Don't stone women!

[iluvpoutine]

8-O

Welcome to Herouxville
Don't stone women
CP
Published: Sunday, January 28, 2007

A rural Quebec town has taken the unusual step of formally declaring it is forbidden to stone women in public - part of a list of "norms" it says is aimed at potential immigrants.

Herouxville, about 165 kilometres northeast of Montreal, adopted a resolution at a council meeting this month that outlines what elected officials consider to be the town's official behavioural norms.

The document, sent to both the provincial and federal governments, states "a woman can ... drive a car, sign cheques, dance, decide on her own." However, covering one's face other than on Halloween, burning women alive or burning them with acid is not considered acceptable.

The document also points out to potential immigrants that Quebecers are used to receiving medical services from members of the opposite sex and that boy and girls often swim in the same pool.

"Don't be surprised," the document reads. "For us, it's normal."

Andre Drouin, who spearheaded the move to list norms, said the document was a response to what some perceive to be excessive accommodation newcomers to the province receive. Herouxville does not have any immigrants among its population of 1,300.

But Drouin said that could change given the Quebec government's policy of encouraging newcomers to the province to settle outside urban centres.
© The Gazette (Montreal) 2007

 

[karrie]

Men and children on the other hand, are fair targets. Let the games begin!

 

[tamarin]

The town's taking a cheeky poke at Muslims. I'm surprised Hate Speech zealots haven't decided to bus their harebrained spawn to the settlement for a protest. Canada has become so lame over the last 30 or so years. I'm glad to see the spunk of the town!

 

[Sparrow]

If we can laugh at ourselves, they have no excuse not to. When in Canada do as the Canadians and don't take yourselves so seruously.

 

[Sparrow]

"don't take youselves so seriously". I am also glad to see some spunk.

 

[tamarin]

Yes, Sparrow, spunk is at a premium in these northern climes. The Canadian government is internationally known for its fondness for intimidation. How dare the town step out of line? How dare they say things that might be misconstrued? How dare they take a stand that might offend one of our ethnic or minority groups?
You'd think a space ship from the thirties had fallen on Ottawa some days and little Adolph himself had stepped out.

 

[karrie]

The town's taking a cheeky poke at Muslims. I'm surprised Hate Speech zealots haven't decided to bus their harebrained spawn to the settlement for a protest. Canada has become so lame over the last 30 or so years. I'm glad to see the spunk of the town!

Personally, I think restating bigotted views, adding a dash of current Canadian law, throwing in a bit of religious intolerance, binding it together and calling it an informartion manual for immigrants, is pretty tacky. I've lived in plenty of small towns with Muslim immigrants, and there's never been a need for anything so inane. When people speak to oneanother, and welcome immigrants as neighbors, none of this 'cheekiness' is necessary. We had moms' groups, and had welcome teas with immigrants who wanted them. Typically, a few families volunteered to be contacts for any questions they might have, and any extra english work that might be needed. I can see where some things, such as explanations regarding medical care and public pools etc., might be a welcome bit of info, but most of the rest pushes it into the insulting, patronizing realm. most immgrants I knew, moved BECAUSE of our laws, not desite them, and were well aware that stoning was not allowed. Other parts of this, are merely religious intolerance. Highly disappointing in my books.

 

[tamarin]

Karrie, I know where you're coming from but so many individuals across Canada over the last twenty years have had their toes stepped on for daring to speak their minds that I think a little backlash is in order. We've been very poorly served by government and their going to bed with the Politically Correct hell*****s is unforgivable. '
'Back off!' and 'Shove off!' should easily trip off the tongue of any Canadian dealing with a gov rep.

 

[tamarin]

They bleeped wh*res. How infantile.

 

[karrie]

Karrie, I know where you're coming from but so many individuals across Canada over the last twenty years have had their toes stepped on for daring to speak their minds that I think a little backlash is in order. We've been very poorly served by government and their going to bed with the Politically Correct hell*****s is unforgivable. '
'Back off!' and 'Shove off!' should easily trip off the tongue of any Canadian dealing with a gov rep.

Well, I can get that you feel that way, but, that doesn't really excuse alienating all new imigrants, which is what this town intends to do. Not all Muslims are moving here expecting to push for different treatment. Not all Muslims move here ignorant of social norms. And yet, as they move into this community, they will be handed this. It will serve no purpose then but to demoralize and mock them. To patronize and to show disapproval. I just don't see how that is something to cheer on.

 

[#juan]

"A rural Quebec town has taken the unusual step of formally declaring it is forbidden to
stone women in public"

Do we assume that it is okay to stone them in private?....:?

 

[hermanntrude]

i dont know what to think about this. i can see good and bad sides. but it probably doesnt matter what i think, or what you think.

 

[karrie]

Do we assume that it is okay to stone them in private?....:?

But of course. don't you commit most of your crimes in private? If you have an absolute jones to do some public stoning, you'll need to find a man or child instead. Highly inconvenient, but, it's the price we pay to maintain a civil society.

 

[Chukcha]

most immgrants I knew, moved BECAUSE of our laws, not desite them, and were well aware that stoning was not allowed. Other parts of this, are merely religious intolerance. Highly disappointing in my books.

Little bit off topic, but relatively close.
From my point of view, having a horrible experience living in the socialist system, I lived in a country where your every step was recorded by the government, where they made all the life decisions for you, where you couldn't chose to live in your own tiny one room appartment, but had to in some cases share it with the alcoholics or criminals if you were unlucky, you had to wait at least 7 years in the housing cue to get a small appartment in the horrible Chruschev structured building, with the constant power and water blockages sometimes for the whole month in the WINTER at -20C. To get simple groceries you had to get up early in the morning to line in the cue, bread and milk was the only most accessible supply you could get mostly anytime of the day. But cold meats, eggs, margarine, and all the "delicasies" you had to wait for a long, long time in the massive cue, and in the end you may never get it, as the mass of people waiting in the freezing cold were attacking the cold meat which was thrown out the window. And that was all happening whilst the western ordinary family drove a somewhat drivable car, watched a colourfull TV, drank Scotch and coke, etc. Please don't take me wrong here, I am not blaming the west, but in fact the opposite.
When I first saw an open border in Sheremetievo, it was like stepping into the unkown heaven for me, when I did step into the heaven, I realised, that all that happened behind the wire was a myth, bluff, and haze of lies. The kept us there like the animals, and threw that cold meat to us like to dogs, they blinded us about the outside world, and there is no fairy tale behind my word, you can not imagine how horrible a lot of ordinary people lived in our society without even realising that it was in fact a horror. And I guess if not the large-toothed west (some of left overs totalitarians still try to brain wash you with that) we would still be there. IT WAS TOTALLY INTOLLERANT for the West to intrude, it had destroyed the idea of Communism in Russia, and broken many lives of those TRUE BELIEVERS in Communistic ideology, but it had saved mine and many, many others, and maybe saved millions of talents too.
So I guess not all that you hear is true, but also not all isn't true that you don't hear.

 

[karrie]

Little bit off topic......not all that you hear is true, but also not all isn't true that you don't hear.

Thanks for sharing your story Chukcha.

 

[Chukcha]

Thanks for sharing your story Chukcha.

Pleasure

 

[L Gilbert]

I prefer to let people stone themselves. Um, also prefer not to see children stoned. Let em grow up before they encounter drugs.