Pneumatised!

This is a follow-up to my blog post from 2008, Tasers and Humans Rights.

Tasers in Canada

In its 2007 World Report, Amnesty International (Amnesty or AI) reported that there were 15 Taser-related deaths in Canada since April 2003. (The report covers the year 2006.)

In the 2009 World Report, there were at least four more Taser-related deaths in Canada bringing the total to 19 since April 2003. This report included Polish immigrant, Robert Dziekanski, who died after being stunned with a taser by the RCMP at Vancouver International Airport (as mentioned in my “Tasers and Human Rights” blog post linked above). His death was number 17.

The 2009 World Report by Amnesty cited six more Taser-related deaths bringing the total to 25 since April 2003.

In July 2009, AI reiterated its call for restrictions on Taser use. This public statement indicates that there were a total of 26 Taser-related deaths since April 2003. Amnesty in this public statement shares the findings from the Braidwood report (which is a report of the investigation into the death of Polish immigrant, Robert Dziekanski):

“After reviewing evidence from a wide range of sources, including research studies and experts in cardiology and electrophysiology, Justice Braidwood concluded that “conducted energy weapons” (CEWs) such as Tasers had the potential to fatally disturb the heart rhythm, even in healthy individuals, particularly when the CEW probes were placed across the chest.

He found that the risk of dangerous arrhythmias increased in people who had cardiovascular disease; whose heart was already stimulated through intense pain or stress; who were “thin” with “smaller skin-to-heart distance”; wore heart pacemakers; or were subjected to repeated shocks.

The report recommended that the threshold for using CEWs should be raised from “active resistance” (the most common threat level at which it was deployed by police in B.C.) to cases where individuals presented a bodily threat – and only when less extreme measures had been exhausted or were ineffective. It also recommended that all officers deploying Tasers should carry defibrillators (electrical devices used to restore normal heart beat) and should generally limit any CEW use to one five-second shock.

Amnesty International considers that the Braidwood findings are particularly significant as the potential and theoretical health risks described in the report appear to be demonstrated in actual death cases.

The findings reflect many of the concerns raised by Amnesty International in its recent study of deaths following Taser use in the USA. In a report published in December 2008, Less than Lethal? The use of Stun Weapons in US Law Enforcement, Amnesty International reviewed scores of deaths since 2001 and found they raised serious concern about safety and reliability of such weapons.

Many of the individuals who died were subjected to prolonged or repeated shocks, and in a significant proportion of the fatalities the deceased had heart disease or were shocked in the chest.

Most of the 334 fatalities in Amnesty International’s study involved people who were disturbed or intoxicated; however, in some cases, the deceased had no drugs in their system or underlying health problems but collapsed shortly after being shocked.

A further concern is that most of the individuals in Amnesty International’s study did not appear to present a serious threat when they were shocked with Tasers; 90% were unarmed.
Based on the potential health risks linked to such weapons and their potential for abuse, Amnesty International continues to call on governments and law enforcement authorities to either suspend their use or limit the deployment of Tasers to life-threatening situations.”

AI released its 2010 World report at the end of May this year. It states that there was at least one Taser-related death in Canada bringing the total to 26 (this is same number reported in AI’s July 2009 public statement reiterating its call for restrictions on Taser use; thus, it seems no more deaths have occurred since the Braidwood report). According to the 2010 World Report, in February, the RCMP revised its policy on Tasers and limited their use to situations where there is a “threat to public or officer safety”. There was public inquiry in British Columbia into the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski (the Braidwood inquiry mentioned above). The provincial government accepted all the recommendations outlined in the inquiry’s July interim report, one of which is raising the threshold for police use of Tasers from the standard of “active resistance” to “causing bodily harm”. This means that the Taser should not be used on someone for simply resisting arrest, but rather that the person’s actions must be physically hurting someone before the Taser could be used. Finally, in October, the RCMP and other Canadian police forces adopted directives that officers “should not aim Tasers at the chests of individuals.”

Although there was one Taser-related death in 2009, hopefully the changes made during the past year will prevent any further deaths related to having been stunned by a Taser.

Tasers in other countries

We still have a long way to go in preventing Taser-related deaths in other countries, notably the U.S. As of July 2009, “More than 360 similar deaths have been reported in the USA since 2001.” Additionally, the Taser X3 is a concern of AI as it allows officers to discharge three consecutive shots without needing to reload the cartridge. Amnesty writes, “Although current models, such as the Taser X26, allow officers to inflict repeated shocks by pressing the trigger once the Taser probes are attached to the subject, officers have to reload the cartridge to fire a second set of probes. This provides a built-in break on multiple discharges of the probes and allows officers to stop to evaluate the situation, as required by a growing number of law enforcement policies.”

In AI’s 2010 report on the U.S., there were at least 47 Taser-related deaths, bringing the total to more than 390 Taser-related deaths in the U.S. since 2001. Some of those killed were teenagers. From AI’s 2009 report on the U.S:

“Seventeen-year-old Darryl Turner died in March when he was shocked after an argument in the store where he worked in North Carolina. A video-tape showed a police officer firing Taser darts into Darryl Turner’s chest as the unarmed teenager stood with his arms by his side. The officer held the trigger down for 37 seconds and shocked him again after he had collapsed on the floor. Darryl Turner died at the scene. The coroner ruled the cause of death to be a fatal disturbance of the heart rhythm due to stress and the Taser shocks. The officer received a five-day suspension from duty.”

and also from the 2010 report:

“Fifteen-year-old Brett Elder, died in Bay City, Michigan, in March, after being shocked by officers responding to reports of unruly behavior at a party. The coroner ruled that the boy, who was of small stature [emphasis added], died from alcohol-induced excited delerium, with the Taser shocks a contributory factor.”

Most recently, following the death of a Mexican migrate after being Tasered by Customs and Border Control police, AI is calling for a full, impartial investigation into the death as well as for the US Customs and Border Protection Agency to “either suspend using Tasers or limit their use to situations where officers are faced with an immediate threat of death or serious injury that cannot be contained through lesser means.” (The same recommendations given in the Braidwood report from Canada.)

To sum up: In the U.S. alone, 390 people have died from Taser-related incidents. Some of them were teenagers. When is law enforcement going to finally admit that Tasers are lethal and deadly and that they are being improperly use? Apparently, not until the public decided to use them. See “Drive-Thru Taser Incident At Wendy’s“. The women involved were charged with “aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony”. And law enforcement spent the past few years claiming Tasers weren’t dangerous?? Clearly, the issue of Taser use needs to be straightened out in the U.S. – and soon.

~~~C

For those following the issues related to Gaza, Rabble.ca has posted some photos from the “Day of Action for Gaza” on June 5, 2010.

~~~C

I finished Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and Parable of the Sower last month sometime. Both are excellent reads depending on your mood. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is light-hearted while Parable of the Sower is fairly dark, though probably not as dark as Titus Groan. The ending of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell might surprise a few readers, but if you understand the characters well, you’ll understand the ending.

I’ve been reading about human rights like I mentioned. Primarily I’ve been borrowing books from the library. I finished reading International Human Rights by Jack Donnelly. It is nominally an introductory to human rights (though the author writes to an American audience). Still it was a good introductory, I suppose. It was published in 2007, written just at the time when the United Nations (UN) Commission on Human Rights was being replaced by the more prominent Human Rights Council. The change is probably a good thing as the UN Human Rights Council reports directly to the General Assembly of the UN (that is, all the members of the UN) rather than just the UN Economic and Social Council (which is composed of only 54 members of the UN, albeit elected by the General Assembly). Aside from this change, the book is fairly up-to-date. The cases in the book are older cases that are of historical note. For more recent news on human rights issues, you can read reports from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Right now, I’m waiting for a book to become available at the library. I have it on hold.

In the meantime, I finished reading a little introductory book on hieroglyphs. It is mostly about Egyptian hieroglyphs and includes a few chapters on Mayan hieroglyphs. These systems of writing are fairly logical. Aside from learning the meaning of different Egyptian hieroglyphs, it would be useful to actually speak the language because the Egyptian hieroglyphs also consist of phonograms (that is, images that represent sounds not the actual picture). The problem of course is that ancient Egyptian isn’t the same as modern Egyptian. Thus, the problem with translation of ancient Egyptian is that even if you can determine the sound of a word, it’s in ancient Egyptian and the word may have slightly changed meaning over the years. Of course, there are many hieroglyphs that have meanings associated with them and not just sounds making it quite an interesting writing system.

I also started learning how to write Chinese. Well, I knew a bit of the mechanics of how to write Chinese characters. What I’m learning now is mostly understanding Chinese characters and trying to recognize them. In some ways similar to how hieroglyphs work though the pictures over time changed to characters. For example, the character meaning “sun or day” originated from our standard sun circle with a dot or line in the center to a square with a line in the middle. Imagine drawing a vertical line down on the left side, then the top line and right line, then the line in the middle connecting the left and right, and finally the bottom line connecting the left and right lines. Remembering what some Chinese characters mean stems from understanding how it came that way. Other characters can be made from standard characters (called “radicals”). In this way, a meaning may be derived from two or more characters joined together. For example, the character for woman is one radical. The character for child is another. Now, to the Chinese long ago, a woman with a child was considered a good thing. Thus, the characters for woman and child joined together (written close to each other from left to right) means “good”. There are, of course, radicals that have no meaning and serve simply to help group Chinese characters together for ease of organization. Characters may also represent sounds only. Two Chinese words that sound similar except for the tone can be written differently by using a different radical that indicates which meaning to give to the sound. In this way, some radicals act like determinatives in Egyptian hieroglyphs. Interesting, huh? Characters represent syllables, which means that every syllable in Chinese has a character. This means that a word spoken in Chinese may be written with more than one character. Now, there’s this little problem of learning something like 3000 characters to actually be able to read a Chinese newspaper (basic literacy). A well-educated person should know about 4000 to 5000 Chinese characters. In any case, this is something I’ve been meaning to get around to because I really should be able to read and write Chinese. Never mind that Chinese brush writing is artistic in its own way. It gives an added style dimension to writing. (Oh, and in case you’re wondering, speaking Chinese is a separate system. The characters represent syllables of a word, but do not necessarily indicate the sounds you are to say. Thus, you have to learn how to say something in Chinese and associate it with the characters. Otherwise, the characters don’t necessarily tell you what sound to say – not like in English, when you see “t” you say the “tee” sound.)

I’m also learning Dutch. It seems fairly easy so far. It has some similarities to English and hm… I’m wanting to say French and German. I’m starting to remember some words like, “Dank je” (Thank you), “Goedemorgen” (Good morning) and “Doei” (informal “Bye!”), which is reminding me that I should say “Doei!” for now. I have some more reading and studying to do.

~~~CJ

The use (or rather the misuse) of tasers by law enforcement in Canada (and also the U.S.) is a growing human rights concern according to Amnesty International (AI) Canada (please see “Amnesty International’s Concern About Tasers”). Taser-related deaths have been increasing since they were deployed amongst law enforcement officers in Canada (and the U.S.). Most recently is the case of a Polish immigrant, Robert Dziekanski, who died after being stunned with a taser by the RCMP at Vancouver International Airport (see Amnesty International Canada’s news report on airport death). (News reports at the time said that Dziekanski was arriving to meet his mother and got lost in the airport. He couldn’t find any assistance in finding his way and couldn’t contact his mother. He grew frustrated and agitated at being lost in the airport. RCMP didn’t realize he was speaking Polish and sent the wrong language interpreter to the scene.) In 2004, AI Canada published a report addressing the issue of tasers. With the report are clear cases of tasers being used excessively, in some cases ending in death (please see “Canada: Excessive and lethal force? Amnesty International’s concerns about deaths and ill-treatment involving police use of tasers”).

Instead of sitting by and allowing this misuse of tasers to continue and taser-related deaths to increase, AI Canada is calling for a moratorium on the use of tasers. AI Canada is asking that law enforcement cease the use of tasers until independent research can be conducted on them. If you believe that the use of tasers should stop until more research is conducted on them, take action and fill out the form on AI Canada’s moratorium page. I have filled out the form and added the following comment:

Addditionally, the use of tasers can be inherently dangerous if used on someone with a pre-existing health condition (such as epilepsy or heart disease). Persons with specific health conditions are at greater risk of dying from being stun by a taser as their bodies’ tolerance to being stunned is lower. I do not believe law enforcement officers are well trained enough to be able to determine if someone may have a health condition that might predispose them to dying from a taser stun.

Clearly from the increasing taser-related deaths, tasers should be considered lethal force and in the meantime, should not be used until further research and clearer safety parameters are set.

You can read AI Canada’s latest report (in pdf) on this issue – “Canada: Inappropriate and excessive use of tasers (May 2007)”.

~~~Cass

Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake is the first novel in a trilogy, the follow-ups being Gormenghast and Titus Alone. The trilogy is nominally an epic, which tells the story of the 77th Earl of Gormenghast, Titus Groan. In the first book, Titus is born to Lady Gertrude and Lord Sepulchrave to the initial dismay of his older sister, Fuchsia. The first book basically tells how Titus becomes the 77th Earl of Gormenghast before he’s even two-years-old. The world of Gormenghast is dark, quite gothic in feel. Fuchsia has the temperament you would expect of any fifteen-year-old girl – she does whatever she wants and rebels against even her childhood nursemaid, who she professes to love with all her heart. The book is well-written and leaves a remarkably fantastical world imprinted on your mind. Although I initially wasn’t planning on reading the whole trilogy and despite criticism that the next two novels aren’t as impressive on the imagination as the first, I’m intrigued enough to want to find out what happens to Titus Groan in his later years. The next two books will be on my reading list.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley written in 1932 still scarily reflects on modern society, even in this new millenium. What can I say about it that hasn’t already been said? Obviously, there’s a strangely polarized danger to trusting in either science or religion too much. Yet, in many ways science seems to be the new religion of the modern world, as it seems to be in Brave New World.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (season eight) by Joss Whedon et al. is the comic/graphic novel version of Buffy. It continues the story after Sunnydale is blown up at the end of season seven. Volume one collecting issues one to five in graphic novel format is now available. There is also a continuation of the Angel serial. Look for Angel: After the Fall – it should be in graphic novel format once the comic gets to issue five.

I mentioned Fables before, I’m sure. I have pretty much caught up with the series I’m up to volume nine now, but I’ve taken a break from it to finish up some other books on my reading list.

If you’re interested in manga, some interesting ones are Blame!, Tsubasa, xxxholic, and Chobits.

I’ve been plodding my way through Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Quite an amusing read! It’s 1006 pages so it will take me awhile to finish it, especially since I tend to change books every so often for variety. Unfortunately, I don’t have the ability to finish a 1000-page book in five hours like a certain person I know.

I haven’t gone back to Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time yet. I find his serial quite absorbing and there are many plot lines to follow, so it’s best for me to read it when I have a good block of time available and I don’t have to think about doing anything else. I’m thinking I will get back to The Wheel of Time (book seven, A Crown of Swords) when I’ve knocked down my reading list a bit.

I’ve currently gone back to reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. It’s been a few weeks and I want to know how Strange is doing overseas as a magic advisor. 😉 I think the novel is wonderfully written.

I also started reading the much shorter novel Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. It’s listed as science fiction and like Brave New World is a commentary on modern society and where it may lead. Well written in the first person narrative, it’s easy to get drawn into the story. It’s told through the eyes of an empath who must learn to control her abilities.

Other fiction books on my reading list are:

The Ghatti’s Tale – Book One: Finders-Seekers by Gayle Greeno
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Lady of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (I didn’t think I would read the rest of Bradley’s novels in this series, but something keeps drawing me back to them. Having read Mists of Avalon and The Forest House already, the next in the series are Lady of Avalon, Priestess of Avalon, Ancestors of Avalon, Ravens of Avalon, and Sword of Avalon (to be published in 2009). The last three books in this series are written by Diana L. Paxson rather than the late Ms. Bradley. I’m thinking if I like Ancestors of Avalon, I’ll continue reading the rest of the novels written by Paxson, but I’m sure I’m going to read up to Ancestors of Avalon.)
Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon (a recommendation by Nathan (see his blog))
Artemis Fowl (books two and three) by Eoin Colfer (This is such an amusing children’s fiction series. You can’t not like it. 😀 )
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (Yes, I’m a little slow. Haha. Actually, it’s more that I’m not overly excited about the rest of the serial and I also don’t like reading hardcover books if I can avoid it. It’s an amusing children’s fiction serial and since I started it I thought I’d finish reading it. When the last book in the serial is available in paperback, I’ll read this one.)
Vampire Hunter D by Hideyuki Kikuchi (Ever since I read Battle Royale, I have no hesitation about reading another Japanese novel, especially one that Nathan’s picked up. 😉 This book should be amusing.)
The Diamond Throne and The Ruby Knight (books one and two of The Elenium) by David Eddings (I found these down in our laundry room where people recycle books. Thought I’d read these sometime. I read David Eddings’ other serial before and thought they were amusing, although Nathan doesn’t like Eddings’ writing so much.)
The Tower on the Rift (book two of The View from the Mirror) by Ian Irvine (Nathan read both books one and two and lost interest because Irvine’s writing isn’t the greatest. I have to agree. The story sounds interesting, but I found it hard to finish the first book. I may read this book at some point, but I’m in no rush too. Maybe if I really, really want to know what happens to the main characters…)
Dhampir by Barb and J.C. Hendee (I don’t have this book yet, but it actually does sound interesting and the writing I’m assured is pretty good. The book is the first in a series.)

Aside from reading fiction, I’ve been studying various subjects still and still have a pretty hefty list of non-fiction books to read. For the most part, I’ve been studying astrology (Western and Chinese astrology) and topics related to reiki and healing. I’ve also finally gotten a chance to delve into human rights like I wanted (gee, that wasn’t obvious with the last few posts). I’m more interested in international human rights, which is why I’ve been researching Amnesty International. There is a new human rights book that will be published and released later this month (International Human Rights: A Comprehensive Introduction by Michael Haas) that I want to read. I’m in the middle of writing a few pages on human rights for my website. It’s a work in progress and won’t be available until I get through a few source materials.

~~~CJ

Many people are still unclear about this not necessarily being a human rights issue (as posted below). Today, I posted the following comment on my own facebook note to help clarify:

The following excerpt from the OHRC website may make things clearer:

“You have the right to be free from discrimination that is:

* in a specific social area such as jobs, housing and services, and

* because of a ground protected by the Code, such as race, handicap or sex.

Your rights under the Code are not violated if you only have a social area or only have a ground. For example, the Code does not apply if a stranger on the street insults you by making a racist comment because this did not happen in a specific social area. The Code will also not apply if you feel you are being treated differently in your job due to a personality conflict with your manager because there is no ground.”

(source: http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/resources/Guides/
GuideHRcode2?page=GuideHRcode2-PART.html#Heading53):

Based on this, I would say Ms. Conover only has a ground (religious practices and beliefs) and not necessarily a social area (such as employment).

Additionally, I’ve addressed the idea that since the pageant is a public event, then this is a human rights violation by not allowing Ms. Conover to be a judge. Here were my comments on this:

No one’s disputing Ms. Murray’s actions. What you have to understand is that it is not a “public service”, which is a service offered through a governmental body or agency (a few examples would be government housing and employment insurance). Therefore, it does not necessarily fall under a human rights violation. The fact that the event is offered to the general populace and takes place in a public venue does not mean it is a “public service”. (Many people often confuse the meaning of “public” as it is used to refer to some businesses – not all businesses are “public corporations” – as well as government services.)

Again, I must state that being invited to be a pageant judge is not the same as being hired. It is as yet unclear if she was being offered a job or simply being asked to attend as a “honoured judge”, the latter being cited in news sources as the case.

Here’s clarification on the meaning of the word “public” as it is used in different legal contexts:

1) public service – refers to a service offered through the government, whether municipal, provincial, or federal

2) public corporation – refers to a business that has become “incorporated” (incorporation gives a business certain rights, one of which is that the incorporation is considered a “person” under the law) and has offered shares of the corporation to public

Not all corporations are public as not all offer shares to the public. Where a business becomes incorporated and does not offer its shares to the public, it is a “private corporation”.

Non-profit organizations (NPOs) may become incorporated. They do not offer shares to the public, though they may provide services to the public. They operate slightly differently and are governed by a different statute than profit corporations . Some people mistakenly call NPOs “public organizations”, which is not a useful term.

This is a follow up to “Human rights or not – reactions to the Ms. Conover issue”.

“Local witches are fired up and ready to picket
in support of Miss Toronto Tourism Pageant judge ousted for Wiccan beliefs”

Ms. Murray is going to have a rude awakening.

Though I wonder if in some way this is adding more fuel to the fire that originally sparked Ms. Murray to write a nasty mean letter to Ms. Conover regarding her hobbies, reiki and tarot card reading. While I agree that what Ms. Murray wrote to Ms. Conover was bigoted, we must realize that although the letter has been made “public”, it was a private letter to begin with. Much as I support the cause of religious freedom, a cause dear and near to the hearts of my pagan/Wiccan acquaintances, I also support all forms of human rights. Ms. Murray has the inalienable right to express her opinion, which she did (although in one of the more nasty ways possible towards a Wiccan) in her originally-private-made-public letter to Ms. Conover. If we as a society are going to vouch for one form of human right, we must also hold to other forms as well. Otherwise, why bother having them? Sadly, this does mean that in private correspondence, Ms. Murray can write what she wishes, even mean and nasty words. Had she gone and written this on a public message board forum or blog, there may have been more legal recourse possible. This is not the case. Ms. Murray’s letter was originally private. (At this point, I must ask, “How did the letter become public? Who made the letter public?”)

Returning back to the fire… clearly Ms. Murray has strong opinions against reiki (though I feel I must state here that there are Christians who also do reiki; “Ms. Murray if you happen to read this perhaps you should do some research before you start venting your views”) and tarot card reading. Clearly, she lacks knowlege of what is really involved in either of those practices. That being said, would picketing her precious little pageant change anything? Not sure. She may very well be one of those die-hard (emphasis on “die”) Christians who relish the thought of being a martyr for their god. For all we know, this is her biggest battle and it’s her chance to show her faithful duty to her god. Lovely. Then what we have is another Christian martyr for others like her to look up to. The flip side, of course, is that pagans/Wiccans and most sane people out there will think Ms. Murray is well… just a little insane (not that people don’t already think she is).

In any case, what I see here is something spiralling hopefully not out of control – yet. Let’s hope it doesn’t.

In the meantime, I choose to sit back and let my dear friends do what they must do. I must do what I must do. I believe in human rights. This means that I must see both sides of this issue and I cannot take sides. Doing so would mean that I believe that one human right (right to freedom of religious choice) outweighs another (right to freedom of opinion), which is not the case. I believe in both equally. (Think about it? I’m a pagan who also loves writing!)

Here’s hoping that something good comes out of all this and not the scenario I presented above. Mediators be ready, this is a tough one.

This is my facebook status recently, “Well, much as it sucks for Ms. Conover, being an invitee to be a pageant judge isn’t a human right like employment. Question: Were they hiring her???”

Such is the heart of the issue. Was she being hired? Sadly, many Wiccans and pagans do not understand what constitutes a human right and what doesn’t. Employment is deemed a human right because without employment a person would starve and their life would be in ruins. Being a invitee to an event, however, is not a human right. It’s a privilege. It is an honour to be invited to an event. Unfortunately, it was an honour that the Miss Toronto Tourism pageant didn’t want to bestow on Stephanie Conover because she practices reiki and reads tarot cards. As it turns out, Ms. Conover is a Wiccan. (See link at the end of the blog for the news article regarding Ms. Conover.)

Most pagans and Wiccans know that they have a fundamental freedom to follow any religious belief system they choose and have a right to practice their faith so long as it does not condone acts which infringe on others’ human rights. However, many do not know what exactly constitutes a human right, nor have they taken the time to understand human rights – something they are quite fond of talking about when they perceive an “injustice” against their religious beliefs. This is, to my chagrin, the case with many pagans I know. It saddens me in many ways. People overall have a tendency to react without thinking when something feels like a personal attack. Religious beliefs are very personal. Thus, people react without thinking when something feels like an attack on their religious beliefs. This is what I’ve observed with the Stephanie Conover issue, like similar issues – a reaction based totally on emotion without thought, one that many people simply need to “ride out”.

Then, they try to take me along for the ride. Next, they wonder why I don’t feel like it. Nope. Sorry. Much as I love some of my pagan friends and acquaintances, there’s a bigger issue here for me (as there should be for other pagans), which is representing myself as an intelligent and upstanding pagan and not making a fool of myself by reacting to something without thought. Sadly, I fear that many pagans will be seen as overly emotional and hyper-sensitive about their religion. Others will think that pagans are an overly emotional group of people, and being so overly emotional, they were clearly drawn to paganism simply due to its emotional appeal and without any intellectual basis. Sorry, that’s not me. I have a brain that I use (perhaps too much, some may say 😉 ). It has always been my goal to represent myself as an intelligent person (nevermind pagan), but being that I am pagan… Yes, I suppose I’m trying to represent myself as an intelligent pagan. Hopefully, it’s an example other pagans will follow.

It’s not my intention to give everyone a primer on human rights, but I do think people should try to understand it as best as possible. First, one should read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which governs the United Nations and all its member countries. Canada and the U.S. are members of the United Nations and are therefore governed by the UDHR. Next, one should look for the the relevant federal law covering human rights in their country. In Canada, we have the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which covers the rights of Canadians. You can also read the Wikipedia article on the Charter. Having read both the UDHR and the Charter (if you’re Canadian; I don’t know what laws the U.S. has), you may also want to research Amnesty International, which deals with human rights cases worldwide.

In regards to the Stephanie Conover issue, IF the Miss Toronto Tourism pageant had hired her and then fired her, she would have a human rights case, as it is a human right to not be discriminated against by an employer based on religious beliefs. The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) deals with discrimination and human rights cases. Information regarding religion and human rights can be found on their webpage “Religion and Human Rights”. If, however, Ms. Conover was only extended an “invitation”, there is only so much that can be done legally. Of course, that’s not to say that she may not get an apology from the Miss Toronto Tourism pageant organizers. I believe the human rights tribunal involves mediation and some things may be settled before reaching the tribunal or courts.

In the meantime, well… life moves on. I write this blog hoping that someone will actually understand the thoughts I’m conveying here. I sympathize with Ms. Conover. A snub is a snub is a snub – it stings, then goes away. However, there’s still lots of work to be done if pagans and Wiccans want to be taken seriously and thought of as intellectual and upstanding rather than overly emotional and hyper-sensitive. Understanding human rights and how they actually apply to our religious beliefs and practices is a starting point.

Links: Toronto Star article, “Not in the Cards”

http://torontoist.com/2008/01/miss_toronto_to.php

I never do anything I don’t need or want to do. I never do anything for fame or glory. I do things for the experience and challenge of it. That is the reason I decided to be Summoner for the Toronto Temple of the WCC. (See previous blog entry entitled, “Change is Afoot – Something New”.) Make no mistake, I did it because there was a need for it, and I felt I could fulfill that need. Now that my term as Summoner is over, I suppose I can explain the circumstances that gave me the opportunity to become the first female Summoner for the Toronto Temple of the WCC.

As mentioned in “Change is Afoot – Something New”, the Summoner role is normally given to a male of the community and the Hand/maiden role is normally given to a female of the community. Last year, it was decided that there were no qualified female candidates for the role of Handmaiden and the role was given to a male of the community. The Handmaiden and the Summoner are required to perform ritual if there are no Priesthood available on a ritual night. As the WCC rituals generally require a Priest and Priestess, this means that the Handmaiden and Summoner must be opposite genders. Thus, as the Handmaiden role was given to a male (we were to call him the “Hand”), they required a female to take on the role of Summoner.

When I first attended the WCC seven years ago and heard about the roles of Handmaiden and Summoner, I knew I was meant to be one of them (I hoped to be both, but never expected to be). I was in actuality more drawn to the role of Summoner, as I had started training in martial arts that year. In my mind there was no reason that a woman could not perform the role of Summoner. (See “Duties of the Summoner” for more about the role.) Because traditionally only a male could be Summoner, I pretty much settled on the fact that I would only ever serve as a Handmaiden (which I actually did, for the semi-private women’s group – not for the public temple). Thus, I resigned myself to having served as Handmaiden and I never thought to lobby Priesthood for the chance to be Summoner. (Of course, for the women’s group there is an equivalent called a “Gatekeeper”, but as I said above, I do things for the challenge. Gatekeeper would not have challenged me enough.) There were apparently enough lobbyists for a female Summoner – there were both men and women who pushed for it – so I never bothered lobbying for it. Meanwhile, in the span of seven years I advanced in taekwondo because I just kept training – I loved it and still do very much – and last year I received my second dan in taekwondo. As it turned out, I received my second dan just two months before becoming Summoner.

Deciding to become Summoner was not an easy decision for me, but I already knew that I had to do it. Since they were looking for a female Summoner, I knew that if I did not try for the role I would have regretted it. I already knew that I was the only female there trained to deal with conflict and confrontations. I also knew that I had to try for it because being Summoner would be a challenge for me in many ways. As I wrote in my previous blog entry:

This is something I’ve always wanted to do for my community. I’ve been hoping for the opportunity, and now it is here. My installation ritual was last Sunday (September 17) and my term has officially started. This, however, means that I have to be at ritual every Sunday night. That is a big commitment, but one I was willing to take. I’m hoping that the year will be a positive experience for both myself and the community as a whole (there may be some people who aren’t receptive to having a woman act as Summoner). I’m relying on my experience in martial arts to help me not only in the act of defense, if required, but also in dealing with men’s preconceptions of a woman’s capabilities. I’m hoping that my experience teaching and training in martial arts will give me the ability to read people accurately and to judge their motives. The Summoner role requires someone who can welcome new people to the community (i.e, be a good PR person) as well as someone who can protect the community. It’s a big challenge and one I’m looking forward to overcoming.

I’m glad to say that I have not regretted my year. Yes, there were sacrifices. For me, it meant not just giving up sitting in Sunday circles, but it also forced me to pull back on my many projects (most importantly, this website, which will undergo some more changes to reflect my growth as a person – more on that later). Not an easy thing to do. For one thing, I’m a writer to the core. Always have been. I need to write. Although I have a blog, I keep a private journal as well. I also keep a separate book for creative writing. Let’s just say it’s been rough not being able to write some things because I was required not to speak of them as part of my Summoner duties. My term as Summoner has been a challenge, and I think I’ve overcome the challenges. There were nights when I just wanted it to be over with, but there were good nights too. Overall, I have enjoyed my term to the best that anyone can enjoy a duty, something I felt I must do. It was an honour. Below are words that I would share with each and every Summmoner who succeeds me in this role:

The Summoner’s role is not an easy one, though it offers you many rewards and personal growth. As a Summoner, you are bound by duty and honour along with the oath you shall make tonight. Duty and honour shall become a fundamental part of you. Your duty is of the highest importance – you are the High Priestess’ protector and she is your charge. You also have a duty to protect the sanctity of the circle. Ensure that no one enters who may wish to destroy that sanctity. Your honour is invested in your duty as it is a high honour to be chosen for this role. Know that the community will hear your words and see your actions. Let your words and your actions be guided by your duty and honour. Speak and act with full awareness.

The Summoner’s role may seem lonely at times. During your term, you are the one who is making a sacrifice – your self for others. Remember your duty and hold fast to your honour – this shall see you through to the end. It is only through sacrifice that you will reap the greatest rewards (even if your sacrifice may involve your death). Do this not, though, for the rewards at the end. Do this because it is the sacrifice you are willing to make to your community. Enter into this role with humility. Seek not fame nor glory. Seek only to do your duty and hold to your honour.

Keep your mind clear and unbiased in carrying out your duty, but know that your job cannot be done without heart or feeling. You must care for this duty and for the honour that comes with it. You must care about those for which you make your sacrifice for without them you would not have this duty. This role is not about the self but about all others around you. However, do not neglect your self. Let not this sacrifice and duty turn your love for others into bitterness for there is much to be gained.

The duty and honour spoken of here is to the High Priestess and your community. I shall not speak of your duty and honour to your gods – that shall be your own. No one should dare to speak of your relationship to your gods.

Prepare yourself for your duty each week. Throughout your term, remember the words I have just shared with you.

This duty and honour shall be yours.

Duty and my honour have held me through to the end of my term. Nothing more, nothing less. As I said to the High Priestess before returning to the circle as a participant, “It was an honour.”

However, in light of some of the issues that came up during my term, it was also something I needed to do in order to grow and move forward.

In any organization, there will be politics and political maneuvering – it’s to be expected. I don’t play politics and, try as people might, I refuse to be a pawn and will do only what I deem is best. After all, the Summoner must be unbiased. The politics, however, are not the main issues that came up this year. They were more of an underlying theme behind two other issues – chauvinism and manipulation.

In a religion such as Wicca that holds near enough the definition of human rights (the ideas of freedom to choose and “do what ye will” as long as it “harms none”) as a fundamental tenet, there is an underlying current of male chauvinism from a few of the men in the community. Strangely enough, although Wicca historically is goddess-centred and women are held in high esteem, Wicca has attracted men who don’t necessarily view women as equals. My own explanation for this is the obvious – where there is a large group of strong and powerful women, there will be a large group of male chauvinists who thrive on the challenge of trying to put these women “in their place,” so to speak. Of course, not all men involved with Wicca are chauvinists; there are just quite a few. The few men who aren’t chauvinists I hold quite dear to my heart. Then, of course, there will be some women around who are perfectly okay with subscribing to the ideals of male chauvinists without realizing it, as they may be desperate for the attention the chauvinists will give them in return. Eventually, this turns into a nasty spiral where the community consists predominantly of male chauvinists and women who allow such behaviour. This is a slippery slope that hopefully will be avoided.

The issue of manipulation came to my attention in a roundabout way, when someone raised the idea of using NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) in the context of public rituals. NLP is fundamentally manipulation if used on others without their express permission. Using NLP in a public ritual context leaves no room for people to give permission for it to be used on them – that is my issue with it. NLP is considered a pseudo-science by the majority of psychologists. It can be used by psychologists with their clients (who know beforehand that it is being used on them) or for self-help (which is not my issue; if you use it on yourself, you pretty much have permission from yourself). However, using NLP in a public ritual context is, like I said, using it on others without their express permission. When someone attends a public ritual, they are given the opportunity to decide if they wish to enter the circle. As Summoner, there is a Charge that is given before entering the circle. In it are conditions that one should meet before entering the circle. One of these is that the person must feel ready to enter (the state of “readiness” is described in the Charge). If not, they should not enter. There is nothing in the Summoner’s Charge that says one must enter the circle and, in fact, the last line of the Charge is, “Enter those who will.” The use of NLP removes the conditional aspect of the Summoner’s Charge and turns it into commands and an order ignoring a person’s right to decide whether or not to enter.

I ignored the issue of NLP (because the person initially promoting it had no authority nor opportunity to really use it) until I saw one person from Priesthood thinking it was a great idea to use NLP with the Summoner’s Charge (although he stopped short of saying that its use was required; in fact, if using NLP was required, I would have left my duties). I addressed my concerns to this person in Priesthood (let’s say “Person A”) as well as two others in Priesthood. Person A’s response was, let’s just say, not very receptive of my opinion. He was pretty much defensive, both of NLP and himself, although I was careful not to sound as if I was attacking him. (On a side note, I’m not sure if the lack of reception was “Oh, I’m in Priesthood and she’s not, so why does her opinion matter?” or perhaps maybe “She’s a woman; why does her opinion matter?”) In any case, I addressed the issue as a concern not just because I was Summoner, but also (and most importantly) because I am a member of the Church. Frankly, I don’t want to walk into a ritual and have someone use NLP on me without my knowledge. In the response I received by Person A, there was a statement to the effect that “leadership and manipulation are separated by very blurry lines.” My reaction to this of course is, “I see how this person got into Priesthood.” As a matter of fact, the lines between leadership and manipulation are not very blurry – not to someone who is a good leader. Good leaders, in fact, lead by example and do not need manipulation. I need only point out the many martial arts instructors I’ve had who never needed to manipulate their students; they only set good examples. I might also point out that the taekwondo Master I currently train under does not manipulate others. He asks or suggests. We listen because we respect him. Clearly, the person who feels that leadership and manipulation go hand-in-hand has some issues he needs to work out. From my perspective, if this person was able to get to Priesthood without dealing with some of these issues, I have to ask whether or not the process of deciding who gets into Priesthood is fair or just. I have to ask whether or not the process of training the public clergy there works. (That being said, there are some people I respect who are part of Priesthood. It just seems that you will always get a “bad apple” in a package.)

Like chauvinism, manipulation should not be any part of Wicca; both feel quite contrary to the beliefs of Wicca. For one thing, there is the idea of freedom of choice in Wicca. For another, there is the “harm none” principle (“‘An it harms none, do what ye will”). Manipulation, in my opinion, harms and takes away freedom of choice. One might ask, “If you don’t get this, then what in Goddess’ name are you doing as a member of a Wiccan clergy??!” The answer (if you are intelligent enough to see) is power. The position of Priesthood is that of public clergy and some people are desperate for the power that comes with being a member of public clergy. They see and envy the adoration the High Priestess receives (knowing the High Priestess well enough myself, she gets adoration because she is adorable, simply put; still, some may pretend to like her because of her position). Some people ride on the feeling of power they get when they think they know better than others or feel that they are more spiritual than others. This is not any reason to be part of public clergy. If it is, then some people have things to think about.

I started attending the WCC in 2000 at the same time I started studying martial arts. Both of these things have been part of my growth as a person. I initially attended the WCC not because I wanted to become part of Priesthood, but because I wanted to learn and grow. These are the same reasons I started martial arts – to learn and grow. I found that when you love something so much you keep doing it. You eventually earn your stripes, so to speak, and through that you earn respect. I see this more in martial arts (at least the one I train in) than I do in public clergy at the WCC. I have found that some people are advancing at the WCC only because they’ve done the homework, not because of their merits. As a matter of fact, since it was never a big priority to get to Priesthood for me, I did not get my Neophyting until last year just after I became Summoner. Why? Not because I didn’t know what I needed to know in order to be a Neophyte. Rather it was because I had not taken the time to meet with my teacher and finish up some of the work. My teacher can’t rightly make me a Neophyte if he doesn’t know what I can do. I fear I am rather the minority than the majority in that aspect at the WCC. Spirituality is not determined by your rank and how fast you can go through a curriculum of study. A person’s spirituality cannot be determined by another. It is too individual, too personal. My spirituality is my own.

It is for these reasons above (and many more reasons, including another that also goes against my belief in human rights) that I have recently decided that at this time my studies towards Priesthood at the WCC must end. I feel there is nothing more to be learned there. Spiritual growth happens in life, not through a curriculum of religious study. I may not ever do the Neophyting work (a year of rituals designed for the Neophyte), but I honestly feel I’ve learned more than some who are in Priesthood or some who are about to join Priesthood (assuming they pass Council). I am my own priestess. I speak to my gods and they speak to me. What have my gods been saying to me recently? It’s time for me to move on and to do my own thing. The Goddess of Mysteries says “Make big changes. Use your power to change now.” Such was the divination I had two weeks prior to me stepping out of the Summoner role. I was not entirely sure when I received that message, but now I am. I am done. I am moving forward and onward and returning to who I really am. My gods are still guiding me.

I am a martial artist. It’s in my blood. That is why the Summoner role was suited to me more so than the Handmaiden. It is why I feel I was fated to be the first female Summoner of the Toronto Temple of the WCC. The role itself was a challenge. On top of it, the “first female” adds a whole other level of challenge. While I may respect my predecessor Summoners, they will never truly understand what I went through, for they are men. Perhaps one day if there is another female Summoner at the Toronto Temple, I may be able to share with her my experience and my lessons. But for now, it is the martial arts where my heart truly lies. I don’t know why I ever doubted it. I’m a warrior. (Astrologically, it’s called having a Mars in Aries. Mixed with a Moon in Scorpio and a Sun in Leo, you’ve got someone who’s more than a loaded machine gun. According to Darkside Astrology, I can also start fights in “an empty throne room” – all by myself. Really, do you want me for an enemy? Do you want to stand in my way? Don’t really need the machine gun either, just need myself. Lucky for people, I don’t lower myself to vengeance.) Most people don’t realize how spiritual martial arts can be. It can be quite gratifying and when I’m training it can be quite meditative. I’ve missed it much this past year since I’ve also had to sacrifice some do jang time during my term as Summoner. (So many sacrifices!) But martial arts has never left my heart and soul this whole year.

This year has also brought to light something that I’ve always held true to – human rights. I strongly believe that if we can all see each other as equals, then much of the hurt and suffering caused by one to another would dissipate and end. I’ve held true to this ever since I was young. (Maybe it’s because I grew up during the Trudeau years – that great Liberal Prime Minister who gave Canada our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.) I still hold true to that today. It’s more important than religious views. In recent years, I’ve been feeling a restlessness in regards to human rights. I have a degree in Business Administration and a certificate as a Business Law Clerk. I wanted to attend law school — but for the tuition, I would. Were I to go to law school, I would be studying constitutional law and human rights, not just business law. However, I have found out recently that I can do something for human rights through Amnesty International. I mentioned that I am a writer, and I can write for Amnesty International. The organization relies on individuals like me to write “Letters of Appeal” in order to defend another’s human rights. This can be done simply at home in my own time. I have spent some time researching Amnesty International and will be doing more research into it. However, rather than jumping into another organization, I plan on taking my time and seeing where things lead. Writing a letter – that, I can do. (As a point of fact, I can do lots of things, such as start a corporation because it’s part of my training in business and business law.)

I know there are many people who may be concerned about my stepping out as Summoner, especially my predecessors. There is this thinking that it is hard for the Summoner to return to circle afterward the term of service, that the Summoner becomes disconnected spiritually. I disagree. Do not take my leaving my studies at WCC to be the result of some inability to return to circle. It is not. I am more than ready to return to circle – a good circle – but my spirituality does not rely on being in a circle once a week. It never has. I love the magic of ritual, but I carry my spirituality with me – and like I said, I have martial arts. In the past year, I’ve learned to love running. When I run, I think of nature since I run outdoors. It’s a good feeling, being connected that way; just me and nature. My spirituality is with me wherever I go. So to those who may worry about me, do not worry; “please, no tears, no sympathy”. I entered my role as Summoner happy to do the duties involved, and I leave happy that I have done my duty. I feel I have done all that I must and can do for the community. Dropping my studies does not mean I’m no longer pagan. It most certainly doesn’t mean that I don’t value some of the friendships I’ve formed over my years at the WCC. I do, and I certainly hope that my decision not to continue my studies towards Priesthood doesn’t affect my friendships. It’s just the way things must be. Plus, I’m really not that hard to find, really. See, there’s this blog, the Brigid’s Flame website, and email.

Having said everything I think I needed to say, I shall end this blog entry with some words that reflect everything that I am feeling. These are lyrics from VNV Nation.

“I asked myself was I content
with the world that I once cherished.
Did it bring me to this darkened place
to contemplate my perfect future…
…I can say that you’re losing me
I always tried to keep myself tied to this world
but I know where this is leading
Please
No tears
No sympathy
I can say that you’re losing me
but I must be that which I am
Though I know where this could take me
No tears
No sympathy”
Epicentre

“This world is just illusion always trying to change you” (Me!)
Illusion

“Grant me wings that I might fly
My restless soul is longing
No pain remains, no feeling
Eternity awaits”
Beloved

“I’m leaving ground, stepping into a new world
I’m leaving ground, stepping into a new world
Now I’m leaving home, leaving everything, leaving everything
I step into this new world leaving everything”
Airships

Lastly, much love and thanks to my (bitter)sweetheart, Nathan, for supporting me without being overbearingly protective. Thanks for stepping back and letting me do what I needed to do. Most of all thanks for being patient and for listening to me when I needed it so! “With you I stand in hope the gods will save us from ourselves.” “It’s just you and me now. It’s just you and me – against the world.” (Genesis and Testament by VNV Nation)

Peace and blessings,
Cassandrah
Brigid’s Flame