Hey gang. You'll have noticed things have been quiet on the Ipso blog of late. That's because the Ipso Facto team has been busy prepping our pre-recorded episodes for the winter break, studying for exams, writing papers, and working on our Christmas lists to send to Santa (Madeleine is really hoping for the hardcover delux edition of Black's Law Dictionary; H.G. can't keep her eyes off of this).
We will be updating with all new content in the new year. However, we wanted to remind you of two important CJAM events coming up.
Firstly, make sure to buy your Golden tickets. You have till December 15th to win tickets for a year to a venue of your choosing.
Secondly, Wednesday December 22, 2010, is Joe Strummer Day at CJAM. We'll be celebrating the man by playing his music and highlighting poverty issues in Windsor/Detroit. Ipso will be taking part, so make sure to listen in from 8-9 AM.
Lastly, if you've missed any Ipso Facto episodes over the last month, check them all out here.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Ipso Facto OpEd: Gamers can be normal too
Disclaimer: Ipso Facto editorials represent the views of the author, and do not represent the views of the Ipso Facto editorial board, CJAM 99.1 FM, the University of Windsor, or the University of Windsor Faculty of Law.
I am a 25 year old adult male who still plays video games. I have played video games as far back as I can remember. My parents used to purchase video games for my brothers and me at Christmas, at our birthdays and other special occasions. Yet looking back over my video game collection I noticed that I never had any games that were rated M for Mature (17 years of age and above) when I was young. Once I was over 17 I was able to purchase these types of games for myself. So I was never given games that were outside of my age limit (with the exception of a few games rated T for Teen (13 or older) when I was below the age of 13). My parents exercised their ability to monitor the games that I was able to play, without the need of government intervention.
Although Ontario does have a prohibition on the sale of mature rated video games to anyone under the age of 18; it is simply an enforcement by the province of the voluntary Electronic Software Ratings Board ratings. In the US the law will have the government doing the ratings, making it a complete government regulated body that will prohibit the sale of “deviant” violent video games to minors.
It is easy to see how this debate is such a hot button political issue. As Tudor Carsten said on the air Wednesday morning on Ipso Facto it is easy to score political points when you say you want to keep violent video games out of the hands of the children. If one was to make a statement that he or she doesn’t mind allowing 12 year olds buying a brutally violent game they will be massacred on the news. They will most likely be voted out in the next election when their opponent plays that clip over and over in an attack ad campaign. It is a vicious cycle that allows laws like this to move through the system.
I feel that I have developed into a normal, everyday sane human being despite my exposure to violent video games. Video games were a great escape, like a good book or movie, but I had control over what was going to happen. Even now I have several games on my wish list that involve war, or assassins. All of the friends that grew up around me played the same kinds of games. They all turned out to be normal, everyday sane human beings as well.
It is my opinion that the law should not be used to push around such hot button political issues, but instead should focus on the more important aspects of society. They said similar things about the effects of movies and rap music, but neither of those forms of media have brought about the cataclysmic events that were foretold. The legal system of the United States should have better things to do than discuss whether a 15 year old can buy a copy of the newest M rated video game.
(As an aside, I do find it very comical that the case is Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California v Entertainment Merchants Association since Arnold is one of the most prolific violent action heroes in movie history)
Michael Spagnolo is a member of the Ipso Facto editorial board.
I am a 25 year old adult male who still plays video games. I have played video games as far back as I can remember. My parents used to purchase video games for my brothers and me at Christmas, at our birthdays and other special occasions. Yet looking back over my video game collection I noticed that I never had any games that were rated M for Mature (17 years of age and above) when I was young. Once I was over 17 I was able to purchase these types of games for myself. So I was never given games that were outside of my age limit (with the exception of a few games rated T for Teen (13 or older) when I was below the age of 13). My parents exercised their ability to monitor the games that I was able to play, without the need of government intervention.
Although Ontario does have a prohibition on the sale of mature rated video games to anyone under the age of 18; it is simply an enforcement by the province of the voluntary Electronic Software Ratings Board ratings. In the US the law will have the government doing the ratings, making it a complete government regulated body that will prohibit the sale of “deviant” violent video games to minors.
It is easy to see how this debate is such a hot button political issue. As Tudor Carsten said on the air Wednesday morning on Ipso Facto it is easy to score political points when you say you want to keep violent video games out of the hands of the children. If one was to make a statement that he or she doesn’t mind allowing 12 year olds buying a brutally violent game they will be massacred on the news. They will most likely be voted out in the next election when their opponent plays that clip over and over in an attack ad campaign. It is a vicious cycle that allows laws like this to move through the system.
I feel that I have developed into a normal, everyday sane human being despite my exposure to violent video games. Video games were a great escape, like a good book or movie, but I had control over what was going to happen. Even now I have several games on my wish list that involve war, or assassins. All of the friends that grew up around me played the same kinds of games. They all turned out to be normal, everyday sane human beings as well.
It is my opinion that the law should not be used to push around such hot button political issues, but instead should focus on the more important aspects of society. They said similar things about the effects of movies and rap music, but neither of those forms of media have brought about the cataclysmic events that were foretold. The legal system of the United States should have better things to do than discuss whether a 15 year old can buy a copy of the newest M rated video game.
(As an aside, I do find it very comical that the case is Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California v Entertainment Merchants Association since Arnold is one of the most prolific violent action heroes in movie history)
Michael Spagnolo is a member of the Ipso Facto editorial board.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
CJAM has a Golden Ticket for you!
From www.cjam.ca
CJAM is proud to announce it’s biggest giveaway to date. CJAM 99.1FM has teamed with the area’s finest music venues and promoters to create the ‘Golden Ticket’ campaign.
CJAM will be selling raffle tickets over the coming weeks for a chance to win a Ticket for either The Majestic, Phog Lounge or Sinnastar Promotions that would allow the bearer access to every live music performance in the year of 2011. This unique promotion has never been done at CJAM or in the greater Windsor-Detroit area. With prize values totaling over $5000, winning a ‘Golden Ticket’ is the most exciting prospect possible for fans of live music.
Raffle tickets will be sold for $5 each or 3 for $10 with all proceeds raised going towards CJAM’s goal of increasing it’s wattage to create greater accessibility to the station throughout Windsor and Detroit. The raffle tickets will be sold until December 15th/2010 with an on-air draw and announcement of winners happening on Monday, December 20th at 3:15pm.
Raffles tickets can be purchased at the following locations:
CJAM Studios – CAW Student Centre, University of WindsorSounds like a pretty wonderful study/practice break, does it not? If you want to buy tickets, contact one of your friends at Ipso Facto at ipsofactoradio@gmail.com.
Phog Lounge – 157 University Ave. West, Windsor
Dr.Disc Records – 471 Ouellette Ave., Windsor
Call the station for further details: 519-971-3606
Gene Wilder not included
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Virtual Legal Reality
Tomorrow on Ipso Facto, we're talking video games. In California a ban on selling violent video games to minors has faced multiple constitutional hurdles. Does banning video games infringe peoples right to freedom of expression? Does violence in video games breed violence in kids?
We'll also be joined by Anton van Hamel, an intern with the Children's Media Awareness Network, to discuss what current research says about the effect of video games on youths.
Ipso Facto is broadcast every Wednesday at 8 AM on CJAM 99.1 FM, and on www.cjam.ca
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Ipso Facto Feature: The No-Nonsense Guide to Ending Human Trafficking
This week the Canadian Lawyers Abroad Windsor Chapter hosted the Stop Sex Trafficking Campaign in partnership with The Body Shop and Beyond Borders. The campaign seeks to raise awareness of sex trafficking in Canada and petition the Federal government to form a National Plan of Action to stop the sexual exploitation of children in Canada. Body Shop’s Happy Hands kind Heart Hand Cream were sold with 100% of the net proceeds going to Beyond Borders to help support victims of trafficking.
There is a commonly held misconception that slavery was abolished long ago, however, this is not the case. Modern-day slavery is human trafficking. Millions of victims (predominantly women and children) are being controlled and exploited for profit through forced labour and sex slavery. Canada is no exception. Domestic human trafficking is a major problem, especially within the Aboriginal community and youth demographic.
Windsor students at the Faculty of Law were made very aware of the reality of human trafficking in Canada this week. The Student Law Society hosted Superintendent Marty Van Doren, the Human Trafficking Awareness Co-ordinator to the RCMP. Mr. Van Doren provided a lot of information but it was his stories of the victim’s that really opened our eyes to what human trafficking is. He told us of a 14 year old girl from Mississauga who ‘serviced’ 12 men in the time it took to get a warrant. Another girl was told by her pimp that she could buy her freedom for $100 000 but only after she paid the $1000 a day she owed him for the customers he brought to her.
The nature of the crime presents several problems. Victims often don’t self-identify as being trafficked or are too scared to leave and testify against their pimp. The Internet has allowed for traffickers and Johns [Ed’s. Note-Johns are a term used to label men who use the services of sex workers; in this case women who have been trafficked] to lure, groom, advertise and exploit victims in a private and anonymous environment. Immigration laws label victims as offenders denying them the support and protection they need. When traffickers are prosecuted, the judiciary is handing out minimal sentences of a few months to a few years for the most heinous of crimes.
The international community is calling on all states to implement a national plan of action to address this growing crime. For a plan to effectively combat human trafficking, measures on multiple levels must be implemented.
But always the question comes down to, what can you do?
It starts with education. Become aware of the different forms of human trafficking and bring awareness to those around you.
Get involved. Volunteer, intern, fundraise, campaign and support those fighting the cause. My internship through the Canadian Lawyers Abroad Internship Program is how I first became connected with Beyond Borders. As an intern I conducted research analyzing the legislative and policy response of different countries to child sex tourism and the effect of the internet in perpetuating the sexual exploitation of children. It was a truly eye-opening experience.
End the demand. The prevalence of sex trafficking is a direct correlate of societal demand, consisting primarily of men. Men need to begin speaking out against the sexual exploitation of children in Canada and abroad.
Spend wisely. The private sector perpetuates and profits off the buying and selling of women and children, specifically the travel and tourism and new technologies sectors. For example, Craigslist is commonly used to post sex ads by traffickers. They have blocked their “Adult Services” section in the U.S., but only after two girls wrote open letters to the Washington Post describing how they were forced to sell the virginity at the age of 11 on Craigslist. Chinese police recently raided a brothel in a Hilton hotel Karaoke club. Outraged anti-human trafficking groups called the Hilton to take a stand against human trafficking. Hilton hotels have responded and are working with ECPAT International to develop an internal code of conduct and educated employees. Only when the public calls on the private sector to take responsibility for their actions will change truly be seen.
We must remain mindful that there is no one solution. Shutting down craigslist may not end human trafficking. Tougher sentences may not end human trafficking. Helping one victim may not end human trafficking. But with every step the movement grows.
Canadians are becoming aware that human trafficking exists in our country but it is our response which truly matters. The nature of the crime is exceptionally heinous and inhumane, a topic in which many people do not want to hear about let alone bring to the attention of others. But only once the demand for change transcends the demand for modern-day slavery will those complicit in human trafficking be held accountable for their actions and freedom for those exploited truly realized.
Guest contributor Chelsea Hishon is a student at Windsor Law.
Windsor students at the Faculty of Law were made very aware of the reality of human trafficking in Canada this week. The Student Law Society hosted Superintendent Marty Van Doren, the Human Trafficking Awareness Co-ordinator to the RCMP. Mr. Van Doren provided a lot of information but it was his stories of the victim’s that really opened our eyes to what human trafficking is. He told us of a 14 year old girl from Mississauga who ‘serviced’ 12 men in the time it took to get a warrant. Another girl was told by her pimp that she could buy her freedom for $100 000 but only after she paid the $1000 a day she owed him for the customers he brought to her.
The nature of the crime presents several problems. Victims often don’t self-identify as being trafficked or are too scared to leave and testify against their pimp. The Internet has allowed for traffickers and Johns [Ed’s. Note-Johns are a term used to label men who use the services of sex workers; in this case women who have been trafficked] to lure, groom, advertise and exploit victims in a private and anonymous environment. Immigration laws label victims as offenders denying them the support and protection they need. When traffickers are prosecuted, the judiciary is handing out minimal sentences of a few months to a few years for the most heinous of crimes.
The international community is calling on all states to implement a national plan of action to address this growing crime. For a plan to effectively combat human trafficking, measures on multiple levels must be implemented.
But always the question comes down to, what can you do?
It starts with education. Become aware of the different forms of human trafficking and bring awareness to those around you.
Get involved. Volunteer, intern, fundraise, campaign and support those fighting the cause. My internship through the Canadian Lawyers Abroad Internship Program is how I first became connected with Beyond Borders. As an intern I conducted research analyzing the legislative and policy response of different countries to child sex tourism and the effect of the internet in perpetuating the sexual exploitation of children. It was a truly eye-opening experience.
End the demand. The prevalence of sex trafficking is a direct correlate of societal demand, consisting primarily of men. Men need to begin speaking out against the sexual exploitation of children in Canada and abroad.
Spend wisely. The private sector perpetuates and profits off the buying and selling of women and children, specifically the travel and tourism and new technologies sectors. For example, Craigslist is commonly used to post sex ads by traffickers. They have blocked their “Adult Services” section in the U.S., but only after two girls wrote open letters to the Washington Post describing how they were forced to sell the virginity at the age of 11 on Craigslist. Chinese police recently raided a brothel in a Hilton hotel Karaoke club. Outraged anti-human trafficking groups called the Hilton to take a stand against human trafficking. Hilton hotels have responded and are working with ECPAT International to develop an internal code of conduct and educated employees. Only when the public calls on the private sector to take responsibility for their actions will change truly be seen.
Canadians are becoming aware that human trafficking exists in our country but it is our response which truly matters. The nature of the crime is exceptionally heinous and inhumane, a topic in which many people do not want to hear about let alone bring to the attention of others. But only once the demand for change transcends the demand for modern-day slavery will those complicit in human trafficking be held accountable for their actions and freedom for those exploited truly realized.
Guest contributor Chelsea Hishon is a student at Windsor Law.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Blog Round Up: November 5th-November 12th 2010
Techno Lawyer outlines the top 5 reasons associates hate partners. I just want a partner to hate! #stillhasno2Ljob (via Sweet Hot Justice).
Public hearings on police conduct during the Toronto G20 have been taking place this week. Read all about it at the CBC, or check out one woman's story of having been "kettled" on the Sunday of G20 weekend at the Globe and Mail. Plus Ipso Facto has our own exclusive story about what it was like to be a legal observer at the G20.
The University of Windsor School of Law has responded to Professor Emily Carasco's allegations in a factum submitted to the Human Rights Tribunal, in it claiming that she has a reputation of being vindictive and vengeful. I just wish we could make a cake full of rainbows and smiles and we would all eat it and be happy.
The lawyer behind the now infamous "So You Want to go to Law School" YouTube video has been revealed. Now I know who to send my complaints about the crappy auto-tuned voices to.
Today is Random Act of Kindness day! So much better than "Kick-a-homeless-bum-in-the-street-day".
Missed Ipso Facto this week? Click here for this week's episode.
Public hearings on police conduct during the Toronto G20 have been taking place this week. Read all about it at the CBC, or check out one woman's story of having been "kettled" on the Sunday of G20 weekend at the Globe and Mail. Plus Ipso Facto has our own exclusive story about what it was like to be a legal observer at the G20.
The University of Windsor School of Law has responded to Professor Emily Carasco's allegations in a factum submitted to the Human Rights Tribunal, in it claiming that she has a reputation of being vindictive and vengeful. I just wish we could make a cake full of rainbows and smiles and we would all eat it and be happy.
The lawyer behind the now infamous "So You Want to go to Law School" YouTube video has been revealed. Now I know who to send my complaints about the crappy auto-tuned voices to.
Today is Random Act of Kindness day! So much better than "Kick-a-homeless-bum-in-the-street-day".
Missed Ipso Facto this week? Click here for this week's episode.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Human Trafficking: Resources
If you tuned into to today's episode (which if you missed, can be found here) you know that we talked about human trafficking with Shelley Gilbert, Coordinator of Social Work Services at Legal Assistance of Windsor, and Chelsea Hishon with Canadian Lawyers Abroad. Below you'll find links to organizations that are working to stop human trafficking, as well as places you can contact if you, or someone you know, is involved in human trafficking.
Stop Human Trafficking: Windsor-Essex Action Group
Legal Assistance of Windsor
85 Pitt Street East
Windsor, ON N9A 2V3
Phone: (519) 256-7831
Fax: (519)256-1387
TTY: (519) 256-5287
Windsor Refugee Office
RCMP Human Trafficking National Coordination Centre
Beyond Borders
National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking
Canadian Lawyers Abroad
Stop Human Trafficking: Windsor-Essex Action Group
Legal Assistance of Windsor
85 Pitt Street East
Windsor, ON N9A 2V3
Phone: (519) 256-7831
Fax: (519)256-1387
TTY: (519) 256-5287
Windsor Refugee Office
RCMP Human Trafficking National Coordination Centre
Beyond Borders
National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking
Canadian Lawyers Abroad
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Pledge Drive Update!
Hi all! The team at Ipso Facto just wanted to thank everyone who listened to our pledge drive show yesterday. So far we've managed to reach the halfway point of our goal of $300! Thank you for your donations and for supporting Ipso Facto during our re-boot this year. We have a ton of great content coming up, including episodes on human trafficking and video games. Remember to listen every Wednesday morning at 8 AM on CJAM 99.1 FM Windsor/Detroit. And we are still looking for donations. Head over to www.cjam.ca to make a donation online, or send us an email at ipsofactoradio@gmail.com if you'd like to donate via cash or cheque. Every little bit helps!
And in case you dug the music from yesterday, here's our playlist for the pledge drive show. Just another reason to tune into CJAM; kick-ass music!
Hot Panda-Start Making Sense
Bend Sinister-Change Your Mind
Crissi Cochrane-Coming Home
Michou-Struggling to Connect
Hannah Georgas-Dancefloor
StereoGoesStellar-The Information Age
Treelines-Canadian Airlines
Arkells-No Champagne Socialist
And in case you dug the music from yesterday, here's our playlist for the pledge drive show. Just another reason to tune into CJAM; kick-ass music!
Hot Panda-Start Making Sense
Bend Sinister-Change Your Mind
Crissi Cochrane-Coming Home
Michou-Struggling to Connect
Hannah Georgas-Dancefloor
StereoGoesStellar-The Information Age
Treelines-Canadian Airlines
Arkells-No Champagne Socialist
Thursday, October 28, 2010
CJAM Pledge Drive!
It's that time of year for CJAM's annual Pledge Drive! The Pledge Drive is a hugely important event because it raises funds to keep CJAM going and expand our station signal. That means great shows like Ipso Facto have a place to call home, and you get to hear the things that interest you on the radio!
Ipso Facto has set ourselves a lofty goal of $300 raised this year, so help us out Windsor Law and donate! If you can make a pledge, head over to www.cjam.ca or shoot an email to us at Ipso Facto at ipsofactoradio@gmail.com.
What else do you get for your pledge, besides the warm fuzzy feeling of supporting campus community radio? Why, there are some great incentives! A mere $30 gets you a fashionable eco-friendly CJAM shopping bag, a friends of CJAM card (good for discounts at many fine Windsor businesses), and a CD from a selection chosen by the fine folks at CJAM. The more you donate the more you can get, including t-shirts, hoodies, and stickers!
So pledge soon, pledge lots, and thank you so much from the team at Ipso Facto!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Ipso Facto OpEd: I am a Person. Hear me roar!
Disclaimer: Ipso Facto editorials represent the views of the author, and do not represent the views of the Ipso Facto editorial board, CJAM 99.1 FM, the University of Windsor, or the University of Windsor Faculty of Law.
81 years ago 5 women got together and did something that seems almost unthinkable to us today; they forced the government of Canada to recognize that women are persons. For Emily Murphy, Nellie Mooney McClung, Louise Crummy McKinney, Irene Marryat Parlby and Henrietta Muir Edwards, the fight to have "persons" as it was interpreted in the then British North America Act include women meant being recognized as equals in politics, and in life. Since then Canadian women use October 20th-dubbed "Person's Day"-to celebrate equality and bring attention to contemporary womens issues.
It may seem strange to some of us now that the personhood of women is even up for discussion. Women in Canada enjoy equal rights; they have actively particpated in the political sphere for some time and more and more we see women rising to positions of power in the judiciary, in business, and on the world stage. However, every once and a while a news story comes up that should remind us all that the battle for equality is not yet won.
One such news story is the Col. Russel Williams trial.
I have been following this case since the story broke due to my own morbid curiosity. Here we have a man who, by all accounts, was outwardly kind and friendly. A leader at CFB Trenton, he loved his wife and was a good commander. But the second life he led was one of hate. The more and more details that come out of the trial the more we find that Col. Williams was a deeply disturbed individual. His crimes are indescribably horrific (I won't repeat them in full here, as they have been adequately covered in mainstream press). It were as if this was an episode of "Dexter" rather than a true story that happened not 600 KM from where I now write.
The more I read about his victims the angrier I get. I have always considered myself to be a peaceful person, but I'll admit that there is a dark part of me that would take a grim sastisfaction in having this pitiful excuse for a human strapped to an electric chair. He represents to me one of the scariest things a woman would ever have to confront; a man that views females as pure objects, nothing more.
Objectification. It's a word that's bandied around a lot by feminist scholars without much understanding of what the issue with it is. In our culture objectification can occur when women are viewed singularly as something to be obtained for sexual and/or domestic pleasure. It's pervasive in our media images. Advertisements will often depict models as tied to (figuratively) the object for sale, or as passively gazing at the viewer while the male is active. The men on "Jersey Shore" go to clubs to find someone DTF (down-to-fuck) barely caring to find out their name and throwing them out of the house if they aren't immediately willing to hop into bed. I haven't always bought the "media will warp the minds of youth!" argument, but I do believe that when women are continually shown as objects that it can be hugely discouraging and create a systemic belief that this is in fact the case.
And why is this dangerous? An object is something with no voice, no conscience. It can be used at will and discarded just as easily. It can be destroyed and maimed with no thought to any ill effects. This is how Col. Williams views women. When Marie-France Comeau and Jessica Lloyd begged for their lives, he didn't hear anything. Because objects don't have lives; they don't have mothers and fathers or siblings and friends who will care that they are gone. We know that they were people, with hopes and dreams and all that mushy stuff that belongs in a Lifetime movie. They deserved to have the life they wanted. But that chance that all people deserve was unmercifully ripped away from them.
Col. Williams represents an extreme. A wide majority of men do not view women as pure objects. But the systemic beliefs that we carry thanks to years of gender roles being burned into our brains does affect what we think of ourseleves as woman, and how people view us.
This is why Persons Day is as important as it was 81 years ago when the Privy Council handed down its decision. Women have come so far, but as long as even one person like Col. Williams is able to exist, we still need to agitate for change. We need to make sure that womens voices continue to be heard and we need to seriously question the way that women are represented in media and in society. This is the only way that we can truly honour the memory of so many women, like Comeau and Lloyd, who are killed in acts of sexualized violence, and the many more who continue to bravely live with the physical and psychological scars of sexual assault. We need to talk, we need to yell, we need scream, and sing and make sure the whole world knows: I am a person. Hear me roar!
-H.G. Watson
81 years ago 5 women got together and did something that seems almost unthinkable to us today; they forced the government of Canada to recognize that women are persons. For Emily Murphy, Nellie Mooney McClung, Louise Crummy McKinney, Irene Marryat Parlby and Henrietta Muir Edwards, the fight to have "persons" as it was interpreted in the then British North America Act include women meant being recognized as equals in politics, and in life. Since then Canadian women use October 20th-dubbed "Person's Day"-to celebrate equality and bring attention to contemporary womens issues.
It may seem strange to some of us now that the personhood of women is even up for discussion. Women in Canada enjoy equal rights; they have actively particpated in the political sphere for some time and more and more we see women rising to positions of power in the judiciary, in business, and on the world stage. However, every once and a while a news story comes up that should remind us all that the battle for equality is not yet won.
One such news story is the Col. Russel Williams trial.
I have been following this case since the story broke due to my own morbid curiosity. Here we have a man who, by all accounts, was outwardly kind and friendly. A leader at CFB Trenton, he loved his wife and was a good commander. But the second life he led was one of hate. The more and more details that come out of the trial the more we find that Col. Williams was a deeply disturbed individual. His crimes are indescribably horrific (I won't repeat them in full here, as they have been adequately covered in mainstream press). It were as if this was an episode of "Dexter" rather than a true story that happened not 600 KM from where I now write.
The more I read about his victims the angrier I get. I have always considered myself to be a peaceful person, but I'll admit that there is a dark part of me that would take a grim sastisfaction in having this pitiful excuse for a human strapped to an electric chair. He represents to me one of the scariest things a woman would ever have to confront; a man that views females as pure objects, nothing more.
Objectification. It's a word that's bandied around a lot by feminist scholars without much understanding of what the issue with it is. In our culture objectification can occur when women are viewed singularly as something to be obtained for sexual and/or domestic pleasure. It's pervasive in our media images. Advertisements will often depict models as tied to (figuratively) the object for sale, or as passively gazing at the viewer while the male is active. The men on "Jersey Shore" go to clubs to find someone DTF (down-to-fuck) barely caring to find out their name and throwing them out of the house if they aren't immediately willing to hop into bed. I haven't always bought the "media will warp the minds of youth!" argument, but I do believe that when women are continually shown as objects that it can be hugely discouraging and create a systemic belief that this is in fact the case.
And why is this dangerous? An object is something with no voice, no conscience. It can be used at will and discarded just as easily. It can be destroyed and maimed with no thought to any ill effects. This is how Col. Williams views women. When Marie-France Comeau and Jessica Lloyd begged for their lives, he didn't hear anything. Because objects don't have lives; they don't have mothers and fathers or siblings and friends who will care that they are gone. We know that they were people, with hopes and dreams and all that mushy stuff that belongs in a Lifetime movie. They deserved to have the life they wanted. But that chance that all people deserve was unmercifully ripped away from them.
Col. Williams represents an extreme. A wide majority of men do not view women as pure objects. But the systemic beliefs that we carry thanks to years of gender roles being burned into our brains does affect what we think of ourseleves as woman, and how people view us.
This is why Persons Day is as important as it was 81 years ago when the Privy Council handed down its decision. Women have come so far, but as long as even one person like Col. Williams is able to exist, we still need to agitate for change. We need to make sure that womens voices continue to be heard and we need to seriously question the way that women are represented in media and in society. This is the only way that we can truly honour the memory of so many women, like Comeau and Lloyd, who are killed in acts of sexualized violence, and the many more who continue to bravely live with the physical and psychological scars of sexual assault. We need to talk, we need to yell, we need scream, and sing and make sure the whole world knows: I am a person. Hear me roar!
-H.G. Watson
Monday, October 18, 2010
The Blog Round Up: October 9th-18th 2010
First up: sorry that the blog round up is tardy this week! To make up for it you will be getting two blog round ups to quell your thirst for legal news and tidbits. Now, on to the fun stuff.
The National Post reports that a police officer dubbed "Officer Bubbles" during the G20 protests in Toronto because of this video, which led a popular YouTube cartoon of him, is suing YouTube for a cool $1.2 million and the identification of the creator of the latter video. The cartoon has been removed from YouTube until the lawsuit is resolved. I don't know why he's so mad. His nickname is soooooo cute!!!
The judge in the Colonel Williams hearing has lifted a ban on laptops and smartphones for journalists who are present at the proceedings, allowing them to update readers live via Twitter and Facebook. But will the judge be able to keep the sentencing under 140 characters?
A Boston College School of Law 3L wrote the Dean asking for his money back, sparking the old question; is school a product that we pay for, or does it have more intangible benefits?
Asylum found 10 of the worst law firm ad's out there. My fav? The CGI rappers who just want their insurance to pay up (via Precedent Magazine).
And advance polls are open for Windsor municipal elections! Go vote!
Missed the last episode of Ipso Facto? As always, find us on www.cjam.ca (you can find us on the program schedule on Wednesday's at 8 AM).
The National Post reports that a police officer dubbed "Officer Bubbles" during the G20 protests in Toronto because of this video, which led a popular YouTube cartoon of him, is suing YouTube for a cool $1.2 million and the identification of the creator of the latter video. The cartoon has been removed from YouTube until the lawsuit is resolved. I don't know why he's so mad. His nickname is soooooo cute!!!
The judge in the Colonel Williams hearing has lifted a ban on laptops and smartphones for journalists who are present at the proceedings, allowing them to update readers live via Twitter and Facebook. But will the judge be able to keep the sentencing under 140 characters?
A Boston College School of Law 3L wrote the Dean asking for his money back, sparking the old question; is school a product that we pay for, or does it have more intangible benefits?
Asylum found 10 of the worst law firm ad's out there. My fav? The CGI rappers who just want their insurance to pay up (via Precedent Magazine).
And advance polls are open for Windsor municipal elections! Go vote!
Missed the last episode of Ipso Facto? As always, find us on www.cjam.ca (you can find us on the program schedule on Wednesday's at 8 AM).
Friday, October 15, 2010
Ipso Facto OpEd: Why I don't drink bottled water
Disclaimer: Ipso Facto editorials represent the views of the author, and do not represent the views of the Ipso Facto editorial board, CJAM 99.1 FM, the University of Windsor, or the University of Windsor Faculty of Law.
I don't drink bottled water.
In my first year at McMaster University I lived on campus and would go through the monthly effort of lugging a giant case of bottled water to my 3rd story dorm room. I went to the gym, and tried to take good care of myself, so I drank a lot of water. I would often refill my bottles at the gym when I ran out, but it never occurred to me to just buy a reusable bottle. Perhaps rumours about Hamilton having dirty water because of its bad record of pollution sunk into my head, or maybe it's just because my family drank bottled water. Regardless, near the end of my first year I made the switch, and I honestly cannot imagine switching back. As long as my tap water is clean and drinkable, why would I pay up to 2000x as much for the same thing (1/3 of bottled water actually comes from the tap)in a bottle that is horrible for the environment?
For my boyfriend, who cares about the way bottled water is filtered, we got a Brita tap filter. It was a little pricey, but we could have opted for the cheaper Brita pitcher. We didn't because I didn't want to always be the one refilling it. Either way, both options are far cheaper than buying case after case of bottled water, month after month, year after year, landfill after landfill.
Wait a minute, landfill? What about recycling? Well, yes, I do recycle, and always recycled my plastic water bottles. The Brita commercial with the woman drinking a plastic bottle of water in her kitchen full of empty bottles that says Brita filters reduce the amount of water bottles that end up in landfills always seemed odd to me. Does Brita think that bottled water drinkers are non-recyclers? Well, actually, they generally are! According to The National Post, 86% of plastic water bottles produced do NOT end up in the recycling bin. Moreover, many that are disposed of properly in the blue bin are not actually recycled at all, and are instead down-cycled.
Recycling means turning something at the end of its use into something else of equal or greater value, such as bottle-to-bottle, which happens with resin code 1 PET plastic, as well as glass and aluminum. But resin code 2 HDPE plastic-which is what most water bottles are made of-may not be able to be truly recycled. Michael Bloch from the website Green Living Tips says, "These are often downcycled into things like tables, chairs and trash bins and require extra treatment in terms of energy and chemicals to do so. While durable plastic products can be created it takes an awful lot of plastic bottles to create these items. Additionally, the HDPE may be blended into other plastic resin types which then turns them into a "resin code 7" - and that is then the end of the line. Once that product has outlived its usefulness, its next destination will likely be landfill."
Hey, Durham Region! You know that garbage incinerator you're so excited about as THE ONE AND ONLY solution to our waste management issues? Maybe banning the bottle would help lessen the waste load, along with several other suggestions for alternatives to the incinerator that you pretend don't exist, which you can read about here.
So in summary, only 14% of water bottles make it to a recycling plant, and then many of them end their life cycle in a landfill anyway. Considering that the start of their life cycle involves using tonnes of oil to produce the bottles, and a great deal of energy and pollution to manufacture and then ship bottles around the planet, wouldn't we be better off scrapping the whole idea?
What about places where water is unsafe to drink? In that case, the only alternative I can think of to individual water bottles is the giant water bottles for water coolers, but that's not much better. Should you drink unsafe water? No. But why is your water unsafe? The UN General Assembly declared this past July that access to clean drinking water is a human right, and as Canadians we should stand up for our rights. In some poor countries where the water unsuitable for drinking, it is the result of the pollution of bottling companies, including those that manufacture bottled water! Clean water is essential for life, we cannot survive without it, and many people in poor countries do not have access to cures for the diseases that accompany dirty water, such as the rota virus which causes diarrhea and kills approximately 3 million children a year (Singer 2009, p. 86). The companies that manufacture bottled water in poor countries and pollute sources of drinking water then try to sell the water back to people who cannot afford it, but now cannot survive without it.
According to the organization Charity: Water, almost a billion people don't have access to clean, safe drinking water, and while that isn't all (or even mostly) because of the pollution from water bottling plants, if we all stopped buying bottled water and instead donated the money we would have spent money to charities that provide access to clean drinking water for all we could be helping rather than essentially rubbing it in. Our water IS safe, yet we CHOOSE to buy bottled water even though it is completely unnecessary.
My mom has used reusable shopping bags since my first memory of shopping with her. She works at Metro, and hears every excuse in the book for a) why people think the charge for plastic bags is ridiculous (back in my day...), and b) why they will buy them anyway (if I don’t the bag makers will be out of a job!). However, the fact that grocery stores are even charging (where they don't have to, in Toronto it is the law, in Durham it isn't) shows that times are changing. People are jumping on the reusable shopping bag bandwagon (though the origins of the reusable bags may not always be ideal), and an all-out ban on plastic shopping bags may happen in the near future. What's the difference between plastic bags and plastic water bottles? Well, in short, plastic shopping bags don't make a ginormous profit for gigantic powerful multinational corporations, and bottled water does. However, bottled water sales have declined, and reusable bottle sales are booming! That means there is hope that the public will stop buying into the dirty tap water myth. Even if they are turning on the tap because of economic crisis related belt tightening, hopefully they won't go back to the bottle when the economy recovers. Also, many regions already have banned plastic water bottles, including Toronto, which is in the tail end of a plan to ban the sale of bottled water on all municipal premises by 2011.
And that’s why I don’t drink bottled water.
If you want to learn more about water issues, check out these helpful links below!
http://blogactionday.change.org/
http://www.charitywater.org/
http://www.insidethebottle.org/
http://www.insidethebottle.org/petition-ban-bottled-water-and-turn-tap-ontario-0
http://www.polarisinstitute.org/water
http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/
Sources cited by the author
http://www.canada.com/Toronto+bans+water+bottles/1027243/story.html
http://www.charitywater.org/whywater/
http://www.insidethebottle.org/story-bottled-water-video
http://thethunderbird.ca/2010/04/09/reusable-shopping-bags-arent-as-green-as-they-seem/
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=35456&Cr=sanitation&Cr1
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/12/AR2009081203074.html
Singer, Peter (2009). The life you can save: acting now to end world poverty. N.Y.: Random House.
Guest writer Colleen Bain is an environmental studies student based in Durham Region.
I don't drink bottled water.
In my first year at McMaster University I lived on campus and would go through the monthly effort of lugging a giant case of bottled water to my 3rd story dorm room. I went to the gym, and tried to take good care of myself, so I drank a lot of water. I would often refill my bottles at the gym when I ran out, but it never occurred to me to just buy a reusable bottle. Perhaps rumours about Hamilton having dirty water because of its bad record of pollution sunk into my head, or maybe it's just because my family drank bottled water. Regardless, near the end of my first year I made the switch, and I honestly cannot imagine switching back. As long as my tap water is clean and drinkable, why would I pay up to 2000x as much for the same thing (1/3 of bottled water actually comes from the tap)in a bottle that is horrible for the environment?
For my boyfriend, who cares about the way bottled water is filtered, we got a Brita tap filter. It was a little pricey, but we could have opted for the cheaper Brita pitcher. We didn't because I didn't want to always be the one refilling it. Either way, both options are far cheaper than buying case after case of bottled water, month after month, year after year, landfill after landfill.
Recycling means turning something at the end of its use into something else of equal or greater value, such as bottle-to-bottle, which happens with resin code 1 PET plastic, as well as glass and aluminum. But resin code 2 HDPE plastic-which is what most water bottles are made of-may not be able to be truly recycled. Michael Bloch from the website Green Living Tips says, "These are often downcycled into things like tables, chairs and trash bins and require extra treatment in terms of energy and chemicals to do so. While durable plastic products can be created it takes an awful lot of plastic bottles to create these items. Additionally, the HDPE may be blended into other plastic resin types which then turns them into a "resin code 7" - and that is then the end of the line. Once that product has outlived its usefulness, its next destination will likely be landfill."
Hey, Durham Region! You know that garbage incinerator you're so excited about as THE ONE AND ONLY solution to our waste management issues? Maybe banning the bottle would help lessen the waste load, along with several other suggestions for alternatives to the incinerator that you pretend don't exist, which you can read about here.
So in summary, only 14% of water bottles make it to a recycling plant, and then many of them end their life cycle in a landfill anyway. Considering that the start of their life cycle involves using tonnes of oil to produce the bottles, and a great deal of energy and pollution to manufacture and then ship bottles around the planet, wouldn't we be better off scrapping the whole idea?
According to the organization Charity: Water, almost a billion people don't have access to clean, safe drinking water, and while that isn't all (or even mostly) because of the pollution from water bottling plants, if we all stopped buying bottled water and instead donated the money we would have spent money to charities that provide access to clean drinking water for all we could be helping rather than essentially rubbing it in. Our water IS safe, yet we CHOOSE to buy bottled water even though it is completely unnecessary.
My mom has used reusable shopping bags since my first memory of shopping with her. She works at Metro, and hears every excuse in the book for a) why people think the charge for plastic bags is ridiculous (back in my day...), and b) why they will buy them anyway (if I don’t the bag makers will be out of a job!). However, the fact that grocery stores are even charging (where they don't have to, in Toronto it is the law, in Durham it isn't) shows that times are changing. People are jumping on the reusable shopping bag bandwagon (though the origins of the reusable bags may not always be ideal), and an all-out ban on plastic shopping bags may happen in the near future. What's the difference between plastic bags and plastic water bottles? Well, in short, plastic shopping bags don't make a ginormous profit for gigantic powerful multinational corporations, and bottled water does. However, bottled water sales have declined, and reusable bottle sales are booming! That means there is hope that the public will stop buying into the dirty tap water myth. Even if they are turning on the tap because of economic crisis related belt tightening, hopefully they won't go back to the bottle when the economy recovers. Also, many regions already have banned plastic water bottles, including Toronto, which is in the tail end of a plan to ban the sale of bottled water on all municipal premises by 2011.
And that’s why I don’t drink bottled water.
If you want to learn more about water issues, check out these helpful links below!
http://blogactionday.change.org/
http://www.charitywater.org/
http://www.insidethebottle.org/
http://www.insidethebottle.org/petition-ban-bottled-water-and-turn-tap-ontario-0
http://www.polarisinstitute.org/water
http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/
Sources cited by the author
http://www.canada.com/Toronto+bans+water+bottles/1027243/story.html
http://www.charitywater.org/whywater/
http://www.insidethebottle.org/story-bottled-water-video
http://thethunderbird.ca/2010/04/09/reusable-shopping-bags-arent-as-green-as-they-seem/
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=35456&Cr=sanitation&Cr1
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/12/AR2009081203074.html
Singer, Peter (2009). The life you can save: acting now to end world poverty. N.Y.: Random House.
Guest writer Colleen Bain is an environmental studies student based in Durham Region.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
October 13th 2010: Disorientation Jam 2010!
The Ipso Facto team is sure excited about this one. Tomorrow night we'll be at the Phog Lounge hanging out with some of our favourite musicians, Michael Hargreaves and Efan! Music from local Windsor band Michou. Proceeds from the event are going to fund Ipso Facto and our friends over at Windsor's Criminal Law and Social Justice society. We want to make sure we can keep bringing you high quality legal journalism for years to come.
So bring your friends and bring your dancing shoes. We'll see you tomorrow night!
Friday, October 8, 2010
The Blog Round Up: October 2-8th 2010
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in a 5-4 decision yesterday that section 10(b) of the Canadian Charter-which guarantees the right to counsel-does not include the right to further consultation with legal counsel during the course of police investigation.
The ABA Journal reports that a jobless law grad is glad that he went to law school. That this is even worthy of a headline is depressing in the extreme.
In more relevant law hiring news, Lawyers Weekly columnist Omar Ha-Redeye discusses the very real issues mature students have finding articling placements.
A Windsor cab-driver is suing the City of Windsor for $2 million for failing to enforce a city by-law that required cabs to have security cameras installed.
If you missed Ipso Facto this week, check out our G20 episode over at CJAM.
And since it's a long weekend, we'll leave you on an uplifting note. Johnny Depp showed up at a London, England elementary school in character as Captain Jack Sparrow after one of the students requested he come and help mutiny against the teachers. I wrote my own letter to Johnny Depp that goes "Dear Johnny, please whisk me away to France with you!" I expect him to respond any day now.
The ABA Journal reports that a jobless law grad is glad that he went to law school. That this is even worthy of a headline is depressing in the extreme.
In more relevant law hiring news, Lawyers Weekly columnist Omar Ha-Redeye discusses the very real issues mature students have finding articling placements.
A Windsor cab-driver is suing the City of Windsor for $2 million for failing to enforce a city by-law that required cabs to have security cameras installed.
If you missed Ipso Facto this week, check out our G20 episode over at CJAM.
And since it's a long weekend, we'll leave you on an uplifting note. Johnny Depp showed up at a London, England elementary school in character as Captain Jack Sparrow after one of the students requested he come and help mutiny against the teachers. I wrote my own letter to Johnny Depp that goes "Dear Johnny, please whisk me away to France with you!" I expect him to respond any day now.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Ipso Facto Feature: G20 Legal Observers
The G20 summit has come and gone and while most Torontonians would like their city to go back to “normal”, many of us who were involved in the protests or affected by them are still reeling from the weekend and trying to make sense of what happened.
For much of the weekend I acted as a volunteer legal observer. I along with over 50 other lawyers, law students, and non-lawyers became the on-street eyes and ears of the legal defence team which was set up by the Movement Defence Committee to support all demonstrators throughout the week.
Our role was three-fold. First, to provide know-your-rights information to demonstrators and distribute the telephone number that could be called in case of arrest. Second, to gather information about people who were being arrested, such as their name, description, any friends or witnesses, their charge and the name and badge number of the arresting police officer. This information would later be written up in an arrest report and given to the legal defence team who could then start tracking the arrested person through the system and provide legal support. Third, our role was to bear witness to any police brutality or misconduct.
At all times, our solidarity was with the demonstrators without judgment. Regardless of whether one was a peaceful protestor, a passerby, or a member of the so-called Black Bloc, our job was to support the demonstrators without judgment as to their tactics or strategies of protest.
As the day went on, I bore witness to unprecedented events in Canadian history: tear gas was used for the first time in Toronto, the largest mass arrests in our nation’s history, traumatizing police brutality, and scenes from a post-apocalyptic movie with the infamous burning police cars and smashed in windows of Queen West and Yonge St.
I was there at Queen and John when a breakaway group first tried to make their push south to the security fence and were met by a line of riot police who promptly and without warning started smashing heads. My partner and I saw protestors quickly emerging from the mess with blood on their face and a woman with a potentially broken arm.
Shortly after that, my partner and I witnessed an arrest of two individuals in an alleyway north of Queen on Spadina. Out of sight from the rest of the protest, a car had been pulled over by three unmarked vans and uniformed and undercover police officers together were arresting two individuals. Four other officers created a barrier wall so that we could not get close enough to get proper descriptions or names of the people. We took notes, describing everything we could.
Although the G20 might be officially over, the consequences of that weekend are just starting to emerge. Calls for a public inquiry into police misconduct and potential class action and civil suits against the police are starting to take shape. In some cases, the presence of legal observers during the protests helped to keep police action in check. In other cases, our presence on those days will allow us to play a positive role in the aftermath.
Guest contributor Robert Tarantino is an alum of the University of Windsor Faculty of Law. For more of our G20 coverage, check out our feature episode from October 6th 2010 on www.cjam.ca
Photos by Meg Banks.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
G20: 3 Months after
For a weekend in June of 2010, Toronto-a city known for being welcoming and friendly-transformed. Images of police accosting activists and balaclava clad anarchists smashing store window fronts filled TV screens and covered the front pages of Canada's newspapers. Separated from the chaos outside by a long chain link fence was the G20, in Toronto for thier semi-annual meeting of the largest economic players in the world.
3 months later and we are still no closer to sorting out the confusion that came out of the G20 Toronto weekend. All the players involved with the G20 have come under fire for their actions and it's become difficult to determine where blame should be directed, or if their should be any blame at all. Legally, we may be seeing the repercussions of the event for a long time. Charges against activists are still on-going, the actions of the Toronto Police Force are under review, and the Charter challenges that may arise out of the G20 arrests may impact how Canada deals with mass demonstrations in the future.
This week on Ipso Facto we are going to discuss the legal impact of the G20 with guests Nathalie Des Rosiers, general counsel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, and with a member of the Toronto Community Mobilization Network. Join us on Wednesday October 6th, 2010 at 8 AM.
3 months later and we are still no closer to sorting out the confusion that came out of the G20 Toronto weekend. All the players involved with the G20 have come under fire for their actions and it's become difficult to determine where blame should be directed, or if their should be any blame at all. Legally, we may be seeing the repercussions of the event for a long time. Charges against activists are still on-going, the actions of the Toronto Police Force are under review, and the Charter challenges that may arise out of the G20 arrests may impact how Canada deals with mass demonstrations in the future.
This week on Ipso Facto we are going to discuss the legal impact of the G20 with guests Nathalie Des Rosiers, general counsel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, and with a member of the Toronto Community Mobilization Network. Join us on Wednesday October 6th, 2010 at 8 AM.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Carl Stychin BONUS Interview
When we interviewed the fantastic Carl Stychin last Wednesday, we had way more material then we had time to air it! Lucky for you, we've now made available two parts of the interview we were unable to air. Check out the links below for the bonus content.
Sexual images and the media
Prostitution
Sexual images and the media
Prostitution
Friday, October 1, 2010
The Blog Round Up: September 25th-October 1st
A New York state judge has ruled that private content on social media networking sites like Facebook and MySpace is admissible in court. OH MY GOD. People still use MySpace?
An Ontario Superior Court judge has struck down prostitution laws that made all the activities around prostitution illegal, such as operating a bawdy house. The federal and provincial governments have already appealed.
In the latest installment of "Windsor Law and the Search for the New Dean", we find out the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has no qualms about installing a new dean should they rule in favour of Professor Emily Carasco.
On Campus Interviews are coming up for law students across Canada. Sweet Hot Justice has an article on an issue that is pertinent to all of us who may be joining a big law firm next summer; how much cleavage is too much in the workplace? [Link mildly NSFW]
Finally, Windsor is making a bid to be the most bike friendly community in North America. After driving straight through a pot-hole today, I can't begin to say how much I want this to be a reality (hint: it's a lot).
An Ontario Superior Court judge has struck down prostitution laws that made all the activities around prostitution illegal, such as operating a bawdy house. The federal and provincial governments have already appealed.
In the latest installment of "Windsor Law and the Search for the New Dean", we find out the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has no qualms about installing a new dean should they rule in favour of Professor Emily Carasco.
On Campus Interviews are coming up for law students across Canada. Sweet Hot Justice has an article on an issue that is pertinent to all of us who may be joining a big law firm next summer; how much cleavage is too much in the workplace? [Link mildly NSFW]
Finally, Windsor is making a bid to be the most bike friendly community in North America. After driving straight through a pot-hole today, I can't begin to say how much I want this to be a reality (hint: it's a lot).
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Ipso Facto OpEd: Excuse me, you're stepping on my meat train
Disclaimer: Ipso Facto editorials represent the views of the author, and do not represent the views of the Ipso Facto editorial board, CJAM 99.1 FM, the University of Windsor, or the University of Windsor Faculty of Law.
Everyone knows the old adage in journalism. "When a dog bites a man it's not news. When a man bites a dog, it's news." In that vein, when a pop star wears a kooky design to an awards gala? They'll get some attention, surely. But what happens when a successful and controversial pop star wears a dress assembled of steaks to a major music awards event? Media frenzy.
I am of course referring to Lady Gaga's meat dress that she recently donned to accept an award at the MTV Video Music Awards. As I'm sure she wished, the dress brought an onslaught of media attention, and was condemned by numerous groups including many animal rights groups. But for all that attention, the pop star made claims that there was a political point to her dress: to protest the US Military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on homosexuality in the military.
DADT has become a hot button issue for those advocating for gay and lesbian rights in the United States. Essentially, the policy allows homosexuals to stay in the US military as long as they don't disclose their sexual orientation to others. It shouldn't take a genius to see that this policy is rife with problems. For example, what happens if a person's sexuality is disclosed without their permission? In some cases it has led to servicemen and women being dismissed from the military (you can read about one such case here). But the greater philosophical question remains; why is there fear of homosexuals participating in military service?
Historically, we know that tolerance for the gay and lesbian community has only began to improve in the last twenty years in the Western world. Canada itself had a prohibition against homosexuals in the military until a 1992 Charter challenge overturned the law. Since then gays and lesbians have been able to openly serve in the military, without any apparent damage to our pride in our nation or in our service men and women. Yet in the United States there remains a fear that is homosexuals serve openly it could affect the moral of the troops and how the public views the US Military.
I recently attended a lecture series by Professor Carl Stychin, an expert in law and sexuality. He theorizes that there are strong ties between citizenship, national identity, and sexuality. A nation can build it's reputation on how tolerant it is of it's gay and lesbian community. In Canada, over the last twenty years we have built an image of being a progressive nation in terms of equality rights for gay and lesbian citizens. Queer couples can get married and take advantage of partner benefits. Toronto PRIDE week is second only to San Francisco in size and spectacle. So perhaps in Canada, where our national identity is one of acceptance, we're more readily able to accept a military that's comprised of people open with their sexuality, whatever that may be.
What does this all have to do with Lady Gaga? If we think about the US’s image in terms of gay and lesbian rights over the last two decades, it is one that is markedly different from Canada’s. It’s become a battlefield, with two sides that can be skewed any number of ways; gay vs. straight, urban vs. rural, middle America vs. the east and west coast. So when a celebrity makes a visual statement the way Lady Gaga did (even if it was motivated by her own self-interest) it becomes more than a sensation. It becomes another site of the battle over the American identity.
-H.G. Watson
I am of course referring to Lady Gaga's meat dress that she recently donned to accept an award at the MTV Video Music Awards. As I'm sure she wished, the dress brought an onslaught of media attention, and was condemned by numerous groups including many animal rights groups. But for all that attention, the pop star made claims that there was a political point to her dress: to protest the US Military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on homosexuality in the military.
DADT has become a hot button issue for those advocating for gay and lesbian rights in the United States. Essentially, the policy allows homosexuals to stay in the US military as long as they don't disclose their sexual orientation to others. It shouldn't take a genius to see that this policy is rife with problems. For example, what happens if a person's sexuality is disclosed without their permission? In some cases it has led to servicemen and women being dismissed from the military (you can read about one such case here). But the greater philosophical question remains; why is there fear of homosexuals participating in military service?
Historically, we know that tolerance for the gay and lesbian community has only began to improve in the last twenty years in the Western world. Canada itself had a prohibition against homosexuals in the military until a 1992 Charter challenge overturned the law. Since then gays and lesbians have been able to openly serve in the military, without any apparent damage to our pride in our nation or in our service men and women. Yet in the United States there remains a fear that is homosexuals serve openly it could affect the moral of the troops and how the public views the US Military.
I recently attended a lecture series by Professor Carl Stychin, an expert in law and sexuality. He theorizes that there are strong ties between citizenship, national identity, and sexuality. A nation can build it's reputation on how tolerant it is of it's gay and lesbian community. In Canada, over the last twenty years we have built an image of being a progressive nation in terms of equality rights for gay and lesbian citizens. Queer couples can get married and take advantage of partner benefits. Toronto PRIDE week is second only to San Francisco in size and spectacle. So perhaps in Canada, where our national identity is one of acceptance, we're more readily able to accept a military that's comprised of people open with their sexuality, whatever that may be.
What does this all have to do with Lady Gaga? If we think about the US’s image in terms of gay and lesbian rights over the last two decades, it is one that is markedly different from Canada’s. It’s become a battlefield, with two sides that can be skewed any number of ways; gay vs. straight, urban vs. rural, middle America vs. the east and west coast. So when a celebrity makes a visual statement the way Lady Gaga did (even if it was motivated by her own self-interest) it becomes more than a sensation. It becomes another site of the battle over the American identity.
-H.G. Watson
Friday, September 24, 2010
The Blog Round-Up: September 18-24th 2010
Quebec Premier Jean Charest has spent the last few days defending his ability to see who is nominated for judicial appointments for Quebec courts. Traditionally only the Minister of Justice is privy to the list.
Speaking of judiciary news, Alex Chapman has dropped his lawsuit against Manitoba Associate Chief Justice Lori Douglas. As I'm sure you remember, Justice Douglas had some naughty photos of her posted on the web. Turns out her husband was doing it without her knowledge. This is going to be one ugly divorce case.
A New York state law student was denied admission to the bar because of his $430 000 of outstanding student loans. Let this be a lesson to us all that using our LOC's for trips to Europe and shopping sprees across the border is not the wisest financial choice.
"Vote Out Loud!" a non-partisan group that wants to get young people to vote in the upcoming Windsor municipal election, roped in Michou (a pretty good Windsor band) to tell us why we should get involved. If rockstars are doing it, it must be cool.
If you missed Ipso Facto last Wednesday, you can catch up right here.
And finally today, news that has personally restored my faith in the justice system: LINDSAY LOHAN'S GOING TO JAIL Y'ALL!
Speaking of judiciary news, Alex Chapman has dropped his lawsuit against Manitoba Associate Chief Justice Lori Douglas. As I'm sure you remember, Justice Douglas had some naughty photos of her posted on the web. Turns out her husband was doing it without her knowledge. This is going to be one ugly divorce case.
A New York state law student was denied admission to the bar because of his $430 000 of outstanding student loans. Let this be a lesson to us all that using our LOC's for trips to Europe and shopping sprees across the border is not the wisest financial choice.
"Vote Out Loud!" a non-partisan group that wants to get young people to vote in the upcoming Windsor municipal election, roped in Michou (a pretty good Windsor band) to tell us why we should get involved. If rockstars are doing it, it must be cool.
If you missed Ipso Facto last Wednesday, you can catch up right here.
And finally today, news that has personally restored my faith in the justice system: LINDSAY LOHAN'S GOING TO JAIL Y'ALL!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Tomorrow on Ipso Facto
Tomorrow on Ipso Facto, we're sitting down with Dean of Windsor Law Bruce Elman. Dean Elman has an impressive resume and has seen a lot of change at Windsor Law over his almost 11 year tenure. We got to talk to him about his career, Windsor Law's role in the community, and the future of the school given recent events and changes in the legal community. He was candid and forthcoming in his thoughts and opinions and the team here at Ipso Facto is excited to share this interview with you.
We also headed to the Windsor Farmers Market last Saturday and got some community reactions to Windsor Law's presence in the city, and to the current human rights complaint brought against the University of Windsor by Professor Emily Carasco (read the National Post article here). We think you'll find the range of comments really interesting; all the way from people who didn't even know Windsor had a law school to those who couldn't speak more highly of the institution.
Ipso Facto is breaking down the law at 8 AM on CJAM 99.1 FM Windsor/Detroit and on www.cjam.ca. And for those of you who aren't early risers, the episode will be stored for 30 days after its aired on the CJAM website.
We also headed to the Windsor Farmers Market last Saturday and got some community reactions to Windsor Law's presence in the city, and to the current human rights complaint brought against the University of Windsor by Professor Emily Carasco (read the National Post article here). We think you'll find the range of comments really interesting; all the way from people who didn't even know Windsor had a law school to those who couldn't speak more highly of the institution.
Ipso Facto is breaking down the law at 8 AM on CJAM 99.1 FM Windsor/Detroit and on www.cjam.ca. And for those of you who aren't early risers, the episode will be stored for 30 days after its aired on the CJAM website.
Friday, September 17, 2010
The Blog Round-Up: September 13-17th 2010
Above-the-Law mythbusts the rumour that Yale Law was allowing students to borrow a dog as a way of relieving stress. Though fake, Ipso Facto strongly supports this idea being implemented at Windsor Law. It would be better than our current method of dealing with stress: listening to Fiona Apple's "When the Pawn..." while slowly crying ourselves to sleep.
Michigan Christian college canceled a New Pornographers concert because of their "offensive" name. Freedom of speech advocates, ASSEMBLE!
The ABA Journal reports that a majority of criminals in New York City are Yankee's fans based on evidence from crime scene photos and eye witness reports. I suspect if you were to poll the sports team favoured by the clinically depressed, the Maple Leafs would be the hands down winner.
The Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled that is discrimination to deny disability support to alcoholics.
And in Windsor, Arts Vote 2010 kicked off their campaign to have arts and cultural groups more engaged in the Windsor political scene. Watch out everyone: the artists are getting organized.
Michigan Christian college canceled a New Pornographers concert because of their "offensive" name. Freedom of speech advocates, ASSEMBLE!
The ABA Journal reports that a majority of criminals in New York City are Yankee's fans based on evidence from crime scene photos and eye witness reports. I suspect if you were to poll the sports team favoured by the clinically depressed, the Maple Leafs would be the hands down winner.
The Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled that is discrimination to deny disability support to alcoholics.
And in Windsor, Arts Vote 2010 kicked off their campaign to have arts and cultural groups more engaged in the Windsor political scene. Watch out everyone: the artists are getting organized.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
The Dean of Windsor Law and YOU!
If you follow the news in Windsor (or in the National Post) you probably know by now that the search for a new Dean of Windsor Law has ended in a mess of plagiarism and a very public human rights complaint by one of the candidates, Professor Emily Carasco. The questions arising from this are many. But the one of particular interest to us here at Ipso Facto is: why should you care?
Law schools like to talk a lot about their role in the community. Windsor Law, in particular, has built a reputation on being a school that focuses on "Access to Justice", which supposedly means allowing your average person access to the same legal services as Conrad Black. But common sense tells us this is not always the case.
What does the controversy over the Dean of Law at Windsor mean to you? Do you think it will postively or negatively affect the school? What about the community? And what do you want to see the law school in your community doing better?
Ipso Facto will be out at the Windsor Farmer's Market this Saturday to find out. But leave your thoughs in the comments. We will be talking about the human rights complaint and the search for the Dean of Law on the first Ipso Facto Wednesday September 22nd, at 8:00 AM.
Law schools like to talk a lot about their role in the community. Windsor Law, in particular, has built a reputation on being a school that focuses on "Access to Justice", which supposedly means allowing your average person access to the same legal services as Conrad Black. But common sense tells us this is not always the case.
What does the controversy over the Dean of Law at Windsor mean to you? Do you think it will postively or negatively affect the school? What about the community? And what do you want to see the law school in your community doing better?
Ipso Facto will be out at the Windsor Farmer's Market this Saturday to find out. But leave your thoughs in the comments. We will be talking about the human rights complaint and the search for the Dean of Law on the first Ipso Facto Wednesday September 22nd, at 8:00 AM.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Welcome to Ipso Facto!
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| Funny guy, but not an accurate lawyer |
Ipso Facto isn't here to give you legal advice. What we are here to do is report on news in the legal world, and to provide some context and critical analysis for those of you who don't know your civil laws from your common law. The hope of the Ipso Facto team is that by listening into our show you'll gain an understanding of the law rather than being overwhelmed by it.
We're also interested in highlighting the legal issues in Windsor/Detroit. This is a vibrant community with a host of unique problems. If we can help shed some light on those issues, we'll consider it a job well done.
Lastly, we want to have a little fun. The legal community is filled with unique people with strange, eccentric backgrounds. We want to show that amongst all the serious business of the law, there is room for a little whimsy.
You'll find us every on CJAM 99.1 FM every Wednesday at 8:00 AM, and online at www.cjam.ca. We'll be updating the blog frequently, so please check here for content not featured on air. And if there's anything you want us to talk about or bring to our attention, please shoot as an email at ipsofactoradio@gmail.com
Thanks!
The Ipso Facto team
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