Project: Speak Up, Speak Out - Stand Up, Stand Out

Mental Health issues affect us all, if not us personally then a friend or family member. 25% of people are affected, that's too high! Life is shit for all of us, obviously someone will be crippled. It goes on upstairs but believe me it is crippling. 

I'm starting this project on my blog, which used to have my political stuff, but there are too many of those. There are too many self harm and suicide blogs where people can exchange information. Being in that position myself I was searching euthanasia websites looking for a "peaceful escape" but eventually came to the conclusion; not that it wasn't for me, but it wasn't for me. 

My sense of morality kicked back in and an old friend; emotion; his name was Passion came back to me. 

I think assisted dying should be legal, but methods should not be utilised by persons with MH issues. I believe my own sense of morality and justice saved my life in this regard. 

So, given the plethora of suicide blogs, I think I should even the balance and invite people to talk about their story and how a mental health problem can be overcome. 

Anyone is invited to send me a private message and I will grant privileges to post here. Obviously I'm editing so if you suddenly start flogging herbal Viagra and enhancements to willies you're banned!

This project is about positivity. If you think it's nieve and dangerous pls say so. It's early days. I want to see where it goes. But my invitation is to Speak Up, Speak Out, Stand Up, Stand Out

My Submission to the Constitutional Convention

I have made the following submission to the Convention on the Irish Constitution regarding Seperation of Church and State, you can submit your own here - It helps if you're from Ireland

Constitutional Convention Proposal: Separation between Church and State

Contrary to the values of a democratic republic, the Irish state’s constitution panders and genuflects itself towards another state, The Holy See. It’s astonishing that following centuries of bloody revolution, to remove one foreign power and its values; an emergent nation capitulates before another empire, thus enshrining their values and norms within her founding documents. It might have reflected the values of an early 20th Century society drunk on its first taste of independence but does not reflect upon the values of 21st Century Ireland.
The ideals of a republic lay out a basic framework where all citizens can live freely within the boundaries of the law, without being discriminated against on the basis of their: Gender, Marital & Family Status, Age, Disability, Race, Orientation, Religion, Itinerancy.

Thus far, the Convention on the Irish Constitution has done sterling work on vindicating the rights of the above mentioned groups, however it’s falling short in vindicating the rights of citizens of minority religions, and those who claim no belief.
The purpose of this submission is to propose separation between church and state; to enshrine freedom of conscience for all citizens within the Constitution of the Irish Republic.

Secularism 

Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. Matthew 22:21 

I think Jesus Christ is correct in his assertion; the law of a particular state are of no importance to the creator of the universe. The texts of holy books, regardless of the religion they derive from, are forward-looking, calling for adherence of the law-of-the-land, before laws of the god. I argue that religious references are repugnant to a constitution and religious texts recognise that. Within this context, the Irish Constitution is blasphemous.

Blasphemy

On the CC agenda, but here for context.

Prayerfulness and Poetry

Ireland has a rich history of poetry and literature, although beautiful in their metaphor and imagery, such language does not belong in a document which underpins a legal system of a republic. The legal code should be based on evidence and reason, and not leave anything open to interpretation. Suave barristers use this to their advantage to create legal loop-holes, reputable religious scholars would agree the same has been done to religious texts. Many codes are manipulated such a way to justify discriminatory attitudes and actions which are contrary to the values of justice, compassion and respect. A constitutional document should be watertight to make the job of a state judge easier in maintaining the integrity of a nation’s laws.

Reccomendation: Remove references to “God” 

“In the name of the Most Holy Trinity, from Whom is all authority and to Whom, as our final end, all actions both of men and States must be referred, We, the people of Éire, Humbly acknowledging all our obligations to our Divine Lord, Jesus Christ, Who sustained our fathers through centuries of trial…”

The preamble of the Irish constitution is emphatically sectarian and frustrates the ideals of a republic. It even discriminates against Christian citizens who don’t accept the dogma of a trinity. If a preamble is necessary, I would recommend an assertion to the effect of:
We the people of Éire, who give government their mandate, do hereby enact this constitution
The current preamble has been cited in legal cases and judicial decisions, and therefore should be removed/amended.

Recommendation: Homage of Public Worship (Art.44)

“The State acknowledges that the homage of public worship is due to Almighty God. It shall hold His Name in reverence, and shall respect and honour religion.” 

This article is contrary to freedom of conscience, it suggests citizens are compelled to worship regardless if they believe or not.
I would suggest either deleting this article or replacing it with an assertion respecting freedom of conscience.

Recommendation: Oaths (Art. 12, 31, 34)

I write this recommendation on behalf of anyone taking part in a court trial, and anybody taking public office. As my above recommendation states, I suggest that the Irish Constitution should assert freedom of conscience of its citizens. Religion is one of the 9 grounds of discrimination in Ireland, although it is reserved to being a private belief, some believers can be easily identified (i.e. clothing), however in a legal/legislative/executive function no citizen should feel compelled to reveal their religious identity.
Within the legislative/executive branches, those who are atheist, agnostic or other - have to swear to a specific deity in which they do not personally believe.

The minority religious or non-believers are often perceived as untrustworthy, thus the mandatory oath only serves to reinforce that stereotype.
This may seem the most hard-line of all my recommendations, however in the best interests of the state and its citizens, I recommend removing all religions oaths from state functions in favour of a singular affirmation for ceremonial purposes if need be.

I would like to thank all members of the Constitutional Convention for their kind consideration of my submission, and offer my warmest appreciation of their work thus far in working towards a stronger Ireland, which cares for all of her citizens.

More money than sense

Today in Dublin, a new wave of abortion rights for Irish women was kicked off. Back in July, the excessively wealthy Youth Defence created a billboard campaign trying to maintain the status quo of keeping abortion illegal in Ireland, but it had the opposite effect. It catapulted abortion into the public discourse against the backdrop of ABC v Ireland.

Youth Defence underestimated the Irish public. The majority of the Irish population is young, educated, and progressive; who can see through the misleading information Youth Defence put out. This mobilised many young people to get involved in abortion rights campaigning. Attending some of these workshops people would introduce themselves as being veteran campaigners since the days of the X case, and before, but the vast majority are young people who were disgruntled by the Youth Defence poster campaign which motivated them to speak out.

I send my wholehearted congratulations to everyone involved in organising today's event, to those who showed up and participated, and to those who braved the cold at the counter-protest to the Vigil for Life. A dignified protest, modest in number, grass roots, committed, which is of much more benefit than dollars.

When dealing with Women's rights, the word 'manpower' may be inappropriate, 'Human Resources' may sound too corporate for a fledgling grass roots movement; but in order to present this movement in the most professional and ambitious manner, it's appropriate. Non-gender specific terminology is secondary.

Today I met many talented, intelligent, enthusiastic people who are passionate on bringing Ireland into the 21'st century regarding women's health.

We were heckled by supporters of Youth Defence, reminding me of the 5th Commandment but not see the irony of the 9th by buying into the rhetoric of the anti-choice movement.

I'm happy I made the choice to get involved, and I'm confident this campaign will flourish and get dividends, thanks to Youth Defence.

Losing One's Virginity in the Third Dimension

So today I went to see The Hobbit, but this is not a movie review as such, the film was good - that is all.

I had long avoided 3D movies thinking they were nothing more than a fad that would pass off. That is a more cynical attitude than a skeptical one, a skeptic would give 3D a chance while a cynic would just dismiss it out of hand. Well I meet my friend at the agreed time and go to the movie, but the showing at this time was 3D, but not being one to flake out, I'll give 3D a go and wear the ridiculous glasses over my already ridiculous spectacles. What struck me first was how impressed I was by the title sequence, the Warner Brother's and New Line Cinema never looked so good, and for once; the Metro Goldwynn Mayer lion didn't make me think of Tom & Jerry, I was dumbstruck by how the lion just pops out.

People had complaints about motion sickness while watching 3D, I can sympathise with that, in the early scenes between dialogue between characters and camera panning was unnecessary, a vestigial technique from the old fashioned second dimension of cinema. However I acclimatised after about 20 minutes and the rest of the movie was plain sailing.

Overall the experience was quite immersive, flinching whilst flaming acorns flew towards my head, and moving to the side as boulders came at me. The New Zealand/Middle Earth scenery is amazing and it really brings you there, and intensifies regret on not having visited that amazing country yet.

I don't think I'll make it my business to see every movie in 3D, however not being a big Sci-Fi/Fantasy fan, it may make me enjoy the movies more by dragging me kicking and screaming into their world and screaming the ongoing drama in my face which is what I look for in a movie. Comedies, not much point, Blockbusters, especially ones with an unrealistic world, sure.

If I was to see another movie in 3D, I'd choose Star Trek; as I've said, I'm not a Sci-Fi fan, but it looks good and would make me enjoy the movie more.
I've always loved Superman, and with the Christopher Nolan involved, The Man of Steel looks like something I would like, and perhaps in 3D, we put this motion sickness theory to the test.

Overall I enjoyed my experience in the third dimension, so I may as well comment on some aspects of the movie. A couple criticisms I disagree with:

The Shire looks like Tellytubby Land
Everyone said that about the original trilogy, that's how Peter Jackson decided the look for his movies, lets move on.....

The 48 Frames per Second makes it look like an 80's Soap Opera
I didn't get that but maybe it's my eyesight. [Incidentally, there was a delay in the screening as projectors had to be changed...]

The Dwarfs singing goes on too long, and so does that movie
I thought this a perfect opportunity to take an emergency comfort break should I need it, although there are two songs, the first is entertaining and the second is quite moving, they were not as long as I was lead to believe.  As Hitchcock said, the length of a movie should relate to the endurance of the human bladder, mine survived, thanks for asking.

I do think, and would have no problem with, Peter Jackson doing a re-release of the original DVD trilogy cutting old Bilbo (Ian Holm) finding the ring, and replacing it with Martin Freeman for the sake of consistency  It would make Jackson comparable to George Lucas but what film director doesn't want to be regarded in that company, even if it does make you look like a revisionist.

And of course, Andy Serkis as Gollum stole the show! The man deserves credit for turning motion capture CGI into an artform.

One thing though...  the dwarfs look grotesque with their large bulbous noses, William Arimatage (Thorin) didn't get as much time in make-up as the other dwarfs, and looks uncomfortably human, not belonging to the dwarf gene-pool, considering he's their king and greatest hero. Since there is no Viggo Mortensen to be Aragorn this time around, did the makers think the ladies need eye-candy?

The League of Extraordinary Gobshites have Farted in my General Direction

After seeing this unintentionally funny tweet from Ireland Stand Up.....

RT @irelandstandup Abortion mills - the booming busines in the sale of baby body parts << I'll have a leg, side of chips and coke #vinb
— Steve Duggan (@DugSciof) November 27, 2012

I couldn't resist.

@dugsciof yes you're very funny, it was for those doctors too when they fled for their lives because of death threats, one of them left
— IrelandStandUp (@IrelandStandUp) November 27, 2012

@dugsciof behind his wife who was pregnant with twins, he has never seen them, so if you want to make crass jokes, you really have a sick
— IrelandStandUp (@IrelandStandUp) November 27, 2012

@dugsciof sense of humour, and have never had to endure years of living in an asylum centre for standing up for your beliefs
— IrelandStandUp (@IrelandStandUp) November 27, 2012

WOW! Who do these people really stand up for??

It's Time to Legislate on X

Abortion has always been a polarising topic in Irish public life, but unless you've been living under a rock the past few weeks, it's been thrust back into the limelight after the tragic death of 31 year old Savita Halappanavar, a Dentist living in Galway. Savita presented herself in A&E at Galway University Hospital complaining of back pain but was found to be miscarrying after being 17 weeks pregnant. Spending 3 days in agony she requested an abortion multiple times but was denied as the foetus still had a heartbeat. After the foetus was finally induced, Savita developed septicaemia and was dead within a week.

20 Years ago the Supreme Court ruled that abortion is permissible when there is a substantial risk to the life of the mother after the Attorney General issued an injunction to prohibit a suicidal raped teenager travelling to the UK to access an abortion. This teenager known as "Girl X" is now older than Savita, and that Supreme Court ruling has never been legislated upon. No government has had the moral or ethical courage to legislate on that Supreme Court ruling, which frankly does not go far enough. Doctors are unable to perform their duty of care to the patient, as they could not act within the scope of the law as there was no immediate threat to Savita's life, however there was a real threat to her health. Savita's cervix was dilated during her 3 day agonising miscarriage leaving her prone to infection. Under Ireland's archaic laws on abortion, the right to life of the unborn undermined the right to life, and bodily integrity of the mother.

#savita Stop using savita to push an abortion agenda. UCHG staff says she died from a pre-exisiting condition. #showsomerespect
— Harlice Surel (@HarliceSurel) November 26, 2012

Even the anti-choice movement are jumping on this latest case to spread lies and mis-information. Savita's husband Praveen contacted Galway Pro-Choice seeking advice on going public with this case, and to campaign on legislation for X. The campaign to date has been respectful and dignified in comparison to the inflammatory hysteria peddled by pro-lifers we've become so accustomed to in recent years.

The swift slippery slope to abortion-on-demand in Britain should be forefront in the Irish debate on legislating for the disastrous X ruling
— Richard Waghorne (@richardwaghorne) November 22, 2012

Even the old chestnut of Abortion on Demand is getting thrown around, personally I see nothing wrong with that. We had a miscarrying woman in agony demanding an abortion which was denied. A pregnant cancer patient demanded an abortion which was denied and had to travel to the UK as her life was deemed not to be in immediate danger. Due to problems having her passport renewed, her cancer treatment was delayed. Do not be fooled, anti-choice rhetoric muddies the water and derails the argument, which is what they want.

I have my reservations with surgical abortion, but upon reflection I may feel the same way about any high-intervention treatment. In a lot of cases, a medical abortion might be the best option for many Irish women if legislators allowed for it, where a GP can prescribe medication to terminate a foetus up to 10 weeks. It would certainly prevent women from ordering dodgy pills online, having to travel to the UK, or worse still - back alley coat-hanger abortions, ensuring the safety of Irish women.

Irish women who require a termination have their human rights violated. They are denied, what can often be a necessary treatment in their own country; making them unequal before the law, violates right to life and bodily integrity. In 2012 we should no longer be arguing about this in Ireland, and making urgent demands on the government to finally update and legislate upon a 20 year old Supreme Court Ruling.

I'm a Republican, that's why I'm not a Republican

I've always found the notion of republicanism troubling. Last year when Elizabeth and Philip Coburg-Saxe-Gothe (commonly known as Windsor) visited Ireland a lot of republicans caused civil unrest and made unreasonable demands to have the royal visitors return the 6 counties to the Irish Nation. Such a bizarre demand as it's not within their mandate in the British establishment to return any colony under the current democratic process that exists in the United Kingdom of Great Britian and Northern Ireland.

Any Republican worth his or her salt would know that after the Good Friday Agreement the provision that the country of Ireland was the entire island was removed via popular vote.  It seems that republicans in this day and age do not respect the diplomatic will of the people.

In fact nowhere in the Irish Constitution, Bunreacht na hÉireann, is the word "Republic" used.  The preamble reads more like a prayer:

In the Name of the Most Holy Trinity, from Whom is all authority and to Whom, as our final end, all actions both of men and States must be referred,

We, the people of Éire,

Humbly acknowledging all our obligations to our Divine Lord, Jesus Christ, Who sustained our fathers through centuries of trial,

Gratefully remembering their heroic and unremitting struggle to regain the rightful independence of our Nation,

And seeking to promote the common good, with due observance of Prudence, Justice and Charity, so that the dignity and freedom of the individual may be assured, true social order attained, the unity of our country restored, and concord established with other nations,

Do hereby adopt, enact, and give to ourselves this Constitution.

You would be forgiven for thinking that that after Ireland achieves Independence from one empire, capitulates to another. I often think of the Irish constitution as being plagiarism of the US constitution by a catholic fundamentalist with Archbishop McQuaid looking over his shoulder.

Watching the US presidential debates, the so called Republicans cry fix when their candidate loses a debate, the republicans represent the conservative mindset. The Democrats represent those more liberally inclined.  Both republican and democrat mean the same thing! The choice of the people is to be respected, but US politics has descended into madness since the time of the founding-fathers of the United States. A bi-partisan system is not a republican idea, nor is it a democratic idea, it has a hint of the stench of totalitarianism - different arse, same smell.

Under the classical Greek idea of a republic, Justice puts the person at the centre and it's the responsibility of the people to determine for themselves how the rule of law should be applied. All citizens are responsible for the own happiness and the happiness of others to create a flourishing and pluralistic society where no person is excluded based on colour, background, gender, sexuality or belief. But to capitulate to a value system coming from a land-locked state with the City Centre of Rome, that values righteousness over justice is a huge mistake. Under a tyranny of righteousness there is only black and white, there are no grey areas and many miscarriages of justice can happen under such a system.  Thou shalt not .... but what if you have no choice to do so to prevent harm coming to yourself or another. I shalt not steal a weapon, knowing the owner has the intention to bring harm to me, another or an animal? I shalt not kill president Palin, in Bruce Willis style just about as she's going to press the button? I shalt not covet? really? in a capitalist free market economy? I think that injunction from the top 10 is redundant, the high-value goods my neighbour possesses are an Android smartphone and a PlayStation 3 - I'm happy with my iPhone and Xbox 360 thanks.

Theft will occur, those who steal do it out of desperation as they need to feed ..... Ah, here's the grey area - their family, or their drug habit. One motivation to do wrong may be honourable, and perhaps the other motivation deserves punishment for the sake of society so it can flourish.

Only under a secular pluralist system where all citizens are entitled to the right to self determination and have their own freedoms can a society flourish without a majestira telling them what is verboten. No matter where you live in the world, the word "Republican" needs to be reclaimed, so all people are equal, even the leaders, without the high status of politicians, priests, popes and princes.