Feminists arise!

😒To many people, especially misogynists, feminism is a bad word.

Regardless, I am an unapologetic feminist, for without us, women would still be in the dark ages.

I think the reason why this movement may not be as aggressive and proactive as it was, is because modern day women in the West were born into the era when most women have rights to equal pay, rights to own property, equality in marriage, right to vote etc.  

Happily, too, along with the Me-Too movement, many powerful male sexual predators are either in jail or realizing that what had been open season on women’s bodies is coming to an end.

However, the conversation about who should control a woman’s body still needs to be confronted frontally and regularly, in view of the courts overturning Roe v Wade and most Republican legislators in the USA usurping the role of medical advisors and hanging on to the idea that men should decide what women can do with their bodies.

A new problem that must cause us to take note and become proactive, is how we relate to transgender women.

For as a woman, I find it concerning that some of our rights are being trampled as unfair advantages are being given to people who reject their anatomical gender and now call themselves transgender.

I have no problem if people want to adopt  any gender they feel and even take steps to reinforce this by doing operations to change it.

It is their right (as adults) to do what they want with their bodies as long as they don’t infringe on the rights of others.

My first concern arose when transgender athletes started to dominate women's sports, giving persons who had developed superior physical strength as men, a natural advantage when they became women.

The most well-known case is at the University of Pennsylvania where swimmer, Lia Thomas, who could not win a meet when competing as male, ended up dominating everything when he became a female!

His case is not at all unique for even in now in the martial arts, this is creating a problem.

Worse, the attitude of some courts is troubling. For example, just recently, a Federal appeals court in Connecticut, threw out a case brought by four high school girls who claimed that state’s trans-inclusive sports policy violated their civil rights and deprived them of a “chance to be champions.”

I don’t often agree with Republicans, but so far, 10  Republican led states (last being Texas) have passed laws banning transgender women or girls in sports based on the premise it gives them an unfair competitive advantage.

I endorse that move by the ten totally, but what are the other states doing? I suspect they will continue to drag their feet until feminists really get moving!

Then there is the troubling issue of men claiming claiming to have changed their gender but they have kept their penises.

By all means they can do what they want with their bodies but they should not be allowed to use female facilities where they can endanger/exploit women and children.

So far, it has been reported that in New Jersey, a so-called transgender woman got three inmates in a prison pregnant!

And according to a recent story in the New York Post, a 17-year-old was totally traumatized after seeing a transgender exposing his/her penis in the female bathroom at the YWCA.

I am positive there are many more cases like these which have not been reported nationally, but without action, it is only a matter of time before cases like these or worse, rape in female bathrooms, will become the norm if not cauterized.

Why the hell does someone who claims he feels female need a penis anyway?

Yes respect, people’s rights to be anything they want to be but they surely must not be allowed to make women afraid, victimized and endangered.

We must never forget that without eternal vigilance we are in constant danger of losing out in the game of life!

PS. More countries need to sit up and take notice of how this troubling  matter was handled in Scotland. 

See report in the Guardian  on 26, 2023. 

Its headlined.'

Trans woman found guilty of rape moved to men’s prison 6 Jan 2023 14.46 EST

Isla Bryson, a transgender woman found guilty of raping two w

HERE WE GO AGAIN?

For in excess of forty years, Jamaica has been knocking around with the troubling issue of whether we should sever relations with the British Monarch as our head of state.

For years too, I have been a voice in the wilderness calling for us to do it before Queen Elizabeth died, for whereas I considered her quite harmless, the thought of having her son Charles as our head of state has always been for me, very repulsive. Not least because I consider that, the non-executive head of state should at the very least, be a good role model and neither Charles nor his “Queen Consort” can fill that bill.

Well, the inevitable is on us and instead of running full speed ahead to get rid of them and appoint a local person as our head, the political nonsense which has always stymied our progress, is evident again.

The more things change the more they remain the same.

In the initial stages, the sticking point between our alternating governments led by the Peoples National Party (PNP) and the Jamaican Labor Party (JLP), has always been the kind of republic we should replace our monarchial system with. For the PNP has always wanted an executive presidency and the JLP a ceremonial one.

I have no idea if that issue has been ironed out yet, but because little England (Barbados) took the step to get rid of the British monarchy in 2022, the ruling JLP, to tek shame outta dem eye, said they would follow suit and even appointed a minister of Constitution Affairs, to lead the process.

There is good reason why we should never cheer too early, for it appears now that those two idiotic institutions (JLP and PNP) are again going to stymie the country’s progress.

For the PNP has now refused to appoint members to the Constitutional Committee to discuss the extent of the constitutional reforms to take place, as getting rid of the monarchy requires serious reform and a referendum.

This time, the distraction is that the PNP wants the country to adopt the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to replace the British Privy Council as our final court of appeal, and will have no discussions unless this is agreed up front.

Omg. But shouldn’t the idea of a Constitutional Committee be that they negotiate these issues, not lay down hard lines?

I will be honest, when the CCJ was first established in 2005, I opposed it totally. For in my book, the interest of the Jamaican people was not properly represented by the Patterson regime (which led the PNP Government at the time) and it had all the appearances of being just another attempt to foist elements of a ‘federation’ though the back door.

For readers will recall that the PNP had supported the West Indies Federation but in 1961, when a referendum was called to sanction our membership, the Jamaican people said no way.

In the initial stages, the CCJ was a lopsided agreement between Jamaica and the other former British colonies. My main grouse was that although Jamaica contributed almost US$29 million of the $100 million fund established to fund the court, NOT ONE MEMBER OF THE JAMAICAN JUDICIARY WAS APOINTEFD TO SERVE ON THE COURT!

On the other hand, Guyana which contributed less than $9 million, had two judges, including the Chairman of that prestigious body.

That to me was a disgraceful insult to our judges, for by no measure could Guyanese judges be said to be twice as competent as Jamaicans.

That was my major turnoff, but over the years that situation has been rectified and the court has handed down some solid judgements and have proven themselves just as good or better than the UK privy council in terms of its competence.

So now I have no argument against us getting rid of the privy council as our final court of appeal.

But if the CCJ has to wait a while, so be it.

The refusal of the PNP to participate in the talks could mean we will be stuck in the monarchial rut again because our politicians seem incapable of sitting down together and ironing out simple issues.

In my book however, if it comes to that, the JLP needs to realize that it is the government and therefore has the responsibility to move full speed ahead with a referendum to get rid of the monarchy, with or without the PNP.

We really can’t allow political squabbles to cause this matter to drag on for another 40 or so years!

 

 

A beautiful park

                                    

Atop a hill at Three Mountains Park

There is nothing I dislike about Florida more than how flat it is.                                                           
As an outdoor enthusiast who likes to hike and cycle, I find nothing more boring than not having hills and valleys to traverse. 
      
Nice view at Vista View

In fact, it is so terrible that I have basically parked my bicycle since coming to Florida.                                                                                           
Me who have been a cycling enthusiast since as far back as I can remember.😡      

All was not entirely lost though, for I had discovered a park in nearby Coral Springs called Three Mountain Park.

So named because it has three dumped-up hills. 

In desperation I have been going there on Saturdays, so as not to lose my hill climbing muscles totally.

Section of Vista View

It’s certainly not a Park though although it is listed as such.

I would just call it an open area, for it has no hiking trails, is often overgrown and only has a tiny, inadequate play area for kids.

Nice hiking trails at Vista View

It’s so yucky, that most times I go there, I see no one else.

But to get away from the flatness, I looked forward to the Saturday treks there.

Until a friend introduced me to Vista View Park in Davie, some 20 minutes away.

Well Three Mountain Park will never see me again and I think the CITY OF CORAL SPRINGS SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF ITSELF FOR EVEN CALLING THAT DUMP A PARK. 😡

Vista View Park only has hills because it was dumped up, just like Three Mountains Park. But guess what, they have put in benches, tables, hiking trails, restroom and water station, because clearly, the people at Davie know what a park is!

I have never seen any animals except a wild coyote once at Three Mountains. But there were sand cranes peacefully feeding in the grass when I went to Vista View today. Also there are quite a few burrowing owls that lay and hatch in roped-off areas, as they are clearly protected there.

I am elated to find somewhere with hills in Broward, being run by City Council that really cares.

Coral Springs City Council sucks.

Even animals know the difference!

 But at least the City of Davie knows what a Park is!