Fetus Freaks: They're Slow But They're Stupid

Good gord. Regular readers of DJ! know how highly we esteem the intelligence and moral compass of the fetus freaks, but this should be embarrassing even for them.

Let's hop into the Way Back Machine. On November 8 last year, we reported that the Trillium Foundation, the granting agency for Ontario's gaming proceeds, rescinded the second year of a two-year $84K grant to a fake clinic.

There was some squealing from the predictable sources, who amusingly decided collectively that this blog was to be unnamed as the culprit.

On November 25, SUZY ALLCAPS linked to Our Number One Fan (Bertha Wilson Motion, now sadly defunct, aww) who had uncovered the shocking fact that the CEO of the Trillium Foundation, Andrea Cohen Barrack, also serves as volunteer Chair of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Western Hemisphere Region.

Here's SUZY's plain-text URL: http://www.bigbluewave.ca/2014/11/todays-link-dump-abortion-catholic.html#idc-container

And my reaction, dated November 26.

That's about as far as that went, until last week when Patricia Maloney, who is "Canada's pro-life investigator" according to Focus on the Family's Astroturf blog, finally twigged to Ms Cohen Barrack's dedication to public service. (More on Canada's pro-life investigator in a future post.)

As is the custom in the antichoice echo chamber, LifeShite picked up the SCOOP on April 23.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation has denied that CEO Andrea Cohen Barrack is in a conflict of interest after alert bloggers noted that while she is a member of International Planned Parenthood Federation’s governing council, her foundation recently cut funding to a pro-life pregnancy center and approved a grant for Planned Parenthood Toronto.

The fetus freaks are trying hard -- if ridiculously late -- to spin some shit out of this, even contacting Ontario's Conflict of Interest Commissioner, whose lawyer Heather Popliger said:

Popliger told LifeSiteNews in an email the following day that “our understanding is that the President & CEO of the Ontario Trillium Foundation plays no role regarding grant decisions. There is a process for evaluating which entities receive grants, and the Board of Directors of the Ontario Trillium Foundation makes all decisions regarding grants.  The President & CEO has no involvement.”

When questioned about Cohen Barrack’s involvement with IPPF creating the appearance of preferential treatment, Popliger only reiterated that, “the President & CEO has no involvement in the grant process at the Ontario Trillium Foundation.  Accordingly, she is not in a position to, nor is she in fact, providing one entity with preferential treatment.”

Ominously, LifeShite ends with:

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport did not respond to enquiries from LifeSiteNews by deadline.

Oooh, I bet the Ministry is peeing its pants.

When you've got your Outrage-O-Meter cranked to MASSIVE allatime, I guess it's hard to remember that you've already hit a particularly dipshit note previously.

Exploitation of Parents' Fear Is Despicable

I was going to snark about today's sex-ed curriculum protest.

(Co-blogger dBO covered the previous hissy fit.)

An estimated 2,000 people gathered on the front lawn of the Ontario legislature on Tuesday morning to protest the Liberal government's proposed changes to the sex education curriculum.

I found this very funny:

This sign protesting against Ontario's #SexEd curriculum is a thing of majestic beauty. via @LadySnarksalot pic.twitter.com/pnAHwxSZ82

— Lyndsay Kirkham (@HisFeministMama) April 14, 2015

Also, questions about who's funding this astroturf bunfest.

I count 25 buses arriving to pick up protestors from anti sex-ed demonstration. #onpoli #cbcTO pic.twitter.com/sTX0JFr6uY

— Mike Crawley (@CBCQueensPark) April 14, 2015

But then I saw this and now I just feel sad and sorry for these poor people whose ignorance and gullibility is being so cruelly exploited to further the anti-choice and Conservative political agendas.

Global reporter talks to protesting parents.

Whipping up these parents' fears is NOT funny. It's just disgusting.

Here, by the way, is what the new curriculum actually contains.


UPDATE: More exploitation. This time by federal MP Parm Gill who tries feebly to link Ontario Liberal sex ed plans to federal Liberal Party. And using tax-payer funded mailer to do it.

MORE UPDATE: Guaranteed 15 of the weirdest minutes you'll spend. Cheering on RWNJ Michael Coren as he takes on lying douchecanoe Charles McVety.

From the bowels of rubbletv?

Urgh.

Our esteemed blogging colleague Montreal Simon wrote this:

There's a strange and disturbing story circulating quietly on the internet. It was forwarded to me by someone I trust.
And it seems to show that the CBC wrote a story claiming that Stephen Harper was thinking about conscripting young Canadians if he is re-elected.

Disturbing, yet plausible since it's been demonstrated that Harper is a mendacious warmonger and profiteer (politically, yes - personally, that's not known) from MASSIVE military weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.

Tyrants have for centuries used mandatory military recruitment aka conscription to legally control young people and to counter high unemployment rates. Some libertarians even defend it as a "pillar of freedom". 

Though it's claimed the dubious item was posted on a CBC website, then withdrawn, there isn't any google cache links to substantiate this.

So, a twitter storm erupted about this purported CBC story.  The only Hill reporter to respond was a *junior journalist* who provided some background with regard to the item, as he sneered at those who try to keep abreast of political issues.

Earlier, Ling had said:

So, an email was sent to the Parliamentary Press Gallery members list.  Fuzzy Wuzzy observed:

Isn't anyone curious about where that purported CBC blogpost — which has now been dismissed as an April 1st prank and hoax — originated?

In addition to the claim that Harper would introduce conscription AFTER he is re-elected, there are some odd details, as fern hill points out:

That made me think: things have not gone well for Levant since the plug was pulled on StunTV.

He has indulged in his usual bullying, slanderous, hissy-fits on Twitter:

That was deleted, along with the nasty little rant he linked to, since it might be actionable.  Levant is intimately familiar with defamation suits.

What if Levant had been asked, as a favour by one of Harper's more devious back-room operatives, say... Jenni Byrne, to plant some vicious little item that, were it used by members of the Opposition parties or CPC critics, could be deployed to discredit any future legitimate information presented?

I can imagine that Levant, desperate for the media attention and brownie points, might jump at such opportunity.  A trifecta!  Smear the CBC for allegedly caving in to political pressure.  Test the public response to the circonscription notion.

And what about that allegedly fictitious, juicy detail about Stevie and Bibi?

But according to two reliable sources — both close friends of Baird — it was during a special closed-door meeting with Baird, Harper and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in January 2014 — on the third day of Harper's four-day trip to Israel — that Harper discussed the possibility of a conscription bill for 18-year-old men and women, based on the Israeli model.

Remember, Levant's father was one of the many schnorrers who went to Israel with Harper.

So, if anyone dared to deploy that particular bit of colourful information about a private Stevie/Bibi convo, Levant might weigh in as official debunker — amply weaponized with confidential Con sources as well as his own propensity to quickly switch from bully tactics to victim mode in order to shriek "anti-semitism".

Sheer speculation.  But to paraphrase Levant (on Lac-Mégantic): "It would be irresponsible not to speculate on these matters."

UPDATE: Montreal Simon articulates why the hoax has a very plausible resonance to it.

The Sanctity of (American) Motherhood

My mother is difficult. We call her the Princess of Passive Aggression.

Siblings and I think she's also a sociopath, but, you know ... whatever.

She's 85 and has all her evil wits about her, but isn't getting enough attention. She's also depressed and bored.

Lately, she's been exhibiting signs of Munchausen syndrome. That would be a charitable explanation.

Sibs and I think she's more likely exhibiting "If I keep fucking up my meds and winding up in the hospital, my horrible children will pay me the attention I am due" syndrome.

In her various hospital visits, they can find nothing wrong with her beyond stuff that any 85-year-old would have: heart and blood pressure issues that would be well controlled if she took her FUCKING MEDS properly.

Her evil scheme has finally worked. All the people around her -- she's in Florida -- have decided that she needs more help. More help than they're willing to continue to provide at least.

It's time for the children to step up, they have decided.

All right. Fine. We knew this was coming.

But here's the thing: Why are people, and USian people in particular, so insane about mothers?

Whenever one of her friends or neighbours calls to inform me of her latest 911 adventure, even the nicest of them are judgemental as hell.

For example, this latest hoohaw is happening just before Easter. One of the helpers couldn't restrain herself from pointing out to me that mother was going to be All Alone on the Holiday.

Easter.

Like, are we supposed to jump on an airplane to prepare a jolly Easter egg hunt for our aged parent?

I'm not even going to try to characterize the crap they dish out over Christmas and that holiest of holy days -- Thanksgiving.

So I'm used to this, but imagine my astonishment when a couple of months ago I ran into it at the US Consulate.

I was renouncing my US citizenship -- something I should have done decades ago -- and as one might envision there's quite a production over this. I mean, who would renounce citizenship of the Greatest Country on Earth Evah?

Many forms, many questions.

Viz., what remaining ties do you have to US? Moi: Just mother in Florida.

More questions.

What passport do you use to travel to US? (US demands you maintain and use USian passport if you travel there. Simple money grab? Dunno.)

Moi: I haven't been to US since last US passport expired.

Consular official, looking at passport and noting expiry date of nine years ago, says incredulously: "You haven't visited your mother in NINE YEARS?"

Moi: Nope.

Now she's giving me the full-bore "What Manner of Ungrateful Seed of Satan Are You?" look.

I'm withstanding it, wondering if my application is going to be denied because I am an awful, unAmerican daughter.

The look continues. I remain silent. It's getting a tad uncomfortable.

Finally I break the silence: "Do you have another question?"

She shook her head in disgust and the interview proceeded.

Monday, I'm going to Florida. My mother I can handle. It's the judgemental mother-worshipping ass-clowns that I'm going to have trouble with.

Carafem: Just Another Day at the Abortion-Spa

Big props to the new abortion clinic Carafem in Washington, DC.

It's got ALL the fetus freaks' knickers knotted.

With its natural wood floors and plush upholstery, Carafem aims to feel more like a spa than a medical clinic. But the slick ads set to go up in Metro stations across the Washington region leave nothing to doubt: “Abortion. Yeah, we do that.”

The Maryland clinic, opening this week in Montgomery County’s tony Friendship Heights area, specializes in the abortion pill. The advertising reflects its unabashed approach — and a new push to de-stigmatize the nation’s most controversial medical procedure by talking about it openly and unapologetically.

Website.

It's hard to say what has the freaks most outraged -- that women could be treated decently, that abortion could be treated like any other medical procedure, or that a business, yes, a business, could aim to help destigmatize a common life event.

The Dominionist Astroturf Gang, We Need a Law (Like a Hole in the Head), is appalled that the furniture is comfy.

SUZY ALL-CAPS is SHRIEEKING that abortion will be destigmatized OVER HER DEAD BODY!!!!!!!!

http://www.bigbluewave.ca/2015/03/abortion-will-never-be-de-stigmatized.html

Kay Mère, as befits her very limited cognitive processing ability, is all over the map in her objections.

She cites a "left-leaning think tank" that points out that destigmatization worked for the LBGT community by sharing stories and coming out to friends and families.

But this is an untenable comparison. Gays are human beings with a minority sexual orientation.

As opposed to people who have abortions who are not human beings but amoral, irresponsible baby-killing sluts.

Ultimately, what bugs her the most is that Carafem is a business and this new and humane approach to a common procedure may make them money!!!!

The Focus on the Family Astroturf Gang, as usual, takes its cue from Kay, considered to be among the more "reasonable" of anti-choicers, and squeals about the profit.

Well, shut my mouth. I thought all these right-wing nut-jobs worshipped at the altar of the Free Market.

These are the same people eager to label any efforts by government to regulate contraception and abortion services as Communist! Fascist! Maoist! (You get the idea.)

Yet, these are also the people who revelled in the gore and filth of Kermit Gosnell's totally unregulated predatory racket.

But who insisted that there must be Gosnells in Canada. We just haven't caught them yet.

This Carafem development has them shoved back in that terrible pickle again.

HORRORS! People needing abortions are being treated decently.

HORRORS! People needing abortions (in the US) must pay for them and so will prompt entrepreneurs to cater to them.

HORRORS! If people needing abortions are treated decently, there will be no more Gosnells, no more stigma, no more needless suffering.

Ha. I say again -- props to Carafem.

By the way, the cost of a medical abortion at Carafem is below average.

The average pharmaceutical abortion cost about $500 in the United States in 2011, Guttmacher figures show; [Carafem President Christopher] Purdy plans to charge around $400.