
Ironically, the fith volume of 'The Christians' was titled, 'The Sword of Islam (A.D. 565 to 740) -- The Muslim Onslaught all but Destroys Christendom." In the foreword it reads: "The story of the Crusades will be told in a future volume, but the impications of this one is clear -- the Christian confrontation with Islam goes back to Islam's origins, and it it snot over."
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One of the most ludicrous news items yesterday was that the Canadian Red Cross had only been fined $5,000 in the atrocious tainted blood scandal of the 1980s and 1990s.
What were the courts thinking?
Oh, there was a kicker to the fine and that was the Red Cross would fork over $1.5-million to the University of Ottawa for research and scholarships for members of those afflicted. Big deal.
Red Cross secretary-general Dr. Pierre Duplessis whimpered about how deeply sorry they were for the injury and "death."
While some may excuse the terrible toll it took on more than 1,000, all we have to say is 15 years later and a million or so, just isn't enough. This was blood money and not very much of it.