Progress

One foot in front of another.  

One. Small. Step. At. A. Time.

Maybe, just maybe, we will get there someday.

Pay It Forward Already, Why Don't Ya?

I know we're all familiar with "pay it forward" concept; heck, didn't they even make a movie about it? Like forever ago?

I'm sad to say that, personally, I have only ever experienced one significant random of act of kindness (I'm not going to count the "hold the door open" basic good manners sort of thing). But one time quite a few years ago, while in the drive through at Tim Horton's, I discovered I had no wallet. I had my purse but had somehow managed to leave my wallet at home.

Well, that was awkward.

I was right at the speaker when I realized this but I still could have pulled quickly out of line. Actually, I honestly don't really remember why I didn't now ... I guess I must have really needed that coffee. Anyway, I rolled down the window and explained the situation rather sheepishly, that I just realized my wallet wasn't in my purse, but that I was a regular customer and would they consider letting me pay next time.

Yeah, I admit, that might have been a little ballsy. But that is neither here nor there to my story.

Which continued something like this - the employee asked me to repeat what I had just said and then told me to wait a minute. A new voice came on (male, of course) who repeated my request back to me. Yes, sir. Please, sir. He told me to drive up to the window. Okay, thank you.

It was a cold winter day and I was just about to put my window back up when a voice from behind me yelled out "It's okay. I'll get it." I looked over my shoulder to see the door of the car behind me open and the driver get up and run over to my window. "It's okay. I'll get your coffee for you" and he pushed a twonie into my hand.

[Sidebar: For anyone wondering, this is a twonie. 

You know, twonie ... as in two dollars. 

Ah, there you go. Now you got it.

Just one other thing. 

On the first day, God created a loonie. 

And on the second day, God created a twonie. 

Don't confuse them.

Just. Don't.

We now resume regular our regularly scheduled 

programming already in progress.]

"No, no, that's okay. You don't have to do that" and I tried to hand the twonie back but he was having none of it. "No, that's okay. I want to" and he ran back to his car as I yelled "Thank you!". Well, now I felt even a bit more embarrassed than I had when trying to explain my plight over the speaker. But I also felt something else - a smile spreading across my face. What a nice guy!

I continued to the window, where I handed the twonie over and explained that the person behind me in line had given it to me. Following which, the manager (the male voice on the speaker) walked up, took one quick look at me and said "Oh yeah, I know you. I would have given you the coffee." I laughed, thanked him and drove away with my coffee.

My point of this little story? That there are still good people out there? That we need not give up all hope in this world? Well, sure, maybe, if you really want.

But this little story is all about me and how it made me feel. And, you know what, it made me feel pretty darn good. And it made me realize that I would like to do something like that for someone else some day. (Don't get me wrong - there is a darn good chance I would have made a similar gesture in a similar situation anyway, but this just made me more consciously think about it.)

So, how corny nifty is this? Apparently there exists a global initiative aiming to inspire over three million acts of kindness, a "Pay It Forward Day". And one of the individuals that is heavily involved in promoting this is from the Annapolis Valley, practically my next door neighbour.

And what I think is the best part of it all ...

The interesting thing about the Pay It Forward Day concept is that organizers around the world may never know how successful it is. That is because participants don’t have to register or sign up. 

“There’s no work to it,” Huntley said. “People can do something on their own.” 

On April 24, people from all walks of life can give to someone and make a positive difference.

I like that. It's kind of like the whole "don't let your left hand know what your right is doing", but on a grander scale. So what say you, good people?

April 24th is roughly seven weeks away. Plenty of time to think up a random act of kindness (or two) that works for you. Or just wing it. Whatever.

As long as we don't forget to pay it forward.

Differences Don't Matter

The following poem was written by Jessica Mercola many years ago as part of a diversity contest at her middle school. I found in in an issue of Exceptional Parent magazine back in 2002.

While she wrote about a "she", the sibling in her poem is actually a "he", her younger brother, who is 6 years old, has hypotonic cerebral palsy and profound developmental delay, is non-verbal and non-ambulatory and has the most gorgeous smile and eyes of anyone! [according to Mom and who are we to argue?]

I have brown hair.
She has blond hair. 

I have long hair.
She has short hair.

I am chubby and short.
She is skinny and tall.

I have braces and glasses.
She has freckles and cerebral palsy. 

I can draw, ride a bike and read.
She can't do any of these. 

I can walk and sit.
She has a wheelchair,
and tries to talk
but out comes noises,
silly ones. 

I like to chew.
She likes to go for long walks. 

I am stubborn and loud.
She is sensitive and caring. 

I am outgoing and fun.
She is different and interesting. 

I go to dance.
She goes to therapy. 

I drink from a cup and eat regular food.
She drinks from a bottle and eats pureed food. 

I like to play outside.
She likes to play with noisy toys. 

She doesn't make any choices.
We make them all for her.

I think I have a good life.
Hers could be better. 

Every day I watch her grow,
in sorrow, laughter and snow. 

I hope no one takes her away.
I would be lonely and miss her every day. 

I start every day with the positive
attitude that one day she'll be
just like me! 

I don't care what we are.
I love her anyway. 

I don't care what other people say.
We'll always be sisters and
the best of friends.
That's the way it's going to stay.

Cross-posted at A Primer on Special Needs and the Law

He's Baaaaaaaack

HE'S BAAAAAAAAAAAACK

AND WE STILL LOVE HIM!!

And then, just because I can (and because Canada has had an absoloutely stellar few days at the Olympics), I offer you my all-time favourite Olympic song.

GO CANADA!!!

The Great White UP

I heard this on the radio this morning. And I haven't stopped chuckling since.

"Americans like to name their storms.
This last snow storm we had they called Hercules.
But as a Canadian, I prefer to call it winter."

Merry Christmas

Just watch out for those check flights ...

 

... they can be killers!

'Tis The Season

'Tis the season.

To warm things up around here. Do some dusting. Pull out some cozy, colourful stuff. Maybe put the hot chocolate on, too.

Don't worry ... we'll have an adult version too, Kahlua, anyone?

So bear with me while I do some housekeeping around here. Have to dig out the decorations, put the tree up ... you know, the usual.

Bear with me - I'm still working on the colour scheme. Blog-decorating isn't as always as easy as it looks, you know.

In the meantime, sit back, put some tunes on and get yourself some Christmas spirit.

I know that's what I intend to do. Just as soon as I get some work done (of the paying variety).

Anti-Bullying Legislation a Good Thing, Right?

Following the debacle of the Rehteah Parsons case last year, I was a little unsure of how the noises being made by both the provincial and federal governments about tightening up both the law and the legal process around the issue of bullying were going to work out.

Unsure because, really, can you actually legislate bullying out of existence?

And as far as Rehteah's case went, a sexual assault is a sexual assault is a sexual assault, is it not? Even if the police refuse to properly investigate the matter?*

But be that as it may, I initially thought it was a good thing when the federal government recently announced changes to the Criminal Code making it a criminal offence to spread intimate pictures of someone without their consent. After all, what could go wrong with that, right?

A lot, apparently. At least, a lot when you're talking about a federal government that is willing to be more than a little sneaky and turn its self- this proclaimed anti-bullying legislation into ... what exactly?

Apparently only about one and a half pages of the 65-page Bill actually deal with making it illegal to spread an intimate picture of someone without their consent.

The rest of the Bill varies widely, much of it giving the police new powers to obtain digital information (including lowering the standard required to get a warrant to obtain such information from having "reasonable and probable grounds to believe" a crime has been committed to having "reasonable grounds to suspect" a crime has been committed). And let's not forget the provisions about obtaining production orders against financial institutions for banking records.

But, wait, there's even more.

One section of the bill makes it illegal to use a device to hook up to a telecommunications service without lawful payment. It’s not clear whether computer programs count as a device, or if the proposal could be broad enough to punish something as common as hooking up cable without paying for it or accessing a locked Wi-Fi signal. 

Now whether or not these amendments are "good ideas" is not really the point.

No, the point is this - how dare the government try to sneak in all these totally unrelated criminal provisions under the heading of "protecting children from cyber-bullying"? And how dare the media go along with that characterization, happily proclaiming the new legislation as being about protecting our children from cyber-bulling, full stop, until someone stood up and demanded that the truth be made known?

This is so whether or not one thinks these amendments are a good idea. And I say that despite the fact that one, in particular, I do believe is a very good, appropriate change. Just not one to be characterized as above.

You see, one of the amendments expands the definition of “identifiable groups” that can be the subject of hate speech to include a person’s age, sex, mental or physical disability and national origin. And this particular change, I firmly believe, is a very good thing.

One of the reasons why the writer of this vile hate-filled "letter" could not be prosecuted was because individuals with physical or mental disabilities were not included as an "identifiable group" under sec. 318 of the Criminal Code.  You see, while it is a crime in Canada to "advocate or promote genocide" based on colour, race, religion, ethnic original or sexual orientation, neither age, race, sex nor physical or mental disability was included. From which one can only (wrongly) presume that it is, indeed, okay with Canadians to advocate killing off, amongst others, persons with disabilities.

That it was only after this incident that the government stepped up to amend that section is sad. But the fact that they are willing to do so now is a good thing. Although apparently they were not so anxious for anyone to actually realize they are doing a good thing ... after all, they could have scored points with many Canadian citizens had they proclaimed the fact that they were making this change instead of hiding it among so many other hidden amendments.

By the by, no one should have any trouble with this particular amendment, should they?

Well, the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, of all people, apparently is not in favour of this proposed amendment.

“Imagine your rant about children today. Your rant about men this, women that. The question is what on earth is contemplated here,” said Vonn. 

“Which is not to condone hate. We don’t do that. But we are talking about some very serious provisions of the Criminal Code. 

In particular, Vonn said she has heard concerns from the Palestinian community that protecting national origin could criminalize harsh criticism of Israel.

Perhaps some legal education is called for here.

First of all, "rants" are not criminalized. Neither before this proposed amendment nor afterwards.

What is (and, just for the record) has been criminalized) is "advocating or promoting genocide" and "publicly stirring up and inciting hatred" against an identifiable group. So unless someone would believe that you're seriously calling for the death of all children or all members of the (presumably) opposite sex you should be okay.

And about those Palestinians - correct me if I'm wrong (and I know you will) but aren't chances pretty good they were already covered by the term "ethnic origin"?

Then again, should I really be surprised?

After all, we have a government that is unethical enough to try to put this one over on the very people it has been elected to serve and a media who was either too complicit or too stupid lazy to actually do its homework (as in, actually read the proposed legislation) and initially call foul.

Why would I expect the BC Civil Liberties Association to be any better? My bad.

* The much-belated recent police investigation falling, in my mind, in the category of "Too Little. Too Late."

Just Another 'Pittance in Time'

I don't know if anyone else noticed, but it appeared to me that following 9/11, we experienced an upswing in patriotism in Canada.

Okay, maybe "upswing" isn't quite the word ... the majority of Canadians always have been patriotic but pre-9/11 it was a very different kind of patriotism. A quiet patriotism that we held in our hearts and shared quietly with one another but that we seemed to feel no need to shout from the rooftops.

As I said, that seemed to change after the horrific events of Sept. 11, 2001.

More flag-waving, more open expressions of pride in our country. And more poppies. Definitely more poppies.

Remembrance Day seemed to become revitalized and take on a larger, broader meaning. And I was am a big fan of this change.

Sadly, though, I am wondering if that more open expression of pride and appreciation for our country (and those that serve in its name) is starting to ease off just a bit - at least in connection with Remembrance Day.

I hope not. I pray not.

LEST WE FORGET

Lest We Forget

Once upon a time, I use to post on the anniversary of 9/11.

The fact that I haven't recently doesn't mean that I no longer care or have somehow lost interest ... no, I believe it just somehow summarizes the present state of my life.

But when I came across this video for the very first time today, it having been posted on the Super Secret Neptunus Lex Face Book page, I knew I simply must share it with you. Before it is swallowed up once against in the mist of cyberspace.

And so I shall. 

It is beautiful, hauntingly so; don't you agree?

There's a hole in the world tonight. Don't let there be a hole in the world tomorrow.

Standing Up for Human Rights in the Disability Community

I have waxed poetic (or, hopefully, at least semi-poetically) on the subject of human rights several times over the years on this blog. And yet it will come as no surprise to those who really know me that my true passion in the area of human rights involves the disability community.

On my legal blawg, I have discussed at length a variety of issues, including education, transportation, recreation, employment, medical care or housing - all of which, bottom line, deal with the right to equality, the right to have the same access to the same services and (even more importantly, the same opportunities) as everyone else,

Yes, there will always be those that have it worse than you and I, than mine and yours. But just think of what it must be like to live with a disability in a third world country or a country where you are, irrespective of your disability, of the *wrong* gender or race. Then again, come to think of it, you could be an Aboriginal child with a disability living right here in Canada. Think of how much worse your life could would be.

But that really isn't the point, is it?

Of course not - the point is that no matter where we live, no matter who we are, we are all entitled to the same basic human rights. Not because the government of the day happens to agree or because we live in relative wealth, but because of one simple, inescapable fact - male or female, old or young, no matter our race or gender identity or sexual orientation or any other difference, no matter where we happen to live on this earth ...

We.

Are.

All.

Human.

And yet, simply *having* these rights is obviously not enough. Like any other "right", such rights would be meaningless without a mechanism of enforcement.

And as I turn my mind to the legal world, to "the law", I can only sincerely and humbly thank those who had the grit, determination and drive to realize the obvious and fight to have those rights enshrined as part of our law. And, in Canada's case, not just as part of the law. but as part of the highest law of the land, our Constitution.

But, sadly, two steps forward and one step back seems to be the way of life in so many ways. For even though sec. 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees that every individual is "equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability" and even though Canada is a signatory to both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, we are still forced to stand up and fight for these rights over and over, right here in Canada.

So it is that I can only offer my eternal gratitude to those, both inside and outside the disability community, who have stood up to demand that these rights be, not just recognized, but given real meaning; to those who have stood up for the rights of our parents, our siblings, our children, our friends, ourselves.

But as I write this I realize that what concerns me, personally, most of all in this matter are those in the disability community who, for whatever reason, will not stand up and be counted, not stand up and be heard, not stand up and support others in their fight for equality. For it is only if we all stand together that any one of us can be truly successful. And so I leave you to ponder the famous words of Martin Niemöller:

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

Just Call Me Juliet

Who, me??

You are Juliet from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. You are a romantic, but are not afraid to stand up for what you want. While you believe in happily ever after you are no damsel in distress and have a strong mind.

Often considered one of the greatest love stories of all time, Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare's most famous plays. This tragic play was first published in 1623. Shakespeare is one of the most well-known playwrights in Western literature. He wrote tragic, comedic and historic plays as well as poems and much else.

Okay. Maybe. 

What about you?