Why’s it taken so long?

Harvey Weinstein (no relation btw) has been sexually harassing and abusing women for nearly 30 years. And getting away with it. Because while apparently “everyone” knew about it, “mum” was the word.

By “everyone,” incidentally, I don’t mean the women. I mean, the industry folks. His partners and associates, board members, employees, crew members, actors, agents, press, peers and competitors. Everyone.

They all knew. And now, all of a sudden, 30 years later they’re crawling out of the woodwork. So where’ve they been all these many years, all these upstanding members of the film-making community who are now so outraged?

I’ll tell you where they were. Turning the other cheek. Turning a blind

Who knew an elbow could cause such an uproar?

Canada’s House of Commons came to a virtual stand still last week. Prime Minister Trudeau was trying to get a bill passed. Bill c-14. Doctor-assisted suicide.

Yes, it’s a contentious issue, but it’s a conversation we must have, one that’s long overdue. And good for him for having the balls to bring it up.

But I digress.

There’s a June 6 deadline on the Bill, handed down by the Supreme Court. It was being hotly debated and contested. Everyone was getting more than a little testy. They
weren’t getting anywhere with the agenda.

Several members of the NDP, including Tom Mulcair, 

Guess what folks …

… we’re not in Kansas anymore.  We’ve had a series of wake-up calls recently in Canada, but the same is true pretty much everywhere.  This may come as a nasty, unwelcome surprise to a lot of people out there, but crime, drug and alcohol addiction and bad and even deviant behaviour is not the exclusive territory of the underprivileged and uneducated among us.

Easy and convenient as it’s always been to point fingers at them, while denying, ignoring and doing nothing about what’s going on behind closed doors right in our own backyards.  Yes, my dears, on university campuses, in corporate boardrooms nice, middle class neighbourhoods and luxurious penthouse apartments and sprawling estates.

Just look at our soon to be former mayor, Rob Ford.  There are videos of him drunk, consorting with criminals, buying crack, making offensive racial slurs and comments about women and even threatening to kill people.  He’s got three siblings — two brothers and a sister and each and every one of them has had involvement with drugs.

His brother, Doug, sold hash in the ’80s.  His brother, Randy, not only sold drugs, he was once charged in relation to a drug-related kidnapping.  His sister, Kathy, is an addict, among other things, and Rob Ford was caught yet again on video, while at her house, in her basement, smoking crack with her.  It was after that he finally ended up in rehab; and she’s been

Day 66. Justice Prevails

In yesterday’s post I touched briefly on one of those topics most people would prefer not to think about.  Abuse.  

It’s particularly topical right now, because this past Tuesday Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State football coach who was recently convicted on 45 counts of rape, abuse and assault, was sentenced to from 30 – 60 years in prison.  Thanks to the courage of eight boys, who were willing to come forward; who were willing to take him on, despite his fame. And who were willing to re-live their painful memories for a judge, a jury, a packed courtroom and the world to hear.

Thanks, also, to twelve equally brave jurors, who were ready and willing to look beyond Jerry Sandusky the football hero, to Jerry Sandusky the predator.  To Jerry Sandusky, the pedophile.  To Jerry Sandusky, the monster, who preyed on young, disadvantaged, under-privileged boys.

To the Jerry Sandusky who is so sick and twisted, he founded a charitable organization that conveniently provided him with his victims.