Police charge alleged cupcake enforcer with assault.

Ottawa police have laid additional charges against a 75-year-old woman who is accused of approaching men and forcing them to eat cupcakes.

Gwen Landbrauchen was initially charged after police investigated several complaints about a woman approaching men during daytime hours in Orleans.

Police said that on July 8 and 9, a woman had approached three different men in incidents around the transit station at Place d'Orleans.

Police said that the woman would offer a cupcake from a Rubbermaid™ container she carried. If the victim refused, she would put the tasty treat against the man's face and threaten to make him eat it for his own good. 

Sometimes she would shout "Lebensmittel!" at them.  If the woman was confronted about her actions by the men she was attempting to feed, she would speak in a foreign language.

According to police, new victims have come forward, prompting additional charges.

Landbrauchen is facing four counts of assault. She appeared briefly in court by video Monday to face new charges.

One of the victims interviewed on condition of anonymity said that, had the cupcake enforcer been a MILF like Catherine Deneuve in a black leather jumpsuit yelling at him in French, he thinks he might have enjoyed the experience.

Since the alleged assailant is a wizened, cranky old lady muttering in German, he didn't like it so much. He added: "I think that it was a just a crummy Loblaws bran muffin with stale icing from a can."

Another victim, also requesting anonymity, said that his colleagues at work taunted him about filing a complaint.

"They kept mocking me, asking why I didn't punch her in the face or shove the cupcake down her throat. I don't engage in violence unless my life is threatened.  But I had to report her to the police. Even if she's someone's granny who's suffering from dementia.  She can't be allowed to force people to eat cupcakes. What if somebody choked on it and died?"


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This is the news item that inspired the above spoof.  Think about the misogynist messages that media reinforce when they trivialize unwanted physical or sexual actions directed at women. 

Update: "Kissing bandit" was originally used by The Citizen, that acknowledged it was an inappropriate choice of terms, and changed it online.

If you think that media narratives using half-truths and prejudices don't create and cement false perceptions, read this powerful deconstruction of the NYT coverage of the infamous Kitty Genovese femicide.

No Proclamation for Fetus Fetishists

Woo-hoo! After five straight years of bending over for fetus fetishists, the City of Kelowna has declined to proclaim the last week in September "Protect Human Life Week".

It's a yet another straight-up victory for sane people who oppose this tiny minority of fanatics in our midst.

In a long overdue move, Kelowna has changed its criteria for issuing proclamations to focus on local common issues and, more importantly, to take into account the human rights issue so often glossed over by these anodyne statements.

"Although the wording of the proclamation may have sounded harmless, anti-abortion groups can and do exploit official declarations," said [Executive Director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada Joyce] Arthur, arguing cities must look critically at the groups behind these requests.


She pointed to an incident in August when Regina declared European Heritage Week which the mayor immediately rescinded after discovering a white supremacist group was behind the request.


"The underlying intent of the Protect Human Life message is instantly recognizable by women who are aware of right-wing attacks on their rights," said Arthur.


"The main purpose of the Kelowna Pro-Life Society is to oppose abortion. The organization has used proclamations in the past as a vehicle to challenge women's right to access safe and legal abortion, and thereby women's basic legal rights and equality. The mayor was right to deny the group its proclamation this year because it amounted to discrimination against women.


"All cities across Canada need to respect the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and human rights codes by not approving cloaked messages from groups seeking to overturn those rights," added Arthur. 


In an earlier statement opposing the proclamation, [local pro-choice activist Dianne] Varga described the society's display graphic photos of fetuses at KSS and other actions as "disgusting, fanatical, offensive and inappropriate."


"While it's legal for them to have done so, it does give a clear indication of the extremist nature of this organization. It's been 40 years since abortion was legalized in Canada and the majority of Canadians support a pro-choice position. Yet the anti-choice movement continues to employ this and other shock tactics to try to move public opinion."

Last week, the forced pregnancy gang took their gory fetal pron signs to protest outside a high school. As usual, this upset people and caused controversy.

These are the grounds on which to oppose attempts to strong-arm local governments: the groups are fanatical, anti-human rights, and not at all representative of the community. In fact, their message is offensive to the majority and needlessly divisive.

Maybe the good people of Ottawa can offer a similar schooling to Mayor Jim Watson in time to cancel the annual proclamation of "Respect for Life Day" to coincide with the March of the Feti in May.

ADDED: Wingers whinge: Mayor kow-tows to pro-aborts. Hee.

Something is missing from this picture...

There is currently a criminal trial unfolding in Ottawa that has captured the interest of many.

It is unusual because it involves girls under the age of 16 pressured, blackmailed and physically coerced into sex work by pimps who are also girls — barely older than their victims.

Two of the three adolescents standing trial for 74 charges including human trafficking, forcible confinement and procuring for prostitution, are 16 years old; the other is 17.

This is an account from a young woman who evaded cajoling then threats from a Facebook acquaintance, and alleged pimp.

The clients who are testifying have likely been promised a reduced sentence for having sex with minor children, or amnesty from prosecution.

Something doesn't quite sit right with me, though. This scheme to recruit and force girls into prostitution goes quite beyond the high school bullying, ostracism and cruelty that we know teenage girls are capable of doing.

This is way beyond _Mean Girls_ territory, this is a sophisticated, complex and well-executed business plan. 

Are there older individuals behind this profitable enterprise whose identities the young women have not disclosed?  As with Fagin's abuse of homeless children, criminal organizations have made it a practice to enlist and train juveniles to run their money-making illegal schemes. If the under-age kids are arrested, charged, prosecuted and found guilty, their sentencing is usually light.

This trial may be a delicately orchestrated attempt to flush out the adults behind this criminal business scheme.  If the prosecution succeeds, and the girls are found guilty of these charges, there may be some plea bargaining involved to encourage them to give up their patrons, the people who bankrolled them, helped them develop their enterprise, trained them in the fine art of physical brutality, and shared the profits without any of the risks.

If this is indeed the case, these adult participants are people well versed in the intricate aspects of criminal law and jurisprudence.  The girls may not reveal who they are; a combination of eventual rewards, emotional coercion and fear of physical reprisals may buy their silence.

Photo credit: from the above-mentioned, feminist film about female adolescent angst, including a propensity for dressing up in fetish drag.

UPDATE: The young woman who testified yesterday, providing details about one of the alleged pimp's campaign to recruit her through Facebook communications, may have done something the defense lawyer will exploit to his clients' advantage.

Dear Mayor Watson,

About that *Respect for Life But Only If You're Pre-Born* proclamation ...

@Momforchoice tweeted. She linked to a kick-ass letter from Joyce Arthur, the executive Director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada. It reads in part:

We are writing now to request that you please refrain from issuing any “Respect for Life” proclamation in the future, on the basis that they fail to meet the criteria in your Policy. The proclamation contradicts your policy in two fundamental ways: 1. It endorses discrimination against women via the removal of their constitutional rights (and arguably promotes hatred against women), and 2. It is religiously motivated because it promotes a sectarian religious doctrine on abortion.

We note that your policy “emanates from the desire to uphold the intent and spirit of the Ontario Human Rights Code” – under which “sex” is a protected ground against discrimination. The “respect for life” that is promoted by this proclamation is disingenuous because it actually promotes discrimination against women. Its context refers to respect for fetal life at the expense of women’s lives, health, and rights. The goal of the anti-abortion movement is to restrict or re-criminalize abortion and force women to complete any and all pregnancies. But in Canada, women have constitutional rights under the Charter, while fetuses do not. Several Supreme Court of Canada rulings have said that fetuses cannot be persons, that a pregnant woman and her fetus are “physically one” person, and that all rights must accrue to the pregnant woman because she already has established constitutional and equality rights. (See for example: Dobson v. Dobson 1999 2 SCR 753; Tremblay v. Daigle 1989 2 SCR 530; and Winnipeg Child and Family Services v. D.F.G. 1997 3 SCR 925.) Therefore, it is not possible to give rights to fetuses without severely compromising the rights of pregnant women. This also means that laws that restrict abortion discriminate against women, and that calls to pass such laws promote discrimination.

Read the whole thing, it is a splendid tonic against the ShrieeeeeK!!!

Ruh-Roh! (Updated)

Ottawa mayor Jim Watson may have dodged a bullet over naming a city building after former mayor and anti-semite Charlotte Whitton. If this is true, he'd better get out his full-body armour when the good people of Ottawa find out.

The Mayor of Ottawa, Jim Watson, has proclaimed that the day of this year’s National March for Life, May 12th, be honored as ‘Respect for Life Day’ in the city.

“The rights of the people of Canada including the unborn, the elderly and those with handicaps are gradually being eroded,” the proclamation reads, adding that “the community needs to get involved to ensure the rights of all people are respected and upheld.”

The proclamation notes that the National March for Life has taken place for the last fourteen years “to bring awareness for the need for life-affirming solutions rather than life-destroying results.”

“Thousands of people from across Canada and the United States will be coming to the National March for Life on Parliament Hill to witness to the sanctity of human life from conception until natural death,” it reads.

The theme of this year’s annual march, which will commemorate 42 years since abortion was legalized in Canada, is “Abortion Kills a Human Being.”

The Ottawa Citizen says:

Watson, as mayor, tries to be a unifier rather than a divider. That, in part, might explain his urge to rush decisions; perhaps fearing delay will encourage unnecessary debate -a major failing of Ottawa's past.

DJ! wants to help.

May Jim Watson

Contact Information

Phone
613-580-2496

Fax
613-580-2509

Address
110 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1J1

E-mail
Jim.Watson @ ottawa.ca

Just another hasty decision, Jim?

UPDATE: Mayor Jim Watson says women's rights are open to interpretation. Well, that's my interpretation.

He said that as long as the proclamation doesn't breach the Ontario Human Rights Code and meets the standards of city staff, he has no issue with reading the statements.

But the city's policy states the proclamations should not be "politically or religiously motivated," and Watson said that criterion is open to interpretation.

"I suppose you could probably claim anything is political to some degree," said Watson. "But I rely on the advice of the clerk's office and the protocol office, they are the one's who prepare these proclamations and I sign them."

Methinks a fetus fetishist in the clerk's office pulled a fast one. I hope this gaffe inspires some caustic signs at the counter-demo.

Ottawa-Centre: Stay classy, Scott

So far, the campaign focus at DAMMIT JANET! has been on Contempt party candidates and their Con jobs. Now it appears other party candidates believe Rovian tactics can work for them too.

Two campaigns, two approaches. Incumbent Paul Dewar, a capable NDP MP, launches a policy-based campaign, heavy on substance, and covering the entire range of issues before us, including a comprehensive plan to protect the integrity of the public service.

But Liberal hopeful Scott Bradley, who has no record to run on,

goes on the attack right away. In his front-page video clip, “Day Six,” he claims (@2:30) that Dewar has shown no interest in the public service since he was first elected five years ago. (This would be news to the largest federal public service union, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, which has endorsed Paul Dewar in the past and is expected to do so once again.) That’s still within bounds as political campaign discourse, and the public employees who live in Ottawa-Centre will make up their own minds.

But the clip begins with what sounds like: "Paul was saying, see, the PS is a good place to make cuts and save money..." That’s where the line is crossed. The actual quote, before Breitbarting, is:"Across the country many voters, despite what Paul was saying, see the PS as a good place to make cuts and save money..." Only the first week of the campaign, and one candidate is already aiming low.

“Paul Dewar does not have the monopoly on being a nice guy,”

said Scott Bradley as he launched his bid.

Oh - Scott? This kinds of tactic suggests you're straying down the path of *fear and loathing* that has become the trademark of the Contempt party. Do your *nice* Liberal buddies know what you're up to?

Just when you think . . .

. . . the fetus fetishists can't sink any lower than race baiting,
there's -- I don't know what to call it -- this from Virginia:

State Delegate Bob Marshall of Manassas says disabled children are God's punishment to women who have aborted their first pregnancy.

He made that statement Thursday at a press conference to oppose state funding for Planned Parenthood.

"The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first born of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children," said Marshall, a Republican.

"In the Old Testament, the first born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There's a special punishment Christians would suggest."

I have nothing to say.

But in the spirit of The 40 Days of Harassment Campaign now on, I'm reposting the video of 'Anti-Choice Poster Boy'. If you're in Ottawa and see him hanging around outside a women's health clinic, ask him how he likes being the Canadian face of misogyny.



Psst. Bloggers, let's post this vid a few more times. But WARNING: if you go to the YouTube site for the code, there is some violently insane crap in the comments.

h/t feministe

One more amazingly talented ex-Ottawan honoured.

As some of our faithful DAMMIT JANET! readers may have observed by now, I blog from Ottawa. Being born and growing up in this city has not provided me with any particularly trenchant skills or talents for nosing out political stories; in fact most native Ottawans regard federal politics like a nasty personal hygiene issue that hangs around the town like .... well, you get the general idea.

Nonetheless we're not too blasé to rejoice when a local daughter or .... erm, son (yeah, yeah, yeah, Dan Akroyd, Paul Anka, Rich Little - oh what a scintillating firmament) makes the headlines.

So, Sandra Oh - you go grrrrl!

From the modestly budgeted NFB film short featured in Five Feminists, to a number of indie Canadian features, to Sideways, to that prime-time medical soap opera that under-uses your talents, you are more than a star - you're the sun and the moon wrapped up in one powerhouse performer.

Jan Harder: "Less than desirable."

The city of Ottawa is Canada's capital. It's my understanding that my country - Canada - is officially bilingual. Every once in a while when I try to speak to a City of Ottawa employee in French, it's not possible to do so and I am given the choice to wait until a bilingual staff member is available or to switch to English. I believe that no Anglophone resident has ever had to deal with a situation where service is not available in their language of expression.

It doesn't anger me when the above occasionally happens; I recognize that Francophones are in the minority in Ottawa, certainly less than 50% of the population.

What does infuriates me are the constant bilious invectives and accusations from those who somehow feel persecuted or disenfranchised or deprived of ... something, because the city tries to live up to a national standard of bilingualism and biculturalism.

Ottawa councillor Clive Doucet responded to yet another screeching eruption from French-hater councillor Jan Harder, with regard to a bilingualism requirement for staffing two important management positions for the city:

"What's happened is it's limiting the job pool. And there's no question about it," Jan Harder, councillor for Barrhaven, said Tuesday. "People are being very honest in telling me that." Harder alleged that few candidates are applying and those who do are "less than desirable."

Doucet said that Harder's comments were "a bit insulting".

There's an understatement. But I think that Francophones might want to approach Harder with a different kind of energy, in order to deflect the hatefulness of her discourse. Perhaps a nice, juicy French kiss could be planted on her every time she opens her mouth to trash bilingualism?

I'd volunteer but she's so NOT my type.

Update: And just in time, the annual report from the French Language Services Commissioner:

“Integrating and offering French-language services are not some forms of special treatment. It is an obligation under the French Language Services Act. French-language services must be depoliticized and the funding allocated to these services must be protected from political influence and budget fluctuations,” stated Mr. Boileau. ...

Furthermore, the financial and human resources allocated to French-language services are not adequate, yet the need for these services continues to grow and is more urgent than ever.

This has a direct impact on the ability of the Office of the French Language Services Commissioner to deal with an ever-increasing number of complaints. In 2008-2009, the Office recorded 304 complaints — seven times the number reported in its first annual report released last year.

“It is becoming impossible to do more with less, and the quality of the services being delivered to the public is suffering as a result. The government must ensure that it offers services that meet the needs of Francophones. The vitality, development, and survival of Ontario’s Francophone communities depend upon
these services,” added the Commissioner.

Oh to be a fly on the wall to hear what Harder will shriek about Boileau's report.

O'Brien missed the train because of his ego trip.

According to a Radio-Canada news item, somebody in O'Brien's office at the city of Ottawa deemed that this project was unworthy of interest, so much so that the invitation to join with the cities of Québec, Laval, Montréal, Toronto, London and Windsor was not even brought to city council for consideration.

Never mind that the citizens of Ottawa will be forced to pay for the cancellation of the Siemens' contract for the construction of the LRT. O'Brien made that the overweening goal of his campaign, and he effectively killed it when he became mayor.

The process to establish Light Rail Transit in the greater capital region was flawed, but to date the incompetence on display by O'Brien in managing public transportation issues makes, in retrospect, the LRT project seem like a pretty darn good possibility that was sacrificed on the altar of the mayor's MASSIVE ego.