April Reign

Speak your mind even if your voice shakes

activism

Democracy? Fuck that shit

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Title shamelessly stolen from Mike in a comment at Unrepentant Old Hippie

Anyone who still believes Canada’s New Government™ has any concept of democracy, decency or shame, must surely be disabused of that notion by this from Blogging a Dead Horse;

“Three days ago, Dick Harris, the Conservative MP for Cariboo-Prince George announced that the Conservatives have named their local candidate Sharon Smith the “Skeena-Bulkley Valley liason to the federal government.

That’s right, seems that after only 20 months of trying it, the Conservatives have decided that listening to MPs – particularly those from other parties – is way too onerous and distracting. The solution is obvious really: replace them with compliant and agreeable people who look like MPs, pretend to be MPs, but have absolutely no legitimacy.”

Many parties with a minority government have thought of ways to have more members elected next time round. None have dared to dispense with the electoral process and simply install members as they see fit.

This is not simple partisan politics. This is a reshaping of the very foundations on which our government, our country is built.

Harper’s Government™ must hear loudly and clearly that this heinous assault on our democratic process will not be tolerated.

NetRoots

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NetRootsNow that there are a number of politicians recognizing the importance of reaching out to the online activist community, I thought it would be a great thing to have them all in one place.

A politicians only aggregator.

From the NetRoots about page

NetRoots provides an opportunity for the savvy blogging public to interact with candidates to become more familiar both with the candidates and the issues.

NetRoots also provides information for the political activist to help every Canadian exercise their right to vote.

By bringing together bloggers of all stripes NetRoots strives to provide Canadians with a unique space in which bloggers, activists, politicians and others can discuss, educate, learn and ultimately vote!

If you have a link to site or a resource that would help inform voters, or activist resources for people to help those often marginalized from the voting process, or that provides polls, please send it on.

Also if you are or know of a blogging politician and would like to join, please use the form on the Contact page at the site.

Politicians from all parties and independents are all welcome.

Protecting life

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What springs to your mind when you hear this phrase?

Perhaps programs which allow people access to the essentials for living– homes, food access to health care.

Perhaps you think of the bike helmet you bought your child, or your resolve to never drive drunk or tired or otherwise occupied.

Maybe you think of the aid you send to a foster child, or women’s shelter or other hands on charity.

I wonder in your deliberations if you ever consider refusing to fund abortions for poor women.

There has been much ado amongst the “I’m alright jack” and the “woo hoo lets legislate the hoo hoo” over this;

A clause was added to the Hamilton County indigent care levy contract 10 years ago to block the money from being spent on abortions for poor people.

Recently, that change almost was reversed.

Oh dear the horror!! That women would have the choice not to bring more children they can’t afford into the world!

Of course lets not forget that as poor women they shouldn’t be having sex at all. Nope no way, no pleasure for you lady. And that “sweet precious wonderful protected life” in your womb, well don’t get too attached to having it thought of that way because as soon as it’s born it becomes “another goddamn miserable drain on society that my tax dollars have to go to support“.

Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati had sent word of the clause deletion to more than 1,000 people on its e-mail list. It has since sent a follow up e-mail on the reinstatement.

Executive Director Paula Westwood said she was pleased that the clause is back in.

“Our foremost goal is to make sure that life is protected,” she said. “It looks like the language will remain on this, and that is a good thing.”

One can only hope that Ms. Westwood will put as much effort into ensuring that the resulting children are fed and clothed and babysat while their mothers try to support them. Perhaps she can also direct them to counselling for the depression, anger and terror they feel at being forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. No doubt that would not fall under Ms. Westwood’s umbrella of protecting “life”.

“Having a girl is to plant a seed in someone else’s garden.”

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cross posted at Bread and Roses: Front Page

India is proposing to register all women who are pregnant. This ostensibly is being done in order to curb the number of female fetuses being aborted and to help stop the number of female child infanticides.

Currently up to 500,000 female fetuses are being aborted yearly. The preference for boys has “[…]reduced the number of girls per 1,000 boys from 945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001.” ((http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/14/ap3914376.html))

Boys tend to be preferred because they carry on the family name. But families here also fear the financial burden of girls – when it comes time to pay huge traditional dowries to their daughters’ future husbands upon marriage. ((http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-03/2007-03-05-voa17.cfm))

Until there is a change in the way females are viewed societally, the attempt to limit abortions will only result in more female children suffering. As they are more likely to be killed at birth and less likely to receive the same care in feeding and medical attention and less likely to receive education.

There are many mitigating circumstances in the law that permit a woman to have an abortion. Rape is one, the inability of an unmarried woman to care for a child is another. Any pregnancy that causes mental anguish to a woman can be legally terminated even against medical advice. The minister ought to be looking at the root cause of female foeticide, not try to enter a personal domain. ((http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=db8deabe-930d-40d9-8f91-c02f151bc8ff&&Headline=Getting+up+close+and+far+too+personal))

[Read more…] about “Having a girl is to plant a seed in someone else’s garden.”

But we have no class!

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I’ve often heard my brothers and sisters of the Great White North patting themselves on the back for our lack of class system. Unlike other countries where class divides are marked.

I always did wonder if we had no class system why we had so many classes. Working class, middle class, lower middle class, upper middle class, blue collar, white collar–I used to ask what very poor was, dirty collar?

There is without a doubt a very strong class system here and the idea that class lines are easily crossed is naive.

A child from a poor or working class home is unlikely to have the same opportunities for post secondary education as a child from a middle class home. This starts right from public school.

A child who speaks out, grabs toys, and is bossy with playmates receives very different attention depending on the income of the parents concerned. One child will be seen as a leader, confident, assertive, the other as aggressive, lacking self discipline and a future behaviour problem.

Interviews will be scheduled and the parents advised to seek help now while s/he is young enough to “retrain” and parenting classes will be suggested.

Even if s/he is gifted s/he will be treated differently. There will be no extra supports or encouragement merely a derisive attitude that you would even consider that your child could somehow be smarter than his/her monied counterparts.

This attitude pounded grade after grade into a childs mind ensures they will have little belief in their abilities. The cycle of poverty is not created by the poor it is forced upon them.

Are there examples of people having lifted out regardless? Of course there are. That doesn’t disprove the reality of most. [Read more…] about But we have no class!

Putting it on the line

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MonetlineAurora Mayor Phyllis Morris is campaigning to have clothes lines designated “as a good, a service or a technology,” this would enable home owners and tenants to bypass developer and landlord restrictions.

Think about it, clothes lines are the original solar powered home appliance. They help to conserve energy, and are another way to fight global warming.

The Ontario Ministry of the Environment says that a standard clothes dryer consumes 900 kWh of energy per year, creating up to 840 kg of air pollution and greenhouse gases.


Ontario Energy Minister Dwight Duncan was not available to comment, but a spokesman said Aurora is the only municipality to have issued a formal complaint.

Lets rectify that! Write your council, your mayor, your MPP and the Minister of the Environment.

And if you don’t live in Ontario don’t let that stop you!! Be the first to start the campaign in your area.

source

Mayor of Aurora


Right to Dry Campaign

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