Happy Names-day to the country that invented the television, the telephone, insulin, the zipper, basketball, standard time, the electric light bulb, the baseball glove – just to name a few. To the country with one of the highest qualities of life in the world, according to the United Nations Development Index. To one of the world’s foremost producers of natural gas, copper, zinc, nickel, aluminum, and gold. To the country with the world’s largest tertiary education enrollment. To the country that supports same-sex marriage in every province – Canada, of course! We are proud to live in such a beautiful and multicultural country.
Well, while most of the country was mourning the loss of Canada’s chance at gold in the Men’s Downhill, I was celebrating the inventor of Spandex! Seriously, I’m a fan of anything that highlights the male form, that’s why I like football. I don’t follow football you understand, I just like it. A lot! And when I say “the male form” I mean the adult male form. Like the adult male forms of the men’s downhill ski teams! Did you see ‘em? All those hot beefy boys giving that mountain they’re all, making it their bitch, riding it hard and angry only to collapse at it’s foot exhausted and quivering, which you could really notice in those tight little “eye catchers” they’re calling uniforms let me tell you! Especially that Bode Miller! He had me ringing bells I didn’t even know I owned! Did you note that camera angle on him before his run? “Nice cock on ya Bode!” Seriously! I couldn’t take my eyes off it! It’s huge! The weight of it alone either helped him take Bronze or got in the way of taking Gold. Either way, I think he wins! But don’t take my word for it … youtube it up! Oh yeah, and go Team Canada!
When I saw the Facebook page “Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament” had climbed past 200,000 members. I knew it was time for my little Hildy, my 2.5 half pound Chihuahua, to take a stand. Here average, cross demographics of Canadians were mobilizing grassroots in a way that I have not see in a very long time.
Gone were the days when Canadian’s couldn’t give a shit about politics, and our democratic institutions. Years ago I remember feeling frustrated listening to a friend who said, “I don’t vote, they’re all the same anyway.”
With the unrelenting media masturbation over Michael Jackson’s death it can be hard to find real news. Well, here’s one that actually may affect people: The Saskatchewan Party government has put forth a proposal that would give the province’s marriage commissioners the right to refuse to perform same-sex marriages.
The proposed law would make sure that a marriage commissioner would be available to perform the ceremony should another be too offended (morally or religiously) to perform the task.
Refusing to perform an otherwise legal marriage is simply discrimination!
Saskatchewan’s Justice Minister and Attorney General Don Morgan has said he will ask the province’s Court of Appeal if the proposed legislation flouts Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Morgan said there are two options being put on the legislative table, “One would grandfather the existing marriage commissioners that are reluctant or unwilling to perform a same-sex marriage and the second option would grant religious exemption for not only the existing ones, but for future marriage commissioners that would have the same concerns.”
This has been an on-going issue in Saskatchewan for a number of years. Last year, the Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal ordered marriage commissioner Orville Nichols to pay $2,500 in compensation after refusing to officiate a gay couple’s nuptials. Nichols said he refused on the basis of his religious beliefs.
I don’t talk much about my personal life in this blog but I will say this: my husband and I were married at Toronto’s City Hall two years ago and we experienced nothing but joyous acceptance and smiles as we went through the marriage process. It seems obvious that the city vetted its marriage commissioners and JOP’s to ensure they weren’t morally or religiously conflicted. If Orville Nichols finds himself in a religious dilemma, perhaps he should only perform marriages in the church.
Second to this, if a marriage commissioner has a moral objection to a mixed race couple’s nuptials, will he or she have the right to refuse and be protected legally? I get the feeling that would be deemed an egregious case of discrimination.
Hopefully Saskatchewan’s courts can put this to rest and align the province’s public servants with the rest of the nation and with out Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
With the unrelenting media masturbation over Michael Jackson’s death it can be hard to find real news. Well, here’s one that actually may affect people: The Saskatchewan Party government has put forth a proposal that would give the province’s marriage commissioners the right to refuse to perform same-sex marriages.
