Monday Post

So much to talk about....


More on McGuinty's resignation:

-shock at his resignation

Shocked Cat cannot believe what just happened

-his office knew of "misplaced" gas plant documents

-Who could possibly replace him


Could you imagine if this tidy, little fascist became premier of Ontario?

Ontario’s education minister is facing backlash from Catholic and pro-life groups after she appeared to equate anti-abortion views with “misogyny,” sparking questions of whether the provincial government seeks to restrict these teachings in publicly funded Catholic schools.

Catholics and religious groups have long worried an anti-bullying bill, now passed into law, would infringe on their constitutionally held right to teach church doctrine because it requires Catholic schools to allow students to form Gay Straight Alliance clubs.

Now, Laurel Broten’s comments at a press conference last week in her other capacity as Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues have stoked concerns the government wants to dictate what Catholics can and cannot teach.

“Bill 13 is about tackling misogyny,” she said. “Taking away a woman’s right to choose could arguably be one of the most misogynistic actions that one could take.”

To Catholics, the statement was an affront to their constitutionally held right to teach the doctrine of their church in schools — a doctrine that teaches life begins at conception and should be protected.

On Monday, Campaign Life Coalition called for her immediate resignation, and denounced the comments as a “frontal assault on religious liberty.” Cardinal Thomas Collins of the Archdiocese of Toronto sent a letter Friday to Ms. Broten expressing “deep concerns” about her statements.

“The right to life, from conception to natural death, is a core teaching of Catholicism,” Joanne McGarry, executive director of the Catholic Civil Rights League said in a statement Friday. “Ms. Broten reportedly said she doesn’t think there is a conflict between ‘choosing Catholic education for your children and supporting a woman’s right to choose’ so she is clearly ill-informed about the fundamentals of Catholicism.”

Added the group’s lawyer and president, Phil Horgan: “All you can really read into her position is [that she believes] the Catholic teaching is misogynist. That’s a point worthy of a serious debate,” he said. “Is it also misogynist for, for example, Catholics and other pro-life individuals to suggest that selective sex abortion is a fundamentally anti-woman engagement? Where does this misogyny have an end?”

But the minister’s office said Monday her words have been grossly misunderstood and insists it’s possible to have a government that promotes a pro-choice position and have a thriving Catholic school system.

The minister’s spokesperson, Paris Meilleur, said her boss was specifically referring to what she saw as the Progressive Conservatives’ effort to reopen the abortion debate in the province, not trying to dictate what’s taught in schools.

“Taking away a woman’s right to choose — that’s different from teaching pro-life perspective,” Ms. Meilleur said.

(Sidebar: Meilleur is the Idiot of the Day for her weak little equating attempts. There is no toaster oven for you, Miss Meilleur, just a boatload of scorn. Enjoy it. It's all yours, you cowardly, little toad.)

In a statement provided to the Post Monday, Ms. Broten said “the Government of Ontario is committed to support for Catholic education and denominational rights” and that “the discussions of the last week were not about what is taught or is not taught in our Catholic schools.” The curriculum, she said, remains unchanged.

It's called "doubling down" and it's what petulant, impudent little teen-agers do when the parents put a smackdown on them. I'm glad someone reminded Miss Broten that she works for them, not the other way around.


If there was justice in this country, Omar Khadr would share a cell with this leech:

In recent weeks, Press TV, Iran's state-run global television network, has spent an inordinate amount of time attacking the Canadian government's record on human rights.

With former Manitoba chief Terry Nelson now in Tehran, they seem to have stepped it up a notch.

Nelson, and his small delegation, arrived in Tehran late last week for meetings with Iranian officials to discuss Canada's treatment of its First Nations people.  On Sunday, Nelson and former Dakota Tipi First Nation chief Dennis Pashe were the station's special in-studio guests.

If Mssrs. Nelson and Pashe wish, the Canadian government can scrap the Indian Act AND race-related programs and benefits, close down reservations thus forcing the residents to relocate to cities where the educational and professional opportunities are greater, demand greater accountability for corrupt, money-thieving chiefs and remove the multi-tiered justice system that treats aboriginals who beat, rape and murder like the true criminals they are. In short, treat this "poor, oppressed" minority just like everybody else.


Say good-bye to the free ride, traitors (which you certainly wouldn't get in Iran, I might add).


Prime Minister Stephen Harper is apparently a "rock star" among Canadian Jewish voters. Why say that like it's a bad thing, Mohammad Azhar Ali Khan?:

"...[T]he biggest cause of Canada abandoning its traditional support for peace, justice and the rule of law and supporting Israel unquestioningly is the desire to woo Canadian Jews," Mohammed Azhar Ali Khan, a former Canadian journalist, public servant and refugee judge, wrote on the web site of the Muslim Coordinating Council of the National Capital Region.

"They used to vote for the Liberals but have switched to Harper. In this year's federal election a majority of Jews — 57 per cent — supported the Tories for the first time. This is a major achievement which would not have come about without the Tories supporting Israel blindly."

Any embattled shoehorn of a country could certainly use a leg-up, yes?


Vaguely related:


This flag

was the source of consternation in Dearborn, Michigan. A man's truck was pelted with a bottle when he drove it near a high school because it had not one but two Israeli flags that look like this:

The police refused to do anything about this incident. Simply because a man put Israeli flags:

very much like this one

on his truck doesn't mean someone should assault him or damage his property. All because someone dared to put on their vehicle an Israeli flag:

An example of misplaced political priorities:

On the campaign trail in the week after the presidential debate, Obama mentioned Big Bird 13 times -- 13 times more than he mentioned Libya.

And the Obama campaign rolled out a 30-second spot showing Mitt Romney saying "Big Bird" several times. Even liberals labeled it the worst TV ad they had ever seen.

But someone in the Obama campaign -- and remember that the campaign always reflects the candidate -- thought hitting Romney for defunding PBS, "Sesame Street" and Big Bird would be devastating.

Never mind that "Sesame Street" gets little money from the government and has an endowment in the hundreds of millions. As the "Sesame" folks assured us, Big Bird is going to continue to be on the air whatever Romney does.

This is the left and this is what they look like when you don't vote with your skin.



Related: race is no excuse for not moving ahead.



Over the week-end, something awesome happened:

Austrian extreme skydiver Felix Baumgartner has become the only human being to break the sound barrier outside of an airplane after skydiving from 38 km above the earth.

As re-enacted with LEGO.



And now, a Halloween-related funny.




(With thanks to all)