My Scribbler's Sanctuary

My Scribbler's Sanctuary
My Other World

Saturday 30 August 2014

Religious Accommodation= Cowardice

  This letter is intended to ALL parties at all levels, because, in all honestly, I don't really pay attention to politics so I don't know what's going on, apart from the P.M. being Stephen Harper. (and all that falderol in Toronto with Rob Ford) .

  This issue is BIGGER than even the irresponsible antics of a big city Mayor.  'Religious Accommodation' might sound like the government is catering to various groups (Christians, Jews, Catholics, etc) when, in fact, it is, as <-<------Brian Lilley calls it, Islamic Accommodation. WORSE! It's GENDER APARTHEID for the sake of ISLAMIC ACCOMMODATION.  Now, I'm relatively young (nearly 50) so I don't remember the days of boys schools and girls schools. By the time I started going to school (1969) boys and girls attended the same school. And that was pre-school and kindergarten. If parents had religious qualms about say....the child taking Sex education, (grade 5) the child simply didn't take the class. In fact, if I remember correctly, back in the day (mid-70's)  permission slips were sent home and the parents could sign or not.  This did NOT require the class be removed entirely or boys couldn't learn sex ed in the same class with the girls. It just meant that any kid, whose parent didn't sign the permission slip would not be forced to sit in on the class.
What's going on in the name of Political Correctness, on the other hand, is another matter altogether!  In the name of  'TOLERANCE' , the Canadian government,in various provinces, is tolerating Islamic INTOLERANCE of the country and culture they chose to be part of.  As per the article,  a Martial Arts class was segregated (males on one side, females on the other) because ONE Muslim man joined the group. What the instructor SHOULD have done was give this guy names and addresses for male-only martial arts classes. I'm sure they exist. Heck, I think they should! Why not?  Matter of fact, I was among the voices protesting AGAINST the twin girls who took a hockey team to court for the right to join that team.  I thought it was stupid! I've seen guys play hockey on t.v. and there is some serious roughness. Getting slammed into the boards that make up the hockey rink.  Yuh.  That's my idea of a good time. Or NOT.  The backlash against the girls' challenge had to do with the coach and team mates not wanting to deal with whines of "that guy checked me into the board too hard" or  "that guy high sticked me and now my face is ruined and I can't go to the prom!"   Well, the girls got the right to join that team, but, contrary to a lot of fears, there has been NO whining or carrying on about  the other team-mates being rough on girls.  They wanted to be on the team. They knew what they were in for, and they played like anyone else on the team and did NOT ask for special treatment or matching shoulder pads. They knew the rules, going in, and played by them. Just like any other member of the team.
   That same rule should apply in Canada. ANYONE and EVERYONE who moves to this country from....wherever else, should play by the same rules as everyone else.  And yet, the rules are being bent and outright broken because of 'religious tolerance'.  For 'religious reasons',  Muslim women, living in Canada, will NOT remove their Burkah or Hijib for passport i.d.  Okay, so how does that work?  If the picture does not show the face, how can the person be specifically identified?  How does the security at an airport know if the person behind the face covering is the same person standing in front of them? That kind of catering is not only unfair to the rest of us, it's DANGEROUS!!!  And for want of a few extra votes, or not wanting to 'OFFEND' one group of people, pandering politics could end up KILLING people!  That trumps Rob Ford's idiocies in spades! Unless, of course, one of Rob Ford's idiocies includes catering to one group's demands, to the exclusion of the rest of Ontario! 
    WOMEN'S GROUPS should be FURIOUS about this!!!!  For cryin out loud, I have friends from the States who are sure the REPUBLICANS are going to turn women's rights back!!   The entire Republican party could not do the same damage as ONE Muslim male, who decides that women should not be allowed to eat in the same part of a restaurant as a man, and the politicians acquiesce for a few more votes. Next thing you know, we don't the right to vote anymore!  Don't think it can happen?  Germans didn't think Hitler would get away with what he got away with. But  he succeeded, law by law.  He gave Germany jobs, they paid him back with their willingness to sell out their fellow Germans. 
  Today, we have people coming into this country for the same freedoms we take for granted.  Only some of those people don't like those freedoms. (Women voting. Women Driving. )  So, instead of staying where they were (where women can't vote or drive) they try reversing OUR laws, a bit at a time. Like salt erodes ice. Get well-meaning politicians letting ONE person dictate that a class has to be segregated by gender. This sets a terrifying precedent. as more demands are made (and met). When will it stop?  When Muslim men are exempt from spousal abuse laws? When women in Canada can't vote in the same poling stations with Muslim men, and then men, in general.

  What will it take to reverse this dangerous trend?  Simple. Politicians with GUTS, who will stand up for  Canadians' rights,  and that includes Canadian WOMEN! 
   To those of you who DON'T like Canada's laws and culture, as it applies to women (driving, voting, working) no one's keeping you here, okay?  Every major province in this country has an airport. You can leave Canada and its liberal laws, that treat women like equals and not like something you own, and go back to your own country, where women don't have the rights of a house pet.   But you will NOT change OUR laws to conform to YOUR views!  If that day should come, then Canada's former 'leaders' have only themselves to blame!  

   "Those who sacrifice freedom for safety deserve neither."   ~~Benjamin Franklin








Saturday 16 August 2014

Apologies for deleting story, but.....

 Hi all;

   If you're wondering what happened to the story, "A Mouse Named Pinky" I had to delete it. I had a story all mapped out complete with an idea of how I wanted it to end, and then all of it fell apart.

   See, for a writer, CHARACTER is EVERYTHING.  The personality of a character makes all the difference in how a story is shaped. In this case, the characters weren't mine, so I have to go with what I know and what I've suspected all along.  This cinched it.  http://pinkysplace.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Pinky4Prez/Brain%27s_%27Human%27_side//_Mouse_Without_Pity

   In order to write the story I was planning, I had to believe Brain had a modicum of decency and wanted to make things right with Pinky's family.  It would be on a par with believing Charles Manson would run into a burning house to save a puppy. Again, it's about CHARACTER.  Brain is a Mao/Hitler/ Saddam wanna-be. So the idea that this future  ruthless dictator would also be an abuser of a naive, kind-hearted mouse is hardly a surprise.

   As I write this, I'm listening to the movie Small Sacrifices, with Farrah Fawcett; based on the story of a woman who shot her kids to hold onto a guy. She couldn't care less about who she had if she coul'dn't have what /who she wanted.  It was all about her.  Same deal with Brain.

   Okay, so the idea of comparing a real life nutcase to a cartoon character seems a smidge 'silly'  , then again, the writers for Pinky and the Brain were stellar so you have real , honest to God personalities, This creative excellence has its good and bad side, depending on the 'people' you're dealing with. And while the foundational layer for Pinky and the Brain was inspired by Tom Minton and Eddie Fitzgerald,  I can't help but wonder who or what else contributed to the make-up of those personalities. There are complexities that aren't common in 'kids' shows. THAT is what has me as angry as I am mystified.  How many kids shows have would-be villains who model themselves after real life dictators?  Most cartoony bad guys are happy just to have what the good guys have.... a key to some secret. Magic shoes, A gold, talking flute. Whatever.  Brain, on the other hand, wants the worship of the world, and is perfectly happy to sacrifice the kindness and respect of the only real friend he will likely ever have.

   The only good news about the heartless treatment of Pinky is that,  if only in theory, eventually, Brain (and the Brain's of the world) will get back what they dish out.  Natural law dictates 'What Goes Around Comes Around'.