April Reign

In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.

feminists

December 6th. Just a date.

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rose in the snow
Don’t Mourn, Organize!

December 6th. Just a date. Maybe an early Christmas party or a school play. Perhaps a time to start putting out decorations or maybe – a time to purchase candles and roses. A purchase not made in anticipation of a celebration but one made in memorial of 14 women who were gunned down simply because they were women and they were there.

December 6th, 1989 at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal
Geneviève Bergeron
Hélène Colgan
Nathalie Croteau
Barbara Daigneault
Anne-Marie Edward
Maud Haviernick
Barbara Maria Klucznik
Maryse Leclair
Annie St.-Arneault
Michèle Richard
Maryse Laganière
Anne-Marie Lemay
Sonia Pelletier
Annie Turcotte

became victims of hatred. Victims of misogyny. Lights shining on the ugly truth that women had not yet been fully accepted as equals.

Twenty years on can we really say that much has changed?

In 1982 MP Margaret Mitchell rose to educate the house on domestic violence, she told them how one in 10 Canadian women were victims of domestic assault the response by the male MPs was laughing and shouting.

In 2009 during the height of the H1N1 Flu scare MP Carolyn Bennett rose to ask a question on behalf of a troubled constituent. The woman in question was pregnant and had received conflicting advice as to the safety of the H1N1 vaccine, she was looking to her government for help. The response? Laughter, derision, hooting and hollering. 27 years later women’s concerns are still seen as a joke.

When Margaret Mitchell was elected in 1979 [30 years ago] women accounted for approximately 10% of elected MPs. Today that number has risen to approximately 21% that is an abysmal amount of representation and a sad commentary on the last 30 years.

This year as you remember and mourn the loss of 14 of our sisters remember also the words of Joe Hill; Don’t Mourn, Organize!

Help Equal Voice to get more women elected, fight for strong gun control, support women’s reproductive choice, donate to a local shelter, help a woman or a young girl learn tech skills or use those skills to help others.

In the words of Emma Goldman;
“No real social change has ever been brought about without a revolution… revolution is but thought carried into action.”

If you take away my rights, can I take away yours?

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The anti-choice factions have been frothing at the mouth as of late emboldened by such things as Bill C-484, Bill C-537, and Bill C-338.

Prime Minister Harper promised that a Conservative government would not legislate on abortion, but this is exactly what is happening, not just with Bill C-484, but with two other Conservative private member bills introduced last fall. Bill C-338 would re-criminalize abortion by prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks gestation. Bill C-537 would guarantee the “right” of medical personnel to refuse to provide medical care for religious reasons, which would mostly restrict women’s ability to access contraception and abortion care.

Bill C-484 is a radical bill because it positions the fetus as a woman’s co-equal. By focussing on fetuses, not injured pregnant women, the bill is offensive to the full humanity of all women, not just pregnant women. The not-so-hidden agenda of the bill is to recognize the “rights of the unborn” so that abortion can be restricted in the future. Indeed, fetal personhood is a long-standing objective of the anti-abortion movement.

It is their view that nothing trumps the right of their god and men to force women to be brood mares the fetus. Regardless of how the pregnancy came into being, the age of the mother to be, or the health and emotional well being of the mother each little egg must be hatched.

These people feel they have a god given right to force their views and lifestyle choice upon others up to and including laws to make any deviation from their extremism a criminal act. This extremism includes the teaching of hate to those formerly precious eggs, now children. Hatred of gays, feminists, leftists, atheists and so on. I have blogged previously that although I believe such acts to be child abuse, I don’t believe the state has a place in ensuring “proper thoughts”. Perhaps though I was hasty. You see I know that were these sorts to ever come to power they, as other despots afore them, would not bat an eye if my children were wrenched from their home to brainwashed educated into their hatred religious beliefs. Therefore, I propose a private citizens bill. Bill C-404* [*404 on the net indicates an error. This is appropriate as we try to show the egg fanciers the error of their ways.] this bill would create the right to remove from any home children being taught hatred contrary to the laws of the land and the laws of the Jesus. To whit hatred against but not excluding others leftists, atheists, feminists and gays.

Remember;

Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Children will also be removed from homes who believe in the parenting techniques of religious subversives such as Dr. Dobson;

In Chapter 4 Dobson goes into more detail about corporal punishment, recommending using objects (not the hand) to hit and whip children, starting as young as 15-18 months old for “defiance.”

A child’s right to a life free from the teachings of hatred and the results of such teaching far surpass those of anyone to practice religion. Look I have pictures of what happens when abuse is allowed unchecked…here, here and here.

Help protect our little ones, support Bill C-404.

Graphics available here