Catholic Schools using Students to lobby on Abortion

Debbie Fisher - Speaking to Students in 2011

XTRA reports that Debbie Fisher spoke to a school assembly on April 19, 2012. Fisher is the head of the 'Right To Life' organization in Toronto. Students were asked to raise $20 each for her organization, a Catholic lobby group.  Teachers are circulating petitions to students to criminalize abortion and the students are being asked to contribute financially to the Church's political campaign. 

Missouri, The Show Me State, unless you happen to be gay...

Just pretend that gays don't exist and we will all get along fine.  New bill to go before the Missouri House of Representives...

Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, no instruction, material, or extracurricular activity sponsored by a public school that discusses sexual orientation other than in scientific instruction concerning human reproduction shall be provided in any public school. Bill 2051

With millions of Americans underwater with their mortgages, millions without work, the GOP obviously has no answers so they are legislating away rights of women and in this case gays.

New Level of Partisanship by BC Liberals

Government resources are to be used only for government activities. Again, the BC Liberals have used government resources for partisan purposes as my former colleague David Schreck points out here.

Christy Clark, Premier Photo-op

In an astounding display of bad judgment, Premier Clark's response to the April 19th by-elections was posted to the government website. That may have been appropriate had she limited her remarks to congratulating the candidates, but most of the response was a rant about how to defeat the NDP with a coalition.

Get the Facts on Amendment One - North Carolina

Are you or do you know someone in North Carolina?  If so I have some important news on Amendment One in that state.  The Amendment was passed in the State Legislatures to go to a vote on May 8.  The amendment reads,  'Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.' 


This language as is, will if passed be plopped at the end of the North Carolina State Constitution.  The amendment is being sold to people as a means to prevent same sex marriage.  This despite a twenty year state law that does this.  However in reading the amendment there is something else that comes to light.  

Sign on my lawn, in Durham NC

Here is the amendment again,  'Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.' I highlighted the key wording for you.  


This means couples that are not currently married, that are living common law, could lose all rights they currently have if those rights come from state law.  This will see the State and local governments and employers tied up on both sides of the issue in court, spending millions of taxpayer dollars on lawyers.


Vote No on Amendment One. 


Check out this video from Protect All NC Families

Will there be HST on that Six Million Dollar train trip?

The BC Liberals are on the way out the door.  As in days gone by, this recent incarnation of Social Credit Big Business party has out worn its welcome.  The HST seems to be the last straw for people.  The fudge-it budget in the lead up to the 2009 election showed voters first hand the Liberals were lying to them.

In an effort to get back on track they elected an old new leader, Christy Clark. Clark was part of the Gordon Campbell government and introduced and passed labour laws against teachers. Years later the laws were determined to be unconstitutional by Canada's Supreme Court.  The damage was done. Clark was also a feisty partisan. Never missing an opportunity to gore her opponents, whether it be the NDP opposition, unions or poverty activists.

Clark got out of town just in time, as the BC Rail scandal came to light.  She was intimately entangled as her brother was implicated in in the scandal, though no court action was ever taken.  As two senior political aides were charged and on trial, information was starting to spill out, the aides were not going to take the fall.  The Liberals in BC were grateful on several occasions to see the process of the trial delayed, through two elections.  Surprisingly, the trial judge was promoted just as the trial was to continue, a new judge was needed, another delay.

The BC Rail scandal died in court with the surprise about face by the defendants. They agreed to plead guilty and in return the BC Liberal government would pay them Six Million dollars.  It was unprecedented in BC or even Canadian history.  If they were guilty, why would the Government fork over the money.  What was the value obtained by people of BC for such a payment?

To this day the BC Liberal government is refusing to hand over documents to the Provincial Auditor General who is seeking answers as to why government money was used to "what appears to be a bribe" in ending an embarrassing trial that was about to get a whole lot more embarrassing, when former BC Liberal Finance Minister Gary Collins was set to testify under oath.  Rumours that then Premier Campbell and other former politicians would have to testify, perhaps even Premier Christy Clark was on that list of potential witnesses.  We may never know.

The BC Rail sale itself must be scrutinized much more.  The connections between then Premier Campbell and the head of CN Rail, the political donations in the thousands and thousands of dollars, the role of one Mr. Kinsella, the fire sale price for BC Rail, and the loss of the passenger rail service to the Cariboo. So many unanswered questions.

One is almost certain, the BC Liberal brand is about as good as the Ignatieff brand. Clark will be screaming WAC Bennett's call to action, "The socialist hordes are at the gates." It will fall on non-listening voters.

On the list of things for new Premier Dix, a royal commission into the BC Rail Scandal with powers to recommend charges.

Want more on the BC Rail scandal, check out these links below...

The Gazetter
The Legislative Raids
No Strings Attached
Whose Who in BC Rail/Legislature Raids
A to Z - Railgate

Orwell's Bastard: And the PB exits continue ... @DrDawg and @gallopingbeaver

Orwell's Bastard: And the PB exits continue ... @DrDawg and @gallopingbeaver

Many of my Friends are gone

I have been on vacation while the issue of women's health has been a key discussion among Progressive bloggers. I have found several bloggers on this site to be among the proponents of Catholic like approach to human rights. At times I have taken issue with them. Now it appears to be time to say good bye.

Fern Hill hit the nail on the head. Human rights are not to be taken away. You don't let someone take them away. You don't sit back while so called progressive bloggers are giving credence or outright support for taking away someone's rights, or in this case half of the populations rights.

The last straw for me was Warren Kinsella attack on Fern Hill. I'm not sure if he was supporting decisions made by PB mods or acting on his own.  It doesn't matter now. He galvanized the real progressives. He has lead election efforts that turn a blind eye to people he is helping to elect. People opposed to women's rights to choose, people opposed to same sex marriage, opposed to everyday people bargaining for rights in the work place.

What is clear here is that he is not alone at PB. He is simply the loudest. It was becoming clear to me several years ago when PB folks I met were supportive of the BC Liberal government in BC under Gordon Campbell and now by Christy Clark. This government tore up contracts with workers and many saw their wages and benefits cut in half over night. Eventually the Supreme Court found they did it illegally. They gave BC Rail away for pennies. They promised not to sell it and then they sold it.

Two PB folks while championing the idea that we needed to work together to defeat the Harper Govt last May actually went to BC and Saskatchewan and worked for Liberal campaigns that had no chance, but did allow the Conservative candidate a narrow victory. I don't begrudge their choice, just their rhetoric that said we needed to work together, their actions were not the same as their words.

So Fern Hill has made my decision easy. Warren Kinsella has made my decision to leave PB a must. I can come back, let me know when things have shaped up.

I will miss some of the gatherings arranged by PB. I will miss some of the bloggers there. See you online from the outside.