Very Belated Election Day Comments

Originally written October 13th, 2008:

Aujourd’hui est la veille de la quarantième élection fédérale de l’histoire du Canada. Selon les résultats du sondage quotidien de l’intention de votes CPAC-Nanos, lequel que je suivais depuis avant le début de la campagne, les Conservateurs gagnent 34,2%, les Libéraux reçoivent 26,7%, le NPD a 21,4%, le Bloc commande 9,5% de l’électorat, et le Parti Vert apprécie 8,2%. C’est également important de reconnaître qu’une seizième des électeurs commis n’avaient pas encore choisi le 11 octobre.

Ce qui est important pour les gens de savoir est que si on a un amour pour ce pays, et des rêves pour son avenir, si ceux concernent des droits de la personne, les soins de santé, l’immigration, les droits des citoyens sur l’Internet, le respect pour des cultures et des fonds pour qu’elles puissent rester vivantes et vibrantes, pour la sécurité économique ou nationale ou environnementale, c’est la responsabilité du monde de voter. C’est une impérative de participer au grand jeu qui va déterminer le futur pour ce pays. Si on lutte contre les pouvoirs des multinationales ou des racistes, si on manifeste sur des campus ou des blogues, dans les rues ou en écrivant des mails ou des lettres de papier, on doit voter. Si on veut que des changements de n’importe quelle taille ou que les choses ne changent pas de tout, il faut qu’on s’exprime aux urnes demain.

J’ai entendu des plaintes des étudiants autour de la nation et sur mon propre campus à l’Université de Calgary et je les ai lues aussi. Parmi les commentaires, j’ai entendu il y a une semaine dans mon cours de Français qu’il y avait des gens qui ont décrit les politiciens comme étant corrompus et stupides et des autres qui n’ont pas voté puisqu’ils habitent au campus de l’Université de Calgary au lieu de leurs circonscriptions d’origine et n’ont pas cru pouvoir voter. Pendant les dernières cinq semaines, il y avait des reportages et éditoriaux sur l’Internet, la radio, la télé, aux journaux, aux journaux des campus, magazines et aux baladodiffusions. Des publicités des partis politiques et des groupes de citoyens ont remplis les sites et les pages et les écrans de Youtube et des télés et les espaces publiques ont connu des barrages de signes des candidats de plusieurs partis et campagnes individuels. Chaque matin des dernières semaines je voyais la publicité pour JustVoteDammit.com quand je montais au train. Avec tous ces opportunités pour s’informer, si on préfère de passer des heures à YouTube ou SurfTheChannel ou à lire des articles qui disputent les meilleurs façons d’appliquer le maquillage, c’est dommage. On devait consacrer quelques minutes pendant les trente-six journées depuis l’annonce par la gouverneur générale de l’élection pour chercher les nouvelles et les sujets importants liés à l’élection.

Si certains de mes camarades de classes n’ont pas pris le temps qu’il prend de boire un café pour en discuter ou de regarder un site web, je peux être confiant dans les faits suivants :

La Toronto Star a écrit que la proportion de Canadiens et Canadiennes qui ont regardé les débats des chefs dépasse le nombre qui ont vu le débat vice-présidentiel (3 millions de Canadiens ont regardé le débat des chefs versus 1,65 millions le débat vice-présidentiel selon la Star, article disponible à http://www.thestar.com/federalelection/article/511713);

Et j’ai au moins deux amis qui l’ont enregistré (même si un m’a avoué que le débat ne changerait pas sa choix) pour le voir plus tard parce qu’ils ont travaillé ce soir là;

J’ai au moins une amie qui a cherché de l’information pour savoir comment elle pourrait voter par la poste puisque sa circonscription est dans une autre province dans un village presque quatre heures de Calgary, et elle a voté il y a environs une semaine, et mes amis à Ottawa ont pu trouvé comment s’enregistrer et s’identifier avant la journée de scrutin et certains se sont rendus aux urnes pendant la période de votes avant l’élection propre.

Dans plusieurs régions du monde, les gens qui se mettent en ligne pour des heures pour pouvoir voter ont été attaqués, bouleversé ou ont marché pour des heures pour pouvoir profiter de leur droit. L’audace de dire que l’inconvenance qui pourrait accompagner l’expérience d’un électeur canadien est assez pour empêcher une voix à être entendue et comprise est ignorante et gifle la mémoire des anciens combattants et des soldats actuels qui soit ont battu pour préserver les droits à l’accès à la démocratie pour ce pays et ses citoyens soit luttent contre des groupes opprimants ailleurs.

Malgré le fait que le système pluraliste du Canada n’est pas sans ses problèmes, pour pouvoir les en changer, il faut que les voix dissidentes soient entendues.

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Tomorrow will be the fortieth federal election in this country’s history. According to the CPAC-Nanos Research final daily tracking poll of committed voters, 34.2% plan to vote Conservative, 26.7% support the Liberals, the NDP hold their own at 21.4%, the Bloc maintain a respectable 9.5% and the Green Party come in at 8.2%. An interesting feature of the October 11th poll is the number of undecided voters which clocks in at 16%.

What is important for the public to realize and recognize is that if they care about this country and dream about its future, whether their preoccupations and personal and political agenda include human rights, healthcare, immigration, internet rights, respect and appreciation for the country’s vibrant cultures and funding to maintain the life-blood of various communities, for security in all its forms (national, economic or environmental), they must vote. Participation in this grand jeu is absolutely necessary as it determines the future make-up of the country’s government, and with it, the country’s destiny. Whether one works against multinationals or racists, demonstrates on campuses or blogs, on the streets or by writing emails or letters, everyone must vote. If one wants to see any manner of change at any level, they have to visit their polling station tomorrow.

I’ve heard and read various students’ complaints from across the nation and on campus at the University of Calgary. Among these comments, some of my classmates in my French course called politicians corrupt or stupid and others believed they couldn’t vote because they live on campus at the University of Calgary and their home ridings were miles and miles away. Throughout the last five weeks, there have been news reports and editorials on the Web, the radio, the television, in the newspapers, in campus newspapers, news and other magazines and in podcasts. Political parties and citizens’ groups have filled the pages of internet sites and newspapers and YouTube and television screens with their campaign ads and public spaces have been flooded with candidates’ and parties’ signs. Every morning when I take the C-Train during this election, I’ve seen the JustVoteDammit.com ads on the train. With all these opportunities to inform one’s self, if hours of YouTube and SurfTheChannel and mindless magazines have eaten up free time, the only response to ignorance is disappointment. It isn’t unreasonable to have set aside a few minutes in the last thirty-six days since the writ has dropped to watch the news and look out for the key topics of the election.

And even if some of my fellow students and citizens haven’t taken the time it takes to have a coffee to talk politics or look at a website, I can find a measure of solace with the following facts:

According to the Toronto Star, Canadian viewers chose the English language federal leaders’ debate over the American vice presidential debate the same night by a margin of 2.65 million (3 million watched the Canadian debate compared to 1.65 million who saw the American debate) (http://www.thestar.com/federalelection/article/511713);

I have at least two friends who taped the leaders’ debate to watch later as they had to study and/or work the actual night (and one of them told me he would watch the debate even though it wouldn’t change his vote);

And finally, I have at least one friend who looked up and found information on how to mail in her ballot to vote in her home riding in another province at least four hours away from Calgary and voted at least a week ago, and friends in Ottawa registered and voted in the advanced polls.

In many of the world’s regions, people looking to cast their ballot have to wait for hours, sometimes after having walked for hours, and, under threat of violence or retribution, have lined up and registered their opinions. The audacity with which some people suggest that voting in Canada is an inconvenience is enough of a reason to stay home and not to vote at all is pure ignorance and disrespects the countless veterans and current soldiers who have fought to preserve the somewhat imperfect democratic system in which Canadians are lucky enough to have the chance to participate and who fight to preserve the rights of men and women abroad as well.

Although the Canadian plurality system is not without its faults, to be able to affect change, one’s voice must be heard.

Myanmar Junta Denounces US As 'Bully'


YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar's military government stepped up its propaganda campaign against the United States on Sunday, accusing Washington of inciting last month's pro-democracy demonstrations in hopes of installing a puppet government.

Demonstrations that began Aug. 19 over high prices for fuel and consumer goods grew into a broad-based movement for democratic reform that attracted tens of thousands of people in Yangon, the country's biggest city.

Troops crushed the protests by shooting at demonstrators on Sept. 26-27 and arresting almost 3,000 protesters, including Buddhist monks. The government said 10 people were killed, but dissident groups put the toll at up to 200 and say thousands more people were arrested.

"Recent protests in the country were created by the loudmouthed bully, using the exiled dissidents and traitors together with communists, internal and external anti-government destructionists," said a commentary Sunday in the Myanmar-language Myanma Ahlin daily.

Myanmar state-media commonly uses the phrase "loudmouthed bully" without naming the nation it is referring to, but in a context that clearly points to the United States.

The author, who called himself Maung Pwint Lin — roughly meaning Mr. Frankly Speaking — said the U.S. had tried to revive the mass uprisings of 1988 in Myanmar in connivance with "exiled dissidents and internal axe-handles" in order to install a puppet government.

The commentary said the majority of people in Myanmar opposed the protests, but a gullible minority came out on the streets, instigated by foreign broadcasters such as the BBC and the U.S.-government funded Voice of America and Radio Free Asia.

The crackdown has ignited worldwide anger, and international demands have grown for the junta to release 62-year-old pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace laureate, who is under house arrest.

The propaganda campaign includes billboard signs saying, "Those who rely on America are axe-handles." Axe-handle is jargon used by the junta to mean traitors or puppets.

Junta commentaries in the past have referred to the U.S. as "a super power nation," but articles in the state-run media have recently begun naming the U.S. and accusing it of instigating unrest.

Sunday's commentary said that although the United Nations and the international community wanted the U.S. and its allies to withdraw from Afghanistan and Iraq, the "neocolonialists" refused to leave these countries even after they had installed puppet governments.

BBC NEWS
JK Rowling outs Dumbledore as gay
Harry Potter author JK Rowling has revealed that one of her characters, Hogwarts school headmaster Albus Dumbledore, is gay.

She made her revelation to a packed house in New York's Carnegie Hall on Friday, as part of her US book tour.

She took audience questions and was asked if Dumbledore found "true love".

"Dumbledore is gay," she said, adding he was smitten with rival Gellert Grindelwald, who he beat in a battle between good and bad wizards long ago.

The audience gasped, then applauded. "I would have told you earlier if I knew it would make you so happy," she said.

"Falling in love can blind us to an extent," she added, saying Dumbledore was "horribly, terribly let down" and his love for Grindelwald was his "great tragedy".

"Oh, my god," Rowling, 42, concluded with a laugh, "the fan fiction".

Fan sites have long speculated on Dumbledore's sexuality as he was known for having a mysterious, troubled past.

Rowling told the audience that while working on the planned sixth Potter film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, she saw the script carried a reference to a girl who was once of interest to Dumbledore.

She said she ensured director David Yates was made aware of the truth about her character.

Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell welcomed the news about Dumbledore and said: "It's good that children's literature includes the reality of gay people, since we exist in every society.

"But I am disappointed that she did not make Dumbledore's sexuality explicit in the Harry Potter book. Making it obvious would have sent a much more powerful message of understanding and acceptance."

And a spokesman for gay rights group Stonewall added: "It's great that JK has said this. It shows that there's no limit to what gay and lesbian people can do, even being a wizard headmaster."

Rowling also did a brief reading from the seventh book in her best-selling series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as part of her Open Book Tour of the US - her first there for seven years.

She said she regarded her novels as a "prolonged argument for tolerance" and urged her fans to "question authority".

But she added that not everyone likes her work. Christian groups have alleged the books promote witchcraft. The author said her revelation about Dumbledore would give them one more reason.

The seventh Potter book broke sales records on both sides of the Atlantic when it was published in July, selling 11 million copies in 24 hours.

The fifth film adaptation of the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was released this summer. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is due for release late next year.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/7053982.stm

Published: 2007/10/20 12:59:56 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Appeal To Be Filed In Student's Lesbian Kiss Case

Appeal To Be Filed In Student's Lesbian Kiss Case
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: October 2, 2007 - 11:00 am ET

(Los Angeles, California) A federal court judge has ruled that school officials did not violate the civil rights of a lesbian teen who was suspended and outed to her parents after she and another girl were caught kissing on campus.

Charlene Nguon's ACLU attorney says the ruling will be appealed.

Nguon was suing Santiago High School principal Ben Wolf and the Garden Grove Unified School District for allegedly violating her constitutional privacy rights and for engaging in an alleged terror campaign against her.

Nguon (pictured), who is now a college student, had sought between $300,000 to $1.3 million in damages.

The lawsuit alleged that Nguon was singled out for discipline a number of times for displaying affection with her girlfriend, that she was outed to her parents, was forced to transfer and that her grades suffered as a result of the harassment.

In addition to Nguon, the ACLU was representing her mother and the Gay-Straight Alliance Network in the case.

Nguon was an 'A' student, ranked in the top 5 percent of her class, but when she kissed her girlfriend on campus she was disciplined and told either she or the girlfriend would have to transfer to another school.

The teen, in addition to having straight 'A's, was enrolled in a number of advanced placement and honors classes and was a candidate for the National Honor Society until the offer was rescinded because of discipline, including one week-long suspension, for hugging her girlfriend on campus.

Nguon's grades slipped when she switched to Bolsa Grande High School as she struggled to catch up with that school's curriculum and her commute grew from a four block walk to a 4 and a half mile bike ride.

After the ACLU sent a letter to the district in late July, 2005, Nguon was allowed to return to Santiago High School where she had been enrolled since her freshman year. But the school has made no effort to improve the climate on campus or to ensure Nguon will not be targeted for discipline again, the ACLU said.

In his ruling, released Monday, U.S. District Judge James V. Selna said that Nguon was treated no differently than straight students who were caught kissing or other forms of intimacy.

"The School Defendant’s disciplining of Charlene was not motivated, either in whole or in part, by her sexual orientation," Selna wrote.

As for outing Nguon to her parents Selna said in the ruling that generally it would be prohibited but in this case it was the only way of explaining the discipline to her parents.

The ACLU of California called the ruling flawed and said it would appeal.

An attorney for the school district said the school will file a motion seeking nearly $400,000 in legal fees from Nguon and the ACLU.

©365Gay.com 2007
http://365gay.com/Newscon07/10/100207calcourt.htm

Burma

I blogged about Aung San Suu Kyi on my old blog and she has remained one of my heroes. She is the rightful prime minister of Burma and I unquestionably support her eventual reinstatement as head of the Burmese government.

I have the utmost repect for the incredible Buddhist monks who have led demonstrations unprecedented since the 1988 crackdown in response to the 8888 democratic uprising mobilized up to 100 000 citizens, primarily in Yangon, the former Burmese capital (recently relocated to a practically fabricated city, originally a small village, Nay Pyi Taw), for the last several days.


Finally, after a reported 20 people have been killed, China has called on all sides in Burma to exercise restraint.


http://www.cbc.ca/photogallery/world/733/

It's been ages since I've updated...

Hi all. It's been quite a while since I've updated so I think I should.
Summer's almost officially done, which kinda sucks and is kinda exciting. I start my university career in two days, Monday, September 10 at 1pm with a fifty-minute long linguistics course.
What's new since last post? I'm cutting back to a shift a week at Sears now, I have Alfred, my lovely blue 4GB iPod, and Zeke, my lovely red cellular telephone, who is a more recent acquisition. Zeke is, by the way, my first cell phone that I've paid for completely myself and that I actually own, rather than the two I've taken out when I've gone out with friends in the past and left at Caitlin's house two weeks ago for a few nights after forgetting it there. That phone isn't special enough to have a name.
I'm in love with Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion, which has been the book I've read fair consistently during my breaks for the last two weeks or so. It's refreshing to have my religious views supported and the omnipresent Judeo-Christian tradition picked apart and shown as flawed and impossible and validating the confusion I'd had for ages.
I also had a flash back to earlier times today when I found there are Old Time Radio podcasts available on iTunes today while I was poking around that venerable database/shop. I've downloaded shows I haven't heard in months and, while it might seem strange to some, I'm really happy to hear those familiar voices again and the familiar theme music from The Jack Benny Show and Suspense and Inner Sanctum. This probably means nothing to most of you but I love them so yay for me!

I have my first Sundays-only shift tomorrow at 10h15 and I still have some organizing to do in my room, so I should be toddling off.

Until later, sometime this month, don't worry,
Me.