Saturday, November 26, 2011

QOTD

Ezra Levant in the Toronto Sun:
For 34 years, Canada has had a disgraceful censorship law that violates our human rights.

In 1977, Pierre Trudeau rammed through the Canadian Human Rights Act -- an Orwellian name for a law that actually destroys real rights.

The entire law is a corruption of justice -- it creates a kangaroo court, run by non-judges, that does not follow the same rules and procedures of real courts, but has massive powers to punish and fine people who aren’t politically correct.

But the worst part of the law is Section 13, the censorship provision. Section 13 creates a word crime -- the crime of publishing or broadcasting anything that can cause hurt feelings.

Back in 1977, that law was focused on telephone lines and answering machines. But 10 years ago, it was expanded to include the Internet.

So it even covers things like whatever you post to your Facebook page. Section 13 says "it is a discriminatory practice ... to cause to be ... communicated ... any matter that is likely to expose a person ... to hatred or contempt."

So if you publish anything on Facebook, or on your cellphone voice message, that might make one person feel bad about another, you’ve just broken the law.

Truth is not a defence to being charged with "hate" under Section 13. Fair comment is not a defence. Religious belief is not a defence. Telling a joke is not a defence. The law has nothing to do with truth or the right to have an opinion. It’s about whether or not you’ve offended someone or hurt their feelings.

Section 13 is an insane law. So un-Canadian, so contrary to our traditions of liberty that go back centuries, inherited from the United Kingdom. . .

Last week, the federal justice minister, Rob Nicholson, stood up in the House of Commons and answered a question about Section 13.

The question was about a private member’s bill, put by Brian Storseth, an MP from northern Alberta. Storseth has introduced a private member’s bill, C-304, to repeal Section 13. But private member’s bills have little chance of passing without the endorsement of the government.

But Nicholson did endorse it. He called on all MPs to support it, too. Bill C-304, Storseth’s bill, is now effectively a government bill. And with a Tory majority in both the House and Senate, this bill is as good as done.

No more witch hunts by the Canadian Human Rights Commission. No more persecuting their political and religious enemies.

This is the best thing the Harper government has done in five years. Freedom is on the march.
Finally.

4 comments:

KitWistar said...

Carl:
On Thurs you wrote: "Kit: thanks for the info. My symptoms remain fairly constant, with some days worse than others (yesterday was horrible). I just want it to stop.

I've noticed some similar triggers, which I try to avoid. So it may be similar to your experience. Yet, I still can't drive, and even being in a car or on a train is nauseating. Is that the same for you? How much do your symptoms impair your daily life and work?

My next step is to schedule a Videonystagmography test; that will determine whether the issue is inner ear or neurological. Did you take that test?"

--------------

Carl--it IS horrible! Its like being trapped on one of those kids playground roundabouts & you can't get it to stop when that's all you want in the whole world.
Daily life is depressing & reduced to just being endured. I feel for you, Carl.

Driving has never bothered me, though being a passenger with sudden starts and stops gets me spinning.I get horrendously seasick ( except in small boats like canoes where I'm kind of almost in the water.)
Trains are OK, except that weird stuff in a station or metro trains being driven manually, particularly underground.
On a plane: takeoffs and landings. The tiniest turbulence on a flight makes me feel icky & I wear those funny looking things called "Sea-Bands", grey elastic cuffs with an acupressure button for the inner wrist. Not perfect or a cure, but mildly helpful. Have you tried those? ( Apparently EXACT placement is key & sometimes its hard to get them just right, esp. with long sleeves.)

A huge trigger is weather fronts/changing air pressure,
so its no surprise that you felt like crap on Wed. Remember what the weather was like here, zooming all over the damn barometer? I get a banging headache and nausea. Fortunately, 3 ibuprofen usually takes care of it.

Can you read? I hope so!

Any exercise that requires closed eyes,like yoga, is definitely a trigger, as are sudden, fast head movements. Little body movements, if my eyes are VERY focused on a still thing do it.(I didn't describe that one very well, but I suspect you recognise it.)

Do loud sounds make you feel worse? Since this happened to me, I can be nauseated by loud music-- the volume, not the score.
Loud noise is often excruciating
beyond description, even the outer shell of my ear is horribly sensitive then.( I have sometimes been told by others I must be exaggerating. Uh, no.)

I can't wear progressive lens glasses or bifocals. Swift changes in depth perception in a glance can make my head a little swimmy.

No it doesn't impair my daily life, but I've never had it as such a prolonged constant the way
you do. Yes, I've learned to avoid triggers and take ..how shall I put this? ..visual precautions &
carry earplugs . Even so, I am sometimes caught unawares: doing a fast flipturn at the pool, for instance.
Its now second nature for me to quickly stabilise my vision to still--or ignore---that inner gyroscope. You will learn to, too.

I don't remember the names of the tests I've had...maybe I had the one you are getting. I understand that the newest types are way less invasive and horrible.When are you having it?
I trust that your docs find enough to get it fixed!!
Keep us posted,please,Carl.

I hope all this is a help.

Actually, as odd as it may sound, its kind of reassuring to me, to know someone else who experiences this.

@nooil4pacifists said...

Kit: This is very helpful, though I'm sorry you're still experiencing it and that it might be permanent for me as well.

Yes, i've tried those wrist bands, with seemingly little help. And yes, I have similar triggers. Question: are you, or were you a migraine sufferer? Because your symptoms, and sometimes mine as well, sound like migraine associated vertigo.

I have the same trigger, btw, with swift changes in eye focus--for the moment, I'm walking looking at my feet. But my real problem is computer screens, which almost always are a trigger, and limit how much work I can do in a day. Also, I can't wear earplugs--I have Tinnitus and have been told that earplugs or earbuds make it worse.

One the whole, I think I'm slowly getting better. Yet almost every day, I still get at least somewhat nauseated, and have to lay supine to calm it. Did that, or does that, happen to you?

KitWistar said...

I've never been a sufferer from migraines, though I also have been told that my symptoms are similar to migraine associated vertigo ( a friend who is a top neurologist in McLean says I don't exhibit nearly enough of the traits of the whole migraine picture for this to be real migraines).

Computer screens( and pianos)can be a bitch----are you a touch typist or do you look up and down from keyboard to screen frequently?
I find that if I move my whole head to look up and down, instead of just my eyes, the swimmy stuff doesn't happen, nor does it happen when I'm using my ipad2, which I highly recommend if you don't have one.( That's an intriguing thought: a medical reason for an ipad2)

Walking---when you are looking at the ground, DON'T look at your feet, but focus about 5 or 6 feet beyond and about a foot above the surface & see if that helps.(ie: WHERE you are going).

Tinnitus? That too? Yikes, Carl, I'm so sorry! Earplugs are my life savers!

No, no, no--lying down is awful & makes it worse for me ( there is no stable horizon, you see.). Try this instead of lying down: steady your eyes and focus on something easy & sort of straight ahead--the kitchen table, a sofa, fireplace mantel etc.Don't stare,just relax your gaze. Let your eyes sort of "float" a little.( I know its hard cause you are tensing as you get nauseated) Then gradually go back to normal seeing. That may help more than lying down and more quickly. Let me know.

My episodes are so fleeting these days that I hardly even give them any thought---I know what it is, mostly ignore them and move on.
Ignoring is so automatic now that I don't notice unless I actually think about it.

Let me ask you this: Have you always had very keen senses your whole life? I have & I also "suffer" from mild synesthesia--seeing colors with sounds. My neurologist friend has suggested that having acutely sensitive senses may make me more susceptible to vertigo & other weird eye /ear stuff. Its the price I pay for the gift of acute senses. You might give this some thought.

When you go for your test take a barf bag and some strong mints like Altoids( they will re-direct your senses).

Hope this is helpful.

More thoughts later on the big business of higher ed.

@nooil4pacifists said...

Kit: Very helpful, and also perplexing.

1) I am a touch typist, and actually now find it less of a trigger if I look at my fingers instead of my screen. I do have an iPad2, and -- like you -- don't have vertigo when using that. I had assumed, however, that the reason for that was that I prop the iPad2 on my chest and use while supine. Yet, you're right that even using the iPad while sitting up is better than any computer screen. (Too bad it's essentially impossible to post on Blogger with an iPad.)

2) I think you're right about looking a yard or so ahead of my feet.

3) Can't figure out why laying down doesn't help you--it's the only thing guaranteed to, after an hour or so, clear my nausea. Similarly, closing my eyes calms me. As you say, the best thing is to focus on something straight ahead and not shift focus from near to far. I'll try the "float" approach.

4) I've never had particularly good eyesight, but always had ridiculously good hearing. Especially at both the low and top ends. Even after the Tinnitus, which left me with a 45 dB notch at 3.9 kHz in my left ear. I have wondered whether this was related. No synesthesia, but have always been able to "see" symphonic music--when listening to recordings, I can visualize each soloist and visually place its source from left to right.

5) I understand the testing is nausea-inducing. Indeed, I've found that always sucking a cough drop helps to control the nausea. Interestingly enough, I've never actually vomited. Just felt like I'm about to, which in some ways is worse. But the Videonystagmography test seems to be critical in determining whether the problem is inner ear (an infection for example) or neurological--and therefor which sort of doctor to consult next. And how, if at all, it connects with migraines (which I've had for 25 years, though fewer in the past five years). Maybe your friend in McLean has some ideas.

6) I would be thrilled if, like yours, my episodes became fleeting. So this is very helpful. Looking forward to your further thoughts on higher ed.