Halton Ontario Catholic School Board Bans Gay-Straight Alliance Groups

Allow me to introduce Alice Anne LeMay, chair of the Halton Catholic School Board just outside of Toronto (Canada).  She was interviewed recently by several media groups regarding the Board's ban of Gay-Straight alliance groups on campus at their schools.  

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, Gay-Straight Alliance groups are springing up on university, college and high school campuses all over in direct response to bullying and intolerance.  It is a show of support for diversity in our schools and a means of offering protection and support for those who might (would) otherwise become targets of verbal and physical abuse.  

It stands to reason that any school not allowed to have a such group is essentially sanctioning violence against gay or lesbian students.  Whether directly or implicitly, the result is the same.  There is no excuse, ecclesiastical or otherwise for allowing violence in our schools.

I went through the Catholic School system right through to the old grade 13 back in the ’70s and my school, staffed in part by clergy, was openly supportive of gay rights in general and gay individuals in particular.

I remember one priest telling my grade twelve religion class that the editor of “The Body Politic” (now known as “Extra”) was a graduate of the school and that the staff were very proud of him. He actually said he hoped that, in some way, this graduate’s experience at the school had helped instill the courage and self esteem that allowed him to “be himself” (The expression ‘coming out’ was not yet in common parlance in them days).

Alice Anne LeMay and her gang at the Halton board have been called brave.  They are not brave. They are lazy. They lack empathy and understanding. They are usurping archaic traditions and using them as an excuse to bury their heads in the sand. The Bible and the Catholic Church are not something to hide behind blindly. Positive change takes time and only happens when people expect and demand it from within.

The Catholic School boards of Ontario are fully funded by the Province and have an obligation, regardless of the religious implications to uphold the same standard of tolerance and acceptance as any other government organization.

By openly banning GSA groups for the reasons given the Halton Board is in direct contravention of Provincial Policies on equity. Want to see the facts Anne? Maybe you better leaf through this document again. I’m sure there must be a copy of it somewhere in your building: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/inclusiveguide.pdf

Public Rest Rooms, A Few Short Notes

I have a fairly long commute.

The same distance that takes 40-45 minutes each morning at 6 AM

can take as long as two hours in the throes of rush hour.

Especially in winter.

Unfortunately, I was not blessed with a bladder built for the long haul.

Each night on the way home

I find myself wrestling with the imminent threat of sudden onset narcolepsy

or a painfully overinflated water balloon down south screaming

"NOW!NOW!NOW!HAFTA GO NOW!"

On those really special evenings I'm juggling both.

So it goes without saying that one thing I don't like

is finding myself without access to a place to stop

or, more important and more frequent,

a place to "go".

So tonight, on my way home, I got a double whammy.

A worst case scenario if you will.

I have this new credit card (Yes. This all fits. It is all going to come together. I promise.).

If I use this new credit card at a particular gas station chain, which shall remain nameless, I get ten cents off the regular price of every litre of gas I buy for the first month. Needless to say, I have purchased fuel at no other gas station marquis but this one for the last 30 days without fail.

On this particular occasion I found myself in stop-and-go traffic and in a very precarious situation. I was half-way between my usual two gas bars with no way to know how long the journey home would take. I knew darn well I was not going to make it home without a pit-stop.

Luckily, traffic being as slow as it was allowed me to test just how smart my smart-phone is

(I never do this while driving ... as a rule)

and I quickly located another gas bar bearing the logo of choice not too far out of my way.

It still took another 15 uncomfortable minutes to get there.

I pulled in, politely and precariously fuelled up first before going to the attendant, paying for the fuel and only then asking for the location of the rest room.

"We don't have public washrooms," said the attendant who appeared to have slightly less concern for his personal appearance and hygiene that the average homeless person.

"Yikes! Now what?"

Part of me is appalled that any gas station, especially one situated just off an inter-urban expressway, would not extend the courtesy of a restroom to its customers. Another part of me was glad I didn't have to touch the same bathroom door handle this individual had in all probability made contact with repeatedly throughout the day.

Yes.

It was that bad.

Do you ever think of the perfect thing to say 5 minutes after you wish you had said it? This was one of those times. I found myself cursing under my breath clenching more than my teeth as I made my way to the next rest stop wondering if I should have commented aloud on the attendant's sloppy hygiene or at least threatened to lift my leg on the door of his booth.

He couldn't possibly have exited that claustrophobic cubicle of his

fast enough to beat my bladder to the finish line.

But my aching bladder was not my only cross to bear on that particular journey home.

It turns out that the last day I was eligible 

for the 10 cent per litre discount on gas 

was yesterday.

Washerless Faucets

OK.  So what is the deal with washerless faucets?
To start with, open one up and the first thing you will notice is that they are far from washerless.  As a matter of fact, the last one I replaced had not one, not two but three washers I was immediately able to see.  And, get this, when the sales clerk at my local big box store showed me how to disassemble it, there were two more washers, for a grand total of (are you keeping track?) five washers lurking in the innards of my washerless faucet.

Now these things are supposed to come with a lifetime guarantee.
So why is it that every time I've owned one, either by installing it myself or having it come with a property, they leak.  I would have thought that this was what they weren't supposed to do.  Apparently, the guarantee means that you will never have to pay for parts to replace a leaking washerless faucet.  Whether or not they will ever leak, for all intents and purposes, appears to be irrelevant.
Terrific.
But wouldn't you, like me, assume that a guarantee on a product means that the product will always do what it is supposed to do?  In this particular case, keep all the water on one side of it until you want it on the other side?  Sounds reasonable.  Ya think?
As it turns out, this must not be what companies that manufacture these miracle faucets were thinking when they designed their products.  Apparently, they wanted to encourage that 'feel good' sense when you go through all the frustration of knowing you paid big bucks for a fool proof faucet only to find it leaks eventually just like the cheapie you could have bought in its place.
Four or five years after building a fort of drywall and tile around this monster of a mechanism you're ranting and raving while you tug at now seized fittings to expose the complex and unrecognizable innards of your leaking technological marvel, wondering all the while if you maybe should have called in a professional.  Then you troop doggedly on down to your nearest big box store to pick up the part you think you need only to be told at the checkout that there is no charge.
"No charge?" you say.
"No charge," you are told.
"No charge," you repeat.
Of course!
There is a lifetime guarantee.
Suddenly your heart is full.
You are no longer the raving lunatic who entered the plumbing section ready for a fight.
On the contrary, you feel so wonderful as you bask in your good fortune that daisies could sprout from your ears for all to enjoy.
This is how they keep you coming back folks.
Trust me.
I've purchased and installed AND repaired virtually every make and model of these washerless beasties and its always the same story.
Oh yes.
Eventually, it's gonna leak.
But boy-oh-boy are you ever gonna feel good when you get to fix it with new parts that are all free.

HAS CHRISTMAS BECOME TOO COMMERCIAL?

I've been hearing this question asked ever since I was a kid myself.  
And, No.  
I don't want to get into a conversation about how long that has been 
but, if you are a child of the computer age, 
it's been longer.
There's a part of me that wonders if Mary (Yes.  That Mary.) asked Joseph the same question when the three wise guys showed up unexpected.  
Right in the middle of breast feeding no doubt.  
Gawd!  
The nerve of some people!


In any case.  
It's an honest question that deserves an honest answer.  
I don't know.


But here's what I think (Like you didn't know more was coming).
Christmas is commercial.  
There's no other way to say it.  
It has become completely secularized and turned into the time of year when virtually every public service and retail industry can count on a boost that takes annual sales to places they could reach in no other way.  Christmas sales make such an enormous difference to every retail sector of the economy that the Friday of the American Thanksgiving weekend, the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season and the busiest shopping day of the year in the USA, has become known as 'Black Friday' because the volume of sales on that day is what pushes most retailers into 'the black' in terms of annual net income.
We spend money on lights and decorations, on gifts, on wrapping paper and cards.  We spend more money on travel, on food for guests, on dining out and on every and any other celebratory activity you can name.


I suppose the question becomes twofold.  
Why?  
And how much is too much?
Add to that the reason for Christmas.  
How important is it to remember the event we are celebrating?
Not very unless your traditions, beliefs 
or, at least, family background lean towards Christianity.


I think it's a cultural thing.
We celebrate this way because this is the way we celebrate.  
This is a part of our culture. 
The average person in North America, and probably the entire Western World, 
has more than they need and access to more than that.  
But our way of life, 
where rampant consumerism is the most popular form of physical activity, 
is not a reflection on Christmas.  
It's a reflection on the Western World.  
Christmas just got caught up in it.


What I like is that it is and remains an atmosphere of celebration 
and a time to be with family and friends.  
As a matter of fact, it has become a time to make the effort 
to be with loved ones where that effort may not be a priority at any other time.
At the same time as we are demonstrating affection by the giving of gifts 
we should not forget that we are usually showing up to give them in person 
and isn't that really what it's all about?


I'm not ashamed to say that I still believe in Santa Claus.
And here's why.
Santa Claus is actually an English mispronunciation of the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas.
He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him.  His reputation for giving to those less fortunate survives to this day in the spirit of giving that Christmas inspires.  In that sense, Santa Claus lives on through each of us in the giving of gifts, of good wishes and of time to and for each other.


For the kids?
Let them enjoy the day and all the treats and goodies that go with it.
I feel fairly secure in the knowledge 
that the majority of us grown-ups understand 
that it truly is far more fun and fulfilling 
to give than to receive.


And on that subject, if you find yourself worrying that you're missing the true meaning of Christmas with all the commercial shenanigans going on around you, 
take a little cash or food or time 
and donate it to a worthy charitable cause.  
Let someone in need see your true Christmas spirit shinning through.

LEGALIZED PROSTITUTION

Who's got it?

Every nation on the face of the globe with the possible exception of Vatican City.

Who's for it?

Prostitution is legal in 77 countries. 

 78 if you count the State of Nevada which is kind of a distinct country within the US 

by virtue of making up most of it's laws up according to the needs of the tourist trade.

Canada is one of the nations where prostitution is legal 

although the law prohibits being found in, or working in a brothel; 

and communicating in a public place for the purpose of engaging in prostitution. 

 Apparently, it's more about semantics than sex here at home.

The fact that it's legal in Madagascar 

but, oddly enough, 

illegal in Liechtenstein 

is both unexpected and uninteresting.

Who's against it?

Most governments claim to be against it in principle. The idea behind legalization, where present, is generally held to be control and protection of those involved in the trade. Potential tax revenues probably have something to do with it in many countries. Occasional freebies for government officials probably push the right buttons in the rest.

109 countries have specific laws making prostitution illegal. In most cases, these are the countries where it's easiest to get laid for a price.

What do I think?

Once again, the debate has arisen in the media here in Canada as it does every few years whenever someone contests existing legislation that purports to control, without overtly condoning, the sex trade.

It's like smoking. It's legal to smoke in Canada. And it's legal to buy cigarettes. Just try and find a place where you can get away with it without being busted. You can't even smoke in your car anymore without risking legal sanction unless you are alone. If I understand the present legislation, it's pretty much the same for sex.

I'm troubled by the debate surrounding legalized prostitution because I don't believe a change in legislation would result in a change in the nature of the trade. I don't think open acceptance would create a flood of hookers inundating every urban area any more than clamping down on the skin trade would make it disappear.

Yes, legalization might result in protection of those involved. Medical screening (for those who will abide) and stricter controls on who actually makes money from the sex trade. The image of the nefarious pimp abusing his charges could become a thing of the past replaced by a government body taking it's similarly large cut of the profits right off the top. At least the likelihood of physical and emotional abuses would (might) be reduced.

Trouble is, none of this addresses the real concern. No one takes up the profession purely by choice. The reduction of actions that are intrinsic to the human condition to something bartered and sold is, in and of itself, degrading and abusive. No one walks away feeling good. The intimate nature of the situation leaves everyone involved open to trauma and trauma is all too frequently a part of what drives someone to the trade in the first place.

The actress Julia Roberts, when preparing for her role in "Pretty Woman" is said to have gone out to the streets of Los Angeles in search of the proverbial 'hooker with a heart of gold' in an effort to research her character.  She was devastated to find that such a creature did not seem to exist outside the world of fiction.  In the real world, the sex trade is a hard world filled with hard people.  Some may start out that way.  All appear to end up so.

Many years ago I drove a cab in downtown Toronto for a short time. I remember one very cold night in February I was stopped at a traffic light near Dundas and Parliament. On the north sidewalk stood a young girl shivering in a ridiculously short miniskirt, high heels and skin tight sweater. As I waited, a car pulled up on her side of the street. A man in a very warm long coat got out and approached the girl. He towered over her. They said a few words with no evidence of emotion and then, out of a pocket of her sweater, she pulled a large wad of bills which she handed over to the man. He got back in his car and drove off leaving her on the sidewalk alone and shivering in the cold at four AM.  I often wonder if she is still alive.

Show me a truly happy hooker and I'll be open to the discussion. Till then, I am an advocate for protection and for a non-judgemental social support system that helps anyone working the trade to get back on emotional solid ground, whatever that may be for them.