The Lasso of Truth

Queue Joy Behar

'Cause if ever there was a bitch that needed slappin'....!

BCF is one of the best bloggers out there and is the first to rally to the aid of any and every worthy cause.  For this reason, Mikey and I are digging into our meager finances to send a few bucks his way, to help him fend off the spiteful, vengeful hellbeast that is Richard Warman. 

And if you value your ability to spend a few minutes reading and commenting on politically incorrect blogs like mine and his, you will too!

The power to silence

And the abuse of that power...

An infringement of the Charter by the actions of the delegated decision-maker in applying the legislation, as distinct from the legislation itself, does not render the legislation invalid.

This is what so-called free speech, in this country, has come to...A never-ending fight against the ultimate Weeble.

All the cool kids are wearing them...

To mercilessly mock one of Canada's most fervent censors and contribute cash toward the legal cage match for those who took on the fight to send her packing?

Sounds like the perfect wedding gift.

Then all we'd need is to get all the gals together for a wet t-shirt contest!

As the votes roll in

Mikey loves Monte Solberg and Monte likes Tim Hudak who, if he wins the Ontario PC leadership race (and then the election) will toss the Ontario Human Rights Commission out on it's ass...

As an Albertan I don't have a dog in this fight, but as a Canadian and a conservative I certainly want to see a real conservative leader become the next Premier of Ontario.

I know Tim Hudak, and I like him. He is young, energetic and principled, but he also has lots of experience. Clearly he also has good instincts.

[..]

Good for Tim Hudak for having the courage to tackle the issue.

In taking his stand he shows that he understands that you can win the public over, even on a controversial issue, if its clear that your sense of justice motivates you to right that wrong.

In fact I think what history shows is that taking on a tough issue can actually unify the severely normal people who make up the great silent majority. Ronald Reagan made it an art form.

Besides sticking your neck out to fix problems is what real leaders do.

I've been saying it for years that the fatal flaw of the Conservative movement, is the instinct to lurch to the center in order to avoid alienating the wishy-washy middle of the roaders.  Those mushy-middlers would be snowed under by the avalanche of votes from the disenfranchised normal people who have spent years ignoring elections because there is no one to vote for, who would suddenly come out in droves for a candidate who had the courage to actually purport Conservative values.

Just ask Mike Harris.  Or as Monte points out, Ronald Reagan.

No hate to be had here...

We went, we saw and we listened.  Mikey, myself and my eldest boy who (I am proud to say) is beginning to take an avid interest in a subject that most people twice his age take for granted and never spare a thought for.

Aside from the treat of adding two more books to my collection of things I'm dying to read -- and have no time for -- I also had the pleasure of putting faces to a few names I have bumped into over the years, and never had the pleasure of meeting.

Brian picked me out of the crowd first, followed by Wendy, who actually recognized Mikey first!  After the forum, Dr. Roy pulled me aside to prove that there is in fact a more rabid Wonder Woman fan than I...I am humbled ;)  Winston, who i have heard so much about from Wendy, was also there.  Of course, I had to finagle a picture with Ezra!

It really was a pleasure.

The subject at hand was The Human Rights Commissions and whether or not they have outlived their usefulness.  The most interesting avenue of discussion centered on the assertion that a government bureaucracy, who's sole purpose is to police human interaction, is not necessarily a bad thing but that this particular bureaucracy has gotten out of hand.

But I agree with Kathy's stance that the very premise of having an agency with a mandate to enforce equality, is a tangible example of an oxymoron in practical terms.  How can you enforce equality for one, without infringing on the equality rights of another?  A person who is not treated equally cannot take equality from someone who is unwilling to give it.  When they try, by means of state-sponsored force, it does not make them equal but instead, it makes them reviled and marginalized more.  And when the mission statement of this equality enforcement agency outlines specific groups as deserving of more equality than others, that marginalization and stigmatization extends not just to each person who utilizes the enforcers, but to the entire group of the affected they claim to advocate on behalf of.

That is why the very concept behind the Human Rights Commission is antithetical to it's own stated purpose.  It is a contradiction that cannot be reconciled and as contradictions go, Ayn Rand said it best...

Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong.

ROAD TRIP!

I hope they have a parking space for the invisible jet!

Still Waters

Skippy joins the pile on...

Warren Kinsella is a preening, smug, inept, hypocrite and in that he embodies everything that is wrong with both professional politics and the human spirit. That so many Liberals hate him far more than I do - and I loathe the cocksucker more than words can say - tells me that the battle for whatever is left of the party's soul is far from over. He's an intellectual and moral dwarf and a SLAPP-happy thug, more than willing to play both sides of the fence, depending on which is more beneficial to his personal vendettas, both real and imagined. He relies on "libel chill" far more often than he does actual argument. Words like "sleazy" and "stupid" don't go far enough in describing everything he embodies, but the limitations of the English language are what they are. He's the skunk who farts at a garden party and then levels an accusing glare at an innocent fat guy in the corner.

And really, who can argue with that?

h/t

Little known Canadian laws

The god-given right to pretend you're a unicorn and shower with the ladies...

When John Fulton picked up the phone and heard a man's voice in June of 2006, he didn't quite know what to make of it.

Mr. Fulton had just advertised his new women-only gym in St. Catharines, Ont., and was offering a special introductory rate to attract members.

"I'm thinking, 'It's a guy who wants the women's price,' so I just kind of wrote it off as a guy who misunderstood the price plan," Mr. Fulton said. "And two days later, a woman shows up."

The middle-aged woman with the man's voice, among other unseen attributes, turned out to be a transsexual who had yet to undergo the surgical transformation from male to female.

And now, her request to join the gym has landed Mr. Fulton before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.

[..]

Mr. Fulton, however, has chosen to fight on the grounds that he never refused the woman membership, but was still exploring his legal rights and obligations when, just a week after the woman's visit, he received a letter from her lawyer demanding a written apology and a cash settlement. She filed a human rights complaint a few weeks later.

And that's what a shakedown looks like.

The worst part about this case is the fact that when this problem presented itself, the gym owner proactively contacted the Human Rights Commission to inquire what was required under law.  They advised he was required to allow the man to use the women's facilities.  When he asked what the right's of the other women who used his facility were, he was told they didn't know but he couldn't deny access to the man-wannabe-woman.  This, from the agency which is now prosecuting him.

I love it here.

From "Big Brother" to "Big Mother"

The government which funds, permits and enables our egregiously corrupt Human Rights Commissions, now wants to expand it's ability to "monitor" thought and discussion in this country...

The Conservative government is preparing sweeping new eavesdropping legislation that will force Internet service providers to let police tap exchanges on their systems - but will likely reignite fear that Big Brother will be monitoring the private conversations of Canadians.

Presumably, these expanded powers would be used to listen in on pedophiles and terrorists...all fair targets, to be sure.  But endeavors like this have a tendency to stray beyond their mandate.

More taxpayer dollars

Working hard for those who'd rather not...

A Kelowna woman who failed to get a job after a manager complained she had a hacking cough and "reeked of smoke" has filed a human-rights complaint, arguing she was discriminated against based on her disability: an addiction to cigarettes.

In a decision released yesterday, the B. C. Human Rights Tribunal agreed to hear the case, one of the first of its kind in Canada. According to the tribunal's preliminary decision, Roxanne Stevenson, a relief employee with the City of Kelowna, applied for a job last May as a part-time operations clerk with the city. During her interview, Ms. Stevenson was asked about absenteeism, and she replied that she had "perfect attendance." However, when her personnel file was checked, it was discovered that she had taken numerous sick days during past jobs with the city. The city decided not to hire her, something it argued was due to Ms. Stevenson not being well-suited for the job. However, Ms. Stevenson claims she was not hired because she was a smoker.

And a liar.  And obviously a bit of a trouble maker.

Model City employee, I'd say.