Monday, December 31, 2007

Happy New Year Everyone!

2007 wasn't such a great year for many people. Let's hope that 2008 brings:

- a sensible end to the war
- a stop to the push toward world government
- a stop to the ongoing trend of taking away all our hard-won liberties
- less China and their wretched products and dictatorial leaders
- lower taxes for everyone
- less power to out-of-control police and government agencies
- more people who are kinder to each other
- visits with my grandchildren, Ethan and Laura, who are kept from me by their mother

KFed

Just to let you know how irrelevant my life is, it is New Year's Eve and I wasted a full hour watching a special about Britney Spears on the Nancy Grace Show. Luckily, NG wasn't there but home with her twins. There was, however, a full contingent of women past their prime but still with long hair - a fashion faux pas for sure.

We were able to follow through Brit's full year of disastrous behavior with an emphasis, of course, on the fact that she is (at this time at least) an unfit mother who doesn't seem too interested in having her children back or even having visitation with them. She won't take drug/alcohol tests as ordered by the court; she doesn't show up for court hearings with the excuse that she is sick but, not sick enough to stay out of the clubs a few hours later; she won't go to parenting classes.

All the while, the children's father, Kevin Federline is apparently keeping a low profile and looking after his sons. This seems to draw the ire of the women guests on the show who sneer when they mention his name. One stated flatly that he only wanted the children for the money. Nothing was mentioned about women who marry men with money - for the money! I guess that is completely different and certainly acceptable. Another sneered that he probably dumps them on a nanny. I bet that this woman, if she has children, dumps them on a nanny but of course that would be different because she needs to be liberated.

Not one thought of the possibility that he loves his sons and wants them to be safe or that he might be a very good father. These new women seem to think that men should be available only to impregnate them and then to stay out of the way and not bother them. They should, of course, send money.

I don't know Kevin Federline but I know that his former girlfriend seems to like him and thinks he is a nice guy who loves his sons. I also know many men who are fine fathers and who love their children. They change diapers, feed babies, get up in the night as much as the mothers of their children.

It is time society took a look at its attitude toward men and that it is time we started to eliminate this new hatred of men that is going on with modern women.

Will the punishment fit the crime?

Recently a teen-aged girl was murdered by her father. After he strangled her, he called the police and told them he had just killed his daughter. Although a trial has not been held yet and all the facts are not known, it has been reported by her friends that she had a difficult relationship with her family because she did not wish to wear her hijab. Apparently she would leave her homel dressed as her family wished and then changed before she arrived at school.

In the past in this province's politicians have actually considered seriously the possibility of allowing Muslims to use Sharia Law instead of the court system and rules that the rest of us are bound by. Thankfully, they were shouted down by right-thinking citizens who can see the possibilities of Sharia Law being used to keep Muslim women in their place and to punish them for supposed wrongs under Muslim laws. The politicians argued that it would only be used when acceptable to the accused, not realizing that these women must live with their accusers and that they would not likely dare to ask that Sharia Law not be used.

It will be interesting to watch this case and to see how our liberal court system and judges handle this case. I bet that this man will not do as much time in jail as Robert Latimer has done and will continue doing even though he killed his daughter out of love and his wish to remove her pain.

What's wrong with this picture?

It has been so interesting watching the coverage of the death of Benazir Bhutto, the grief that followed and her funeral. I have not doubt that most Pakistanis are genuinely distraught over her death and that they hoped that she might be the political answer to their problems in spite of the problems she has had as leader in the past. Perhaps corruption is more acceptable in that part of the world or perhaps we just hear more about it.


It is evident that she was welcomed enthusiastically and grieved sincerely.



Looking at the film on the television and in the papers however, I was struck by one thing. The very mosque that her funeral was held in was a place that she would not even be able to enter. The pictures there and in the streets were all men!




It's fascinating that she would be acceptable to be the head of the government and to lead the country but not to worship with men and that other women would not be able to grieve the death of a woman properly in the mosque with men.


Am I really the only one who finds this somewhat perverse in this day and age?

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Robert Latimer - a tragic tale

It is unimaginable that the national parole board, the same board that allows murderers, rapists and other ne'er-do-wells to roam our streets, has turned down Robert Latimer's appeal for parole. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this case, you can read the background here.

From all accounts, Latimer was a good and devoted husband and father who had to watch his 12 year old daughter, who had the mentality of a 3 month old baby, linger in excruciating pain year after year. She was subjected to numerous painful operations by the medical community. There was no hope of improvement, just years and years of pain and there was virtually no quality of life even though critics insisted that her occasional reflexive smiles proved that she was a happy girl. In 1993 Latimer sent his wife and other children off to church, put his daughter into his truck with a hose from the exhaust and watched her go to blessed sleep.

Although I certainly do not favour mercy killings, there have been cases in Canada and other countries where they have occurred without penalty. A Canadian member of parliament was involved in such a case with a woman with Lou Gehrig's Disease and I don't recall him being charged with anything. Of course, he also stole a valuable ring and managed to get away with that too. I guess it depends on who you are and a Saskatchewan farmer doesn't make the cut.

The parole board apparently thinks that this thoughtful, caring man is a dangerous risk to society and that he will go around killing anyone who is disabled. How absurd. The man could not watch his daughter suffer any longer and and be forced to go through more painful operations at the hands of Canadian doctors.

The real problem is that he will not bend to their will; he has not been reprogrammed to think as they would like him to. He still feels that he did the right thing for his child and refuses to play their game and pretend that he is a "sorry boy" who now has the correct mindset.

I understand the fears of the disabled community that they might be fair game if mercy killings were allowed but Latimer has been punished beyond all reason. Real murderers, people who kill out of malice, are released after serving less time than this caring compassionate father. Women who have opted to kill abusive husbands instead of leaving leaving them have been punished much less than this.

Shame on the parole board. Shame on everyone who agrees with extending his punishment even further.

Police stupidity