Caring Canadian Extremely Intolerant of Pro-Lifers

DebO in a Burd Report article excoriated two Diamond Jubilee Medal recipients thusly: “Law-breaking anti-choice zealots … broke the law … their efforts to break the law … their actions to break the law … charged and incarcerated … illegal activities … deluded law breakers.”

Wow! Talk about zero tolerance for law-breakers! The above seven reiterations is the sole reason for the cause of DebO’s renown Friday night rile-ups. By her own reasoning, she also would have to renounce medal recipients busted for pot, but I’d wager that she wouldn’t. It’s not about principle (no law-breakers), but about politics wearing a fig leaf of principle. She just doesn’t like them because of their political beliefs. DebO believes, as do I, NO STATE INTERVENTION ON REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS.

However, I depart from DebO’s demonizing these women. One woman has accumulated over ten years in jail. She is 64 years old. She has served more time behind bars than many others convicted of violent crimes, including murder, rape, manslaughter. The woman has been convicted of violating a court order that places a proximity bubble around abortion clinics. Gasp! She has never been cited for harassment. She stands silently holding a placard with photo of a crying baby bearing the same message, “Why mom, when I have so much love to give?” Gasp! Say it ain’t so! Horrors. Scary people.

It’s a “travesty” declares DebO. “Anti-choice zealot,” declares DebO.  “… these guys play dirty,” declares DebO. This attack on the woman’s character is as disproportionate as 10 years of imprisonment for such a meagre offence.

DebO declares, “…anti-choice folks think they’re on some sort of holy mission to impose their own values on everybody else…” regardless of the fact it is DebO’s values and my values that are currently being imposed on everybody else, whether DebO realizes it or not. Pro-choice prevails, and will continue to do so for a very long time to come.

DebO declares that the issue of reproductive freedom “has been long settled.” This is a cliché bandied about by self-declared Progressives. It indicates dogma. Those who believe dogma, and defend dogma from being questioned by unbelievers are those who have attached religiosity to secular matters.

Science is never settled. Everything is open to question. But then again, DebO has declared more than once how she ain’t gonna change. She’s a dogmatist. Although I vote for pro-choice, I enjoy being exposed to arguments by those who are pro-life. So far the arguments have been unsuccessful in persuading me to relinquish my pro-choice choice.

By being tolerant of those holding views contrary to my own, I have come to appreciate the profound sincerity of many pro-lifers. Think of it. Pro-life. They believe in life. They believe that life is sacred. They believe that life begins at conception. What is so terrible about that? Ten years imprisonment for silently standing on the sidewalk with a placard within 60 feet of an abortion clinic, that’s what.

DebO, your abusive intolerance in this instance sadly undermines your caring Canadianism.

Poetry Textravastanza at The Meet

The Poetry Performances sponsored and organized by the Cobourg Poetry Workshop, delivered a diversity of eloquence last night at 66 The Meet that was roundly appreciated by Cobourg’s better poems and garden set. It was a textceptional evening.

Catherine Owen, dressed in darkly demure metal-petal ambiance, bearing whispers of Goth around her throat, sang and throated and brought the assembled poetariet into a love poem, into a dark poem, back to love and life again, heavily accented in medieval and modern (modieval?)

Daniel Tysdal, whom I met for the first time, face2face, and I looked up to him, a bit; 6’1.5” to his 6’2.5”. A man with a natural alpha male body bearing bon mot textosterone poetry, interactive, distributing his voice through several other voices, and ending with a call for poets to deliver a line … Now that’s texterity.

Grahame Woods, a well-awarded wordie amongst The Local Lot, launched his first book of poetry; Path Imperfect. Grahame gives good mic with soft-spoken ease.

Diversity on Display; three genres of eloquence spread over 90 minutes is more than one could normally expect out here in Cobourg. A lot of books were sold. I will review them in the coming days, beginning first with Grahame Wood’s book. Cuz he’s local, just like me.

Books bond.

Catherine Owen Takes the Oath of Allegiance to Poetry

Marie Dressler Puts Cobourg in the Star

COBOURG, ONT.—Three actors: one just starting out, one well into her journey, the third a Hollywood legend who’s been gone almost 80 years.

Yet there’s a bond that connects the two young women and Marie Dressler, who was once the movie industry’s best-loved, highest-paid star, earning more than Greta Garbo or Mickey Mouse: All three hail from the Cobourg area ... (more here)