The Definition of "Honor"

I am COMPLETELY pissed off.

Being a kid in this world is pretty tough. Being a teen is even tougher. I cannot imagine what it is like to live in a developing country, or be raised in a family with strict social mores.

But I CAN imagine it is a pretty f*#ked up life you are living when you a young girl, living in Turkey and your father and grandfather start kicking the snot out of you because you dared to speak to boys.

Oh wait - it gets better...

According to media reports, the girl was taken to the back yard of the family's compound and she was thrown into a pit where she was buried a live. To make sure she didn't escape, the family's chicken coop was placed over the grave.

An autopsy report has concluded she was very much alive when she was placed in the ground.

This type of punishment (almost 100% of the time exacted on the females of the culture - makes ya think, don't it?) has been named an "Honor Killing". The reason behind it is that the family has been shamed by the individual and the only way to maintain their dignity or standing is to remove the problem. Apparently this family reported the girl missing to police.

(Gee, Gramps, if we snoop around a little I think we'll find her, oh ya, CHECK UNDER THE CHICKEN COOP YOU SICK BASTARD!)

Growing up I was a girl who chatted with boys a lot. Not in the flirtatious, self indulgent way, but very much as I am now - very comfortable talking to anyone - male or female. Thankfully The Big Guy isn't the jealous type, but then I wouldn't be with him if he was.

I cannot image being forbidden from speaking to boys when I was 16 years old. I cannot imagine knowing I could be punished for doing so. And I cannot imagine how many other young women have been murdered (ya, that's what we are really talking about here) throughout the course of time under the veil of "Honor".

She wasn't bringing boys into the home and sleeping with them. She wasn't doing drugs at the kitchen table. She wasn't stealing or involved in gang related activities. She wasn't bullying friends or a menace to her neighborhood....she was being NORMAL.

What is normal in Turkey is that 200 deaths HALF of the annual total are categorized as "Honor" killings. 200 women and children who have somehow tarnished the family's image to such a degree that the ONLY recourse is to murder then.

I CHALLENGE YOU - if you have a daughter, if you are a daughter if you are a child of a daughter, make your voice heard and DEMAND change. Regardless of religious, social or stereotypical views, these hideous acts must be stopped. I'm looking into Amnesty International to find out what I can do. http://www.amnesty.ca/

Show this to your daughters www.huffingtonpost.com and go to the story about the Turkish Honor Killing. The next time they want to lip you about how miserable their life is - let them see just what misery is. Tell your sons that there are men out there whose desperate need to control their microscopic world is to murder their own flesh and blood for doing nothing more than your son does EVERY DAY.

What kind of backasswards kind of society would accept a child killer over a young person who was developing NORMAL social relationships? As far as the disgrace on the family - one would think murder trumps all.

I would love to hear your thoughts - since I'm the only one who gets to blow off steam here....

Can't We All Just Get Along??

I'll admit it - I'm a do-er.

If something is left undone, I want to make it "done". If you need help with something, I would be glad to lend a hand. REALLY not keen on the glory aspect of things - you don't have to show me a lot of appreciation - just a sincere thanks or honest gesture will keep me happy.

Which is why I'm struggling so much right now.

A group of our hockey parents are trying to co-ordinate and host a hockey tournament in two weeks. We have had a couple of meetings to iron out details and I'm starting to see a dangerous trend - undermining and questioning.

There's not a lot to demand of people - donate a prize ($20 each or 2 for $10 each) and bring a couple of grocery items - costing no more than $20. Donate an hour or two of your time to help staff the kitchen and you are done.

But some people feel the need to question why.

Why??

Because, in my opinion, there are people who "do" and people who "would rather not". The WRN people hang back and let the Doers have at'er. When they are actually pulled in to action, they do so reluctantly - with reservations and in the end, it's likely not worth the effort and disruption of engaging them.

So now, after two organizational meetings, we have a couple of people who are questioning the decision made this far. (Have I mentioned WRN people don't like or simply don't attend meetings - falls under the WRN charter.) What they DO like to do is throwing a wrench in things. By definition, this prevents any further "doing".

"Ha, HA! We showed THEM!"

Sadly, the world is suffering from a serious lack of Doers. More and more it seems Doers are succumbing to the negative effects of WRNs as well as exhaustion and under appreciation. Thankfully, there seems to be a new crop of Doers each year, but not in the same numbers as WRNs.

I have tried to stay neutral - the Switzerland of this issue - as my role of Team Manager is such that I don't want to get dragged into a parental sandbox fight when there is a couple of months left in the season. If need be - yes, I'll have to intervene - but until then, I can only hope people will step back and realize it takes a village to feed a hockey team!

A little shy, are we?

The Canadian Federal Government has recently announced that all major airports will soon be fitted with security scanning devices to provide the highest, most technologically advanced screening prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics.

You step into a chamber which then photographs you with your arms either slightly drawn away from your body or in the air. The photograph can read under clothing - basically it's your x-ray spy goggles for Customs Canada.

This new technology is being embraced by security in the United States and has created a furor the likes of which haven't been seen in the travel industry since 9/11. US civil rights organizations are up in arms about privacy issues, violation of human rights, and pretty much everything else that can be used against this move, shy of the Holocaust.

While I would not consider myself a frequent flier, I have travelled enough and seen plenty to realize that if there is something that can be used to make flying safer, it should be implemented.

In short - my right to privacy is usurped by YOUR right to be safe. And I'm completely ok with that. While news broadcasts had to block out the "private" elements of the scan for public viewing, it's safe to say the operate gets an eyeful of each and every passenger over the age of 18. Immediately, opponents are concerned that the images will be saved. That there could be questionable employee viewing of said images.

How much worse is this image option than, say, patting down a passenger. It's gotten to the point that passengers can have a same sex employee pat them down for security purposes, but that's no guarantee they won't go home and have Sweet Dreams after squeezing the produce.

Let me clear this up for you right now. If you need to get your jollies by gazing longingly at my stretch marks, have at 'er. I will still give you that if you can assure me some ass won't get on a plane with anything other than hand sanitizer in his pants pockets.

I am Woman, Hear Me Roar!

So a week after former US President Bill Clinton negotiates the release of two American journalists from China, and is heralded as a hero, his wife, once again getting the short end of the stick.

Shortly after arriving in Congo, Africa, US Secretary of State Hilliary Clinton responded to questions at a press conference. One question was regarding a financial situation and ended with "What does President Clinton think about this?"

Now, the history book has not been kind to Hilliary. From her personal appearance, to her ambition and noteworthy career, there hasn't been a lot of kindness thrown her way. I never really took note until this week, when news broke about this "outburst."

In a nutshell, she states, "My husband is not the Secretary of State, I am. If you want to find out what I think, ask me, but I'm not going to channel my husband." I may have ad libbed a bit - but the point there.

Now she's being raked over the coals for her response....

I ask, Why?

She's worked her entire life for this position and save for a couple of missteps in the election process, the US may well have had their first Female President. So to have the question posed to her in reference to her husband is not only insulting to her, it's a slam to all women. She restated the question as she heard it - no one corrected it - and as far as she could tell, the translator had accurately communicated the student's query.

It's like "So, thanks for coming down honey, but tell us, what does the Big Dog think??"

I'd be more than annoyed too.

Yes, Bill Clinton is a great guy. Fairly popular President. He's a real hit with the ladies too. Hillary has had to endure a lot to ensure his success and, in the long run, her own. I can imagine the conversation in the Clinton kitchen when she decided to for President was that this is the "Hilliary Era".

It likely doesn't help that Bubba gets pulled out for all of the profile events (nothing like saving damsels in distress). But you can't blame a girl for getting her feathers ruffled.

And pointing out the obvious was called for. It's not like she swore at the student or insulted him/her.

Can't say I'd be as diplomatic in the same situation.