Thursday 29 September 2011

Oh Trost, You Remarkable Dipshit...

Just a quick addendum to yesterdays' post. IPPF speaks out about Brad Trosts' ill-informed rants concerning why they should get no government monies. All the info is here, but the gist of it is that if they get money for family planning and contraception, then they will most likely have to perform less abortions. How's that sit with you, Brad?

Well, I dunno... I'm still a fucking dipshit.

Great then.

Wednesday 28 September 2011

Whoa Whoa Whoa!!! What The Fuck?

Okay, I've been slacking. I admit it. But life's been busy, and sometimes there's just too much stuff to write about. I mean, there's the whole retro-sexism television movement, the fact that someone out there is planning to make a movie out of the Colonel Williams case, horridly sexist advertising that's only getting worse, Tim Hudak's exploding toilet of a campaign (and personality), and the list goes on. I found myself.... temporarily overwhelmed. I'm sure some of you can relate. But once in a while something comes along that snaps you starkly back to clarity, with a white-hot supernova of rage boiling and twisting in that space below your ribcage and above your stomach. What could that thing be?

Apparently, the abortion debate has been reopened.

The one promise Harper seemed like he was going to keep that didn't totally fuck women over would be keeping the abortion debate closed. Now, I realize that there wasn't all that much to debate about for the politicians anyways, seeing as he sneakily defunded the Canadian arm of Planned Parenthood, making safe, legal abortions much more difficult to access in this country, but come ON. What the fucking fuck? Oh, wait, let me clarify something before we go on. Canada still funds Planned Parenthood, but only in countries where abortion is illegal. Wait for it, let it sink in. I know, if that isn't the most fucked of all fucked up shit, I don't know what is.

Ironically enough, this decision made about abortion by Supreme Overlord Herr Harper is causing a rift in the Conservative cabinet, which is what reopened the debate. The voice of the extra-anti-abortion movement within the Conservative ranks is MP Brad Trost, a real, honest to goodness, piece of shit. In 2009 Mr. Trosts' activities included, but were not limited to: criticizing his own governments' funding of Toronto Pride Week and the launching of the petition to defund IPPF. During the 2011 federal election campaign, Trost made news when he spoke at a Saskatchewan Pro-life Association convention and noted to the audience that the government had not renewed funding to Planned Parenthood over the previous year and urged continued support for their defunding.

So, to recap, within the Conservative caucus is an ultra-anti-abortion group that will even go over their leaders' head to keep choice out of the hands of women, going so far as to disregard Harpers' direct orders that the Canadian abortion debate remain closed. Trost and his pro-life buddies are miffed that Harper is shooting any money towards IPPF , even in countries where they're not providing abortions (y'know... kinda like this one) which is why they've taken it upon themselves to reopen the debate. Quoth Trost:

"So in reinvigorating the debate as they have by funding IPPF, you'll see more politicians like myself will be discussing the matter. In a respectful way, but it will be discussed."

Respectfully, of course. Because the Conservatives have a long and gloried history when it comes to dealing respectfully with womens' issues. With the debate reopen in todays' climate of ultra-misogyny and backlash towards feminism and female progress, things don't bode well for women and their reproductive rights. I sincerely hope Harper puts Trost in his place and keeps the abortion issue closed. That's if Harper isn't behind this whole thing to begin with. But, at the end of the day, with Planned Parenthood in Canada still defunded and a pro-life leaning government, what good would it do? We need the Conservatives out of office. Immediately. Or things will just keep getting worse by the day.

Planned Parenthood is being defunded all over the United States, as well. There is a worldwide war on abortion being waged. The war on abortion IS the war on women. What people don't seem to realize is that the war on women is the war on humanity and ultimately, humankind. Now, I am of the opinion that most people are shitty, but I still like to believe that humanity has some potential. But when I look around and see all that's going on in the world, in this country, in my backyard, my beliefs are shaken to their already crumbling foundations. When a fully cognizant. living, breathing woman is deprived of her rights so that they can be given to the embryo she (willingly or not) carries, I know something is wrong. A shocking statement to some: Women are human beings, equal to and ofttimes surpassing men, not mere walking incubators. To deny safe, legal and affordable abortion to women is to deny this statements' validity. The war on women and abortion must not be allowed to take another foothold. Now is the time to organize, mobilize and protest. These rights were hard fought for and hard won. We can't let them be taken without a fight.

Monday 12 September 2011

I Know, I Know... I'm Back, Again...

Alright, well I'm back again, after yet another impromptu hiatus. Sorry about the laziness in posting, I was on something of a vacation. Let's get right to it.

Everybody who's anybody knows that Stephen Harper hates the ladies. Especially the Aboriginal ones. Hence all the cuts to womens' groups and such, especially ones that investigate Aboriginal women who've disappeared. The CBC is reiterating that point, just in case anyone forgot.

The gist of it is such: The Missing Women Commission of Inquiry was appointed by the provincial government last year to inquire into the conduct of police investigations of women reported missing from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside between January 23, 1997 and February 5, 2002. But, the Commission has been essentially neutered, as it cannot inquire into ongoing investigations of missing or murdered women. I know, right? This same Commission is asking the government for the funding they need so that many First Nations groups can be represented and testify at the trial of Robert Pickton. Our governments' reply? No dice.

Basically what this all boils down to is misogyny and racism against First Nations women by our own government. Stephan Harper doesn't want to help Aboriginal women. Stephen Harper doesn't care what happened to the tens of hundreds of Aboriginal women that've gone missing along the Highway of Tears. Stephen Harper doesn't give two flying fucks if any or all of the First Nations groups can air their grievances and present their testimonies at the Pickton trial. Why? Because Stephen Harper likes white, heterosexual Christians with lots of oil money and he doesn't like much else. Well, I mean, he likes kissing up to the United States, especially when he can use their days of mourning to establish police state-like laws up here.  I hate that guy.

Aboriginal/First Nations people get the short end of the stick in Canada on the best of days. This seeming indifference to the genocide of Aboriginal women by our own government (and I mean the government is both indifferent to their plight and partially responsible for it) is appalling. I urge everyone to learn about and get involved with groups protesting, begging for better treatment of First Nations people, especially First Nations women. I think (I mean, as far as I know so far) that the Aboriginal Womens Action Network is a good place to start. I'll see if I can't provide a link later. Sorry to cut this short, but I'm back (again) and lest we forget, Stephen Harper is a knob (again).

P.S. Always and Forever, Fuck You, Sun Media News Network. Especially Ezra Levant, Kathy Shaidle and Michael Coren. Woot.