Society teaches "don't get raped" rather than "don't rape"

<sup>The heinous gang-rape by over 20 male individuals of an 11-year old girl in Texas has torn the community apart because "These boys have to live with this the rest of their lives," says Sheila Harrison, empathist for rapists, in Blaming an 11-year-old victim.

Coverage of this story in the New York Times reported quotes on the young girl dressing older than she was, wearing make up inappropriate for her age, and hanging out with older guys in a rough neighbourhood. While Nicole Colson, writer of Blaming an 11-year-old victim, addresses the astounding lack of empathy or concern for the victim by the community (and media), what the community, Colson, the New York Times all seem to have in common is a lack of speculation on the nature of the crime itself.

Colson writes that instances of "blaming the victim" are blatantly obvious in this case. It seems to have been implicitly suggested that the young girl appeared to be much older than she was.

"She looked and acted older than 11." Is that the defense of the 20 men who assaulted and raped her, while taking picture and videotaping the violation as if it were a sport? 

If she were 30 years old, would it still be okay that a woman was repeatedly assaulted and raped? 

It seems as though this is semantics to the community in question, as the parents of the victim have been urged to relocate due to harassing phone calls from community members, angry about charges against the perpetrators.</sup> 

http://www.slutwalktoronto.com/

Half of Canadian women (51%) have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16.¹ 

Every minute of every day, a Canadian woman or child is being sexually assaulted.² 

One to two women are murdered by a current or former partner each week in Canada.³ 

Spousal violence makes up the single largest category of convictions involving violent offences ... in Canada over the five-year period 1997/98 to 2001/02. Over 90% of offenders were male.⁴ 

Thirty-six percent of female victims of spousal violence and less than 10% of victims of sexual assault reported these crimes to the police in 2004.⁵

 

Statistics Canada, The Violence Against Women Survey, The Daily, November 18, 1993
Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, Fact sheet: extrapolated from Ontario Women’s Directorate, Dispelling the Myths about Sexual Assault. Fact sheet, Queen’s Printer for Ontario, 1998
Dauvergne, M., (2002), Homicide in Canada - 2001, Juristat 22(7), Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.
Statistics Canada, Measuring Violence Against Women, Statistical Trends 2006
Ibid

Harper Declares Japan a "No-Risk" Zone

The Harper Government was quick to issue aid and evacuation for Canadians in the midst of the extremely disconcerting situations in both Libya and Egypt.

The current situation in Japan, however, poses no threat to Canadians. According to a Foreign Affairs Representative, anyone wishing to return home in the wake of one of the greatest natural disasters Japan has ever seen, "...can do so by commercial means," (Claude Rochon, The Globe and Mail).

The official position of the Prime Minister regarding Canadian citizens and their safety stands as a no-risk zone.

"If people want to leave, they have that option," - Stephen Harper.

Co-Ordinator for "Speed Dating" Decides Fate of Canadian Government

Finally being held accountable for various acts in violation of Parliamentary procedure, witnesses against the Conservative party commune tomorrow.

The hearing in question appears to have been co ordinated by a time management specialist, as all twelve (12) officials are to be heard during one (1) hour of the proceedings.

I greatly appreciate the Conservatives sacrificing their lunch hour to answer to Canadians for falsifying documents and refusing to provide budget information for various projects subject to public access including but not limited to tax cuts for corporations.

If dedicating only five minutes per official to prove their case against Parliamentary violation isn't enough to keep the Government of Canada Harper Government in power, surely Parliament can be prorogued again. The public didn't seem too upset last time... If only it weren't for those pesky opposition parties! Maybe they should be illegal...

House of Commons privilege fight continues (CBC News)

Stephen Harper: The All-American Hero

Bad news for American citizens; the All-American Hero, Stephen Harper, declared King of the foreign land north of the USA, is being charged for contempt in violation of the "laws" of the land put forth by the indigenous inhabitants of this wholly unAmerican landmass.

In his heroic efforts to convert these natives, who call themselves "Canadians", to the American Way of life, they have attempted to overthrow his governing authority. Of course, Mr. Harper easily overrode their so-called "democracy" by appealing to the authority of the Governor General, dismembering their "governmental system" for a period of time to ensure that the American Way was put forward, at any cost, since it is the best thing for them - they just do not yet know it.

Who wouldn't want the policies of their land dictated by an autocratic leader? Who wouldn't want to be represented by someone informed by only the most successful multinational corporations, as opposed to those ineffectual "elected representatives" these "Canadians" have attempted to install as leaders?

Harper has tried to expand the American way of unemployment! He has torn at the fabric of these ridiculous communist ideas of "social safety nets"! He has done everything in his power to decrease costs for the wealthy, and removed as many benefits as possible for the poor!

We will teach these "Canadians" what living in the First World really means! Our ever-resourceful leader of the northern territory of the United States of America will, I'm sure, find a way around following the "democratic" policies of their political infrastructure! After all, it's not a democracy unless we, the United States, force it on you!

Hold on to your flags, ladies and gentlemen! With $14 000 000 000 000.00 of national debt at our disposal, how could we fail?

Speaker’s contempt rulings add ammunition to election-minded opposition (The Globe and Mail)