Politics

Liberty and democracy become unholy when their hands are dyed red with innocent blood.*

10/29/2006 by Debra

*Gandhi, Non-violence in Peace and War, 1948

You are not going to get peace with millions of armed men. The chariot of peace cannot advance over a road littered with cannon. ~David Lloyd Georg

If we let people see that kind of thing, there would never again be any war. ~Pentagon official explaining why the U.S. military censored graphic footage from the Gulf War

Gulf War Syndrome

When the rich wage war, it’s the poor who die. ~Jean-Paul Sartre

We saw the lightning and that was the guns and then we heard the thunder and that was the big guns; and then we heard the rain falling and that was the blood falling; and when we came to get in the crops, it was dead men that we reaped. ~Harriet Tubman

[Read more…]

The war on women

10/27/2006 by Debra

Nicaragua has approved a sweeping new law banning abortions, even in cases where the mother’s life is at risk.

Poland debates constitutional change that could increase abortion restrictions

Should a woman be compelled to carry a baby to term when doctors tell her it will be born with no brain? Should a pregnant woman forgo potentially life-saving medical treatment for the sake of the baby she is carrying? Should a woman be forced to give birth to a child conceived in rape? Yes, yes and yes, says Leslee Unruh, the guiding light of South Dakota’s anti-abortion activists

How nice that there are people who think they should make the decision as to what another person does with their body.

In researching wage disparity it often comes up that given the same set of circumstances women and mens wages are fairly equal. Well forcing women to bear children pretty much eliminates the choice to have a similar set of circumstances.

The same people that argue for these laws also fight to make contraception illegal and consider rape a womans fault.

It is big news right now that a Muslim cleric preached that ‘loose’ women are at fault for rape, but make no mistake that same message has rung from the pulpits of Christian churches and they bear equal blame and responsibility for the messages they are giving the sons and daughters of their congregations.

The people also want to do away with welfare programs, daycare programs, advocacy programs. How exactly are these children to be raised?

What kind of life if any is that 11 year old pregnant through incest going to have? What school will she attend? Who will care for the child? How will you piece her body and psyche back together?

How do you look a woman in the face whose pregnancy is killing her and tell her that because her disease is caused by pregnancy you do not value her life and will not treat her? How do you tell any other children she might have that they will no longer have a mother because some people thought they had the right to legislate her to literal death?

At what point do we recognize that this is not a right to fetal life issue, but a full fledged war on women? A war which seeks to have a womans life under the full and total control of those making the laws and running the country and you can be damned sure that given this course none of those people will be women.

Mackay channeling Clinton?

10/26/2006 by Debra

Peter Mackay taking a page from Clinton is continuing to deny what everyone knows to be true.

Now there are calls for his resignation.

Now, instead of calls for an apology, the foreign affairs minister is facing demands for his resignation amid accusations that he lied to Parliament.
Things escalated Wednesday after MacKay flatly denied referring to Stronach — his former girlfriend and a Liberal MP — as a dog in the House of Commons last week.
“I made no derogatory or discriminatory remark toward any member of this House,” a defiant MacKay told the Commons.
“I made no such gesture.”

The incident seems to have lit a fire under opposition parties as they now have finally started putting fire to the feet of this cut and run government.

Liberals and New Democrats, independently of each other, are increasingly on the attack about alleged Tory mistruths beyond this one incident as well. Liberal environment critic John Godfrey, for instance, yesterday accused Environment Minister Rona Ambrose of wilfully misrepresenting the views of organizations and interest groups with respect to their reaction to the Tory green plan unveiled last week. Ambrose has replied that she is accurately reading complimentary passages from press releases issued by the Canadian Lung Association and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Meanwhile, NDP MP Irene Mathyssen (London-Fanshawe) has for the last two days accused the Tories of denying cuts they are purported to be making to the Supporting Communities Partnership Initiative. Mathyssen says the figures are on the government’s own website — the $133 million budget for last year appears as $2 million this year.

Oh what a tangled web we weave……

Photo ID for voting

10/25/2006 by Debra

The Tories are proposing that Canadians be equipped with photo id before being given their constitutional right to vote

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian voters may have to produce photo identification next time they go to the polls if changes to the electoral law proposed by the Conservative government on Tuesday are passed quickly.
The requirement is one of a series of amendments to the Canada Elections Act introduced in Parliament that aim to reduce voter fraud.
The legislation also calls for political candidates to be allowed to campaign in shopping malls and other areas that have traditionally been off limits.
But given the Conservative government’s minority standing, the changes would need the opposition’s swift approval if they are to be implemented for the next federal vote, widely expected next spring.
“Most Canadians are surprised to hear there is currently no legal requirement for them to have identification to vote,” said Rob Nicholson, minister of democratic reform. “After all, almost every other important activity in society requires

Most Canadians are surprised? Are these Canadians who have never voted?

This is nothing more than another Tory scheme to further disenfranchise those who already have a hard time exercising their legal rights. The poor, the elderly, the homeless, those people least likely vote tory in any case. [Read more…] about Photo ID for voting

Dogs, frat boys and the sad state of Parliament

10/21/2006 by Debra

Much has been said about Belinda Stronach, not a lot of it nice. Some have said that insults against her should not be taken as insults against women or as a reflection of how the conservative party views women.

I beg to differ.

Here are some quotes from tories and reformers, now the reformatories;

“Pass the tequila, Sheila, lay down and love me again.”
– John Crosbie
“Slut.” William Kempling to Copps
Stronach”whored herself out for power.” Tony Abbott
“She sort of defined herself as something of a dipstick, an attractive one, but still a dipstick.” Runciman

There are many more but I wouldn’t want to belabour the point. [Read more…] about Dogs, frat boys and the sad state of Parliament

“the progressive poetry blogburst”

10/21/2006 by Debra

Credit to skdadl of pogge for coming up with this idea

the pome only has to be four lines long (minimum), but it must mention the Court Challenges program at some point.

Here is my attempt;

SWC, CCP, like so many birds the acronyms fly by
The hunters sit intent on death
Progress, they say, has drawn it’s last breath
I need you again progress sighs
Mourn their blindness, then organize

Tag to progressive bloggers reading this!