The Looking Glass Self

Sexual Assault Stats

2011-06-02T10:24:00.001-06:00

I did some research on Canadian Statistics and wanted to share some of the more startling statistics from around our country. Well none of them should be of any surprise to us I think we need to take a good hard look at these stats and figure out ways to bring up the % of reporting. These statistics are alarming and I think more people need to be outraged about it.
Statistics
The rate of sexual offences reported to the police declined by 36% between 1993-2002. Declines occurred for sexual assault as well as for other sexual offences such as sexual exploitation and invitation to sexual touching
2002, the highest rates of sexual assault offences were reported in the territories
2002, in the provinces, rates were highest in Sask, MB
Over 80% of victims in sexual offences reported to a subset of police departments were female. Males made up 29% of child victims, 8% of adult victims, and 12% youth victims
Rates of victimization surveys have found that sexual offences are among the crimes least likely to be reported to the police. Once reported to police, Sexual assaults are also less likely that other violent offences to be considered by police to be “founded” and are less likely to result in charges laid against a suspect
Persons charged with sexual offences are less likely than other violent offenders to be found guilty in adult court.
As of January 2007, 9408 names were on the Sex Registry list in Canada
In 2007 sexual assault accounted for 77% of all violent crimes that year.
92% of adult male survivors suffered from depression
69% of adult male survivors increased their use of alcohol or drugs
Women make up the vast majority of victims of sexual assault (86%) and other types of sexual offences (78%)
More than one-third of Canadian women (39%) have experienced at least one incident of sexual assault since the age of 16
Only 6% of women ever report their sexual assault to the police. The other 94% struggle silently to cope with the long-term effects
In 2000, 27,154 sexual offences were reported in Canada, including 24,049 sexual assaults and 3,105 other types of sexual offences (such as sexual touching, invitation to sexual touching, sexual exploitation, incest, sodomy and bestiality)
58% of Alberta women have experienced at least one incident of sexual or physical assault since the age of 16
1, 397 sexual assaults occur in Canada every day.
64% of sexual offences occurred in the home
In more than 40% of incidents of violence against women the attacker was drinking.
In an Adult Criminal Court survey done in 2004, 4 in 10 of the sexual assault and sexual offence cases resulted in a conviction, and 6 in 10 of those convicted were incarcerated
Almost 60% of these women were the targets of more than one such incident.

Who Needs to Invest in The Future Anyway?

2011-03-09T21:31:00.005-07:00

So I want to talk about these proposed changes to the YCJA that was tabled by our government on March 16, 2010 and passed it's first reading. This bill is about to be decided on and no one seems to be asking the questions they need to about it. No one seems to care that this bill will result in more youth being jailed for lesser crimes. Why? Probably because this bill will result in more minority youth being jailed, such as the First Nations youth of Canada.

Bill C-4 puts more emphasis on jailing kids and practicing deterrence then it does on rehabilitation. All in the name of 'protecting society'. The new amendments want to "ensure the protection of the public" over the best interest of our youth. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying we should have youth running around on the streets that are a serious threat to the general public. However, under the new amendments to the YCJA this wouldn't be the case. Protecting the public means jailing youth who participate in "vandalization of private property" (now carrying a max 5 year sentence), "theft over $5000" (max 10 year sentence), and my favourite "participating in public mischief" (also a max 10 year sentence). It seems to me that if we stop rehabilitating these youth and toss them in jail for 10 years when they get out in their early to mid 20s we are going to have a youth offender who has spent the majority of their time in a prison and is therefore, potentially, a bigger threat to society then they would have been if they had simply been forced to take responsibility for their actions and got admitted into some sort of rehab program. Research has shown time and time again that recidivism rates are lower when youth have been able to partake in an educational program or other rehabilitation programs.

The Current YCJA recognizes that most youth crime is minor and are normally isolated incidents (usually the result of stupidity). Youth don't belong in the CRJS, they belong in social programs and in victim/offender mediation. Contrary to what C-4 would like you to believe the current YCJA takes the protection of the public very seriously which is why it is more focused on rehabilitation of youth. It focuses on the long term protection of the public rather than the short term.

Another significant change to the YCJA that has been proposed is the publication ban amendment. This amendment would state that a judge would have the power to decide (in all cases) whether or not a youth offender should have their name given out to the general public. Under the current legislation there are only two conditions where a youths name may be published.

1. when an adult sentence has been imposed

2. When a youth escapes and is a danger to themselves or the general public.

However, under the new bill C-4 a youths name could get out to the general public for crimes ranging from: Sexual Assault, Wreckless Driving, Flight from Police, Uttering Threats, Common Assaults, and Harassment. The bill particularly encourages the publication of violent youth offenders names, this would be fine except it leads to the next problem...

Bill C-4 is proposing a change in the definition of serious and Violent Offences. This also would result in pre-trial detentions. Serious offences would be defined as "an indictable offence for which the max punishment is 5 years or more. This would now include the following under the new amendments:

- Fraud Over $5000

- Simple assault

- Uttering Threats

- Obstruction of Justice

- Theft over $5000

- Vandalizing Private Property

- Foraging documents

- possession of Stolen Credit Cards and;

- Public Mischief

they will also be changing the definition of violent offenses to " any offense where the youth causes, attempts to cause, or threatens to cause bodily harms, as well as "dangerous acts" or conduct which results in a risk of or bodily harm and/or public endangerment". In other words, a violent offence can now include things that don't result in bodily harm, and where no bodily harm was intended. Keep in mind we are talking about children ages 12-17. These youth would be detained in prison prior to trial for these acts.

My last beef with this is the consideration of Adult sentencing part of the C-4 Bill. Under this amendment the crown would have to consider adult sentences and has to inform the court, on every case, whether or not they will be pursuing an adult sentence. Aside from the fact that this implies we no longer trust educated well trained prosecutors to make this decision, it also results in youth offenders having a considered adult sentence on their record.

This coming at a time where, according to Statistics Canada, youth crime has been declining over the last 10 years (coincidently around the time the YCJA was brought in). Incarceration for 12-17 year olds will now apply to less serious offences such as "Public Mischief", "Theft over $5000", and "Possession of Stolen Credit Cards". With less focus on rehabilitating these dangers to society the conservatives will need to build more jails so that we have somewhere to put these obvious dangers to the public between the ages of 12-17 years. It seems to me that the long term benefits of helping our youth outweighs the 'dangers' these youth would pose to my lawn, or credit card (which, btw, is insured). I don't know about you but I would much rather have a minor youth offender on the street who is receiving the help they need for petty mischief than I would a royally pissed off 20 something who has spent 10 years in jail for some minor thing but is not a danger to my own child, an animal, or my neighbour.

That isn't to say that there are 0 positives to this bill. C-4 does have one positive that I like that should be implemented right away and seems like 'common sense' (whatever that is). That is the 'Prohibition against youth serving time in adult prisons'. This amendment would state "no young person under 18 can serve any of their sentence in any adult institution". This seems like a no brainer to me. I don't want our youth in an adult system where they are likely to be abused physically, mentally, emotionally, and sexually. Where they are not likely to get the help they need (as adults and youth have different needs as far as rehab goes). And I certainly don't want them getting recruited into doing something more serious, or learning new things to take part in once they do get out of jail.

This bill C-4 seriously needs some amending and Canadian citizens should be outraged at the proposal from the government of Canada. What if it was your son or daughter that partakes in some petty vandalism and lands in prison for 2-5 years?

Alberta Law to Make Evolution Classes Optional Under AB Law

2009-05-01T11:12:00.002-06:00

*sigh* Am I shocked that the Alberta government is doing this. Nope.

[quote]

A controversial Alberta bill will enshrine into law the rights of parents to pull their children out of classes discussing the topics of evolution and homosexuality.

The new rules, which would require schools to notify parents in advance of "subject-matter that deals explicitly with religion, sexuality or sexual orientation," is buried in a bill that extends human rights to homosexuals. Parents can ask for their child to be excluded from the discussion.

"This government supports a very, very fundamental right and that is parental rights with respect to education," said Premier Ed Stelmach.

Although Stelmach has confirmed the bill will give parents the authority to exclude their kids from classes if the topic of evolution comes up, Education Minister Dave Hancock said it won't change anything.[/quote] - taken from CBC webpage.

My problem with this law? "is buried in a bill that extends human rights to homosexuals." That's just shallow. Present the bill as a separate issue. My other issue with this law is that it allows people to opt out of entire sections of high school biology classes well still allowing the students to get credit for these courses. Our Universities are already dealing with the issues of students not being properly prepared for their classes, grammar, spelling, math, and now science can be added to that list, and having to ad intro course after intro course. That's all fine and dandy but what a waste of money to have to pay $600/intro course to learn something that they should have learned in high school.

Bipolar Disorder and My Struggles

2009-04-25T22:41:00.013-06:00

It is first important to understand what Bipolar disorder is, as most people have misconceptions about it. This is a psychiatric disorder that falls under the category of mood disorders. It is the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated mood. Clinically referred to as mania. Often depression episodes, delusions, and hallucinations are associated. People with disorder can go through highs and lows. But even more disconcerting in severe episodes they can be perfectly OK one second and not fine the following day.

There are three subtypes of the disorder. Bipolar 1, Bipolar 2, and Cyclothvmia. The types are based on the nature and severity of the mood episodes and symptoms. These symptoms can include such things as: sadness, guilt, anger, isolation, or hopelessness, self loathing, apathy, loss of sex drive, social anxiety, chronic pain ect.

I myself was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 late in 2008. However I have had signs and symptoms since at least my teen years. My most obvious symptoms are my severe depression that comes and goes and my up and down moods. And the most apparent is not being able to control my temper or worse not being able to remember things. The worst is when I think entire conversations have happened but according to my husband they never did.

It started when I was about 12 or 13. It started off as depression. Only it was very frustrating because I knew that I was depressed but I didn’t know why. It really didn’t make too much sense. I didn’t have the best upbringing ever, as my parents had their hands full with my sister, but it wasn’t terrible either. The depression came and went over the course of my high school years.

Then as I got a bit older, maybe 15, the severe mood swings started. I could change at the drop of a dime. To this day I have no clue how my boyfriend (current husband) dealt with it. Especially as high school students. One minute we would be having a great time hanging out and the next moment I would find myself screaming at him for something completely retarded. Most of the things I can’t even recall. At the time I didn’t realize it, but I would be angry at him for conversations that never took place. Very disturbing.

Once we moved out together things became worse between us as there were no other people around all the time. Things never, not even once, got physical between the two of us but the fighting did become worse. And sometimes I couldn’t even see straight I was so angry. Finally, after maybe 2 years, we sat down and talked one day about my issues and what was going on. And this is when it became apparent that I was having delusions and my depression was deepening. I was clearly remembering things that never happened. We decided together that I needed to get checked out as I may have a psychological issue. After a long struggle I was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 disorder.

After initial diagnosis things got worse for a while. I didn’t want to accept the fact that there was something wrong with me. I became even more irritable, depressive and shut down. Slowly I began to accept my own issues and agreed to consider the treatment options available to me.

Everyday is a new struggle and sometimes I fear it can't get any better. I still struggle with these issues, although not to the same extent. I can still have a mood swings sometimes and often I still struggle with memory lapses, or being sure that I had a conversation that I didn't. And it can be very frustrating at times.However, at least I am one of the lucky ones. I am aware of it and am doing something about it. Many people either don't know they have this and their issues can be fixed or they simply don't want to admit it. Some of these people I know very well and am close with. I would put bet $10 000 that they have this disorder. But for some reason people are ashamed to admit they have a mental disorder.It's actually very sad. Due to western culture it's almost like people have to be ashamed if they have a disorder or, god forbid, need to go see a shrink because they have problems. Everyone has issues people! If you are suffering from long term depression, mood swings, hallucinations, delusions, temper tantrums, hearing voices, irate feelings, or anger issues I would urge you to go see a psychologist your problem might be an easy fix.

If You Seek Amy- Inappropriate Song Lyrics for Our Children.

2009-04-25T16:23:00.006-06:00

Why oh why are there still parents bitching about this song!? I keep seeing articles popping up about how inappropriate this song is. The parents television council had the single changed in North America. Instead of being called "If U Seek Amy" it's now called "If U See Amy". They also wanted the music video banned. Although I am not sure if this happened or not.

I am so tired of parents that don't want to parent fucking everything up for the rest of us. I read an article where one parent said "I couldn't believe it when my 7 year old came in the house singing 'F-U-C-K me' and I asked her where she herd this. OK first off it technically is "If U Seek Amy" and secondly what do you mean " where did you here this". You Don't know!? You don't know what albums your children are picking up. Please explain to me how this is my problem? Why is it my problem that you can't be bothered to parent? Why is it that when I bought the I-Tunes single "If You Seek Amy" to my surprise it was renamed "If You See Amy" and the song was changed? WTF!?

Now this is only going on in North America. Internationally the song has not been altered at all. So I have an idea. How about North Americans get their heads out of their butts already.

I am fine with Radio edits as these are on public stations. But why the hell am I not allowed to enjoy a song because you don't want your kid to hear it?

I have an idea for you. Pay attention to what they are doing and set boundaries. If you do not want your kid listening to Britney Spears then Don't buy the album for them. If you do buy them the album don't be surprised that Britney is singing a song about sex. It's Britney Spears!

Infact if I were you guys I would be much more concerned about my little girls listening to Kelly Clarkson. I would much rather my daughter listen to Britney Spears who sends out a message that basically says "I am who I am if you don't like it bite me" and "I don't need no man in my life to be happy".

Now lets examine Kelly Clarkson's song lyrics shall we? " I hate myself for loosing you" Umm doesn't that song title say enough? No? OK lets take a look at the chorus. " I hate myself for loosing you, I'm seeing it all so clear, I hate myself for loosing you, what do you do when you look in the mirror, and staring at you is the reason why he's not here." Umm exscuse me. Yeah like I want my young girl listening to that shit. But thats not even the best, lets take a quick look at other great lyrics from Kelly's latest album shall we: " I found out I am nothing without you", "There is now something in my life worth fighting for", and my personal favourite "my life would suck without you".

Ok Sorry I would much rather my kid here lyrics like "what you see is what you get" and god yes even "All the boys and girls are begging to If You Seek Amy". My daughter will grow up with good values and with some self esteem and she will definately know that she doesn't need a man in her life to be strong. And no stupid song lyric will damage those values and if it does I didn't do my job. I will have no one to blame but myself.

Not much more I can say about this, so I am going to go bang my head into a wall now.

I wish I thought of this last week!

2009-04-25T14:44:00.001-06:00

People for Emergency Preparedness Planning for Animals (PEPPA)

2009-04-23T23:33:00.004-06:00

If disaster strikes do you have a plan in place for your family, including your pets?

I am a major safety advocate. Some people say that I go way overboard but I would rather go overboard then be stuck on a highway when it is -30 outside. We do a lot of highway traveling so I am probably more safe then you need to be, but I am ok with that.

In my trunk alone I always have: A thing of Kitty Litter for traction, a Red Cross Emergency bag which contains things like thermal blankets, first aid kits, wind up flashlight and radio, In addition I also carry a glass breaker, seat belt cutter ( the glass breaker and seat belt cutter are not in the trunk they are within reach of the driver at all times), A smaller Red Cross first aid kit, feeding dishes, Jumper cables, 3 fleece blankets. Tool set, 2 sets of gloves, disposable litter tray, 2 winter coats, 4 bottles of water, and enough dry dog and cat food for 3 days. Plus a bunch of granola bars, raisins and any other non perishable items I can find. I switch out the food and water every 3 months and check on my first aid supplies every 6 months, I also have a family and pets first aid book in my car as well as one in my house, and last but not least I have an animal fist aid kit in my car and in my home. The supplies I keep in them are all safe and effective for both dogs and cats. There are some medications that you can give to dogs but not cats and vice versa. In an emergecy things are hard enough without having to double check what items are safe for which animals. So I made sure to buy an animal kit that was safe for both. You can purchse these from the ASPCA webpage or your local petsmart also carries them.

In My home I also have a red cross emergency bag. I also have another bag ready to go that has 1 week worth of dry dog and cat food plus 2 cans of wet food for each animal (is an additional day or two of food). A can opener. some non perishable food items. 6 Bottles of water, a blanket, a cat harness, a few familar toys for the dog and cat, vet records, a small map of quick ways out of the city of Calgary, a ziplock bag full of AA, and AAA batteries, car cell phone charger, a change of clothes for both my husband and I ( jeans), and 2 leashes. I also keep my firesafe box within reach of the emergency bag as well because it contains many important documents such as the title to our house and Identification. I also have an ASPCA "animals inside" sticker on my front door and back patio door. If you don't already have one of these but would like one you can get them for free from the ASPCA website. They will send them to Canada! This way it will alert emergency personal to the presence of animals in your home if there is an emergency well you are gone and they are called to your house.

I decided last year that I would rather be over prepared then not prepared at all. We have several friends that have made fun of me for being so prepared but anything can happen and there is no way that I will be caught off gaurd or have to run around gathering things for my pets. I could never leave them behind and if I don't have the things they need it will be very hard for me to keep them safe and anyone who encounters them safe.

Keep people and animals safe, be prepared! I know it sounds like a lot but it really doesn't take too much time to prepare. My safety stuff and ready to go bag doesn't take up much room and it's pretty close to the door and it only takes me an hour or two every 5 months or so to double check what's in there and switch stuff around. Be Safe!

great link for animal preparedness
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/disaster-preparedness/

great link for people!

http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=286&tid=025

Earth, You Suck

2009-04-23T09:09:00.004-06:00

So yesterday was Earth day and all about how great the earth is.I played ball, yesterday. However, if you are living in Southern Alberta today is all about hating mother earth (and the city).

For the last 4 days environment Canada has been warning about a freak snow storm Calgary was going to get hit with. So what does our wonderful city decide to do? Clean all the streets! By doing this it of course has removed all the sand and gravel off the roads.

Cue snow storm! Fast forward to this morning 8am. Crashes all over the city *shocking*. Sanders and gravel trucks out trying to add traction to some of our roads (this of course was also slowing down traffic). Bunch of idiots.

Then to top it all off my hubby went out to start the car this morning but it turned out there was a screw loose on our car battery, which in turn hubby broke off trying to tighten. Not having a car wouldn't have been too bad under normal circumstances but by that point he was supposed to be at a final exam in 45 minutes. Again I say, earth you suck.

I am With Stupid

2009-04-22T21:14:00.002-06:00

2009-04-22T21:02:00.001-06:00

EARTH DAY!

2009-04-22T18:09:00.020-06:00

So I was watching Oprah and Ellen today and both of these ladies were doing earth day episodes. Ellen I found gave more ideas on how to help the environment individually but Oprah’s show was by far way more shocking. For example she had a guest on who was talking about our oceans. Now I knew it was bad but I didn’t realize just how bad. I guess there is a patch of the Pacific ocean that is known as the ‘Garbage Patch’. It is estimated to be 90ft deep in some spots and spans from the coast of California to Japan! What is more disturbing is that 80% of the debris found in this giant patch have common from people littering, and not disposing of their household chemicals correctly.

This is obviously having a terrible effect on the marine life. Some wildlife are mistaking the garbage for food and ingesting it. Fish and birds are getting caught up in plastic bags, sea turtles are getting caught in plastic rings as young turtles and ultimately dying later when the rings become too tight due to their growth. Besides the immediate danger from the debris itself there are also other concerns such as the chemicals the animals are injecting or absorbing from this floating garbage dump. According to Fabien Cousteau whales are becoming effected by these chemicals by cancer. Some types of whales have been diagnosed with the same type of breast cancer people get! This is just disturbing.

There is not only the threat to sea life to consider but the threat to human life as well. You have to remember that this garbage dump in the ocean effects our food chain. We eat the fish that are coming out of this toxic dump. *yuck*. So what can we do to help out? Believe it or not there are some things that individuals can do to help out.

Some handy Recipes to make your own Green Cleaners that are environmental Friendly and cheap!

· Baking Soda can be used as an all-purpose, non-toxic cleaner. Cleans, deodorizes, removes stains and softens fabrics. Baking soda can be used to scrub surfaces in much the same way as commercial abrasive cleansers.

· Window Cleaner: 3 Tbsp. vinegar, 1/3 tsp. Pure liquid vegetable sopa (ie Castile soap) 2 cups of water. Combine in a spray bottle. .

· Vinegar naturally cleans like an all-purpose cleaner. Mix a solution of 1 part water to 1 part vinegar, squeeze in some lemon into a new store bought spray bottle and you have a solution that will clean most areas of your home. You can use pure vinegar in your toilet to disinfect.

· Need a furnisher polish? No problem. Mix 1 cup olive oil with ½ cup lemon juice and you have a furniture polish for your hardwood furniture.

Things we can do:

1. Smart Shopping. Attend garage sales and second hand stores to purchase things that may otherwise end up in the dump

2. Don’t use plastic bags, use reusable cloth shopping bags or ones made from recycled materials.

Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs or LEDs
Use aerators on faucets and shower heads
Weather-strip windows and doors
Walk, cycle, car pool and use public transportation
When driving, reduce idling and maintain correct tire pressure
Consider car sharing programs or renting
Choose local and organic foods that are in season, and support local food producers
Eat less meat

11. Wash full loads of clothes in cold water and hang to air dry

For summer air conditioning, set your thermostat to 24°C or 25°C
For winter heating, set your thermostat to 19°C or 20°C
Install ceiling fans and programmable thermostats
Take short showers instead of baths
Close water taps while brushing your teeth
Choose natural, non-toxic cleaning products
Make simple, natural cleaners with ingredients like vinegar, baking soda and water
Choose natural, non-toxic cleaning products
Make simple, natural cleaners with ingredients like vinegar, baking soda and water
Donate, reuse and recycle items before throwing them into the trash
Harmful materials like chemicals, batteries, electronics, etc. should be taken to local hazardous waste depots or recyclers
If renovating your home use earth friendly products. Such as cork or bamboo for your floors. These are both renewable resources.
Snip your Six pack and 12 pack Rings! You don’t want
Dispose of all your electronics properly at the appropriate recycling intake centers (this includes batteries!)
Buy products that use biodegradable packaging ( such as Purex liquid laundry soap 100% natural products safe for the environment packaged in a contained that is biodegradable)
Plant a Vegetable garden
Buy Organic when you can
Install a programmable thermostat. This way when you are not home you don’t need to heat your entire house. You can also set it so when you go to bed at night its cooler but by the time you get up its warmed up the house again.
Replace your TV with an LCD TV, its better for the environment because it uses half the energy that a plasma does. In the long run it’s the better buy.
Put power bars in your home
Put in a Water Aerator into your kitchen faucet. This reduces the amount of water that comes out without reducing the pressure.
Use an at home water filtration jug( or put one right on your kitchen faucet) to avoid using more plastic bottles then needed.
Use eco friendly cleaning supplies
Insulate your hot water heater.
Get energy efficient appliances. Such as HE front loading washers and dryers.

If we all do our part maybe there will be something left of earth by the time our grandchild grown up!

LOL

2009-04-22T11:50:00.005-06:00

SEXTING!

2009-04-22T11:38:00.007-06:00

The existence of sexting should not shock anyone. With advancement in technology comes better ways at exchanging information. Sexting is when someone sends sexually explicit photos or texts through their mobile phone to someone else.

Obviously this is inappropriate behaviour for teens, especially teens who are as young as 13 year old. But there is a bigger issue here for me then just the Sexting itself. And that would be the legal cases that are beginning to pop up in which prosecutors are charging young teens with disribution of child porn. Child Porn laws were not meant to prosecute children they were meant to protect children from sick SOBs.
I would say that the biggest issue with sexting is that because of the technology involved the teens may end up seeing their pictures have been used for things they did not intend for. Such as sending pics of themselves to one person and having that person FWD the message to all their friends. The distribution is much easier. What is dangerous about sexting is how easy it is. Realistically teens have been doing similar things forever. I am not saying that we should not crack down on this however I believe that federal child porn charges are outrageous. This comes down to a parenting issue. The parents need to be informed about what’s going on and deal with it accordingly. For a child to be charged with distributing child porn pictures, of themselves, and if convicted be labeled a sex offender for the rest of their lives! This would affect them for the rest of their lives and I think it’s ridiculous. I am not saying that there should not be consequences there should be, however I think in this case it is up to the parent to decide.

One of the most publicized cases was a case in New Jersey, I believe, where a young girl of just 14 posted sexually explicit photos of herself on her my space page. And the prosecutors wanted to charge her with the unlawful distribution of child porn! For posting pictures of herself. This is just nuts, this child posted photos of herself on her myspace for others to view. I think there is an underlining cause that needs to be addressed with this young girl and her problems will not be solved if she is thrown in jail and labeled a sex offender for the rest of her life and forced to not only register but explain to people in her neighbourhood the why.

As for passing the pictures on I do not want to offend these kids that are doing it but that is what kids do. They do not think about what they are doing they just do. Do I think that there should be consequences for their actions? Of course even perhaps legal consequences. But NOT charging them under child porn laws. The only reason this is being blown up as much as it has been is because of the technology that is involved. You never heard of this happening even when I was a teen (just 9 years ago). Back then we just used digital cameras, or Polaroid’s. And no one would have even given it a second thought to charge us with the distribution of child pornography. However times are changing and technology is changing and the laws needs to evolve with the technology. I do not believe that this is right but I also do not believe it is distribution of child porn. Again these child porn laws were put into place to protect children from pervs and creeps.

Some states have been trying to make new laws. Vermont just introduced a bill this month to legalize the consensual exchange of graphic imagine between teens 13 to 18 years old. This is a good start however they have still left passing along the images to a third party as a crime that can be convicted under the child porn laws.

In Ohio there has been a law proposed that reduces sexting from a felony charge to a misdemeanor charge, this completely eliminates the possibility of a teen being charged and labeled as a sex offender. And in Utah they have already taken this step. Now this is exactly the law that needs to be in place surrounding sexting. It will send out the message that this will not be tolerated but yet will not destroy the futures of our young teens.

Gay Marriage Controversy: Umm What???

2009-04-21T23:25:00.005-06:00

So Perez Hilton is in the headlines again but this time I happen to agree with him and think that for once he is talking about an important human rights issue.

Recently Perez judged a beauty pageant (man I hate pageants) in which he asked Miss California what her take was on Gay marriage. In a nut shell her response was the typical "marriage is between a man and a women and should remain that way" quickly adding "no offense to anyone". No offense to anyone!? Just because you say 'no offense' doesn't mean it's not offensive. But hey, I don't care about that, people should stand up for their opinions no matter how offensive they might be. Just be ready to defend your opinion, preferably in a way that doesn't make you look like a dumb ass.

OK so back on topic here, this question has launched a media feud between Perez and Miss CA but more importantly has brought this issue up in to the media again. Sadly I don't actually expect anything to change. We are talking about the United States of America. Now I have nothing against the good old USA however for a nation that preaches equality and rights to no end they sure do like to tell their people what they can and can't do and what is and is not morally correct. What irks me even more is that for the most part this opinion on gay marriage isn't even something people have a problem with themselves they hate because the bible told them to? WTF is that.

The last thing I want to do is turn this into a post against religion. But when you talk about the issue of Gay marriage it's kinda hard not to end up at the bible and God and well religion in generally.

First off most opponents I have herd are saying " God made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve." Really? This is what you are going with? OK then. All I have to say to this is the following:
1. If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, ¹⁹ his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. ²⁰ They shall say to the elders, "This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard." ²¹ Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid. Why does this sound familiar? Oh yes because its from Deuteronomy 21:18-21

2. And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. Genesis 19:30-28

3.Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. Numbers 31:17-18

and now lets take a look at the bible verse that says being gay is wrong...

" Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination" - Leviticus 18:22

So let me get this straight you guys outlaw child porn, rape and incest as morally wrong even tho it clearly states in the bible you should do these things but the one sentence about gay's is too much to over look? Are you kidding me?

Other opponents are saying: It's morally wrong. I think I already addressed this with the bible stuff because people only think it's morally wrong because God said so.

This should not be about God in this day and age. This is no more than a human rights issue. Gays and Lesbians should have access to the same rights as straight people. No ifs, and's or buts about it. No one wants to force any church to marry a gay couple, but the gay community should be able to have access to a civil marriage. In fact all marriages should be civil unions anyway and marriage should be a religious thing, but that's probably a whole other blog.

My point is that years ago when it was illegal for different races to get married this was eventually acknowledged as a human rights issue and people realized it was wrong. So why is it that the USA still thinks it is alright to essentially dictate who is allowed to have basic human rights and who should not? Oh yeah because the church said so. There it is again, the church, God, religion.

Church and state should be completely separate, we will never have a free world until this happens. All that happens when the church gets involved is a whole lot of hating. All too often (such as with the gay rights argument) I hear people say " our (meaning the USA) forefathers founded this as a Christian nation. NO THEY DID NOT! I am sorry but you American's really need to read up on your history.

First,when your forefathers wrote your consitution of the lines was as follows: "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States" (Article 6, Setion 3). This was to give equal citizenship to believers and non-believers. Your forefathers wanted to ensure that no single religion could make the claim of being the offical national religion. Correct me if I am wrong but nowhere in your constitution does it mention the words: Jesus, Christianity, Bible, or God. Not even once. Funny but I would think at least one of these words would be key to say that your country was founded by principles of Christianity?

Next, in 1796 the treat with Tripoli was created and it stated that the USA was "in no sense founded on the Christian religion" This was writen under the presidency of George Washington and signed under the presidency of John Adams.

To sum this up quotes from your forefathers:

" Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianit, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced an inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth" - Thomas Jefferson

"If we look back into history for the character of the present sects in Christianity, we shall find few that have not in their turns been persecutors, and complainers of persecution. The primitive Christians thought persecution extremely wrong in the Pagans, but practiced it on one another. The first Protestants of the Church of England blamed persecution in the Romish Church, but practiced it upon the Puritans. They found it wrong in Bishops, but fell into the practice themselves both here (England) and in New England" - Benjamin Franklin

"Shake off all the fears of servile prejudives, under which weak minds are serviley crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinon. Question with boldness even teh existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear." - Thomas Jefferson

"Lighthouses are more helpful than churches" - Benjamin Franklin

"On the dogmas of religion, as distinguished from moral principals, all mankind, from the beginning of the world to this day, have been quarreling, fighting, burning and torturing one another, for abstraction unintelligible to themselves and to all others, and absolutely beyond the comprehension of the human mind" - Thomas Jefferson

and perhaps my most fave of them all said by none other then George Washington:
" Religious controversies are always productive of more acrimony and irreconcilable hatreds than those which spring from any other cause. Of all the animosities which have existed among mankind, those which are caused by the difference of sentiments in religion appear to be the mose inveterate and distressing, and ought most to be depreciated. I was in hopes that the enlightened and liberal policy, which has marked the present age, would at least have reconciled Christian of every denomination so far that we should never again see the religous disputed carried to such a pitch as to endanger the peace of society"

I am not saying your forefathers were atheists becuase none of them were. They all believed in a higher power of somekind. But they all had the good sense to leave it out of government as they saw what people did to each other under the influence of religion. Why can't we see the problem of mixing church and state together today?

I hate to make such an issue all about religion. But the bottom line is that people only see male-male and female-female relationships as wrong because religion says it is. If we had no religion in the world you probably would not give it a second thought. I have yet to hear a credible reason why gay marriage is so wrong. Therefore my blog today has been all about why religion does nothing but spew a bunch of hatred. And ultimately makes people hurt, hate and kill one another. It's disgusting. And the human race should be ashamed of themselves!

Telling gay people that they can't get married is nothing but bigotry, hatred and the mistreatment of fellow humans. It should not be tolerated by anyone of any colour, race or religion. Equal rights for all! Please people think for yourselves. Come to your own moral decisions based on what is right and what is wrong. If you need a book (especially one that says stoning your children when they disobey is the thing to do) to tell you what is moral you should probably reevaluate yourself. And read your bible- I have :)

I will end on this note "I looked around for God's judgments, but saw no signs of them"-BF

Insite- A Safe Injection Site in Vancouver

2009-04-20T23:35:00.005-06:00

Safe Injection sites. I see this coming up in the news more and more often lately. There are currently 16 sites in the Netherlands the first was set up in the 1970s, 17 more in Switzerland (the first of which opened up in 1985), 13 in Germany (first in 1994), 1 in Sydney, Australia (opened May, 2001) and finally 1 in Vancouver, Canada (Opened 2003).

For those of you who are not familiar with Safe injection sites they are a place where drug users can go to administer their fixes safely. It is important to note this is not a place where people can go to buy drugs. This is simply a place where people can go to get a clean needle, and get medical care if they need it after they get high. And most importantly the needles are then disposed of SAFELY! People can do this without fear of prosecution under the law.

Opponents of this say that these facilities encourage people to use drugs. I don't think this is necessarily the truth. Addiction is very hard to deal with and can't be kicked over night. Personally I think that as long as drugs are around (prescription or otherwise) there will be addicts. So what can we do to control the situation?

SAFE INJECTION SITES! These sites, as I stated above, provide a safe place for drug users, clean needles, medical care, and most importantly they dispose of the needles appropriately. Safe injection sites may not be the answer to people's drug problems but they are at least a way to keep our children safe from accidentally pricking themselves will a used drug needle by an addict who has HIV. As long as their are injection sites there will be less occurrences of children being exposed to the needles and disease, and it's a way to contain the spread of disease between drug users who are sharing needles. By having safe injection sites we are also cutting down on the number of accidentally over doses, the number of people who die of over doses and more importantly the number of people who are ending up in are already over crowded ERs who have OD'd on heroin.

The conservative Government of Canada have been very forthcoming about how they don't want these clinics and have as much said that they want the one in Vancouver shut down. I say this is a typical government sticking their noses where they don't belong. They are not bothering to see the good in this clinic and it could prevent more of them from popping up in major cities like Calgary, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Toronto, and Montreal. All of these cities could benefit from safe injection sites if people would just learn the facts about them.

Don't you want to keep your children safe? Ok that was totally a low blow but it's not bull shit it will keep used needles off the streets and drug users that have OD'd out of the ERs.

Thoughts?

Should We Legalize Prostitution?

2009-04-20T20:08:00.003-06:00

The short answer of it is YES. Just for clarity the definition of prostitution is as follows: The exchange of sexual acts for money. It is important to note that there are several forms of prostitution.

The first is perhaps the most common or at least the first type people think of when they hear the word ‘prostitution’ , street prostitution. In these situations the prostitute solicits customers while they wait on street corners. They can usually be recognized by their skimpy, provocative clothing. Their customers are usually referred to as johns.

The second type of prostitution is Escort prostitution. These are usually run through agencies, you can sometimes find listings for these in the phone book or online. A client calls the agency and the agency connects them with someone that will suit their needs. This type of prostitution is usually used by people with a lot of money, business executives or people in high places. Escort services are usually left alone.

There are of course also Brothels. These are just establishments that run prostitution out of them. They are more commonly known as whorehouses. These are establishments where people can go and get serviced. These are usually found in areas where prostitution is legalization such as Nevada. They usually also have strict rules surrounding age, testing, and safe sex practice.

Prostitution can take on other forms such as strip clubs (the exchange of money for stripping, booths ect), porn ( I think this is a perfect example!) and of course survival sex. Most of us know this as gold digging. Although Survival sex isn’t seen as illegal (since it’s almost impossible to prove in a court of law) there is no question that survival sex happens all the time. How often do you see 80 year old millionaires with 20 year old wives? This is called survival sex. Women, and less commonly men, trade their bodies and become trophy wives/husbands in exchange for money, food, shelter and clothing.

I have two very big reasons for thinking that prostitution should be legalized, or at the very least decriminalized. The first reason is for the safety of everyone involved. If prostitution were to become legal ideally there would be regulations put in place where the workers would have to get STD tests every so many weeks. And safe sex would be a regular practice. This is how it has worked in the Nevada houses now for years.

My second biggest reason for legalization of prostitution is that a women should be free to do whatever they like with their own body. By making prostitution illegal the individual rights are being violated. I am not sure where the government gets off telling a women she can’t sell her body on a street corner for sex. Opponents for legalization would say that it is not moral to sell yourself. My problem with this statement has nothing to do with whether it’s true or not and has everything to do with whether or not the government should be allowed to tell people what is and is not moral.

I am not saying that there is not a sex trade and there have never been any woman forced into street prostitution but this would happen less if there were regulations. There are always going to be black markets for things, and the fact of the matter is that making it illegal will never deter, and never has, people from buying sex. Someone once argued with me saying that prostitution should remain illegal because the economic status of the women were what pushed them into prostitution. The economy is obviously a major factor in today’s world as well as in the past but I do not believe that economy has pushed many, if any women into the sex trade. I am sure that lots of women prostitute themselves in order to put food on the table and some probably hate their jobs, however we allow strip clubs to be legal and there are a lot of strippers out there that only strip to pay their way through school or pay off some kind of debt. And yet we as a society think this is alright and have no problem legalizing it.

Then there is porn. Who hasn’t engaged in watching porn at some point in their lives? Porn is the ultimate kind of prostitution. Two people, complete strangers, are paid to have sex with one another in various positions and forms to entertain and gratify paying customers who in turn buy the porn to watch. But again this is another form of prostitution that is OK with society. I could go on forever with different examples but my bottom line here is that society deems some forms of prostitution OK and not others? Why? I think this comes down to nothing more then class and status. And its disgusting. Trading sex for money is what it is no matter who is doing it or what you call it.

I would tend to say that drug usage would be higher up on the list then economic situations (this of course is a whole other blog- can you guess where I stand on the legalization of drugs?). But even if that’s not true and it is the economy we as a society have already said these things are alright. So we have one of three choices. We can all remain hypocrites and leave things as they are or we legalize all forms of prostitution or we can decriminalize it. Ultimately the focus should be on keeping these women safe and tested to prevent the spread of disease. Not to mention perhaps our police forces could be put to better use tracking down murders, and rapist then bothering two consenting adults in a business engagement.

Oprah Does Show about the Sex Talk!

2009-04-20T18:01:00.006-06:00

OK How awesome was this show!? For those of you who didn't see it Oprah did a show a couple weeks ago all about how to talk to your kids about sex. I have been searching around on different forums and it seems that most people didn't bother to actually listen to what was being said by Dr. Laura or Oprah.

I thought this was an excellent show in that it gave parents tools that they could use to speak to their children in a couple different stages. Although I must admit that the vibrator thing was a bit too far even for someone like myself.

For the record they were not telling you to tell your 10 year old to par take in masturbation! They were simply saying that you needed to speak to your kids about sex, tell them what it is and that if they do 'touch' themselves the feelings they feel are normal.

Gale, a friend of Oprah's, sat on the Oprah Live show that Friday and said that it's OK for little boys to touch themselves but not little girls. OK WTF? I have an issue with this. Gale get your head out of your butt. Females are sexual creatures whether you want to admit it or not. Kids are kids they are going to touch themselves (boy or girl) and they have to be assured that these actions are perfectly normal and they should not be ashamed of them or the feelings they cause.

As for the older kids. Parents in the audience seemed to be together on one opinion and that was that masturbation is wrong and evil. They did not want to give their children any information and they definitely did not want to speak with their teenager about sex. Here is my question. If you have a young female, especially a 16 yo, why would you not want to empower her? I will never understand this whole abstinence theory.

The first thing someone is going to do when you tell them not to look down is look down. Your teen is going to experiment with sex and there is nothing that you can do about it. Education is the best way to keep your teen safe and ultimately keep her from having sex too soon. And I don't know about all you peeps out there but I would much rather have my daughter masturbating in her bedroom at 16 then out with some creepy boy having unprotected sex in the backseat of a car in some alley. I am not saying that males should do it but your teenage boy can't get pregnant ( and I am not saying that getting someone pregnant is less serious). All teens should be educated about the consequences of sex and be given the proper tools to protect themselves (condoms, BC, spermicide.. whatever).

One other thing I want to know, what the hell is so terrifying about the word 'masturbation' there were several grown women on this show that couldn't even bring themselves to say the word, including Gale. This word is only taboo because religion made it taboo. Get over it.

If you can't handle the tough conversations you probably shouldn't of have children.

Tweet Tweet- Nick's A Jerk

2009-04-20T14:33:00.002-06:00

On Saturday April 18, 2009 a Tweet appeared on Nick Carter's official Twitter account that stated "the first person to show up to 11829 Wilshire Blvd with McDonalds Fries will receive a picture and an autograph". I have several issues with this the first of course is that Nick obviously thinks people were put on earth to entertain him when he is bored. I must tell you this Backstreet Boys Fan is absolutely disgusted with this behaviour.

First I am wondering how you can be bored in LA on a Friday night, or why a Backstreet Boy has so little money he can't afford to buy French Fries from MCDonalds? Nope not buying this. This was a 29 year old man who was obviously out with some friends and wanted to see what stupid thing he could get his crazy fans to do. Well I can't believe that women (or anyone for that matter) would allow themselves to be treated in this way I can't believe that someone who is currently recording a new album (and frankly can't afford to loose the few fans he has left) would insinuate in anyway that they are retarded, or at the very least say it's OK to treat people in this manor. Mr. Carter gets credit for trying to be unique and keep in touch with his fans but has made poor judgment in this case.

What is scarier is that there were people commenting on his picture with this girl saying they think it's OK. They think that it's OK for him to act in such a way. There were a few people who were not too happy about this and said so in the form of commenting on his picture with the girl. What shocks me is that there were women (not young girls women!) on here that attacked them saying they have no sense of humor or that they were/are jealous. I am hear to tell you that we aren't jealous (or at least this fan is not). Only in the Western Culture would it be considered appropriate for a Celebrity to treat human beings like garbage. You ladies really need to realize that you shouldn't be treated in such a manor. It may seem like harmless fun, and for all I know Mr. Carter did not think about it as treating people poorly, but there is a clear message in actions like this and none of them are good. SHAME ON YOU NICK!

I never thought that I would be blogging about celebrities on the internet however this just touched on a nerve. I am tired of living in a world where people are allowed to treat others like crap and where people, specifically women, and are OK with that. And I am definitely sick of living in a world where for some reason celebrities are Gods.

People are not there for your entertainment, in fact you may have gotten this backwards as the entertainer you are supposed to be entertaining us-- currently you are not doing a very good job.

Please people think for yourselves and don't be taken by people just because they are a Celebrity. These people are not perfect and believe it or not their shit does stink.

I really do hope that this was just Nick doing something because he was bored and he was trying to interact with his fans in what he thought might be a fun way and not about seeing what lengths people would go to in order to stroke his ego. I am just glad that the majority of Nick Fans are no longer in their teens. I would hate to think what message this would send to young teen girls. *disgusting*

Perhaps one of Nick's band mates should sit down with Nick and teach him how to Respect others, especially when they are in the middle of recording and releasing a new album.

I am leaving the comment section open but I would hope that people really think about what they post before they post something that will either a) prove my point about the way women see themselves or b) just make them sound stupid. In other words try to refrain from posting " OMG nick's so cute he can't do wrong" --- as this is the kind of dumb ass comment I am talking about. Celebrities are just people!