Speak your mind even if your voice shakes
A May/Dion romance:
An interesting way to do politics. Deprive people of the right to vote for all parties. Work out backroom deals in the front room thereby pretending it is something other than what it is. Pretend it is visionary and slur all detractors with the indefensible partisan label. While the thing itself smacks of all that is wrong with politics, the spin is genius. [Read more…] about Scattered Scribblings
Interesting case in Britain.
A couple have embryos created via IVF, they subsequently split up, she has had surgery for cancer and is unable to conceive any other way, he however refuses consent for her to carry any of the eggs to term.
the law states
“However, the European Court of Human Rights has considered that both partners have equal rights over the embryos once created. This ruling supports the HFEA Act which requires both parties to consent or in this instance, withdraw that consent.”
If he had fertilized the eggs the natural way he would have no choice, yet in this case he is in effect choosing abortion.
It will be interesting to see if he receives the same types of attacks that women who choose abortion do.
The Star has an article on the Charter today,
A quarter-century later, the Charter is at a crossroads. While there may be much to celebrate, the process of using it to establish rights is time-consuming and expensive, almost entirely dependent on government subsidies and the benevolence of lawyers to bankroll cases, sometimes costing millions of dollars.
Restrictions on legal aid and a decision last fall by the Conservative government to kill the Court Challenges Program, which helped fund individuals and citizen groups fighting for constitutional protections, have made the Charter more inaccessible than ever.
Today, many experts are pessimistic about its future as a tool in battling for equality and fending off unwarranted government intrusions into people’s lives. Like fine champagne, the Charter is in danger of becoming a luxury many never taste.
Interesting quotes from a conservative on rights for the average Canadian.
Rainer Knopff, a political scientist at the University of Calgary, said the program was “a biased boondoggle that had gone well past its `best before’ date.”
The program only funded groups on “one side” of the political spectrum while “socially conservative groups never got any money. Not a penny, as far as I know,” said Knopff.
He also echoed then-Treasury Board president John Baird’s suggestion, made in defending the decision to kill the program, that it made no sense for Ottawa to spend public money helping groups challenge its own legislation.
“I don’t want to pay for surrogate litigants,” said Knopff, arguing public interest groups should raise their own money for Charter cases. “If they can’t raise the money – tough.”
Apparently conservatives feel rights are for those that can afford them. Not that this is surprising, however, it is nice to have it so neatly laid out.
One can only hope that during an election campaign these words along with those of Harper saying that ordinary Canadians aren’t protesting complete with scenes of farmers and seniors and youth out protesting, find major play in party ads.
Rules of etiquette commonly call for the avoidance of certain topics. Chief among those are politics and religion.
It is worth noting that these are treated as two separate items, and rightly so.
When religion is factored into politics neither can work appropriately.
Religion deals with spirituality, with ones belief in being part of a specific god’s community and the leaders therein are charged with representing a specific community of belief.
Politics deals with issues specific to secular communities. An elected representative is charged with representing everyone, not just those who subscribe to a certain belief system. Though some governments tend to forget this. [Read more…] about Politics and Religion
Surreal bizarre or dreamlike
One might expect to read an article such as this.
Today Eric Montanez, 21 was honoured for his work in helping the homeless. Reporters filmed him Wednesday as he served “30 unidentified persons food from a large pot”.
Locals say they are impressed with this young man’s initiative and good works.
However this is the true story
MIAMI (Reuters) – Police in Florida have arrested an activist for feeding the homeless in downtown Orlando.
Eric Montanez, 21, of the charity group Food Not Bombs, was charged with violating a controversial law against feeding large groups of destitute people in the city center, police said on Thursday.
Montanez was filmed by undercover officers on Wednesday as he served “30 unidentified persons food from a large pot utilizing a ladle,” according to an arrest affidavit. The Orlando area is home to Disney World and Universal Studios Florida.
Utilizing a ladle. My Gawd the absolute horror. 16 to base 16 to base, we have man in possession of ladle here, request backup immediately, hungry people are being fed, move the terror alert to orange.
the rest is here: Rueters
From Futurama
FRY: What if the secret ingredient is people?
LEELA: No, there’s already a soda like that. Soylent Cola.
FRY: Oh. How is it?
LEELA: It varies from person to person.
The current recalls on pet food are finally bringing an awareness to the vulnerabilities in our food system.
We have slowly allowed corporations to control our entire food chain. From Monsanto declaring patents on life to water privatization to factory farming.
Are any of these things actually benefiting us? [Read more…] about The Staff of Life and other Poisons
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