Darin over at the Squid Zone and I don’t always agree on things. He’s a bit to the right politically and I veer to the left. He’s more supportive of armies and wars and stuff and I’m a confirmed peacenik.  But hey, we always have a good yuk at tearing up each other’s positions or giving kudos when due.

And this post exemplifies one of the latter.  The Squid Dude has pushed a few dollars over to the Conservative table once in a while it seems. In the past he has felt this to be a worthy contribution to a party that has shared some of his political orientations.

Not now it seems.

Like the Squid, I’m more than a little freaked out about Bills C-46 and 47… the Bills that I affectionately refer to as the Orwellian bitchin’ legislation.

The gist of the words is this:  any police force in the country will have the legal means to ask for and receive any communications – electronic or paper – from anyone to anyone. Without prior consent or cause.

Without cause.

Kinda like the arbitrary breathalyzer legislation being proposed…

As the cephalopod puts it:

Your postal mail has about the same general level of privacy as your internet traffic.  So imagine the government proposes legislation that permits them, without warrant, to require Canada Post, Federal Express, UPS, DHL, and so forth to provide customer information whenever someone claiming to be a peace officer asks for it.  Furthermore, they require those companies to install the equipment and procedures to allow them to intercept your mail and packages at a moments notice when requested, without a warrant.  Further still, they retain the right to OPEN and READ all the packages and mail, without warrant, just because they want to.  Unacceptable?  I should think so.  There’s a reason we have a process that involves warrants and the police explaining themselves to a judge.

Sorry. Don`t trust the cops as it is and giving them even more arbitrary power sends shivers up my spine.

Write someone, folks.

Or, if you are a CPC member who is being asked for more money, do the following:

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

There was a piece in this Globe and Mail article about anxiety disorders being surprisingly common among children. The piece goes on to describe little Cody who has this unnatural fear that is described in the following way:

“In the waiting room at the anxiety clinic at Montreal Children’s Hospital, Cory cheerfully draws, hums and skips like any other preschooler.

But when he is led into an observation room and spots 10 strangers – a team of doctors, medical students and therapists here to assess him – he squeezes his eyes shut and ducks behind his mother, pressing his face into her back.”

I don’t know about you, but even my middle-aged fear would kick in if I was in the same situation! I mean, what do you expect?! A team of 10 strangers in white lab coats? THIS is unnatural anxiety?

It seems like the poor kid was assessed for autism because his 10-year-old half-brother, Connor, has the genetic cognitive disorder. After autism was ruled out, two other experts suggested he had selective mutism, an anxiety disorder in which children refuse to speak in social situations.

Selective mutism? Aren’t ALL kids selectively mute? And especially in new situations? But happily, the conclusion that has been reached is that the kid may have separation anxiety disorder along with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The telling few sentences are the following:

“Ms. Mercier, a researcher at a medical company, says the label doesn’t matter as long as treatment comes with it.

“For me, it’s like, label him with something so we can help him,” she said.”

So. Let me get this straight. The parents are freaked that this 4 year old is shy in social situations and especially when surrounded by a large group of strangers in white coats and who are likely using words that the kid doesn’t even understand. And all of this is coming about because the well-meaning parents say they “just want Cory to feel good about himself in public. They want him to be able to order pizza, join a swim team or dial 911 if he’s in trouble.”

Order pizza? My four year old can’t order pizza either! Nor can my teenager! But hey, as long as the experts can label them – it’s all good because then we know what medication and or other therapy the kid should be subjected to.

Man, I, along with most of the kids I knew growing up should have been on meds at a very young age! I’m sure an expert – be they a psychologist or a teacher – would have labelled me as rebellious, out of touch with reality as I daydreamed quite a bit – and obviously as an obsessive/compulsive due to my pencil chewing habit!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario