Prayer on Samhain

 

 

Grandmothers, whatever is coming I know I can face

 

 

because you are ahead of me

 

 

lighting the way.

Values Charter - Oui

English: Sous-Le-Fort St. in Old Quebec City, where the cable car stops. The year of the photo was Quebec's 400th Anniversary. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This morning I was surprised to see on the news that so many people marched in favour of Quebec's new Values Charter.

A bill that would ban the wearing of religious symbols in the province's public sector.  I was surprised because the march was organized by Quebec's leading women activists.

"WTF?" I thought. 

But as I listened to a woman about my age explained that having finally thrown off centuries of living under the heavy yoke of Catholicism, Quecec women had no wish to 'go back'.

It suddenly made sense.

I don't believe a government has the right to tell a woman what she can or can't wear on her own time.   However, if you live in Canada then you must obey the laws.  Faces must be unveiled for driver's licences, in courtrooms, etc. 

Is it much more of a stretch to say that in Canada people who work for the state should, during working hours, refrain from wearing items that suggests anything other than loyalty to the state and its values?

 

It would take a lot of courage to pass such a law - but perhaps with the right checks and balances in place, the time has come.

This promises to be interesting.

   

 

Related articles

• Women march for Quebec values charter
• 'Janettes' rally in support of Values Charter

Horror in Ottawa

Canadian television journalist Mike Duffy of CTV. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've never voted Conservative and over the years I've become cynical about

the motives of ALL politicians

so when I tell you that I believe that the PM is lying about his involvement

in the Senate scandal, it is the sad truth.  

 

Mike Duffy is a slightly different kettle of east coast herring.

I have never agreed with his politics but he was an amusing

TV political analyst .

I would not have wanted to have dinner with the chilly PM, but Mike Duffy? 

I would have jumped at the chance.

But because he was political and I have learned not to trust politicians

it isn't difficult to believe he was on the take. 

Which pisses me off no end.

 

Pamela Wallin's fall from grace, however, is difficult for me to process.  

Quite simply, I trusted her. 

Or I trusted her on air persona.   (Lesson there for me).

 

Do I hope that Duffy, Wallin and the others have their buttons sheered

off with a sword today, their epaulets ripped from their Senatorial

shoulders, their pension dollars turned into chump change and distributed

among the poor?

 

Naaa.

 

Unfortunately, I think the right thing to do is let them make their cases.

 

:(

Hallowe'en is so Dead

Halloween (Photo credit: Pedro J. Ferreira)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of my friends and former students have wondered why I'm against school Hallowe'en parties.

 

Hallowe'en is the night of the year when the veil between the dead and the living is thinnest - perhaps even penetrable.

And scary as that may be, until recently people who celebrated Hallowe'en often took the offensive. Sent their most precious and vulnerable into the dark night dressed as axe murderers, ghosts, ghouls and corpses.

On that one night of the year people used to laugh at Death.

After all, not many little girls who dress as a princess on Hallowe'en are going to marry into the royal family, but each one of them will die.  

So yes I am glad that schools are starting to do away with Hallowe'en parades and parties.  Few schools will allow gory costumes or anything that might allow children to start to come to terms with the fact that the grave is a place where we all must end.

I think that unless you happen to be a practising pagan, Hallowe'en is a mindless, sanitized, sugar filled symbol of  western soulessness and by celebrating it the way we do we mollycoddle children.   I think it is a true waste of school time.

 

But I still give out candy.

:)

 

 

 

An Anthem to Be Proud of

What more could anyone ask for in a a national anthem, eh? 

Fricken Canadian Anthem

Cover of Margaret Atwood

And I thought I was the only one who choked on the words to our national anthem.

Not so, my friends, not so.

 

It turns out the great and powerful Margaret Atwood and I have the same problem.

Being women,  our true patriot love isn't deemed important enough
to mention in the national ditty.

 

 

Anymore.

 

I didn't know it, but I guess the song was inclusive originally.

But I guess those darn Suffragettes ruined it for everybody by insisting women should be able to vote. 

And our consequent  punishment was to be forever banned from being mentioned at NHL hockey game opening ceremonies.

 How cruel is that!

But don't worry about me.

There is some comfort knowing that I know I'm in Margaret's group.

I mean if one has to be lessened and subjugated, one should always strive to be lessened and subjugated with the best!