Sooey Says

I'm freezing to death at work. Yesterday, I had to wear four layers of clothing.

I just thought you might like to know how much your government cares about the environment.

Posted by Sooey at 07:12 AM | Permalink

... And discovers that women are allowed to ride elevators now, too!

Just kidding. This (link) is to make up for my David Warren mockery in posts past (and above):

Jacko,WeHardlyKnewYe

Posted by Sooey at 10:03 AM | Permalink

I am so relieved that Michael Jackson is dead. Honestly. He was such an (amazingly) live embodiment of modern Western culture, the one Americans insist must be spread to the rest of the world so that it, too, can be relevant, that I was beginning to worry the torch might never be passed to Britney.

But I grew up just outside the Michael Jackson loop. He wasn't cool when I was young because he was my age and I had an older brother and sister who wouldn't have tolerated the Jackson-Five (5?) for 5 seconds. The only reason I was allowed to watch The Partridge Family was because it came on at a time when they were both otherwise occupied with extra-curricular activities.

And he wasn't cool when I was older because I wasn't into big theatrical MTV video productions. I was into bar bands - and Madonna (whom Michael Jackson, in an unguarded gay moment caught on tape, famously referred to as "a heifer"). So, even his spectacular talent, rated as such with predictable regularity in the popular press, "didn't impress me much", to quote (using slightly better grammar) Shania Twain.

Also, and this is where Michael Jackson really left me cold (particularly after the "heifer" diss of his only real competition) I never didn't see the disgruntled grown man in the "mysterious" pop icon. The wispy Marilyn Monroe delivery ("why won't people take me seriously?" she asked, incredulously, while wearing clothes three sizes too small), the anorexic girl physique, the conspicuous consumption attempting to fill a void so infinite it rivalled Disneyland (and eclipsed Graceland) - all I ever saw, as a non-fan, was the self-loathing, misanthropist who was so rich he could afford to amass a third-world-sized debt before mercifully passing on to his great reward.

Sorry, eh, to all you Michael Jackson fans. But, if it gives you any consolation, I'm like that about Madonna now, too.

Posted by Sooey at 09:36 AM | Permalink

There was a case a while back, I think it was in the States (even). It involved a young couple into sado-masochism. He was leading her around the city on a leash, dog collar around her neck. She was willing, he was more than willing, but a judge said he wasn't willing. He "erred" on the side of her personal safety.

Take away the benefit of the doubt accorded to religion and the burka is no different than that dog collar.

Posted by Sooey at 07:49 AM | Permalink

Is anybody else starting to wonder if politicians have affairs just so that they can get caught and then hold press conferences apologizing (in an on and on sort of way) for what bad boys they've been?

Posted by Sooey at 07:39 AM | Permalink

This, on the burka ban in France, via stageleft:

a) We find it appalling that your religion dictates what you may and may not wear. b) We therefore propose to dictate what you may and may not wear.

Except that the "we" includes men AND women in a culture that has been modernized by Feminism and the "you" is really directed at Muslim men, not Muslim women - if you ask me, a woman.

It's not about the burka. It's not even about Muslim women, not really. It's about, yes, the state, erring on the side of caution for some, and telling others - loudly and clearly - that the state trumps religion - here.

Posted by Sooey at 07:14 AM | Permalink

I went to a graduation ceremony today. I doubt the valedictorian had an impact on anyone in the audience except me. That's because - I am receptive, if nothing else. At 50, all I know is, whatever choices I've made, they've been made sans thought. I'm lucky, is all I can say.

But the valedictorian quoted J.K. Rowlings.

Now, I read the first three Harry Potter's aloud to my kids. I stopped at some point during the fourth because I was having nightmares and the kids were avoiding having nightmares by reading Archie comics under the covers. Also, my marriage was falling apart. And oddly enough, although I don't remember yelling, my voice was giving out. And the book was too big. All of which is irrelevant, because, of course, J.K. Rowlings can give non-magical advice, too.

So we called it a day. I declared everyone old enough to read on her/his own - although s/he didn't much after that - and everything marriage-wise went the way it was destined to when I first said, "I do".

The quote, and I'll have to paraphrase such that it's quite possible J.K. Rowlings said no such thing, "you haven't succeeded if you haven't failed". Whatever. I like THAT quote. Because I've worked really hard on my personal life (in the way that only Scottish Presbyterians can) and thought I'd always be married (even though I went into it with one foot out the door and have an absolutely pathological fear of permanence) and I was very smug about success while it lasted, too. But somewhere along the way, choices were made, all by me, and I live a life completely different than the one I thought I was destined to live (after I'd married, of course, because before I married, I'd have thrown myself in front of a bus in had I thought I'd be living in suburban Ottawa, married, to the man I was always kind of hoping would, mercifully (for me) be hit by that very same bus I might have thrown myself in front of had he not been hit by it first.)

He wasn't hit by a bus. So, we got married. He didn't get hit by a bus after we got married, either. I'm starting to think he might never get hit by a bus.

And today, packed into my American Apparel teenaged wear (it's a black dress and I'm slim, so - what the hell, eh?), Ellen Tracy sandals my mom bought me from Winner's, and a scarf from the Sally Ann tied around my waste, I had lunch with my ex (still my husband, but when you don't care but still care, who cares, right?) and his girlfriend, bald from chemotherapy but otherwise no different than she's been these past six years or so, and our second of three - who is so not involved, in that cool teen way, that she didn't know she'd won a reasonbly presitigious award until they announced it on stage. I had lots of "look at you"s (I'm blond now) and "where ya bin, girl?" (because black suburbanites live in my old 'hood now, too - not that the greeters were black) and "hey - did you hear that the school might be closing?!" (I was the co-leader of an elementary school closure battle that eventually saw the school close).

Where have I been? Well, I've been being that same good girl I've always been. I can't not be a good girl. I saw them step up on stage, good girl after good girl, receiving an award for something or other, and I thought, "Been there, done that, and I actually have the tee-shirts". Anyway, to make a three hour introspection short, at some point, maybe during the always emotional graduation march, I realized I was going to quit a perfectly good job. A perfectly good job, that is to say, for somebody else.

When I do - and it's not an if, thanks to J.K. - it should make a nice counterpart to my failed marriage, which has been surprisingly successful ever since I leapt out of it.

Posted by Sooey at 06:01 PM | Permalink

The tough get going:

GlobeWorkersVoteToStrike

Meanwhile, watch for the boot-licking establishment toadies all over the Internet to condemn workers for refusing to take a kick in the nuts - regardless of the economic mess created by Conservative governments and their supporters world over.

Posted by Sooey at 07:50 AM | Permalink

I read this. You should, too. You'll notice at no point does the author take any responsibility for his supposed situation, but rather, blames it entirely on Feminists and Feminism. What you'll also notice is that it could have been written by any man on the Right about pretty much any situation he finds himself in these days. Any man on the Right including Marc Lepine, by the way, whose suicide note, the one he wrote before gunning down 21 female students, cites many of the same points of blame re Feminists and Feminism (and the mean-to-men world we have supposedly constructed) as do all of the other laments by men on the Right (as they all survive the rampant slashing and burning of actual news producing staff at our corporate newspapers to whine onward and upward in the editorial pages). Please note, too, the claim that Feminists and Feminism have ruined the lives of women in the West. I know, I know. Beyond mad to "quite mad". Anyway, I thought I'd point all that out because I'm tired of being blamed for David Warren et al's woes, choices, fuck-ups and thought they might like to know that I've had to make some tough choices in this Feminized life, too, but I'll take freedom over paternity, thanks just the same, boys. I don't expect I'll see you out in the streets defending my freedom when the REAL revolution comes, though, will I. Ah well, here's hoping your New Conservatives never get a majority government and we won't have to BRING IT ON! And really give you something to whine about.

DavidWarrenRemindsUsOfWhoAndWhatIsToBlameForHisLife

Posted by Sooey at 05:31 PM | Permalink

The awful and awesome thing of it all is that now Canadians know how fast and loose law enforcement officers play with the truth and we're learning it at a time when the New Conservative Government of Canada is planning on giving them increased unchecked powers over their fellow Canadians. A real Opposition would at least insist that "getting tough on crime" begin with getting tough on law enforcement officials. But since we don't have one, we'll have to hope that a natural disaster, such as a tornado or hurricane, strikes the Parliament Buildings, forcing yet another hiatus in day-to-day operations.

Posted by Sooey at 12:19 PM | Permalink

Happy Solstice, everybody!

Oh, and happy father's day, I guess. Although, father's day kind of lines up next to secretary's day, or should, if you ask me - a secretary. But a mother, too. I mean, mother's day is sexist enough but when society tries to play even/steven by having father's day, too, it really just serves to take away what little cache there is from mother's day, don't you think? Of course you do. Unless you're a man, in which case you never have to give a thought to either because you've got women to do that for you. And I'm not even bitter. I'm just being honest for a change. Yeah. That's right. For a change. That's because women have to lie all the time to keep society from falling apart at the seams. So yeah, happy father's day. So go ahead and take time for yourself. Don't worry about the rest of us. It's your special day. Just for you. The man of the house.

Posted by Sooey at 09:48 AM | Permalink

I was walking home from the Rideau Centre in Ottawa with my daughter, after buying her summer sandals, one pair for wearing and one pair for show (you'll notice later how I've set myself up for a poke with my own ironic finger pointing), and we walked by a man mowing an apartment building lawn using a manual lawn mower. My daughter said, "Hey, how come everybody doesn't use one of those?" I answered, "Because most men like to buy expensive pieces of equipment that break down annually, make a lot of noise, and destroy the ozone layer".

Later, feeling more cheerful, I thought, "Capitalism is such a crock".

Posted by Sooey at 12:49 PM | Permalink

Subtitled: Babs Amiel Redux

I'm sure by now we've all heard a hardline Conservative or two refer to a foolish time in their youth when they were socialists - before they "woke up and smelled the coffee", or, in the case of Christopher Hitchens, 9/11 happened and they believed the likes of Dubyah and Rummy who told them that the world had changed forever and therefore it was necessary for the United States to do what it always did whether it was a time of crisis or not and invade a sovereign country halfway across the world with no plan beyond the indiscriminate killing of American soldiers and foreign citizens.

Well, I've always been curious about these conversions because I've never had one of my own. My political beliefs are based on who I am - where I come from, my experiences in life, memories, and an awareness that, while all men may be created equal, a lot depends on where they were created. So I don't know how people can hold political beliefs in their early years, convert to a set of opposite beliefs later on in life after witnessing that reality over and over and over, and assume this conversion is something with which the rest of us should be mightily impressed. Chastened by, even.

If anything, my liberal leanings lean ever more liberal the older I get. Having children has taught me that levelling the playing field, which actually (in real flesh and blood life) translates to removing barriers, is the opposite of catering to the lowest common denominator, which is how Conservatives so often put it.

Which brings me to my point - I think Conservatives who say they used to be socialists but then "woke up and smelled the coffee" are either deliberately lying or randomly making stuff up. Or, and here's the third possibility, they've suffered a grievous brain injury between then and now which has rendered them incapable of understanding what they are saying and why the rest of us find them so hilariously irrelevant.

To people who have always held Conservative beliefs, I suppose there's not much more to say than, "good for you". And I mean that. Both sIncerely and literally.

Posted by Sooey at 09:53 AM | Permalink

IrisEvans

Posted by Sooey at 07:22 AM | Permalink

I dunno but does anybody else get the impression that Michael Ignatieff is the first Leader of the Opposition who has no actual desire to be Prime Minister? I mean, there's cooperation with the governing Party and then there's, "Hey Canada, I just like keeping the unnatural governing Party perpetually on the defensive because I don't actually give a shit about any of this".

Posted by Sooey at 12:44 PM | Permalink

Hey, I know a way to get some REAL stimulus spending happening - CALL AN ELECTION!!!

C'mon, you cowardly weasels - an election would get that money out the door right quick.

Posted by Sooey at 05:23 PM | Permalink

Oh dear. Canadian Cynic has been outted. I forget his name already (it's one of those regular names) but apparently he's a real live person and not just some smartass block of words calling out every rightwing Tom, Dick and Harry for being a dumbass douchebag. Dammit, is it just me or is the Internet not the most deceiving of cyber worlds? Hm, maybe I'll make him my friend on Facebook and send him a virtual hug.

Thank gawd I chose to blog under my real name, Sooey, and have kept my location of Ottawa a secret. No need for people to know I'm a married mother of three with a dog and a boyfriend, either. Bad people can use all kinds of stuff that you post about yourself online against you in real life. Seriously.

Well, I'm off to my job as a government whistler-blower. Gawd I loathe and despise my employer. Although, thanks to Lisa "Sings Like A Bird" Raitt, I'll probably be declared surplus any day now.

Tata for now. Support the Troops. Wear red on Friday.

Posted by Sooey at 07:20 AM | Permalink

What's up with Canadian politicians constantly claiming Canadians don't want an election? I want an election. And then I want another election. And another one. I want elections until we have competent government. Elections aren't the problem here. Government is the problem.

And it's never a good time for an election for politicians who can't count on being elected into a majority government. Tough nuts. We don't care about what you want. We want an election.

Posted by Sooey at 07:42 PM | Permalink

Why? She's a monster. Speak out against David Letterman if you think he's sexist. But why the hell are Feminists jumping to attention because the Right thinks we should speak up for ALL women, regardless of how opposed to women's rights they are? Sarah Palin deserves to be tossed under the bus. Fuck 'er. She's a professional Cunt.

Posted by Sooey at 09:40 PM | Permalink

The Toronto Star is currently doing a series on Canadian soldiers back from Afghanistan who are suffering in ways that aren't being compensated for by the Canadian government and our healthcare system.

While there's not much to like about that situation, I'm not sure why the same media outrage woudn't apply to any Canadian citizen suffering from trauma who isn't receiving the support they need from their government and healthcare system. I mean, signing up for duty is entirely voluntary and if the result of seeing action is traumatized ex-soldiers living out their lives in Canada with inadequate professional support, I'm not sure why our media isn't waging a campaign to prevent any more young people from signing up.

And history being what it is, why is the media shocked by the inhospitable reception returning soldiers with injuries receive from their government, anyway? This story is at least as old as the country. Check out the stories of WWII vets who fought the government for compensation for injuries suffered fighting for their country. Support the troops has alway been followed by the unspoken disclaimer "until they're no good for fighting". This government has just done a better sell job on the whole dirty business of war.

Posted by Sooey at 06:43 PM | Permalink

Feel free to use that one, people.

I was trying to think of the definitive post about abortion rights now that late term abortions are the latest craze in the No Choice Movement. But I got to thinking, too often Feminists end up trying to downplay the "creation" aspect of conception, almost denying that conception creates a new life. They feel compelled to refer to the "clump of cells" by way of making the point that women have, and should have in law, the right to control their own reproduction. For me, there is no "equivocating" on abortion rights. It's like having grace and being Elaine on Seinfeld: "you can't have a little grace - you either have grace, or you don't".

I'm like that on abortion rights. You either have abortion rights, or you don't. Where, when, why and how life begins is irrelevant. And yes, I've got so much fucking grace I poop it.

Here is where the abortion argument begins and ends for me: Because women can give birth, it is essential that society protect us in law from being forced to give birth. It's as simple as that and has nothing to do with the fact that conception leads to the creation of new life. For the millionth time, where and when women don't have autonomy over their own bodies, their human rights have been denied by the State. Not God - the State.

Posted by Sooey at 09:35 AM | Permalink

Sadly for Lisa Raitt, she's had some really bad advice. When you're caught out like she was, there is one course of action and one course of action only - apologize. Do not come out swinging in the House with counter accusations and conspiracy mongering. Suck it up and get 'er done.

What's worse than not apologizing the day the shit hits the fan?

Apologizing the day after.

Posted by Sooey at 12:47 PM | Permalink

I figure by that bit about democracy and Americans not wanting to impose it on undemocratic countries Obama left it pretty wide open for a return to the more usual American foreign policy of imposing dictatorships on democratic countries. Look out, Israel, I guess.

Posted by Sooey at 08:39 PM | Permalink

So, does it matter that Lisa Raitt was just speaking honestly when she pretty much said that optics matter more than anything else in politics? Well, yes it does. Because politicians, Cabinet Ministers particularly, are supposed to transcend that unfortunate state of affairs and at least believe they are acting in the best interests of the country in doing their jobs. And we should be able to have confidence in them - regardless of our politics - that they are acting in good faith. I mean, I have nothing against Lisa Raitt, she seems less partisan in general than Jason Kenney, for instance, or Jim Flaherty - but I'm not sure why my government would think I'd have any confidence in it at all given its complete lack of concern over how she perceives her role. To me, this is one of those instances when it should be about politics, everybody's politics, and the Prime Minister should fire her. I would if I was Prime Minister.

Posted by Sooey at 05:20 PM | Permalink

... Who needs an Opposition? (And I guess we don't, since we don't seem to have one and we're not all dead by New Conservative government - yet.) But am I the only Canadian who's a little suspicious about an aide to a Cabinet Minister who would tape a private conversation and then leave the tape behind at a news outlet (well, the Chronicle Herald) FOR FIVE MONTHS!!!

But on another topic, if you were Leona Aglukkaq (oops, excuse me) don't you think you'd be awfully tempted to phone Lisa Raitt tonight and do the old "Ha Ha"? I mean, Geez Louise. Shit talking bitch much?

And if Lisa Raitt thinks an isotope shortage is "sexy", I wonder what she wears when she wants to spice it up in the bedroom... a lead rubber apron and protective goggles? But seriously, if I was Stephen Harper I'd keep Lisa Raitt around. I mean, you can't buy distracting press like that. Unless, like, he did. Uh oh, I've gone through the looking glass again.

Posted by Sooey at 10:08 PM | Permalink

Ah, we should have known - the latest infamous documents to be left behind by a Cabinet minister were labelled secret - for no good reason:

TellUsSomethingWeDon'tKnow

Posted by Sooey at 07:18 AM | Permalink

Feminist heroes:

IAmDrTiller

Posted by Sooey at 07:12 AM | Permalink

Seriously:

That'sWhyIBecameASenator,TheBiasInMediaWasKillingMe

Despite his years as a journalist, Duffy said his eyes have been opened to a totally different picture of the Canadian media.

"I was proud to be a journalist for 40 years but when you get to the other side, you see the media is slanted."

The senator is not reluctant to point out what he describes as a strong liberal bias in the media, referencing both the Globe and Mail and CBC.

Posted by Sooey at 07:26 AM | Permalink

Here's some Sooey advice for all my pro-choice kin out there in Internetland.

I think that when you feel the need to "caveat" your belief that women everywhere should have access to legal abortion services, with the statement that you would prefer it if abortion was never a choice women had to make, you are probably arguing with hopeless morons and should stop before your brain cells start attacking each other for something interesting to do.

Posted by Sooey at 08:30 PM | Permalink