The CIA is a Terrorist Organization by Second Thought

It's also funny that in Victoria 2, if you play as a developing nation outside of the great powers (say, Argentina) and if you implement liberal laissez faire economics, your economy goes to absolute shit. The only good way to play Victoria 2 is with state capitalism or a command economy, because otherwise the invisible hand of the market screws you.

If the Liberals get in charge of Argentina, it ruins the country for generations. 10/10 excellent realism.

The Republican-white nationalist war against minorities, women, and educated cosmopolitan Americans is as real as January 6, 2021, was

OPINION THE NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD The white-Republican-dominated Texas legislature is silencing the will of voters Gov. Greg Abbott, Republican of Texas, is expected to sign a bill in the next few days that would make it immeasurably more difficult for cities in the state to govern themselves. The bill would strip cities of the ability to set standards for local workplaces, to ensure…

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The day of high drama put an end to Castillo’s tumultuous 17 months in power, which has already seen five cabinets, more than 80 ministers, six criminal investigations and two failed attempts to impeach him." - 17 months of trying to get rid of Pedro Castillo has succeeded. #followthemoney of #capitalism

https://www.marieclaire.com.au/met-gala-outfit-meanings-2021

Maybe they should look elsewhere?

"The members of Congress who rake in the most contractor cash typically sit on the ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEES and appropriations subcommittees on defense, which have the most say over the military budget’s size and content. All told, military contractors shelled out a whopping $283 million on candidates and political parties from 2001 to 2020." (Jacobin, October 2022)

https://jacobin.com/2022/10/pentagon-budget-military-contractors-lobbyists-biden

How interesting! These are the committee I want one of the squad to participate in... A "NO PAC" MEMBER COULD CHANGE THE WORLD!

Of course they are.  Check your voter registration. 

GOVERNMENT IN FOUR FACTIONS

Cyber

Democracy

Can be compared to the U.S’s system of government (voting system, different branches, etc)

Anybody can be president (do not have to be native to Cyber)

Presidential elections are held every two years

Due to this, the same president can be elected at least four times (with two year terms for each elections)

Has an unfortunately lengthy lost of not-so-great president

Used to support the Frost government (this has since been ended)

Currently isolates itself from world events

Doesn’t involve itself with issues in Cyber like pollution and crime (unless it gets very bad)

Has made passive aggressive attempts to take land (mostly from Predator) but has never made a real move yet

Although male presidents are more common, there have been a fair amount of female (and even nonbinary) presidents

Current president is named Deliah O’Quinn and she is on her second term

Predator

Anarchy

It has no real form of government, however there are many catevras (tribes) in Predator

Different catevras have claimed certain areas of Predator for themselves. While you don’t need a permit or anything to enter, you are at risk if you do

One noticeable catevra is the Ventas catevra (they’re well known and feared within the region for a variety of reasons)

Despite not having an actual government, sometimes catevras will come together to discuss important matters (events happening outside of Predator, food supply, etc)

To other factions, the catevras basically make up the Predator government

Outside of catevras, everyone fends for and is responsible for only themselves

There are no written laws and all crime is (technically) legal

This also means that there is no formal education in Predator, however there are teaching systems

Sometimes other factions drop off supplies and such to Predator, which is always appreciated

Mystic

Monarchy

There have been 3 families who have been in power in Mystic

The current one is the Kyria Bloodline, and the current monarch is Queen Mayea

People within the bloodline are considered royaltly and are rumored to have greater magical abilities than the average kathariso (<- native species to Mystic)

When one bloodline is about to die out, the last remaining monarch of that family will pick a close family to become the next bloodline

Along with Frost, the Mystic government is one of the more active governments in the world

Despite this, the queen rarely ever leaves Mystic due to previous assassinations in other families

Heavily dislikes the Frost government

There have been two monarchs who have been overthrown during their time in power

Frost

Dictatorship

Functions sort of like a monarchy, where the children of the current dictator will take control of Frost once they pass (if there are no children to take their parent's place, then it gets passed to another person with similar views)

The current dictator is only known as "Kage"

Nobody knows anything about them due to the fact that they're very secretive

Yes, they're a bit of an asshole

Kage has been controlling Frost for nearly 30 years

Frost's government has a tendecy to start problems with other factions, specifically Mystic

Has the biggest military of all factions

Very strict and supressive to the citizens of Frost, espesically with laws

Freedom of speech is not allowed in Frost

Riots frequentally break out in Frost due to this and are usually handled by the military

Dune (not technically a faction, but whatever)

Monarchy

Very similar to Mystic's government

Not invovled in world events at all (rarely ever talks with the factions)

Rather than magic, royalty are considered to have stronger poison than others

There has only been two bloodlines who have run Dune

The current one is the Hadyi bloodline (has a king and queen)

Queens have more say in things than kings do

Although freedom of speech is allowed, participants in riots and such are sometimes punished harshly

literally about to fucking cry. i can't understand how people vote for far-right parties. i'm not able to feel empathy for someone who votes for the supression of basic human rights and believes every lie that some fucking guy writes on facebook.

and what makes me even sadder is that this has been only local and regional elections... in november, spain is going to switch from the most progressist government to the most far-right one of our democracy.

Why Authoritarian Legitimation Matters

Modern authoritarian regimes cannot entirely depend on their abuse of power in a strictly hierarchical, pyramid-shaped political order as some tyrannies of the past, especially in the long-term perspective. The persistence of autocratic domination evolves beyond simple mechanisms of repression or violent suppression. In the almost complete absence of totalitarian rule today, authoritarianism has become a residual category for non-democracies.

The Arab Spring was a vivid example of the failure of the social contract in populist authoritarian regimes. This came as a result of the imbalance between popular trust and an acceptable economic performance or a lack of procedural legitimation. Due to the growing frustration and disillusionment, the repressed people in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria and Algeria withdrew from the pre-existing social contract and protested. Similar trends took place in other regions, like the ‘Colour Revolution’ in Ukraine or the ‘Tulip Revolution’ in Kyrgyzstan. These cases illustrate the crucial importance for autocratic regimes to build a strong legitimizing basis.

While legitimacy crisis seems to eventually manifest itself on the surface in a form of protest, revolution or mass migration; it is extremely difficult to trace the early symptoms of legitimacy erosion, manifested in the declining trust and loyalty among population to its leaderships, and escalated inter-elite tensions. Easton and Lipset explained this phenomenon as a ‘reservoir of support’, the situation of popular contentment with satisfactory regime performance, that helps members to tolerate and accept domination.

Przeworski argued that regimes do not collapse when they lose legitimacy but only when citizens see prospects for a viable alternative system. The democratic repertoire of power presupposes the choice for an alternative political reality, however non-democratic regimes allow a limited degree of political and social pluralism in attempt to remain in extensive control over society. The prevalence of hybrid regimes demonstrates the possibility of peaceful coexistence among several antagonistic political systems. According to Habermas ‘as soon as belief in legitimacy of an existing order vanishes, the latent force embedded in the system of institutions is released’. To overthrow the existing political regime and its institutions, the agents of change (‘the latent force’) arise to reconfigure and contest popular perceptions of rules and norms. Autocratic leaders are afraid of spontaneous and unregulated changes that can lead to unexpected results or critical situations.

Von Haldenwang suggests that legitimation involves a two-stage process: a) the ‘demand cycle’ – citizens feedback to legitimation claims in the form of acknowledgment or rejection, expectations directed towards the government; b) the ‘supply cycle’ – the operations carried out by rulers in attempt to legitimise their political order to shape the process and outcome of political decision-making and the implementation of public policies. In authoritarian regimes, ‘the demand cycle’ would be carefully monitored and usually supressed/censored, due to the minimal opportunity to openly channel popular grievances and demands.

(Source)

[Image ID: A knee-up sketch of my OC Nirah. She is a demon like being with tan skin, dark reddish brown hair and bright silver eyes. She is wearing a galaxy print robe, stars twinkling in the fabric. Nirah looks as if she froze while walking, her tail swept in front of her as a barrier for protection and a concerned yet unamused look on her face. Her tail is thin and has a ridge down the side of it ending in a flame, her wings are simple yet sharp in shape, and her horns are triangular. All three of those features are purely white. End ID]

This is my deposed Astrological Devil Queen, Nirah! She's 'Queen' in part due to the fact that the star she's connected to isn't actually a star, but a white hole. Her racial heritage/heirarchy because of the white hole gives her an unusually supressive aura, and most ADs that meet her (under normal circumstances) would follow her orders and feel unusually close to her. Nirah is 'deposed' because instead of wanting to follow traditions, the elders kicked her out of their home star system and replaced her with one of their own! Hooray democracy.

She desperately wants to go home, but can't due to her now fugitive status. Her greatest wish is to see her extended family again.

The Electoral College Is Anti-Democracy by Second Thought

Red Bull boss Christian Horner says sport 'should never be political tool' and calls for 'balance'

Red Bull boss Christian Horner said Formula 1 had to be responsible when finding a solution to drivers' expressing freedom of speech Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says sport "should never be used as a political tool" but it has to find a "sensible balance" regarding freedom of speech. Formula 1's governing body the FIA added a new rule this year that states drivers need written permission to express political or religious views. Horner said sport's first objective should be to "entertain". The 49-year-old added: "You have that element of escapism within it." The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (Bird) accused the FIA of "suppressing drivers" with the changes to the sporting code and questioned its commitment to human rights. Speaking at Red Bull's 'season launch' in New York to reveal the car's updated livery and the new partnership with Ford, Horner stressed his team had always been open to drivers voicing their opinions. "We certainly at Red Bull have never constrained our drivers of their freedom of speech, or the ability to speak their minds because they do have a voice," he said. "I think it's a matter of finding a balance. In the world that we live in today, everybody has a voice and that shouldn't be supressed. "But of course, it does have to be done responsibly. So, we don't want a load of robots that are without a opinion going racing. "Like with all things, it just has to be a sensible balance." In recent seasons, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and former Ferrari and Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel have used their platform in F1 to raise issues such as Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ rights. Red Bull's Sergio Perez says the drivers "do not feel comfortable" with the restrictions the FIA has imposed. The Mexican said: "We want to be ourselves and we want to be able to express ourselves in any way that we want. "We all have differing views and differing beliefs in religious ways. I get the political side but we all should be free to express ourselves the way we want. "I believe in this sport it is important to express yourself. There are some younger drivers that I think they will struggle to know what you can say or what you cannot say. "That to me, is not correct. But we will discuss that." Red Bull 'want to keep winning' - Verstappen Red Bull held what they called a 'season launch' in the United States to unveil the livery for their new RB19 for the 2023 season Red Bull swept to a first constructors' championship since 2013 last season thanks to 17 victories across the 22-race calendar - 15 of those courtesy of Max Verstappen, who secured back-to-back drivers' titles. Horner revealed the new RB19 car has "subtle aerodynamic changes" and said he hopes it can replicate the success of last year's model. Verstappen added that Red Bull cannot ease off in their pursuit of more silverware. "I never really think about being the favourite because you have to keep on winning and improving," said the Dutchman. "If you are not, [your rivals] will catch up and overtake you. It's about finding performance and we, of course, want to keep on winning." Verstappen set a new record in 2022 for most wins in a single F1 season, surpassing the record of 13 held by Vettel and seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher. He said that repeating the success Red Bull achieved in the previous campaign would not be "straightforward" but they were "optimistic" about their chances. The 25-year-old added: "I do think we have a great opportunity." via BBC Sport - Formula 1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/

Things I would do if I became president of Sweden:

-Fund socialist organizations in Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland.

-Peopose a Nordic socialist union.

-Not recognize "Israel" as a sovereign state.

-Remove the royal family's position, but propose a solution that wouldn't require killing them.

-Legalize all drugs but make it illegal to sell them privately, the state would be the only provider of drugs, kind of like systembolaget.

-Make public transportation free

-Make all healthcare free

-Make period products free

-Make most things free basically

-Abolish liberal democracy in favor of a mix between direct democracy and Soviet-style democracy.

-Abolish most private property, not like family owned shops and stuff though, those can stay :)

-Supress markets, not eliminate them

-Conduct a few anarchist experiments. Reserve a few municipalities for these experiments and let anarchists freely settle there and live as they please, as long as they don't start any civil wars and stuff. Allow them to remain Citizens of the country with full voting rights and total freedom of movement within the country.

-Heavily suppress hate speech

-Install a few surveillance programs, except for in the anarchist municipalities, and in municipalities where the people vote to abolish it.

-That's right, give the people of each municipality access to a set of questions to vote on, allow them to propose new questions to vote on. Like a system with an on/off switch for virtually everything with the restriction that the vote has to be approved by the central government to protect the system itself.

-Make wayyy harder punishments for brutal crimes such as first degree murder and rape, but focus more on rehabilitation for crimes that aren't as "harmful" (I recognize that most crimes are harmful to some extent and that crime is bad but I'm talking about like third degree murder, maybe abuse, maybe selling illegal wares etc.)

-Fund the shit out of revolutions across the whole planet

-Die knowing that I either made the world a way better place, or fucked up horrendously trying to do so.

justice on the internet?

they try to solve the disease by supressing the symptoms..

the violence in man is what we want to end, not the inconvenient behaviors..

it is but a cosmetic change in how violence expresses itself..

what to wear? pointy hats or a nice suit?

we want to turn the public space into a kind of monastery.. where all behave saintlike and all seems perfect and wholesome..

but the violence does not end by hiding it..

it shows itself in domestic abuse..

in child abuse.. in shadowbanning and harassing minorities in the day to day life .. in blindness towards suffering in people.. in insensitivity to others, and automizing relationships, objectifying people..

so how will we end the violence, the stupidity and misinformation for sake of doing harm?

what vaccination can we create in people that stops them from being compelled to express such symptoms? free education is one thing.. decreasing pressures on people, financial and physical and psychological and social authorotarian, is another one. medication and therapies another one.. free medicine.. individual freedom and democracy in all situations and organisations another one.. sustainable farming and gardening and architecture and co ops and water management and regreening deserts another one,

religious freedom and dance and creativity and yogic tantric meditative practices... physical training, sports.. developing technologies that make life easyer globally.. dissolving of walls and geografic borders.. human animal nature rights.. all these help for sure but all these have been tried more or less.. in places all over the world.. but they are not generally available and often lack support..

so undermining existing institutions which hog all the economic and political power and knowledge and know how has become a major part of revolutionary action.. as was the case with the french revolution..

as for the vested intrests.. it is easyer to repress the inconvenient elements good or bad.. than to find creative solutions.. hence the move of democracies towards authoritarianism in face of global crisises..

i admire the courage to gamble oneself for the sake of a free and just society..

and such people are rare..

if i can help it in any way.. i struggle for life to find such courage..

though it is necessary for all on earth for sake of LIFE, when all is available for human wellbeing and beyond.. people who have all available do not automatically become good people!

so still vigilance is needed in a wholesome society.. in outer wellbeing, a freedom to be oneself is essential so society does not fall back into a spitefull struggle..

one can decrease the potential for violence but not determine its end with absolute certainty..

there is no one size fits all..

this means we havent solved the puzzle..

we as humans are capable of amazing things, this is proven in countless ways.. in all the beauty and juiciness of mans expression.. in the deep interconnectedness with each other and nature.. in the efforts to overcome our limitations, and making the impossible possible..

we are so close to creating a paradise for ourselves, yet we cling to old methods proven to not work, to be unsustainable.. just part of the problem, feeding the problem..

perhaps the puzzle cannot be solved.. perhaps the game cannot be won.

but it is worth trying with every fibre ..

and one can transcend the game.. step out of it.. to not be a pawn in the hands of others.. or to be one willfully and creatively..

in any case freedom is essential.. i cannot stop pressing that...

not the freedom to violence.. but the freedom to be total, unbound by mind or matter.. unbound by the causes of violence..

it isnt all that serious..

there is laughter in freedom

no need for a cross to put oneself

life is not for the masochist saints. or better it is for the rascal saints..

life is not a graveyard, it is a leela, a play.. just youthfull spirits on a universal playground..

psychosis and madness is weak is small compared to that..

Future Populations controlled!

’’to wonder at what may or maynot be is futile. To feel anger because ones ambitions cannot be fulfilled is foolish’‘

I and my family and others, are on an experimental machine, we since 1986, with all paperwork done correctly for an imaginary patient, only it is us on the damned machine, so no way to freedom in this country. None of us has ever been to the Lab St Barths or any other, we just want to be left alone, instead of having sadistic ‘destruction/what if’’ trials tried out on us. Futuristic horror but it is here now.

This is my answer to the person on the automatic answerer at Human Research lab St Barths, which has been constantly used in this horror of horror experiments.

Whose last night’s rant was: 7.30 a.m. You are PRISONERS OF THE STATE. You have been given to the pakistani health workers . We don’t often supress news. I believe in a different Islam, I’ve lived in the West and read many things, so feel no guilt about what I have done to you..like using microsound to put bad words dubbed over you with lessons to youngsters. We don’t need an angel (I am generally very popular with all pupils – I love my job – and had the nickname the angel, as I try to help in anyway I can.) Anna (bossess) and Miller the lab Axe Man write things for their dispatches, for Fay Miller the daughter to publish as her own and all their friends who do their output. The lab is totally self absorbed in its own wealth production. It has no other use at all. We Muslims working here are allowed to do anything we want to to any of the population. We help ours to wealth and betterment and hammer all the rest. People have been killed and maimed.  Your lives were taken for the lab members security. We excused it by qualifying like this – you were desperate for sex so we cooled you with debasement. We have all the german students imprints here and use them

Now we use you for something rather more savage.. we wanted a good life and we got it over here, all we have to do is torment and torture…

9a.m. They seem to have no tensions, neither she nor her mother,maybe that is why?’’ (we are quite healthy – actually the answer is simple, we don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t pub, care for each other and are moral, and eat properly -my mother is ninety.  Muslims are notoriously ‘sicky’ peoples.)

(the dopes try at times to show they have some sort of intelligence)

9.40am..(someone else must have come into the lab) All you do is torture, why don’t you try doing something with that machinery.’‘

(Alzheimers people have been asked to come into the lab to press my brain with laser..they use laser probes continuously until that organ is destroyed and they ‘vegetable’ troublesome patients as in a democracy, I quote Lady Spencer according to the lab,’ we can’t shoot anyone openly, the country is too small,’ so they have to turn to other recourses.)

Still a few days left - What do you do?

Release Daniel Hale and change the Espionage Act so truth is again allowed spoken in USA!

"Hale was not permitted to make a public interest defense in his case and speak about his motives. That essentially forced him to accept a plea agreement and go to prison, Ellsberg added."

How about securing the American people internet neutrality? What's net neutrality? It means that your net providers can't spy on you. Do you have net neutrality now? NO, YOU DON'T! Thom Hartmann Program #mustsee

United Nations vs United States & Israel on the Cuban blockade: 185:2

Why the world cannot afford wealthy people:

Democrats majority: the supression of the right to vote! What do you do? 28 days left..

The injust embago against Cuba. If there is a will, there is a way. 32 days...

19 states passed this year laws to restrict voting, new tally finds (2021)

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/04/politics/voting-laws-restrictive-map-october/index.html

Bernie Sanders clarifying the forced end to railway strike: strike avoided - but the workers' 24% rise is ACTUALLY A PAY CUT and NO SICK LEAVE! What if Biden had to stay at work instead of being isolated with Covid? Someone among the Senators (Republicans and Democrats alike, all with UNLIMITED SICK DAYS GRANTED! (Newsweek.com)) ARE SHOWING THEIR TRUE FACE... #rememberthis 🤬 "Railroads lobbied senators to push through the Biden-negotiated deal without sick leave," The Hill

Full List of Senators Who Voted Against Giving Rail Workers Paid Sick Leave

The need for gun control:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZoYA5Qu29k

When the wealthy buy the society and kill local businesses and democracy

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4E8j80sDG8A

The average American pays tax for his/her home while the wealthy don't... :

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fU9eQcxCLFo

Congratulations to married people of the USA! ❤️🙏 A law initiated by two Democrats and a Republican. One (or actually two down) but more to go! 32 days left!

https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-11-29/senate-passes-bill-to-protect-same-sex-and-interracial-marriage

Austerity demanded from those who have much more than they'll ever need...

Censoring women to appease men is dresses

Freedom of Expression is our most important Fundamental Freedom in Canada – without it we are unable to fight for any of our other freedoms or rights. Free speech, and freedom of the press, are essential to the health of democracy, and so we must be able to exercise them efficiently through a diverse range of perspectives, including the feminist one. Under the authority of Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage, introduced Bill C-11 in February of 2022. Bill C-11, commonly referred to as The Online Streaming Act, amends the longstanding Broadcasting Act to extend its regulatory powers to include the internet in Canada. The Broadcasting Act is overseen by the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission, better known as the CRTC.

Bill C-11 has been publicly criticized by free speech advocates for being flawed in various ways and even ominous towards Freedom of Expression. Given my audience, I will focus on the aspects that as a feminist, I find deeply concerning.

“We are literally being written out of the law! And that should be alarming to every single female-born woman on this planet. “

Bill C-11 is a terribly dull and innocuous sounding piece of legislation that barely registers on the radar of most feminists and gender critics. However, cloaked in subtly it hides the tools to supress gender-critical feminism while promoting an ideology that quietly embeds female erasure into the psyche of Canadians for the foreseeable future. Bill C-11 doesn’t discriminate against women, per se, but fails to even acknowledge our existence at all. Female erasure has been stealthily traversing the globe at a formidable strength and speed. We are literally being written out of the law! And that should be alarming to every single female-born woman on this planet.

On June 21st, 2022, Bill C-11 was passed by the House of Commons into the Senate. To quote from within the summary of the bill:

“This enactment amends the Broadcasting Act to (…) (c)update the broadcasting policy for Canada set out in section 3 of the Act by, among other things, providing that the Canadian broadcasting system should (i)serve the needs and interests of all Canadians, including Canadians from racialized communities and Canadians of diverse ethnocultural backgrounds, socio-economic statuses, abilities and disabilities, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and ages, and (ii)provide opportunities to Indigenous persons, (…) programming that is accessible without barriers to persons with disabilities;[1] (d) and, foster the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society”

There are two elements to pay attention to here. Firstly, while implementing provisions for marginalized groups, women were left out. It is my contention that (all) “sexes” ought to be added to this clause. As we know, there has been a global effort to replace the word “sex” with “gender” in language and the law. And as feminists, we have seen the detrimental effects that this trend had on women’s sex-based rights.

Now, you might argue that women are included in the phrase “all Canadians”. However, it is only implied that “women” are included. We must insist on explicit mention in law, therefore leaving no legal-grey-area. Furthermore, if “all Canadians” truly means all Canadians, then why even bother to emphasize inclusion of “all ages” for example? In fact, why emphasize any of the other characteristics? I will return to this question later.

Sometimes what’s missing is more telling than what’s there, so I compared the current version of the Broadcasting Act to the proposed amendments of Bill C-11.

This revealed a gender sanitization – all references to “women, men and children” have been removed and replaced by the phrase “people of all ages”. Ironically, the only mention of gender is in the explicit mention of provisions for Canadians of diverse “gender identities and expressions”. This is the second element to pay attention to here. It’s because certain groups, such as those defined by “gender identity and expression”, which are explicitly included in the list, will be given priority in programming and funding. They are also among the groups who will be consulted to provide recommendations to the government on broadcasting policies, based on their best interests. This is mentioned deep within the convoluted content of this 44-page bill and is confirmed in an important document that my research led to.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Mandate Letter to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, written to the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez and dated December 16, 2021, stated:

“We must continue to address the profound systemic inequities and disparities that remain present in the core fabric of our society, including our core institutions. To this effect, it is essential that Canadians in every region of the country see themselves reflected in our Government’s priorities and our work. As Minister, I expect you to include and collaborate with various communities, and actively seek out and incorporate in your work, the diverse views of Canadians. This includes women, Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized Canadians, newcomers, faith-based communities, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2 Canadians, and, in both official languages.[2] So, you’ll note the explicit mention of the word “women”, in the prime minister’s mandate letter. All the other groups from within this letter were included in Bill C-11, in the same or similar terms.”

So why were “women” the only group from this mandate omitted in Bill C-11’s stated intent to raise the voices of marginalized groups in Canada? Women have been historically marginalized for millennia and continue to be so – to this day. The feminist agenda for equality between the sexes is NOT complete. And, we should not still have to fight to further articulate the need to recognize this.

According to Statistics Canada’s latest reports, violent crimes of a sexual nature against women and girls have been on the rise in Canada.[3] And, according to a report published by the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability, 160 females were violently murdered in Canada in 2021 alone.[4] Men committed over 90% of these murders. The Femicide Observatory has stated that “One woman or girl is murdered in Canada every 36 hours.”[5] I would also like to note that that two of Canada’s largest mass murders were both mass femicides. There were those committed by pig farmer Robert Pickton, convicted in 2002, of only 26 out of a possible 65 murders, the grim details of which shed a light on the horrible injustices to Indigenous Canadian women.[6] And, there was the Montreal Massacre of 1989, when 14 female engineering students were murdered in cold blood after the shooter ordered the male students to leave the classroom. During this massacre at École Polytechnique there was an exchange between the murderer and his victims in which he said that “he’s a man who’s against feminists, against women like them”, right before he opened fire.[7]

There had been a surge in the recognition and rights of women that preceded the Montreal Massacre, just as there has been in the recent past with the “Me Too” movement. Backlash is one of the pitfalls of social progress. So, I worry about a rise of violence against women, especially given the vicious dehumanization by those who call feminists “TERFs”.

When Senator Sheila Finestone spoke while representing the Canadian delegation at the Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women, held in Beijing on November 6, 1995, she recognized that this might happen. She said that “differing perspectives over the rightful place of women in society will divide us. That a backlash against equality will hinder our ability to move forward, or to hold on to past gains. This must not happen. We must not fail.”[8]

Men’s rights movements have been growing across the globe. Our progress is being over-turned, no doubt as collective punishment, a sentence to put us in our places. Just look at what has recently happened in the United States with the over-turning of Roe versus Wade on abortion rights and its impact on the female population. We must be able to speak openly and legally about issues that exclusively effect the female sex. Yet “sex” is being omitted and nullified in Canadian law, despite being one of the protected characteristics in the Canadian Constitution Act.

“We must be able to speak openly and legally about issues that exclusively affect the female sex. “

The exclusion of “women” and “sex” from Bill C-11 is particularly important because this bill is about communication in Canada and communication is essential to the feminist movement, whether within nations or internationally. This bill is currently at the second reading in the Senate and is being studied by the Standing Committee on Transportation and Communications. Some of you will be familiar with the case in the UK where women’s rights advocate Marion Millar was charged under the Telecommunications Act for gender critical tweets. Eventually the charges were dropped, but not without significant disruption to her life. I worry that we will see similar vexatious litigation, or worse, brought against Canadian feminists if Bill C-11 is passed by the Senate.

In my article “Gender Critical Feminism May Soon be Criminalized in Canada,” published in 2021 by Women Are Human, I spoke about how these fears were founded. This bill first caught my attention in 2021 when it was introduced during the previous parliamentary session, then called Bill C-10, also known as the Broadcasting Act. This Act is not a standalone piece. It is a significant aspect of a larger puzzle, one of female erasure and censorship. And if it is put into place, it will enable a far more threatening bill, the Online Harms Act.

As gender critical feminists, we must strategize like chess masters, anticipating the next several moves of our opponents. We must analyze their patterns and learn to predict them.

See rest of article