Are we equals?

Go read Antonia Zerbezias, here. It's where I found the YouTube above, and re-posted it.

We need two versions of this PSA for Canada. I'd cast Kiefer Sutherland, with a voice-over by Kate Nelligan. En français, Roy Dupuis et Sophie Faucher.

Oklahoma Doctors Can Legally Pretend to Give Abortions

USian women's reproductive rights are being attacked on so many fronts, some times you just gotta laugh.


Oklahoma Doctors Can Legally Pretend To Give Abortions

Mona Eltahawy at J Street

Mona Eltahawy recently spoke as a panel member at this event organized by J Street last week.

She is a journalist that I've been following on Twitter - @monaeltahawy - since #SidiBouzid and #Jan25; she is an articulate, witty and effective communicator.

J Street is a formidable presence in Washington DC, ensuring that accurate and factual information about the Middle East is available to counter the rhetoric of those who lobby in support of Israel's pro-war policies.

There's no similar organization in Ottawa, which allows MP Irwin Cotler to promulgate his perspective as though it were the official position of Liberal Party of Canada - and gives the Harper Regime more opportunities to maintain its ideologically-informed policies, with regard to Israel.

Updated to add a link to Mona Eltahawy's blogpost about FGM written last year and is particularly moving, in honour of IWD tomorrow.

The case for the *Harper Regime*.

Not sure who pegged it first, but I read it here; I think it would be strategic to consistently use it, wide, far and often.

One definition of the word regime that appears increasingly applicable to Harper's reign over the House of Commons:

Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a political system where the state, usually under the control of a single political person, faction, or class, recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible.

Totalitarianism is generally characterized by the coincidence of authoritarianism (where ordinary citizens have less significant share in state decision-making) and ideology (a pervasive scheme of values promulgated by institutional means to direct most if not all aspects of public and private life).

Totalitarian regimes or movements stay in political power through an all-encompassing propaganda disseminated through the state-controlled mass media, a single party that is often marked by personality cultism, control over the economy, regulation and restriction of speech, mass surveillance, and widespread use of state terrorism.

"the state, under the control of a single political person, faction, or class, recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible ..." How many times now has Stevie Spiteful defied Parliament to subvert it his will? Prorogation: twice to date, once to avoid a challenge he would have lost over MPs' access to documents regarding government directives on Afghan detainees. How many specific private members' bills were presented by abortion-criminalizing MPs in an attempt to circumscribe and erode women's right to choose? How many competent public officials have been fired and incompetent Harper appointees installed? And what about the stacking of the Senate to his benefit?

"Totalitarianism is generally characterized by the coincidence of authoritarianism (where ordinary citizens have less significant share in state decision-making) and ideology (a pervasive scheme of values promulgated by institutional means to direct most if not all aspects of public and private life)." The significant erosion of members of the Opposition - a majority of elected officials - capacity to participate in, and influence the outcome of standing committees' work has been observed by a number of people. Much has been noted about the ideological shift.

"Totalitarian regimes [achieve] power through an all-encompassing propaganda disseminated through the state-controlled mass media, a single party that is often marked by personality cultism, control over the economy, regulation and restriction of speech, mass surveillance, and widespread use of state terrorism."

All-encompassing propaganda is disseminated by the PMO. Reporters have limited access to elected officials of the Conservative minority government unless sanctioned by the PMO and capable of faithful stenography *cough* Jane Taber *cough*. In the last five years, Stevie's Politburo has increased its budget, its power and its presence. CRTC support for any changes advanced by the ReformaTories has been ensured with the appointment of Tom Pentefountas. If Stevie gets his majority, the CBC will likely be dismantled and all journalists who have reported events or facts that appeared critical of his regime, dismissed.

CTV reports:

The government is looking for ways to monitor online chatter about political issues and correct what it perceives as misinformation. The move started recently with a pilot project on the East Coast seal hunt. A Toronto-based company called Social Media Group has been hired to help counter some information put forward by the anti-sealing movement. The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade has paid the firm $75,000 "to monitor social activity and help identify ... areas where misinformation is being presented and repeated as fact," [...] The seal hunt pilot project was set up in part "to establish foundations and recommendations for future programs and campaigns to use social media as another way to listen to, inform and engage with Canadians" [...]

And of course, there are the minions who labour for love or money under the tutelage of BloggingTories founder Stephen Taylor.

From the CBC video clip posted above:

Treasury Board President Stockwell Day, shrugged off the directive. "If you think you're on to something that is going to ignite people from coast to coast in a fury of rage, maybe we'll look at it. But this is the first I've heard of it, so good luck with it."

What a giggle from Doris as he arched a well-groomed eyebrow. The coast-to-coast fury in response to Stevie's arbitrary abolition of the long-form census caused nary a ripple in the Harper Regime's authoritarian stand.

Other Progressive Bloggers on this phenomenon: Dr Dawg and pale at ACR.

Walker is an 'evil reptilian puppy-torturer from another planet'

Ontarians will remember the Conservative Party's official -- it was in a press release -- reference to Dalton McGuinty, then in opposition, as an 'evil reptilian kitten-eater from another planet'.

On Twitter I have seen several retweets of this.



Thought to self: 'These Sconnies seem to be sensible people, but surely this is a bit much'.

Asked for link and Jennnnie kindly sent this.



Whoever posted it said:

Emphasis added. That's the section that the person posting in that forum noted will give research facilities wanting dogs preference over rescuers.

So, it's true. To address his self-created 'budget crisis', Gov. Scott Walker is going to sell dogs to researchers for a buck each.

A real money-maker that ought to be.


ADDED: So I tweeted this post.

Walker to sell pound dogs to researchers for a buck each. True. http://bit.ly/fuSFAF That'll help with 'budget crisis'. @Wisconsin #WIUnion

Smart-arse stoopidproof retweeted thus:

They won't go to waste though. Ever see Soylent Green? RT @fernhilldammit: Walker to sell dogs to research for $1 each. True. #WIUnion

Another smart-arse, woodstock4028, replied:

@stoopidproof @fernhilldammit Only if #Huckabee's son doesn't get them first.

Again, I thought: 'Huh?'

It's true. Mike Huckabee's son killed a dog.

I mean, really, what do these ReThugs have against dogs, for dog's sake?

Michael Moore in Madison, WI, March 5/11

Michael Moore's whole speech. Really worth listening to.

Bonus: MM is interviewed on Grit TV, which I'd never heard of. Now I have.

Bagpipes! (Wisconsin March 5/11)

More later when Michael Moore's speech -- he was on fire! -- is posted. (I tried to watch the live feed but it kept crapping out.)

There's something very BIG going on here. Very big and very hopeful.

"I was treated like a 'common' criminal..."

If MP Julian Fantino intended to elicit sympathy from the 'common' folks by whining thus, now there's a MASSIVE fail right there.

"I got the business on a number of issues ... on seniors not having adequate pensions (while) the minister for seniors has multiple pensions,” he says. “What does that have to do with anything?” Fantino asks. “I didn’t rob any banks. I didn’t steal anything.” [...]

“The other thing that grabs me is the immunity from accountability in the House,” he continues. “I’ve been called a few things and they’ve got protection. I’ve always found that kind of strange. It seems people in there can decimate your integrity, trample your good name, call you every awful name, accuse you of the most heinous things — and they do it with a straight face.”

Dey got no respeck for Duh Fantino ...

Really quite amusing, particularly as he's describing the tactics that HarperCons have honed and refined, using them repeatedly against Opposition MPs.

Irony has always been wasted on Fantino. The only thing slicker & thicker than he is - a BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Grand merci to Montreal Simon for the Fantino pic.

Wisconsin Update (March 5/11)

Still obsessed with intensely interested in Wisconsin.

Catching up:

Last night, all protesters left the capitol building. Here they are singing their way out.

Another MASSIVE demonstration is planned for today. And it has a theme -- suits! That's in reaction to ReThug senator Grothman who called the protesters 'slobs'. Such a lovely guy.

Furthermore, Grothman has opposed increased funding for anti-smoking bills and voted against the bill that was passed to prohibit smoking in restaurants and bars. He argued that Martin Luther King Jr. day should not be a paid holiday. He introduced legislation that would remove the requirement to disinfect municipal water systems, although a 1993 Cryptosporidium outbreak killed 104 Milwaukee residents and made thousands extremely ill.

There are rumours that Michael Moore may show up.

There are pleas for more supplies.

@FrauMorris RT @opencapitol: Please RT: This wkend more "3M Super-Sticky" Post-Its Needed! Stores near sold-out. Help people be heard #wiunion #wearewi

(They've been leaving messages stuck to the locked doors of the capitol.)

And there are weather forecasts.

@RobinMarohn RT @muskrat_john: "Partly crowdy with a chance of bagpipes..." #wiunion

And if you love Rachel Maddow, go watch her gloat.

In related news, that $7.5 million clean up bill fell yesterday to a mere $350,000. Today it appears to have fallen even more.

@thewhereblog In 1 day, the estimate for damage to the capitol from #wiunion went from $7.5 million to $0. Now *that's* a budget repair bill

('Budget Repair Bill' is the supposedly 'minor' bill that caused the initial fuss.)

More later.

UPDATE: Confirmed. Michael Moore will be there.