Catholic Church and the Duplessis Orphans

Justice at Last: The Duplessis Orphan Scandal

Say No To Chaplains Campaign

The Say No To Chaplains Campaign is all about Aussies standing up for secular education.

Australia has a school program called the National School Chaplaincy Program.

This program, funded by the taxpayer, finances religious leaders (priests, chaplains, pastors, etc.) in the school system. While they aren't supposed to provide counseling, apparently and according the web site linked above, they have no qualms about breaking that rule and doing so openly.

My question is, If they aren't supposed to provide counseling, and I agree they shouldn't because they lack the qualifications, what are they doing there?

Religious education and guidance can and should be provided in the church, mosque, synagogue, temple, etc. Why do they need to be lurking in the hallways of our secular schools?

In the meantime, and according to the web site, the ratio of qualified counselors available to students in the Australian School system is suffering greatly.

Of course the intelligent, rational and reasonable thing to do, under the circumstances, is to transfer the funding from the NSCP and use it to fund more trained and qualified counselors.

It really isn't rocket science.

Religious instruction belongs in the associated religious institutions and the burden of the cost of this instruction belongs to the religious.

Making the taxpayer pay for religious instruction and guidance is nothing more than a fraudulent con job based on political expediency and the desire to buy votes.

And it's not something the taxpayer can afford to be subsidizing in this era of economic instability, nor should it ever be subsidized even if the taxpayer could afford it.

It's time the religious financed their own institutions and programs.

And it's time we tossed the special privilege card that we have given religion into the trash.

Church Of Reality's "Hidden Agenda"

"Everybody has a Hidden Agenda

Does the Church of Reality have a hidden agenda? Do we have a secret plan? What is it we are "really" up to? In an age where everyone is lying about something, what is the Church of Reality really about? Is it politics? Is it world domination? Are we really Satan's minions?

So yeah, we have a plan. We have a plot. We are up to something. But what is it? Is the Church of Reality really going to reveal it? Sure we are!

Would we lie to you?

We are really just trying to trick religious people into thinking.

Our hidden agenda is - we are trying to trick people into thinking. Thinking about reality that is. We believe that if people start thinking about reality that it will cause them to ask themselves if what they believe in is real. Will this undermine faith? It will undermine blind faith. We want to perform a faith healing on faith itself so that the blindly faithful will see again. We want to take the blindness out of blind faith.

Making people think is what we are really up to. Realism is a religion of the mind. You try to resist it but you can't. You can pray and pray and as hard as you try not to - you just can't help it. All of a sudden there you are, thinking. Thinking about reality - reality the way it really is. It seduces you, sucks you in. You start wondering if what you believe is really real. The temptation is too strong to resist. You can feel reality all around you and you can't help but to wonder what it is. And when you are thinking about reality you are becoming real in the sacred moment. And during that time you become one of us.

Resistance is futile. ha ha ha ha ha ... heh."

The above is a direct quote from their terrific site.

Enjoy!

Don't Link To PZ's Posts

Seriously. PZ really, really doesn't want you to link the following posts.

We've Angered Another Crackpot

Grandpa Simpson Gets A Writing Gig

The Dead Are Dead

Dr. Robert Lanza and Biocentrism

Pharyngula says:

"Scientist, Theoretician, Genius, Renegade Thinker. He wants us to take down a few posts by Orac and myself. I guess he doesn't like being compared to Grandpa Simpson, or seeing disagreement with his ideas about the afterlife, or being exposed as a quantum woo-meister.

Gosh, what will I do?

Seed has a very clearcut policy on our posts, and there is going to be no attempt to censor any of them. Gee. So I'm not going to edit them.

I'd hate to think that anyone might link to this post, or to these presumably objectional posts #1, #2, or #3. 

That might increase the likelihood that Google will return those links in searches for Robert Lanza. 

Whatever you do, don't link to any of these posts about Robert Lanza on Scienceblogs!"

Why We Won Draw Mohammed Day by Thunderfoot

Thunderfoot: "Free Speech is non-negotiable."

Thunderfoot's Why We Won Draw Mohammed Day video

Thunderfoot's South Park vs Islam video

Celebrate Atheist Solidarity Day June 21, 2010

Atheist Solidarity Site

Atheist Solidarity Facebook Page

From their Facebook Page.
Description:
This is a simple campaign with one main objective: to have atheists everywhere on Facebook put a tiny atheist solidarity ribbon (one side black other side scarlet red) on their profile image to identify themselves as an atheist. It doesn't have to be big or distracting. It could be just a tiny little ribbon in the corner.

This campaign WILL:

-*ELIMINATE STEREOTYPES* about atheists as others see and recognize atheists all throughout Facebook
-Show others that *ATHEISTS ARE EVERYWHERE* and come with many different personalities and from all around the world
-Provide a means to other atheists who feel it necessary to hide their atheism to *FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE COMING OUT* as others around him/her come out
-Help *UNITE ATHEISTS*, as it will be easier to find others who are also atheists

This group's photo section will be used as a collection of user contributed renditions of the ribbon only. This collection could then be used as a place where atheists can pick a style of ribbon that best fits onto their profile picture.

To get atheist ribbon pictures with transparent backgrounds so you can easily add it on top of profile pictures see: http://bit.ly/aQ8goS

INVITE OTHERS TO THE GROUP TO ENSURE THE CAMPAIGN SUCCEEDS"

I think this is a great idea! Go Mike!

Draw Mohammed Day!

My contribution to Draw Mohammed Day follows.

Okay ... I know I'm not an artist and it's just a cut and paste compilation but we all have to start somewhere :-).

The Pansies are the traditional symbol of FreeThought which is why I added them to the bottom of the picture.

The image of Mohammed is a cut and paste of another image located in one my previous posts.

In case, it's difficult to read, the caption says: Religious freedom? or FreeThought? Free Speech protects us all.

Yes it's tame compared to the usual stuff I post but apparently it's still "evil". I decided to go for a tame image in order to make precisely that point.

Where Is The Justice?

I find it quite despicable that the Churches not only actively cover up and enable pedophilia and child abuse but maliciously persecute/punish those priests who do object and do speak out against the Churches cover ups and enabling of these criminal acts against children.

Father Tom Doyle of the Catholic Church and Reverend Kevin Annett of the United Church of Canada are but two examples.

In the case of the Aboriginal children in the Indian Residential Schools what occurred far exceeded child abuse and crossed the line into child torture and genocide which continued into the 1970s.

It also appears to have been a deliberate and conscious policy at the highest levels of both church and state.

The following statement was issued by the Friends and Relatives of the Disappeared, Canada

I wish them much success in this endeavor and encourage others to support them and participate in this historic and very important event.

Statement ------------------------

Help Us Remove the Gag from Survivors of Genocide in Canada:

Participate in our Peoples' Inquiry into Residential Schools on June 15 in Winnipeg - Put and End to the Government and Church Coverup known as the "Truth and Reconciliation Commission"

Issued by the Friends and Relatives of the Disappeared, Canada

May 1, 2010

Dear friends,

For nearly two decades, in the face of enormous repression and concealment by church and state, our network has documented the stories of torture, genocide and murder by survivors of Indian residential schools across Canada, and has forced this issue onto the national political agenda.

In response, the groups responsible for the death of nearly half the children in these institutions - the government of Canada and the Catholic, Anglican and United Church - have exonerated themselves from their crimes and established their own "truth and reconciliation commission" (TRC) to whitewash their responsibility for clearly intentional crimes against humanity.

This "TRC" is in essence an enormous miscarriage of justice.

The TRC has no power to lay criminal charges or issue subpoenas, will not allow the naming of names or presenting of evidence of wrongdoing in residential schools, will not grant protective immunity to those testifying, and will prevent its findings to be used in courts of law.

With such restrictions and censorship, the TRC will be incapable of conducting any serious inquiry into crimes in Indian residential schools, or of issuing any kind of detailed or accurate report about this tragic history that claimed the lives of at least 50,000 children over a century.

Not only will this "official" self-examination by the parties guilty of a crime provide no satisfaction to the thousands of survivors who are seeking an open forum in which they can be freely heard, and seek justice, but the mandate of the "TRC" violates international human rights protocols requiring an impartial and open inquiry into apparent crimes against humanity, and the proper consultation of victims of such criminal acts.

In response, our network and other survivors of church abuse will be holding a counter hearing process across Canada to provide a real and open inquiry into the Indian residential schools of Canada.

This counter hearing will be known as The Peoples' Inquiry into Crimes in Indian Residential Schools, and will commence on the day that the "TRC" opens its first forum, on Tuesday, June 15 at The Forks in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Our hearing will be held near to the site of the TRC event and will invite survivors to present their full stories and evidence of what they suffered in these schools, and what they still endure, in an uncensored venue.

We anticipate and have requested the presence of international human rights observers at our event on June 15, in order to monitor the evidence submitted to our forum, and any possible irregularities or restrictions occurring at the government's "TRC" event.

Our campaign has the support of survivors' groups, human rights networks and the news media in Europe and other regions, and its events and findings will be reported around the world.

Our aim is to produce and issue an eventual Counter Report to the government's TRC report that can be used to bring charges against Canada and its churches.

We invite you to officially endorse and take part in our June 15 counter hearing and open forum, and help us record for the world the complete evidence of crimes in Canadian Indian residential schools.

We see our campaign as part of a growing international movement to bring to justice those responsible for the organized criminal abuse and trafficking in children, including church, government and police agencies.

Please contact us at this email or at 250-753-3345 in Canada. More information will be sent to you soon, as part of international press advisories concerning our actions.

Sincerely,

Rev. Kevin Annett, Secretary

Chief Louis Daniels - Whispers Wind, Elder, Anishinabe Nation

for The Friends and Relatives of the Disappeared - Canada

Hidden From History web site

The Freethinking Woman : A Historical Perspective. Pt. 1 of 3

"I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat, or a prostitute." --Rebecca West

Trying to define the term Feminism is challenging because it means many different things to many different people.

My definition is quite simple.

Feminism is the movement for equal rights for women whatever that might entail during any given period in history.

Given my definition I don't accept the concept of "protofeminism" nor do I believe that there were only three "waves" of feminism.

That said, for now and in the interests of clarity, I will make my comments within the context of accepted historical standards.

Historically speaking there have been three "waves" of feminism defined.

The first wave began in the 18th century along with the development of the FreeThought movement and Rationalism and was supported by many FreeThinkers from it's inception.

It's neither an accident nor a coincidence that the suffragette leaders were FreeThinkers for the most part.

The reason for this is that it was the FreeThinkers who were questioning the standards and the existing beliefs, holding them up to the light of reason, discarding that which didn't meet rational standards and upholding that which did.

That's not to say that Christian women didn't play a role in fighting for the right to vote. They did. It was, in fact, the one unifying issue between Christian feminists and FreeThinking feminists.

However, there was a divergence of interest on other issues where the Christian feminists focused on Temperance (prohibition of alcohol) whereas the FreeThinking feminists focused on Abolition (banning slavery) amongst other issues.

While the stated focus of this First Wave was womens suffrage, the right to vote, it's real focus was much more than that.

It was about the right of women to recognized as persons under the law.

After all, that's precisely why women didn't have suffrage. We were legally considered chattel, the property of the men who were in charge of us whether they were our fathers, husbands, uncles, brothers, caretakers, etc.

Note that according to Amendment XIV of the US Constitution, citizens were persons and on those grounds granted the privileges defined by the Constitution including the right to vote. Since women were not given the right to vote they were not considered persons under the law or citizens as defined by the XIVth Amendment.

Amendment XIV

(The proposed amendment was sent to the states June 16, 1866, by the Thirty-ninth Congress. It was ratified July 9, 1868.)
Section 1

[Citizenship defined; privileges of citizens.]

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Source: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0749825.html

While the women of the day who posed arguments to support their right to equality did so within the context of the times and in relation to the existing social theories which kept them enslaved, the real issue was glaringly obvious and while unstated, was reflected clearly in Marion Kirkland Reid's, A Plea For Women (1843), where she elucidated three issues which stood in the way of women's rights. These three issues formed the foundation for both the First and Second Wave Feminist movements.

They were:
1. Lack of civil rights
2. Unjust laws against women
3. Inability to obtain an education

If women were considered human beings, people under the law, the above would have resulted in violations of the existing Constitutions in various western countries.

In addition, it was implicit in the existing social theories of the day which Reid also addressed:

1. women and domesticity
2. women and Christianity.

Reid spoke to these in the context of "women's appropriate role in society".

Source: http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/whm2003/reid.html

So Reid's major contribution was to objectify through these issues the real problem which was that women were not considered to be persons under the law, by the society of the day.

Reid's document, combined with the shunning of women from around the world, who attended the first World Anti-Slavery Convention in 1840 led to the Seneca Falls Convention in the US, on women's rights. The Declaration of Rights and Sentiments was authored here by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and became the foundation for American feminism.

Excerpt:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of those who suffer from it to refuse allegiance to it, and to insist upon the institution of a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."

***

"Closing Remarks
Now, in view of this entire disfranchisement of one-half the people of this country, their social and religious degradation—in view of the unjust laws above mentioned, and because women do feel themselves aggrieved, oppressed, and fraudulently deprived of their most sacred rights, we insist that they have immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of these United States."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Sentiments

Once suffrage, the right to vote, was won, a major hurdle was overcome. This right, through the XIXth Amendment of the US Constitution legally established that women were persons under the law.

Amendment XIX

(The proposed amendment was sent to the states June 4, 1919, by the Sixty-sixth Congress. It was ratified Aug. 18, 1920.)

[The right of citizens to vote shall not be denied because of sex.]

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

[Congress given power to enforce this article.]

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Source: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0749825.html

This allowed women to move things to the next level, to establish legal and social equality in other areas.

Women now began the process of establishing an identity through media and culture,  legal rights, employment inclusion and equity, reproductive rights, exploration of gender issues and female sexuality, fighting for social reform on many fronts including Family and Property Law.

None of these issues was won easily and at times resulted in the imprisonment of advocates.

In addition, many rights were removed after WWII since women were no longer needed in the work force.

This environment led to the Second Wave of Feminism.

Simone de Beauvoir, mother of modern feminism, existentialist philosopher, feminist, polyamorist, bisexual, lover of and inspiration to Jean Paul Sartre wrote the ground-breaking book, The Second Sex in 1949 which laid the foundation for this Second Wave of Feminism.

Beauvoir's critique of First Wave Feminism corrected errors in and advanced the philosophical approaches originally adopted by First Wave Feminism.

She established the concept that women's goal wasn't to be like men but to be equal to men, that equality was established by the freedom to choose, and was responsible for coining the term, Women's Liberation.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_feminism

In Honor Of BoobQuake -Updated

My Boobies - Censored ;-D

Event initiated by Blag Hag

BoobQuake Cartoon - Hilarious

Facebook 

eSarcasms' news and views on BoobQuake - Hilarious

Mo' Boobs for BoobQuake - Do not click if you are easily offended!

 I'll be updating all day with links to blogs, sites and news....

Christopher Maloney Is A Quack

From Pharyngula:

"Maloney is a naturopath in the state of Maine, where quacks like him get to call themselves "doctors". These so-called "doctors" get to make recommendations like this, in which he disparages standard flu vaccines and suggests these useless prescriptions:

 Parents waiting for vaccinations can provide their children with black elderberry, which blocks the H1N1 virus. A single garlic capsule daily cuts in half the incidence and the severity of a flu episode for children.

There's another way you can tell he's a quack. When a student, Michael Hawkins, dared to criticize him, pointing out that "Naturopathic medicine is pure bull" and stating that naturopaths are underqualified and do not deserve the title of "doctor," Maloney took action to silence him. After all, we can't have people questioning quacks — that just makes them look even more ridiculous, which could lead to a loss of business.

So Maloney complained to Wordpress, where Hawkins blog was located, and got them to shut it down. This does not speak well of craven Wordpress; if you're using Wordpress hosting, you might want to reconsider it and move elsewhere. You know, to someplace that respects reality.

Now not only is Maloney a quack, but he's a stupid quack. Shutting down blogs that criticize him? That never, ever works. In fact, it tends to backfire rather severely — because now a much bigger blog is going to spread the word that Christopher Maloney is a quack. I'm also going to ask all of you out there who reads this to echo the message: Christopher Maloney is a quack. Won't that be fun? Poke the net, and the net pushes back.

Share the message. Let the whole world know that Christopher Maloney is a cowardly quack.

He's also tasteless. This is possibly the ugliest youtube video ever."