April Reign

Speak your mind even if your voice shakes

smear tactics

“Working Girls” and the Media

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One might have hoped that after the Ipswich murders the media would have learned a thing or two about treating sex workers as different, disposable, and authors of their own misfortune.

Sadly reading the CTV report on the death of an Edmonton sex worker it would seem no lesson has been learned at all.

We begin by reading;

Police have identified a missing woman as a dead Edmonton sex trade worker and have launched a homicide investigation.

Really?! So if we were all to get together and purchase a head stone it should say dead Edmonton sex trade worker?

At least in the next paragraph they deign to identify Leanne Lori Benwell, by name. [Read more…] about “Working Girls” and the Media

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’”.

Liberal MPs serve libel notices against The National Post

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Press release from the Liberal website;

March 23, 2007
Kennedy, Bains, and Alghabra serve columnist Kay, publisher and John Doe source

Toronto, ON — Former Liberal leadership contestant Gerard Kennedy; Navdeep Bains, MP for Mississauga – Brampton South; and Omar Alghabra, MP for Mississauga – Erindale, served the National Post, columnist Jonathan Kay and related persons with notices of libel over statements that the three politicians were involved in deals to exchange votes in return for changes to national security policy.

Included as a defendant in one of the notices is John Doe, representing the anonymous source cited by Mr. Kay in his column published in the National Post February 27th, 2007.

“Mr. Kay has suggested criminal conduct on the part of Mr. Kennedy. This suggestion is false and defamatory. The situation is particularly aggravated by the fact that Mr. Kay’s article is based on the information of a source whose identity, motives and credibility have been concealed. We look forward to exposing Mr. Kay’s anonymous source so that Mr. Kennedy may be fully vindicated,” said Mr. Howard Winkler of Aird and Berlis, LLP, lawyer for Mr. Kennedy.

The conversations involving Mr. Bains related as fact in the column never took place, according to the notice prepared by Julian Porter, lawyer for Mr. Bains.

“In his notice of libel, Alghabra denies his political and policy decisions are driven by his ethnicity and that he knew of and condoned the vilification of Bob Rae and Arlene Perly Rae, at the Liberal leadership convention,” stated Cliff Lax, counsel for Mr. Alghabra.

“We have enormous respect for the role of the media,” says Kennedy, “but these are equally very serious and completely false statements that if left alone would mislead the public and distort public debate.”

The service of a libel notice is the first step in a defamation suit.

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There is also a story regarding this in today’s Globe and Mail.

And here is a little background on the smear on Bains

It is absolutely right and appropriate that these types of smear jobs be acted against. It represents the absolute lowest in both politics and journalism.

One would expect that a serious journalist would have too much respect for their name and their profession to be bothered with such indulgences.

One would also expect that anyone serious about politics knows there are sufficient idealogical debates to made within political spheres, and real gaffes with which to leverage advantage. Innuendo and baseless rumour mongering is the modus operandi of those who have nothing else with which to make argument.

Enquiring minds sorta want to know

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There has been alot of talk about the NDP being dead, no longer with us, nailed to the perch….

So why then the constant flapping of silly gums about various ads, who said what to whom about dirty dancing…er merging with what party et bloody boring cetra.

If the NPD is dead and no threat why bother with the Minister Ministry of Silly Walk Talk about them?

Seems to me time would be better spent finding a way to get Harper de-elected.

The Big Tent is as the Big Tent Does

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The Big TentIt would seem a weekly event the thread asking for definition of progressive, asking who would not fit under the big tent. No answer was ever forthcoming except that the owner and mods did not feel it their place to determine what people wrote on their blog.

Self definition of progressive then seemed to be the criteria for fitting under The Big Tent.

Blogging for F4J – acceptable, maligning female politicians [see numerous posts on Belinda Stronach]- acceptable, adhering sexist and politically derogatory labels to feminists [again see PB diaries around abortion,Elizabeth May]- acceptable, debating a womans’ right to choice [many blogs, tags-abortion,Elizabeth May]- acceptable, defaming a persons reputation and all who associate with him – acceptable.

Whether or not Roberts’ post was wrong has been discussed throughly, what I would like to know is how it was worse than any of the previous examples?

The Big Tent is either Big enough to handle and accept all sides of a controversy and to allow free speech OR it moderates views and speech.

If PB has decided on the latter will we soon be in receipt of a policy clearly defining the progressive views and values the mods and owner find acceptable?

A policy on what will be acceptable blog topics, words used, groups and/or persons that can be maligned freely?

It would seem echo chamber is in the eye of the beholder.

Freedom’s just another word..

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… for nothin’ left to lose.
Me and Bobby McGee

What is the concept of freedom?

Is it something cute to wrap the flag around during political speechifying.

Is something to be doled out in measured doses in order remind us that is it there but we don’t want to wear it out. Something like company linens.

Perhaps freedom is accounted to the few and the many are given a facsimile of, fredum..you can buy it on the corner in New York.

There is much to lose if we do not see freedom as the one of the cornerstones of a just and civil society.

There have been times, such as the Witch Trials, when people were given a label to which there was no defence. Given trial in which there was no justice. And perfectly nice people, friends, neighbours rushed to give evidence all the better to disassociate and save themselves.

There have been other times when people were willing to smear and sellout their neighbours, even issuing signs to mark the differences.

It is disheartening to realize that we have forgotten so much history.