April Reign

Speak your mind even if your voice shakes

Politics

Mothers

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An interesting article at Women’s Enews on mothering and the value placed on it. While much lip service is given to the undertaking, little is done to actually support those choosing to have children.

(WOMENSENEWS)–The news media loves stories about highly educated mothers opting out of rewarding careers to stay at home with their young children.

Anecdotal evidence unsupported by serious research is also constantly drumming home the idea that women consider themselves the best providers of child care. For example, a 2006 Salary.com survey of what mothers do “on the job” leads with the headline “Dream Job: Stay at Home Mom.” Although the survey claims that equal numbers of working and stay-at-home mothers participated, quotes from the happy, at-home mothers dominate the report.

For instance, working mothers are “horrified” at the thought of hiring strangers to care for their children, they believe that mother’s care is “priceless” and that motherhood is the “greatest job in the world.” It’s easy to stay on message: Women must choose between work and family.

But the opposite message is sent to low-income mothers.

The recent debate over the welfare-to-work provisions of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families–or welfare–captures this difference. Congress did not debate the best means to provide even minimally adequate day care to the children of single parents. Instead they wondered whether or not the required hours of paid work should be increased!

Why does popular sentiment portray some mothers as virtuous when they drop out of the labor force to care for their families, while others are responsible only if they work for pay outside the home?

With Mothers Day coming up and the usual platitudes running rampant trying to get you to spend spend spend to show mom how much you love her, and with the forced pregnancy folks all creamed up about Bushie and company and their anti choice stance, I thought it might be interesting to see just how much mothers are valued once those sacred womb contents are born. [Read more…] about Mothers

Plows and other gyn procedures

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Ah Pat…never one to engage brain before opening mouth. On the subject of the Women on the Waves ship Pat had this to say;

“Just think of having rocking waves while you’re getting your insides plowed into by some doctor. That doesn’t sound like fun to me…”

Now since they are handing out Mifepristone –a PILL– one wonders exactly how Pat ingests his multivitamin.

Also from the story is a must read link to an article about doctors reaction to the new abortion ban;

Dr. Christopher Estes shared a story with PRCH about a patient he treated last year. In an op-ed he wrote for The Daily News, Dr. Estes recalls treating a woman he calls Lisa. She was pregnant with her third child, and suffering from a heart condition that developed during her last delivery.

“Her condition had worsened substantially within the last week, and we were not sure how much longer her heart could withstand the strain of her pregnancy,” he says. Dr. Estes believed the safest treatment for Lisa was an abortion using the method Congress has banned. “I will have to think long and hard about what I will do the next time I take care of a patient like Lisa. What am I supposed to say to her? ‘I’m sorry, but you’re part of the small fraction of women our laws ignore?'”

further;

The Supreme Court’s decision asserts many things that are simply not true. For instance, the ruling contends that because some women might regret having an abortion if they knew what was involved, the state should anticipate that and protect them. Essentially, this ruling says that untrained politicians can make medical decisions for all of America—even when doctors vehemently disagree with Congress’ supposed findings.

Interestingly many women regret their pregnancies, I hope the Daddies on the Supreme Court are planning to ensure that pregnancy is therefore similarly regulated.

I’d like to thank…

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Thinking Blogger AwardI was honoured to have been chosen by Peri’s Wrinkle for this award. If this blog isn’t on your reading list it should be.–see how I managed to make her part of the list and still keep 5 mwhahaha–
You can read about me here {I feel all narcissistic!}

The rules are as such;

The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn’t fit your blog).

That was that! Please, remember to tag blogs with real merits, i.e. relative content, and above all – blogs that really get you thinking!

Narrowing down to five eek, if I missed you I deeply apologize it is hard to only pick five out of the hundreds of blogs I read.

in no particular order then

1. POGGE, always a thoughtful and informative narrative. Reading this blog is both a pleasure and an education. If I may I would also like to single out skdadl and pogge who are both fine* writers and we get to read them for free.
*Of superior quality, skill,

2. Unrepentant Old Hippie. An irreverent straight shooter jj doesn’t pull any punches. She writes with humour but if you’re not careful you just might find yourself learning something.

3. Birth Pangs I sometimes write to this blog but won’t discount it for that reason as the main writers are fern hill and deBeauxOs. Their dedication to women’s rights and women’s choice combined with their fantastic writing talents make this blog a must read.

4. Verbena-19 Verbena’s blog is an amazing resource for those concerned with activism and human rights. I’m going to sneak liberal catnip in here too for the work on behalf of Kevin and because she has a damn good blog.

5. Betty’s Early Edition I actually only found this blog yesterday. However, this is written by a woman who truly puts “her money where her mouth is” I hope I have half her passion and courage when I grow up.

If you can, take a minute and send her a message or a few funds.

As I said at the beginning this was very hard. Took hours in fact. There are so many great writers, researchers and activists out there, this is but a sampling.

For more great blogs check out my blogroll, Blogging Change, and Rose’s Place.

Mr Layton have you stopped beating your wife?

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In an interview with AR media when Mr. Layton was asked if he had stopped beating his wife he replied no.

Full Transcript follows;

AR Media: Mr. Layton, have you stopped beating your wife?

Mr. Layton: Well since I never started beating my wife and in fact believe strongly in ending domestic abuse, I would have to say no.

AR Media: Mr Layton some might opine that by saying no you are in fact aligning yourself with those who see nothing wrong with such activity. How would you answer those people?

Jack Layton: Well to repeat I am against domestic violence and this question is one which has no winning answer to say yes I have implies support for an activity I condemn, to say no implies that I am going to continue on with an activity which in reality I have never been a part of.

AR Media: Can you explain further?

Mr. Layton: Look it’s much this vote on Afghanistan. If we vote to support a partial pull out in 2009 we are seen as saying we support our troops being there until that time, if we vote against it we are seen as saying that we support a war effort completely and without timetable.

It is much like your first question, one in which there is no way not to come out smeared by an accusation of an activity I was never involved with in the first place.

AR Media: Thank you Mr. Layton

_____________________

Edited to add there was an NDP ammendment proposed

In an effort to try to find common ground, let me propose the following amendment to determine whether or not the House would be willing to take the appropriate actions. The amendment would read as follows: “That the motion be amended by deleting the words after ‘operations in southern Afghanistan’ in the preamble and replacing them with the following: ‘This House call on the government to begin now to withdraw Canadian Forces in a safe and secure manner from the counter-insurgency mission in Afghanistan and call upon the government to notify NATO of this decision immediately’”.

Shades of Green

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I saw this quote in a CTV article about Kyoto rallies and it exemplified perfectly my thoughts regarding the environmental debates and plans.

At the Montreal rally, McInnis said she’s noticed the many little ways governments discourage people from putting the environment first, since her family decided to go without a car.

The price of using Montreal’s subway system has steadily rose while she discovered how inaccessible the subway is. Each trip she must drag her stroller and 15-kilogram baby up and down dozens of stairs.

“It’s disgusting,” she said. “It’s bad with a stroller, imagine if you’re elderly or in a wheelchair.

“When you make environmentalism a priority in your life, that’s when you begin to see how the government puts up barriers.”

Yes we need governments to actually and properly regulate business to ensure they are taking responsible efforts to use less energy and create less pollution, but we also need real incentives to allow and encourage the average citizen to make better environmental choices.

Regulating light bulbs is all very well, but creating greater access to transit, planning “self contained” communities, keeping community hospitals (instead of expecting people to drive hundreds of miles to a hospital which has been chosen to specialize in a procedure) creating bike lanes, helping low income home owners and renters to make homes more energy efficient, creating more accessible recycling facilities for toxic waste products, creating community gardens and composting areas, these are the types of things that help divert from landfill, use less energy and make everyday choices which are environmentally friendly.

It is easy to talk about light bulbs, and carbon credits and targets and goals most people don’t really understand, it is another thing to actually implement programs that make a real difference, have real life consequences and allow the voter to see clearly where their tax dollars are being spent.

Earth Day

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earth.jpgI remember when Earth Day was quite an event, even here in nowheresville. The local conservation area handed out little trees, there were school events it was written up in what passes for a local paper.

Now it is pretty much a non event. The trees have long since ceased to be handed out, the schools seemed to have missed it, you would think that things have improved.

I personally marked Earth Day by buying reusable shopping bags and more earth friendly cleaning products. I don’t have a car so I’m already doing my part year round that way. I recycle, garden organically, and try to be energy conscious.

Funny how none of those things will net me any tax credits or other forms of bribery that seem to be the only weapons in the environmental arsenal at the moment.

Lots of good info including this video at Earth Day Canada