The Star

Lies, Lies and Damnable Lies

04/25/2011 by Debra

The Star has picked up and ran with the ball of shit containing the lie that Jack Layton and Olivia Chow lived in subsidized housing

From time to time [Jack Layton] has been criticized for saying one thing and doing another, including being caught red-handed in 1985 living in subsidized housing in Toronto when his and Olivia Chow, then a Toronto trustee, were raking in a combined $120,000 year.

Anyone familiar with co-op housing is aware that all economic levels live there with those in the lower brackets sometimes being subsidized. There are a few townhouse complexes throughout Hamilton based on that very structure.

This is an old and tired lie and beneath contempt, certainly beneath the The Star. It is time for a retraction and an apology and for this lie to be given a proper burial.

Read more at Dr Dawg’s

Couple Assaulted at Son’s School

11/11/2008 by Debra

Today’s Star carries a horrific story about an assault perpetrated upon two women because they are lesbians. The assault happened at an elementary school as school was letting out and many children, including the couples son, witnessed this hateful and unprovoked attack.

This is the result when fear and ignorance are allowed to run unfettered. No person should worry that their ‘lifestyle’ is going to put them in harms way. I personally do not like fundamentalists, nor do I like the way they whisper their hatreds into their children ears in an effort to raise another generation of people ruled by fear and ignorance, however, I would never assault them.

Mark Scott, 43, of Oshawa has been charged with this crime.

Insp. Brian Osborne, of Durham Regional Police, said last night that the department will investigate the possibility that the assaults could be classified as hate crimes. The decision to pursue those charges is usually made with the Crown attorney’s office, Osborne said.

The Crown must classify this as a hate crime. These women were attacked solely because of their sexual orientation. To not do so would be to give permission for these types of attacks in the future.

My warmest wishes to this family as they heal from this senseless and tragic event.

Judge Rules U.S. Violated Human Rights

06/26/2008 by Debra

The treatment a U.S. official said Omar Khadr received at Guantanamo Bay to prepare him for an interview by a member of foreign affairs was a violation of international human rights, a Canadian federal court judge ruled on Wednesday.

It is no great surprise that human rights violations are going on in Guantanamo, it is damning however that two governments of countries who pride themselves on rights and freedoms allowed the torture of a child. In Canada Khadr if charged with a crime would be protected under the Youth Act. And yet Canadian officials raised no alarm when they found out he was being subjected to torture.

Canadian and American governments bear an enormous responsibility not only in setting back human rights but also in ensuring there will continue to be terrorist incidents. Some of course find the torture of a child perfectly fine. The comments at both CTV and CBC are disgusting and as one commenter said “makes me less and less proud to be Canadian”

Image via WikipediaSome have argued that he was responsible for the death of a soldier. To which I wonder is that not the risk our governments are willing to take when they send troops to war? Is the new war rich countries sending troops to rob poor countries of their resources and the people of those poor countries rather than protect themselves are supposed to say OH HAI! and serve tea/beer/crumpets?

How does one murder a combatant in the heat of battle? In any case the original details of the incident were shown to be wrong. Khadr was not the only person who could have thrown the grenade and likely wasn’t.

It is time our government showed some respect for human rights, the Geneva Convention and basic decency. Bring Khadr home. As commenter carlbailey said to another commenter with the mindset of the conservatives;

quote mr.calgary:
“I knew what was right and wrong when I was 15.”

so, how old were you when you forgot the difference?
or did you just decide to ignore it altogether in favour of blind ignorant hatred.

Abortion – Terrorism Link?

06/25/2008 by Debra

According to an article in the Peterborough Examiner Janine Krieber “an expert on international relations and military strategy” (and also wife of Opposition Leader Stephen Dion) stated that the abortion issue is “the next potential domestic terrorism threat”.

Some are spinning this as meaning that pro-choice groups are potential domestic terrorists even though the clinic bombings, doctor shootings and raving lunatic lineups spitting at women and shoving gory pictures in children’s faces has all come from the anti-choice side.

Antonia Zerbisias is following this story, go here for more info

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

01/19/2008 by Debra

An article in The Star today tells us to stop focusing on headlines (ironic no? ) and recognize that things make the headlines because they are less likely to happen on a regular basis;

A: I call that “headline bias” – when something makes the news, people think it happens a lot. But the reason something makes the headlines is because it doesn’t happen a lot.
To my mind, public reaction is not in co-ordination with the actual statistics.
Toronto is actually quite a safe city, better than most American and Canadian cities. And the level of violent crime has stayed pretty steady over the past few years.

Having moved from fairly small Lindsay to fairly big Hamilton, I can’t say I feel any less safe here. And so in the spirit of the article enjoy some Bobby Mcferrin;

Workers Rights

01/11/2008 by Debra

This post will deal mainly with Ontario, though I would imagine similar situations are happening across the country.

In Ontario workers rights are being eroded at an alarming rate, most especially by the huge increase in Temporary Labour placement companies and their use by employers.

Temporary agencies, which require no licence to start up, are flourishing in Ontario where there are now 4,200 such businesses generating $6 billion a year in revenue. Yet Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, brought in 60 years ago to safeguard workers’ basic rights, makes no mention of them

The Star Jun 02, 2007

Temporary Agencies often do not provide proper training, do not provide benefits, do not provide the usual workplace protections from firing, and routinely refuse to pay stat holidays.

Now, when employers are caught, the fines range from only $250 to $1,000. While the labour ministry found employers violated employees’ rights in 11,358 claims last year and that almost $37 million in unpaid wages and benefits was owed to those workers, only four companies and two directors were charged.

[stats for 2006]The Star [Read more…] about Workers Rights