THE REAL NEWS
The R.E.A.L. WOMEN of BC Newsletter
NOVEMBER 1998 BOX 39068, Point Grey RPO, Vancouver, BC V6R 4P1 Tel:463-1611 Fax:463-1601
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
"Outrageously Absurd"
This is what Elva Prepchuk says the decision is by arbitrator Kelleher. Mrs. Prepchuk enrolled her six year old son in grade one at Latimer Road Elementary School in Surrey. Riley was accompanied on his first day of school by his mom who met the teacher, James Chamberlain. Mrs. Prepchuk had full knowledge that Mr. Chamberlain was homosexual but was not concerned about it. Riley was doing well in class and his mom happily helped out in the classroom. At Christmas Mr. Chamberlain received a gift from Mrs. Prepchuk on behalf of her son. Most of the school year went by and Mrs. Prepchuk had no concerns with her son’s teacher being a homosexual until she saw Mr. Chamberlain on CBC television promoting three books portraying same sex couples and admitting that he had used these books in class. The following day Mr. Chamberlain received wide coverage in the media regarding this issue and was quoted as saying that he intended to promote a lifestyle that the Prepchuk family believes to be medically unsafe, destructive and contrary to their beliefs. Mrs. Prepchuk later also discovered that her son’s teacher had been promoting a homosexual artist in the class where Mr. Chamberlain showed a picture of this homosexual artist, Joe Average, and another man on vacation in China. Mrs. Prepchuk then removed her son from Mr. Chamberlain’s class not because he was a homosexual but because he was using his position to promote a political cause. This contravenes the B.C. Teacher’s Code of Ethics, which states:
"The teacher recognizes that a privileged relationship with students exists and refrains from exploiting that relationship for material, ideological, or other advantage." The school principal and Mr. Chamberlain discussed the request and Mr. Chamberlain initially was in agreement that it was in the best interest of both the child and the teacher.
Subsequently however the Surrey Teachers’ Association claimed that this incident had a discriminatory effect on the teacher and, additionally, that this constituted an environment that was not free of discrimination and a grievance was filed against the Surrey School Board for allowing Mrs. Prepchuk to remove her son from Mr. Chamberlain’s class. The arbitrator, Mr. Kelleher, concluded by inference that the sexual orientation of the teacher was one of the reasons that the child was removed from Mr. Chamberlain’s class although there was no direct evidence of that. The arbitrator decided in favour of Mr. Chamberlain who is now asking for a formal apology and monetary remuneration. In Mr. Kelleher’s report the school prinicipal was exonerated of any wrongdoing but had to take stress leave. The
Surrey School Board was found not guilty with respect to Article 21.10 of the Teachers’ Collective Agreement (of not providing a work environment free of discrimination and harassment) and acknowledged that the board did take care of the situation properly by "taking positive steps to neutralize the harmful effects of the "Declaration", a document claiming to give parents the authority to remove their children from an environment where sexual orientation is discussed. (This document was introduced by the Citizen’s Research Institute for parents’ use after the BCTF’s proposal of a school curriculum to combat homophobia and heterosexism). Interestingly though, despite the fact that the board was found not guilty with respect to the harassment free work environment, the arbitrator still found the board guilty of discrimination. According to Mrs. Prepchuk, she was never part of a hearing, never met Mr. Kelleher and was not able to tell her side of the story in person. Additionally, at the end of November the Vancouver Sun ran an article with respect to this matter wherein Mrs. Prepchuk was called a homophobe and bigot. Mrs. Prepchuk then phoned the newspaper and spoke to the author of the article requesting that an article be written that presented her side of the story. Mrs. Prepchuk was told that it was now old news and that unless something new was happening they were not interested in printing anything she had to say. Also, on Monday, November 30, l998, Mr. Paul Ramsay, Minister of Education, was on the Alan Garr show on CKNW. When Mr. Garr asked Mr. Ramsey how he felt about the recent Chamberlain arbitration decision, Mr. Ramsay is quoted as saying: "Clearly the Surrey school Board has broken the law by saying that it is okay for a parent to remove their child from the classroom of a teacher because he is gay". The Surrey School Board has written a letter to the Minister of Education demanding an apology and calling his allegations "hurtful, harmful and irresponsible." Additionally, the letter states that Mr. Ramsay has "demonstrated lack of appreciation for, or understanding of the matter to which you were asked to speak and a serious lack of judgment in the comments you made". The letter then goes on to outline in detail the sequence of events in this matter.
You can show your support of the Surrey School Board by writing them a note of encouragement and giving them a donation toward the courtcase regarding the three books on same-sex couples. The donation can be small but it will give a message. Send your cheques to the Surrey School Board, 14225 56 Ave., Surrey, BC V3X 3A3. Send a copy of your letter to your local newspaper stating that you are in support of the Surrey School Board. You can also write Mr. Ramsay and tell him how shocked you are about the outcome of the arbitration. Write to Mr. Paul Ramsay, Minister of Education, PO Box 9045, Stn. Prov. Govt., Victoria, BC V8W 9E2.
Feminist organization cries "foul"
The National Action Committee on the Status of Women, the 26 year old feminist organization, is in dire need. Apparently NAC has less than $10,000 in the bank and has been surviving on small donations from their members for the last couple of weeks. The reason? The government funding has been cut. Used to getting about one third of the money from the federal government, NAC president Joan Grant-Cummings claims that the organization now faces closing due to the cutting of funds. Over time, NAC apparently already went from seven full-time staff to three full-time and one part-time with the rest being volunteers. NAC claims that during this decade the organization has had an impact on employment equity, decriminalizing abortion, child-care education and loosening divorce laws.
Asked why NAC thinks the funding is deserved one spokesperson said that "the money exists.
There is no reason -- it’s a question of political choice". NAC now has to show how much support it really gets from the Canadian women and if it can stand on its own or will fold without the government funding.
Write, fax or call the following:
Honourable Paul Martin, Minister of Finance, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 (Tel.: 613-992-4284; Fax: 613-992-4291, and
Honourable Hedy Fry, Secretary of State (Status of Women), House of Commons, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 (Tel.: 613-992-3213; Fax: 613-995-0056
State clearly that there should be no more funding for NAC as they do not represent you.
Did you know that People are not the Problem?
The public debate over population control has been dominated too long by Malthusian myths of overpopulation. Fertility rates are falling everywhere; many countries are no longer even replacing themselves. People are the ultimate resource, and in many parts of the globe they are in short supply, or soon will be.
The truth behind the 'population bomb' propaganda is that the population of the world will never double again. The latest U.N. projections -- just released recently -- show the world’s population peaking at something over 8 billion in 2050, and then beginning an absolute and accelerating decline."
Neither food production nor population density are problems on a global scale. Headlines of the next century will not concern unfounded fears of overpopulation but proclaim the reality of crippling depopulation."
Organizations and individuals from every continent concerned with human rights and education share the belief that development solutions must both recognize human beings' intrinsic worth and respect human rights imperatives. Spread the word!.
Surrey Resource Fair
The Surrey Interagency Network organized what will become an annual event; The Surrey Resource Fair. The Fair was held during November on four consecutive Fridays at different shopping malls. The idea behind the Fair was to get together the organizations that offer community services, education, and resource materials and introduce them to the public. On Friday, November 13, R.E.A.L. Women had a table at the Semiahmoo Mall in South Surrey. The table was filled with all the R.E.A.L. Women brochures, provincial and national newsletters as well as the R.E.A.L. Women posters and pins. It was a successful event as many people that came by the table had never heard of R.E.A.L. Women and applauded our efforts. It was also interesting to hear the comments from people that did not agree with the R.E.A.L. Women positions which made it possible to educate them on some of their misconceptions they had about R.E.A.L. Women. The organizer of the event mentioned that the participating organizations had been chosen by a committee of four people of the Surrey Interagency Network. Apparently, although all of the committee members are on the opposite side of where R.E.A.L. Women stands, it was unanimously decided that a table should be assigned to R.E.A.L. Women. The R.E.A.L. Women table was not only back to back with the table of Surrey Delta Pro Life Society but also across from a table for the B.C. Ministry for Children and Families. In the morning one of the social workers who was looking after the Ministry’s table came over for an amicable chat and some brochures. The location of the table lent itself to some interesting conversations. As there was also some concern with the presence of a pro-life table, the security guard was hovering around our tables for a large part of the day. However, there were no confrontations at all and the participation at the Fair gave R.E.A.L. Women good public exposure.
B.C. Transit and Xtra-West
The B.C. Transit allows for various newspapers and magazines to be displayed on the B.C. Transit property. Some time ago the BC Christian News applied to B.C. Transit to have their publication included in the publications available on B.C. Transit property. The application was denied with the reasons that the newspaper’s stand on homosexuality could be offensive to some people. To the amazement of B.C. Transit the aftermath of this decision was quite incredible with everyone, including The Georgia Strait and Xtra-West, saying that BC Christian News should be allowed on B.C. Transit property. The application from BC Christian News was then reconsidered. Xtra-West then decided that they should have the same right and applied to B.C. Transit as well. This application is now under consideration. Several groups and individuals were greatly concerned about Xtra-West being freely distributed on public property, making it easily available to not only adults but teenagers and young children. A meeting was arranged with Brian Hollingshead, Vice-President of B.C. Transit for October 30. Mr. Hollingshead arrived at the meeting with two co-workers, a woman from the legal department and another man from the media department. Nine people attended the meeting, representing several organizations as well as individuals, making their presentations to Mr. Hollingshead. R.E.A.L. Women was also there able to present a brief that outlined the concerns that many parents have with the possibility of Xtra-West being displaying in such public places as bus and skytrain stops. Various concerns were voiced by the individuals representing either their organizations or themselves. For example, some of the points raised included the explicit and pornographic nature of Xtra-West; the personal ads with their offensive language and explicit contents and, in particular, Xtra-West’s condonment of sex between adults and children. At this point in time, B.C. Transit has not yet responded to the concerns raised by R.E.A.L. Women of B.C.
REAL Women provincial conference…..watch in our upcoming spring Newsletter for details of our provincial conference to be held in SuRREY ON MAY 29, 1999.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!
Topless moves to Saskatchewan
The issue of toplessness is moving across the land. Two women who were suntanning topless in a park in Regina, were acquitted of the charges of committing an indecent act in public. The Provincial Court Judge Eugene Lewchuk found "the l996 decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal persuasive" which had thrown out as discriminatory the ban in the Criminal Code on women going topless. Polls across Canada have shown that the majority of people do not agree that women should have the right to go topless in public. Interestingly, the majority of those that are against it are women. Many people have voiced their opinions by writing to Anne McLellan, Minister of Justice, asking her to ensure that the Criminal Code makes it clear that it is a criminal offence for women to go topless. Ms. McLellan’s response is that this is a complex, moral, issue where people are greatly divided and that this issue would best be dealt with individually community by community. Apparently, Ms. McLellan has not read the polls and surveys done in Ontario and across Canada. Additionally, it is nice rhetoric to say that communities should decide individually while at the same time our courts are deciding for us. The court case involving Linda Meyer was initially set for December l998 to be heard in the Provincial Court. However, by mutual agreement of all parties involved it was reassigned to the Supreme Court of British Columbia and will now be heard in the early Spring of l999. Ms. Meyer has agreed not to go topless at the Leisure Centre in Maple Ridge until the court case is heard. R.E.A.L. Women still has provincial and federal petitions on this issue. To get your copies please contact Doris at tel.: (604) 576-3068, fax (604) 576-3069, e-mail: darvasy@smartt.com.
UN Conference June l999
In l994 the UN held the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo. Many pro-family advocates considered this conference a disaster as it directly attacked the family pushing for the most radical ideas in reproductive freedom and the most leftist positions on the family. Next June the UN will be hosting a follow up conference (Cairo +5) which attempts to further this radical anti-family agenda. Prior to this meeting there will be three preparatory committee meetings which are of critical importance, as they will set the stage for the June meeting. Pro-family advocates should try to be there to stem the tide. There is THE HAGUE FORUM (The Netherlands) to be held from February 6 to February 12. This is an extremely important governmental meeting that will contribute to the final Cairo +5 document. The NGO FORUM and THE YOUTH FORUM are held in The Hague on February 6 and 7. These meetings as well will generate material that will contribute to the Cairo +5 document. This would be a great opportunity for young people to have an impact and provide a wonderful educational experience. Those attending the Youth Forum are allowed and encouraged to stay for The Hague Forum. The next meeting is from March 22 - March 30 in New York City. The Cairo+5 Final Prep Com will be the final and most important meeting. If the pro-family voice is not represented at that time, families could be in very serious trouble. It also provides an opportunity to directly lobby governmental delegations. OUR VOICE NEEDS TO BE HEARD.
Anyone who wants to attend any one of these meetings can get detailed information on what to do from Austin Ruse, Director of CAFHRI. Mr. Ruse can be reached at 212-754-5948 or e-mail: austinruse@cafhri.com
The Future of R.E.A.L. Women of B.C.
R.E.A.L. Women of B.C. was established I l982 by Peggy Steacy, independent from R.E.A.L. Women of Canada which was started in Ontario at the same time. For years Peggy did a wonderful job in making sure that people in British Columbia heard about R.E.A.L.. Women. Unfortunately, a few years ago, Peggy passed away. Since then, other women have stepped forward and carried on. There has always been wonderful support from the members who have stepped in when there was a special need. Now the time has come where again there is a special need. This time, the need is not in particular for money but for people. Over the last few years the same people have been carrying on and some of them now need a well deserved break. R.E.A.L. Women of B.C. depends on you becoming directly involved. We need new people with fresh ideas that are willing to join our board. It is really crucial at this time. If you have a heart for women and their families and you think this might be something you would like to get more involved in, please let us know. WE REALLY NEED YOU! WE KNOW THIS ORGANIZATION IS IMPORTANT TO YOU AND TO OUR SOCIETY. IF THERE ARE A FEW OF US IN LEADERSHIP, WE CAN DISTRIBUTE THE WORK AND IT WON’T BE THAT MUCH FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL.
Penny Priddy pushes RU486
After the killing of Dr. Slepian, the abortionist, the pro-abortionists used his death to blast the entire pro-life movement. In their eyes anyone with a pro-life view has now become an accessory to murder. Penny Priddy used Dr. Slepian’s death to promote the abortion pill RU486. Ms. Priddy has criticized Allan Rock, Federal Health Minister, for not approving RU486 to be distributed in Canada. Mr. Rock’s response was that Canada had not been approached for approval of the abortion pill. RU486 is not a simple pill that a women takes at night and then by morning she is "unpregnant". In a book called "RU486, Misconceptions, Myths and Morals, authored by three women, Renata Klein, a feminist and lecturer in Women’s studies says "RU-486 has been falsely promoted as quick, easy, and hassle-free. RU-486 requires three to five visits to a licensed abortion clinic, a number of invasive examinations, and the taking of up to five drug combinations. It has a 20 to 40 percent failure rate that necessitates use of a second drug, prostaglandin, which still results in a five percent abortion failure rate, requiring one women in 20 to undergo a second abortion procedure. " Once the woman is sent home she might be in for a long wait for the fetus to be expelled, which can be accompanied by extreme pain, bleeding, vomiting, and nausea as well as other complications. To be alone at home during the miscarriage is a lonely, frightening, and physical exhausting experience. After the miscarriage, the women has to go back to the doctor for an examination to make sure the abortion is complete. It is known that one woman has already died following an RU-486 abortion and other near deaths have been reported as well. Another concern with RU-486 is the fact that the long-term effects are not yet known. Just as with other drugs, it might easily take ten to twenty years before we know what effect RU-486 has not only on the women that are using this drug but on their future off-spring as well. Considering all the medical facts about RU-486, one wonders how much Ms. Priddy really cares about women. She has declared that she wants to try and get RU-486 straight into British Columbia without going through the federal government. If you want to let her know how you feel, write her at Room 133, Parliament Building, Victoria, BC V8V 1X4 (fax: 250-387-3696), send a copy to your MLA and Allan Rock
Member of Parliament stands tall for the family
The traditional family has a new advocate, Eric Lowther, Reform MP, Calgary Centre. Mr. Lowther is greatly concerned about the erosion of family values across Canada and the anti-family policy making that has taken place over the last several years. Mr. Lowther is trying to move in a more positive direction. His office is collecting data on "Family facts"; crucial and documented statistics, illustrative vignettes (political horror stories or private victories), medical discoveries and policy initiatives (bad or good). Some of this information will be posted on Mr. Lowther’s new website http://www.reform.ca/lowther/index.html along with biographical notes, press releases, speeches, private members’ legislation, petitions, and "family facts". The "Family Facts" information deal with three broad issue areas. First, under "Parental Rights and Responsibilities", Mr. Lowther wants to promote the prerogatives of the family. Secondly, he will call for "A Family-Friendly Tax Treatment". Then, in the spring, he will address "Family Security" and safe community standards. If you want to drop a note of encouragement to Mr. Lowther you can write to him at Room 254, Wellington Building, House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A5. (no postage required).
Five "Gifts" to the Family on National Child Day
On November 20, l998, Eric Lowther, MP, issued the following Press Release:
Calgary - Today on National Child Day, Official Opposition Children and Families critic Eric Lowther criticized the failings of the Liberal government towards our children.
"Under the Liberals, the debt to be borne by Canada’s next generation will have increased by about $75 billion - that is over $12,500 for every child under l5," Lowther said. "One Liberal gift to our children has been a malignant debt." "Under the Liberals, there have been 37 tax increases," Lowther continued. "The next generation will end up paying 9.9% of their salary to the CPP, due to the Liberals implementing the biggest tax grab in history. The second Liberal gift to our kids has been lethal taxation."
"Under the Liberals, only some forms of child care receive a tax break," he said. "Liberal high taxation policy has pressured both parents into the workplace and penalized stay at home parents. So a third Liberal gift to children has been a nervous exhaustion of the family bond."
"Under the Liberals, health care funding to the provinces has been slashed by over $6 billion and the writing time to see a specialist has increased by almost 38% since l993. The fourth Liberal gift to our children has been uncertainty in our health care system, Lowther charged.
Under the Liberals, there has not been any serious action taken to improve the safety of our streets. Only one in five of those convicted of assault goes to jail, and even violent offenders can get day parole after serving as little as one-sixth of their sentences. The fifth Liberal gift to our children is danger in the streets and violence in the playgrounds, Lowther said.
We all need encouragement
To be a politician in today’s society is a very difficult job. If you stand up for the traditional family and pro-life ideas you will most likely get attacked fiercely. It is, of course, perfectly in order for the other side to voice their opinions, often using very abusive language. There are some wonderful pro-family politicians around. Some are in our own communities, others in the provincial government as well as federal government. As issue come up and those people take a stand for the family, let’s encourage them by dropping them a note. Let them know how much we appreciate all they are doing. They need to know that they are not alone and that we stand behind them.
Kelowna Chapter-Evening with Susan Martinuk
On October 16, l998, the Kelowna Chapter of R.E.A.L. Women had a successful fundraiser evening. Over 200 people came to listen to Susan Martinuk. In her speech, Ms. Martinuk talked about the moral abyss into which our society has sunk; celebrating sex without commitment which has led to increase in sexually transmitted diseases and aids; families that are torn apart by high divorce rates; movement to re-define what a family is as well as the change from absolute morality to relative morality. Ms. Martinuk spoke about the power that the media has in shaping the public’s opinion and how this power is being abused today by feeding the public biased opinions on many of the sensitive issues. Most of the time the public takes what is being reported as "gospel truth" without being fully informed on the issues that are confronting us today. Ms. Martinuk feels very strongly that our society is too apathetic and that politicians make decisions based on erroneous opinion polls, popular trends and untrue information. Ms. Martinuk also points out that Christians have distanced themselves too much from politics and have not done what they were supposed to do. Trying to be tolerant and not offending anyone has brought Christians into a position where they are not standing up for what is true and right. Ms. Martinuk was an inspiration to those attending the meeting and everyone enjoyed her speech tremendously.
Have you had enough yet! Rally in Surrey
More than 5’000 people crowded into two buildings in Cloverdale (Surrey) on November 26 sending a strong message to Premier Glen Clark that the people in British Columbia have had enough.
Speakers included David Stockell, HELP B.C., who is suing the NDP over misrepresented balanced budgets during their election campaign. After many obstacles by government lawyers, the case is finally going to be heard in December. Mr. Stockwell said that the NDP are literally tearing our province apart, morally and economically. Another speaker ,Dr. David Bond, Professor of Finance, UBC, pointed out that before the NDP came to power the province of British Columbia was leading the country but now we are in a hole and our NDP government is looking for a back-hoe. Troy Lanigan of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation said that "most British Columbians would rather be governed by the first 39 names in the Surrey phone book than by our present government".
The speakers also clearly denounced the take over of the Hospital Boards and interference in the School Boards. The crowd was reminded that political unity is needed o defeat the NDP in the next election. More rallies are planned across the province. Attend the one nearest you!
Resolution From Parents and Teachers for Life
There is a resolution which BC Parents and Teachers (formerly BC Teachers) for Life
have been trying to get considered by the BCTF for some years. Slightly rewritten, it
would be a very suitable resolution to be put before a school PAC to forward to BCCPAC. WE
ENCOURAGE OUR MEMBERS TO USE THIS RESOLUTION WITHIN THEIR SCHOOL DISTRICT. The resolution
reads:
That it be the position of the British Columbia Coalition of Parent Auxiliary Councils
that no teacher should refer any student in any public school for medical procedure or
treatment without the approval of a parent or guardian who has custody of that student,
with the exception of a referral for first aid and in a case of medical emergency where
the
life or health of a student is in immediate danger and time does not allow gaining the
prior approval of parent or guardian.
Furthermore, that the executive of BCCPAC convey this position to the British Columbia
Teachers' Federation, with the request that the Federation act to make it policy for its
members; and furthermore that the executive of BCCPAC convey to the provincial government
a request that this position be made law.
Supporting statement:
It is of the utmost importance that teachers not undermine the authority of parents. To
by-pass legitimate parental authority is liable not only to make an individual teacher
open to charges of abusing his or her position, but also to bring disrepute on the
teaching profession as a whole. Parents ought to have a right to have their legitimate
roles as
the prime determiner of their children's welfare respected in this matter.
Campaign aimed at Young People not working
An article written by Dennis Bueckert of The Canadian Press points out that a campaign to promote safe sex among young people and prevent the spread of AIDS is not working anywhere. Two decades after the appearance of the HIV virus the latest statistics show that the "Safe Sex" message is not working. Although the death rates have fallen because of improvement in treatments, new infections are rising particular among young homosexual men and women.. Richard Marlink, director of the Harvard AIDS Institute says that "the prevention efforts for young people don’t work". Apparently half of the new infections are reported among the less than 25 year olds. Approximately a dozen Canadians become infected with HIV every day. The median age of infection among homosexuals dropped from over 30 to less than 25. A report on the epidemic released by Health Minister Allan Rock states that "the incidence of new HIV infections among young gay men in Canada is of great concern". Among drug users, prisoners, aboriginals and prostitutes the infection rates are rising as well. Donald Sutherland of the Laboratory Centre for Decease Control states that the epidemic is not going away. The federal government is currently spending $42.2 million a year to fight this decease. Non-government organizations close to high-risk groups receive the prevention money that is used for workshops on homophobia and distribution of free condoms. Many are wondering why it is not working. Martha Ainesworth, an AIDS expert with the World Bank says "reaching young people is not easy as we know and it is difficult to change a teenager’s behaviour." Although there has been much progress on the treatment side, and the new multi-drug cocktails greatly extend to life of the average AIDS patient, they have serious side-effects and are very costly (approx. $28,000/patient per year). The epidemic that is already catastrophic in parts of Africa, could explode into Latin America and the Caribbean. There is also concern for Canada with the high tourist and business traffic.
Secular Media ignores pro family victory
During the first week of November the media was covering the elections in the United States but ignoring one important victory for the traditional family. Both in Hawaii and Alaska voters approved by more than two to one margins measures authorizing their legislatures to place a ban on same-sex marriage in their state constitutions. Apparently, in Hawaii the vote was 69.2% to 28.6% and in Alaska 68.3% to 31.8%. According to the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, in Alaska’s interior the margin of victory was closer to 5 to 1. Fairbanks pastor Wayne Harding said that there are quite a few people in the North Pole area who profess Christianity. Although Hawaii is considered the "nation’s most ethnically diverse and socially tolerant state…" the people still voted to keep marriage between a man and a woman. Some pro-family activists say that they might concede to certain rights and benefits to same-sex couples in "domestic partnerships" to stop the homosexual activists from continuing to challenge the existing laws.
existing laws.
FUNDRAISER!!!!!
The Feminist Takeover (Patriarchy to Matriarchy in Two Decades) BY BETTY STEELE
This book examines the rapid growth of the women’s movement with its many government funded organizations, their mandates and the resulting destructive influences on our traditional family. This is a well researched and well written book, you’ll enjoy it.
The Disarming of Canada by john hasek
A look at Canada’s defense scene, past, present and future. "A devastating criticism of how our military has been undermined—and solutions to the problem"-----Peter Worthington. If you are interested in an inside look at our defense and security arrangements this book is for you.
Each book is available for $8.00 (incl. Shipping) and available through REAL Women. Please send us a note with your cheque and we will forward you as many copies as you want. These books make great gifts and the price is excellent.
President’s Message
On October l6 and l7 the B.C. Pro-Life Youth Conference was held in Surrey. I was asked to be a speaker on Saturday morning. Realizing that other speakers would talk about topics like chastity, abortion and others I was contemplating what I could say to touch the young people. I decided to talk about integrity and honor. These words are not much used in today’s society. We are more into "my rights" and "do whatever feels good". We have left the realm of right and wrong and turned it into what is wrong for you does not mean it is wrong for someone else. Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary tells me that integrity means wholeness; moral soundness or purity; incorruptness; uprightness; honesty. Honor is described, among other things, as "true nobleness of mind; magnanimity. I was talking to the young people about the pressures they will encounter throughout their entire lives and the decisions they will have to make every day. Some of those decisions will be small ones but many will have great impacts on their lives. Many times we will stand alone but we know, deep down in our hearts, that we have done the right thing. Our decisions in life will determine how our lives are. Many of us had a difficult childhood and have been hurt in the past. However, it is up to us what we do with it. We can harbor bitterness and anger and carry this around for the rest of our lives. It will only eat us up inside and make us miserable. We can also decide that we will make things different and put the past behind us. Obviously, we can never forget our past, but we can become free enough of it to change our lives around and not be enslaved by our past. Yes, some of us have had experiences during our childhood that need professional help. However, we live in a society where it is common for people to blame everything and anything on their past and never take on responsibility for their actions. We can decide to take matters into our hands and do things differently. I shared with the young people my own upbringing in a dysfunctional family remembering the desire I had as a little girl to do things differently. All my decisions in life have directly come from that desire. I am now blessed with a wonderful husband, four great children and a happy marriage and family. Some people say I am lucky. It has a lot to do with determination, what you want in life, and serving others. When we are too much absorbed by our problems, those problems become bigger and in the end, fill our entire vision. If we can use our hurts by helping other people that are hurting, it will take the focus away from ourselves and put it on other people and our lives will become enriched. It is not easy to change things, but it can be done. While I was talking to the young people I observed that they really paid attention. My message gave us all something to take home and think about. Our society desperately needs people with integrity, individuals that will do what is right not what is popular.
HOT ISSUES!! GET ON OUR EMAIL OR FAX LIST: REAL Women of BC has established an email list for members and interested parties. Your provincial board wishes to use these lists responsibly to get word out on important issues in a timely fashion. The Board of R.E.A.L. Women of BC is aware of the importance of protecting confidentiality on the internet and in general. Be assured that the handling of your personal information on our membership, fax, and e-mail lists will be done in a manner respecting your privacy. If you would like to receive information please contact us through our site at http://www.getset.com/realwomen or use the phone and fax numbers on the letterhead.
CHRISTMAS IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER. Do you need a gift for someone who has everything? How about a subscription to R.E.A.L. Women? This gift will last all year and is very informative. Send us a note and mark clearly that it is a Christmas gift for someone else and we will send that person a card on your behalf.
MOVING? PLEASE LET US KNOW!!
REAL Women of Canada has an excellent Website up on the Internet. It can be reached at http://www.realwomenca.com or via the link on our provincial page. A special feature of the National site is the Alert page, which contains breaking stories and researched background information to help you write timely, effective letters on the issue of the day. Check it out.
Miscellaneous
Again we want to THANK our members who have renewed their membership. Many of you have taken advantage of the three year membership renewal. A special THANK YOU to all of our members who have helped us out with extra donations. We could not do this without you. A SPECIAL WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS. GLAD TO HAVE YOU ON BOARD.
SUPPORT R.E.A.L. WOMEN OF BC :
BY TAKING OUT AN ONGOING SUBSCRIBTION TO THE BRITISH COLUMBIA REPORT Newsmagazine
@ $ 7.95 (GST incl.)/month = 20% to R.E.A.L.
Women of BC
__Charge my
__VISA Card #_______________
__MASTERCARD Expiry_______________
__AMEX
__BANK A/C A/C #______________
Transit #_____________
MAIL TO: Alberta Report Newsmagazine, 17327-106A Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T5S 1M7, Attn.: Pat Hansard or call 1-403-930-7809 (voice mail)