This is a problem

With everyone tumbling out of the woodwork about having been sexually harassed or assaulted, we still have a problem.  Women continue to portray themselves in sexual ways and then wonder why men night want to have a go at them?  I know it's not politically correct, but if you dress provocatively, don't be surprised if a man flirts with, or propositions, you. 

Here's a picture from 'The Herald' today promoting an upcoming Christmas special.  Might as well have been out of the fifties:


Note the scanty outfits.  Just sayin........ 

 

But I have to say, I am glad people such as Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose are getting the heave-ho.  They have been getting away with sexual "murder" for years, so it looks good on them.  No one more self-satisfied than Charlie -- even though I did enjoy his guests.  Of course, it's all about power and those two have (or had) it.  I bet a lot of men are hiding under the bed, waiting for the other shoe to drop! 

Here's a guy who might regret his hug, but see how adoringly she gazes at him.  Go figure!?

This is the mayor of Tampa, congratulating a police officer.  Oops!

   



What's the point?

I was just upbraided by a fellow, unknown-to-me member of the Retired HQs CRA facebook group for posting a comment about what I thought about the ridiculousness of the agency now targeting rich neighbourhoods to see if people are cheating on their taxes.  I think it's crazy that with all the data we have, we are forced to resort to peeking into people's garages to see what kind of cars they are driving, or checking marinas to see if they have a yacht, to surmise if they might be avoiding tax.  I said I thought whoever was advising the minister should be fired.  And that's exactly what I think. 

With all the data we collect and with all the numbers we import from StatsCan, we now have to rely on postal codes and snooping to find out what's going on?  Frankly, the CRA needs to close the legal loopholes these people are using, instead of stalking neighbourhoods and spying on people. 

I was very proud of having been a part of the Canada Revenue Agency and it upsets me to see it trashed and ridiculed in the House of Commons and public thoroughfare.  But apparently, opinions are against the group's rules, so I have left.  Thanks to whoever put me into it in the first place, but what is the point of any group if members can't comment?  If it's just about who died, who went on vacation, who played golf and who retired, no thanks.   

A very costly arbitrary word

This letter went into 'The Calgary Herald' today and since I have no clue how to send links, I am re-posting it:

"Dear Editor,

"The issue about who is, or is not, Metis lies in the constitutionally-vague definition of the term.  A Metis is described very broadly as a person who is descended from mixed native and European blood, but it can also mean people who have lived among Metis, married into the society, are accepted by the community or self-identify as Metis.  This is what the Supreme Court ruled in 2003 and it can also include “non-status Indians”. 

Just to further complicate matters, one of the drafters of the Constitution Act of 1982 added the term “Metis” at the last minute to have it ready for the Queen to sign when she was here in 1982.  Because of the urgency, no one correctly calculated the downstream impacts of adding Metis to the document.

 "With the financial implications for 600,000 people, no wonder it’s become such an issue.

 

"Nancy Marley-Clarke"

 

The arbitrariness of it all is simply breathtaking!  The guy who just threw the word "Metis" into the mix was a New Zealander who came on secondment and went like the wind, leaving an unholy mess in his wake.  A champion and scholar of the Maori people, he thought he'd solve the same problems for Canada.  But all he did was cost us millions.  The reason I know this is because B was also part of the constitutional team and argued against it at the time.  But seriously, it was all rushed so it would be ready when Her Majesty arrived to sign.  

That's the kind of mess you can create by trying to be a hero.  Dumb.   

 

Pregnant and penalized

If you want to have a career and children, get ready to be penalized.  The problem is both biological and profession years bump up against each other:  Female biological and reproductive functions are at their prime at exactly the same time. 

This happened to me when I was pregnant with my son in 1975 and up for a promotion at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.  I won the job, but when they found out I was pregnant, they cancelled the competition and a few months later appointed the guy who had come second.  The next time it happened, I was pregnant for my daughter and had to wear baggy clothes and walk around with files and envelopes covering my belly because again, I was up for a promotion. 

Didn't get it when they found out.

When I worked for DuPont of Canada long before all that, I went to a reception in Toronto and chatted with the then-president, Bob Richardson.  I told him it was too bad women were penalized for bearing the biological function of having children.  He scoffed, brushed me off and walked off.  Guess his wife was a stay-at-home.

With Trudeau apologizing to anyone and everyone for everything, he should apologize to all pregnant women in the workforce who were effed back then.  Now everyone gets a year off and maternity and paternity benefits, but back then I lost my job, had to go on unemployment and did not get my job back.  That was a bit of a sacrifice, I'd say, to come back to work after six months and find someone else sitting in your office.  My question is, why should all the natives and LGBTQs get an apology?  We mothers, who reproduce and contribute to the next generation, should get an apology too.  

But we won't.  Trudeau's wife is set for life; so many mothers aren't.  That must be how he views life.  But, that's the way it was and still is.  Women have a small window to reproduce, yet are penalized. 

Outrageous, but as a grandmother I am so happy I took the penalty.  I still had a great career, albeit with less money.  Money can't replace the joy I have with the wee ones.  All I can say to working women is hang in there and work, but have a kid or two.    

Last time I checked....

....December 25th was Christmas.  It wasn't "Holiday Day" or "Seasonal Day", it was Christmas Day.  Every year this bugs the sh-t out of me and it's doing it again this year.  Why in G-d's name do we have to do away with the term "Christmas"?  Because some people don't celebrate it?

Bullsh-t.  I'm surprised 'A Christmas Carol' hasn't been banned!  And 'Handel's Messiah' must be another sacrilege that should never be heard in the multi-cultural public thoroughfare.   

People have no problem with actual Muslim, Hindu and Jewish days being celebrated -- in fact they're publicized all over the place.  So why are Christians disenfranchised?!  And why do we put up with it?  When I was a kid, Christmas was Christmas and those who didn't celebrate stayed home, or joined in to support those who did.  Remember Nativity Plays at schools and churches?  Whatever happened to them?  It's complete bullsh-t and I'm sick of it.

What I remember is that the Jewish kids in my classes took their own holidays off, but they took Christmas as well.  I also remember asking a Hindu colleague of mine if she would be at work on December 25th.  She laughed at the ridiculousness of the idea.

It's time for those of us who celebrate Christmas and love Jesus to stand up and be counted.  Here's the button I wear every year:

   

    

     

Here's the deal......again

So, a native grandmother, testifying at the MMIWG inquiry says social services failed her family.  Really?  How about you failed your family.  Firstly, her 21-year-old daughter was found dead in a dumpster in 2013.  Why was she wandering the streets of Regina?  Yep, a drug-addicted street prostitute. 

The year before, her four-year-old granddaughter had died of a heart attack because relatives -- in whose care she had been placed in the wildly-unsuccessful and tragic native kinship foster care program -- starved her to death.  Why was the child placed in the first place?  We all know the answer to that one.

Another grandson was left motherless after another death and this grandmother took him in.  But guess what?  "Social services failed her family."  It's all so outrageous.  "Make sure these workers are educated on our history, our background, inter-generational effects.  Make sure the workers understand this, get to the background of why these kids are in care," she added, unhelpfully.  If your kids are in care, look in the mirror.

To blame "the system" is unconscionable.  But that's what this whole inquiry charade is about.  Your tax dollars at work -- not.

On another note, Harrison Thunderchild has taken his band chiefs to court to be allowed to see what's going on with the money.  Good on him.  "I don't consider myself an activist.  I consider myself a concerned person who's been driven to a point where I can no longer remain silent," he said.  Stephen Harper introduced the First Nations Financial Transparency Act in 2013, but guess what?  First nations don't like it and many don't comply.  No kidding.  Every other body receiving public funds must release audited figures, but the natives don't want to.  Wonder why?

And good on Charmaine Stick, a member of the Onion Lake Cree who last year won a court order requiring her band to disclose basic financial statements.  Hasn't happened yet because -- surprise! surprise! -- the band is appealing. 

With the billions we're talking, natives need to hold their own leaders to account.  Not the rest of us. 

Africa, a stupid continent

There is no such thing as democracy in the entire continent of Africa.  Why?  Because it's all tribal.  Finally, Mugabe has been ousted from Zimbabwe (formerly known as Rhodesia when everything worked better under British rule.)  Naturally, as in every other case, the military had to do it -- never mind that annoying encumbrance known as "parliament", with its annoying voting and such.  No, tanks had to roll in to get the bum out.

But guess what will happen now?  The military will rule for a while and then another leader will be "democratically" elected who will be yet another dictator.  That's just the way it works in Africa:  dictator, military coup, leader....dictator, military coup, leader....dictator, military coup, leader.....and on and on.

Same thing in all the "stans", i.e., Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kurdistan, Uzbekistan.....whatever.  It's tribal and brutal and G-d help you if you're a woman.  And when I think of all the lives uselessly lost in various ridiculous wars in those places, it makes me weep.  I was once upbraided by a self-exiled African at a cocktail party for pointing out that his whole native continent was "tribal".  He took great offence, but I added, "If it were so wonderful and democratic and parliamentary back there, why are you still here 50 years after you left 'temporarily' for an education?  Why aren't you back there improving your country?" 

Didn't go over too well.  Ah well, the ugly stench of truth......