Abortion Debate... or adults just flinging mud???

Recently, events unfolded at my child's school. There are three sides and I had to jump on this one, because I witnessed it all and sadly can not sit back and say what should be said.




Here is the letter presented by the Newspaper


http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2141045


" Jennifer Rankin's protest "

Posted By MICHAEL DEN TANDT


What harm would it have done to leave her alone?

Have we now reached the point where even non-violent, non-aggressive, non-confrontational expressions of anti-abortion sentiment are anathema?

Most Canadians likely do not agree with the political position taken by Wiarton high school student Jennifer Rankin, as part of an international Pro Life Silent Day of Solidarity.

Time and time again in recent years we have let it be known that we do not wish to revisit the abortion debate.

This is a deeply personal issue of conscience and most of us believe it should stay that way.

But Jennifer Rankin wasn't hurting anybody. She wasn't bothering a soul. She covered her mouth with red tape in mute protest. That's all.

For this, officials at Peninsula Shores District School brought out the police? For this they kept her isolated in a room at the school for an entire day?

Surely the police have better things to do? And surely a 16-year-old should not be punished for the nonviolent, non-aggressive expression of her political beliefs?

Some in the community are crying foul. They say it's hypocritical of the school to allow an annual Gay Pride event, but ban protests like Rankin's. They're right.

School principal Pat Cavan argues that Gay Pride is different. It's aimed at ending discrimination, which is banned under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Nonsense. Isn't free expression also guaranteed by the Charter? And don't people who take the anti-abortion or pro-life position also believe that theirs is a human-rights issue?

Of course they do.

If expressions such as Gay Pride are encouraged on school property, then other political expressions should be as well. It's only fair. Either you have no politics -- or you open the doors to all views.

On balance, no politics would be better. Educators have no business promoting political positions of one hue or another. That's a job for parents and for the students themselves.

But even if educators were banned from "teaching" political positions of any kind (which they clearly are not) they still would not be in a position to prevent non-intrusive expressions of political opinion, on matters of personal conscience, by students.

It's a free country. Freedom of speech is fundamental. We all have a right to speak our mind.

Agree or disagree with Jennifer Rankin, her courage is laudable. Her school owes her an apology.

Michael Den Tandt
Article ID# 2141045




After this article, our MP for the Grey Bruce area put his 2 1/2 cents in.


" Bluewater board still doesn't get it "


http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2144984

Posted By
Posted 2 days ago


Editor:

After years of bullying at the BWDSB and intimidation by top administrators toward teachers, employees, parents and students who have dared have an opinion of their own that might be different than the director's opinion; we now have another instance at a BWDSB school.

A few months back two young boys at an Owen Sound school were muzzled for speaking out against changes to their recess time and now we have a Wiarton girl who tried to silently protest something she believed in, only to be kept in an isolated room for the balance of the school day. Yes this happened at a Wiarton school -- in Canada. This is something you would expect to read about in a Third world, undemocratic country.

I read with great interest Michael Den Tandt's editorial on Jennifer Rankin and how she was treated during her pro-life day of silence at the school. The Sun Times is to be commended for standing up for freedom of speech on behalf of the young student and I want to extend my support to Jennifer Rankin for standing up for what she believes in. All students should feel free to express an opinion through respectful and non-violent means. It doesn't matter whether we agree with Jennifer Rankin's moral stand or not, we can all agree she should have the right to peacefully express it.

This is a good example of where federal law impacts on the rights of students and all Canadians. Clearly the federal Charter of Rights and Freedoms that provides protection for the right to freedom of expression should provide the protection of the right of young Ms. Rankin to partake in this kind of peaceful and silent protest.

Mr. Den Tandt states in his article -- most Canadians do not agree with the position taken by Ms. Rankin, but again that is not the point. The same could be said for the policy of allowing an annual gay pride event in the schools. Most Canadians would not agree with that practice either.

It has become very clear that the board has strayed from a policy of encouraging students and staff to respect all points of view and promote tolerance as a whole. They pick and choose based on the director's personal beliefs, instead of promoting tolerances in everything from race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, political views etc. -- there is a promotion of personal agendas instead. This is not what the school system should be for. That is what parents and grandparents are for.

It is very obvious to me and I assure you, many others in the community, that the BWDSB's recent self-congratulating excitement over its so-called review proved beyond a doubt that they still don't get it. It continues to be the same old problem. It is time to quit the charade.

To those on the board who have been bullied and intimidated almost as bad as the aforementioned, that is not a sufficient excuse for not doing your jobs. From the approximately 400 teachers and retired teachers who have contacted me plus the many administration staff and parents, the message is clear, they are not happy or convinced. The general public has it figured out what the problem is and I believe from talking to some of the board members that you know what the problem is as well.

What is stopping you?

The public understands and knows that there is going to be a cost to resolving the problem. For the sake of the system, our children and our grandchildren, do what is required and do it without delay.

A complete house-cleaning at the top of the BWDSB is what is required. You know it as well as I do.

Larry Miller, Member of Parliament,

Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound
Article ID# 2144984


Then my letter to the editor or the paper as a parent of child at this school.

We have heard from the school, Jennifer Rankin and Larry Miller ( Grey Bruce MP ) about the recent silent protest at PSDS regarding abortion; now it is time to hear it from a parents perspective.

I do commend Jennifer Rankin for standing up for what she believes in; however, there is a time and a place and it was clearly was not at PSDS while little children were getting off of the school bus, first thing in the morning.

While witnessing this event, I personally observed a group of 15 - 20 students gathering right inside of the high school entrance doors, and I for one am very happy that Pat Cavan chose to defuse that situation by removing Jennifer Rankin from the general student population. Large crowds and heated debates like abortion, do not bring out the best in people and the threat of a verbal or physical altercation was inevitable. This also protected Jennifer Rankin from attacks by her fellow students, who would feel justified with confronting Jennifer Rankin, for wearing labels at school that may conflict with their personal beliefs or life experiences.

School is meant to be free from discrimination and each student should feel safe at all times and not be subject to silent attacks by a student wearing a label like “ LIFE” across their mouth. Again my grievance is not with Jennifer or her protest, it is with her lack of consideration for every other student at the school, despite being warned days previous to the protest that she would be held accountable for her actions.

As a result, parents at this school are now and will be forced to explain abortion to their child or children because of Jennifer Rankin‘s actions. This subject is clearly not age appropriate. Jennifer Rankin did not have the right to express her opinion in front of any child or to compensate their safety to make her point.

Personally, I believe that Jennifer's silent protest was great, but with the little ones arriving at school and with the crowd starting to grow rapidly in the high school hallway; it was Pat Cavan's job to prevent an altercation or incident that could possibly jeopardize the safety of any students at PSDS.

Regardless of the topic: Abortion, Gay Rights, the right to better cafeteria food... or whatever cause you choose to support... there is a proper time, place and age appropriate consideration that is needed before protesting anywhere. Although Jennifer Rankin had the right to be heard, she did not have the right to infringe on others rights or expose young children to unsafe situations to make her point.

As students move from being a child to a teen, they inevitably will start to voice their feelings and concerns for various issues. This is their job; to question what they have been told and make sound decisions for themselves based on the information that they have collected.

Part of becoming an adult and being responsible is also holding yourself accountable for what you say and do. Now it is Jennifer's turn to take the floor and apologize to the families of the children who she has affected and denied their rights too.

I have also asked Jennifer on three occasions if she looked for at any other options for a healthy debate that the school was willing to offer; however, this question still remains unanswered.


Cherie Peattie

( A parent to a Grade 1 student at PSDS )

Letter to Owen Sound Sun Times & Wiarton Echo October, 26, 2009

Facebook does it again... Why disable Autism pages???

I never seem to be amazed anymore when Facebook deleted / disables my Facebook Autism page. My account is:


Cherie Peattie and my account is autism_support_and_play@hotmail.com


If you email them at:


appeals+d20eoeu@facebook.com


Then maybe they will turn this vital page back on...


What did I do wrong? Apparently I emailed 10 people who are members of my cause page, a Halloween Autism Awareness Card so I was deemed a spammer and was disabled.

Facebook works very slowly and this can take weeks to correct, with never an apology for the inconvenience of the support from the over 125,000 connected to me.

Enough is enough Facebook... get it togetehr already and stop penalizing those who aim to do good!



Thank you, I am only trying to help others, so not sure why they do this to me :(


Here is a FREE copy of the Halloween Awareness card for everyone to use...





Cherie ~ Autism Mom

My newest project...

I have been pre-occupied these past few months due to surgeries, but am happy to report that all is well. Aidan is doing great and he is about to start Grade 1. Hunter, Aidan's autism service dog will also be starting school with Aidan in the fall to help guide him through his day with greater ease.

I had the privilege of being invited to a " Big Tent " event in Toronto, Ontario on August, 8, 2009 and met some amazing Autism Advocates. The energy in the room that day was very empowering and has launched me into my newest project. I am hoping that this will encourage others to take on the task of their own province, territory, state, or country.

For those from Ontario, Canada please take a look at what I have been doing and feel free to make any suggestions. This is a new project, so there are lots of bugs to be worked out and lots of room for improvement.

Ideally I would like to combine all information, therapies, support groups etc on one site so that those entering the world of Autism can find what they need in one spot...


Take a look!


http://sites.google.com/site/cherieautismmomsite/Home

( just copy the address into your address bar )

Honoring Mason MacPhail 1993 - 2009

On June, 7, 2009 I was able to help honor Mason MacPhail in Toronto, Ontario at the Autism Speaks Walk. Many of Mason's family attended the walk and I like many was reduced to feeling helpless and unable to help fix the grief this family is all enduring.

I passed out white ribbons to honor Mason and everyone proudly wore the ribbons and I knew that the sense of community and rallying we all need was there. Thank you to everyone who took a moment to reflect and respect Mason and his family on this day.

Autism Speaks also delivered a wonderful speech about Mason followed by a moment silence. The bells from City Hall that rang out had a deafening reminder that Mason was gone, and for that brief moment we were all forced to see that anyone of us could loss a loved one as quickly as they were brought into our lives.

I cannot change the hurt this family is experiencing, but I can lend my hand and help when needed. I have met a few families who have lost children with Autism tragically and Masons case has hit me the hardest.

Mason will never be forgotten and I personally will see to it that his name and memory lives strong in the Autism Community.

Below are members of Masons family who attended the Autism Speaks Walk, I am asking that for those of you who have not had a chance to, to please leave a message of hope and strength for the family.

Also wear a white ribbon in honor of Mason for the young man who was loved by many and will be missed by all.

Mason MacPhail... who this amazing young man was.

Masons story was seen as a brief and tragic moment and his name quickly disappeared from the media. I want his name and face to be bright and for everyone to remember this amazing young man.

Over the past couple of weeks I have felt powerless and emotional not knowing how to help if I could at all. My efforts were best put into remembering Mason and spreading a message of who he was and who the world has lost. I have spoken with some of his friends and family and they have shared many things about Mason that make me feel saddened for the loss of Mason for everyone's lives that he touched.



What happened to Mason?


On Tuesday night, the night Mason went missing (May 26th 2009), there was an altercation inside of club where Mason went to see a concert, (at the Sound Academy on Polson St.Toronto, Ontario CANADA) and he was escorted out of the club. He was found 2 days later and had drown.



Who was Mason?


Mason loved to cook, and his mother Lori shared with me some great memories of Mason in the kitchen,

"... On Mothers Day we spent time in the kitchen making Panzorotti's for the family. But he did have pizza down to an art :) On a Saturday or Sunday morning he would cook up a half a pound of bacon and scramble eggs, and made breakfast for anyone who was interested.

He and I spent a lot of time in the kitchen and I taught him to make Pepper steak with a gravy over a bed of rice. I taught him how to make spaghetti and lasagna. He also loved to make garlic bread with cheese (home made of course).

Mason also loved to bake. At Christmas we made lots of things together. He could make wicked Chocolate chip cookies and one of his favorites were Oatmeal raisin and Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies :) He loved for me to bake blueberry muffins.

My son Dustin wanted it be told of how Mason would often go into the kitchen and start to whip up a batch of what we call, Palachinka's, but are really crepes :) A girlfriend of mine taught me to make them about 20 years ago and I've taught Mason to make them.
He was sooo proud of himself to be able to make Palachinka's on his own, and I was soo proud of him for making them too :)

Dustin is Mason's older brother, by 2 years, they were both born in March..."




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"...Mason loved to go for walks. Long walks and on a daily basis. And he played his guitar every day. We all loved to hear him play the guitar and he used the amp and turned it up loud and we loved that too :)

He LOVED to sing and was a very good singer and knew all of the words to all of his favorite songs :-) I love to sing and taught all of my children to sing and the love of music. He would walk around the house singing.

He was the class clown. He just wanted to make people laugh. And he told some pretty wicked jokes. Always a joke coming out of his mouth to make people smile or laugh. He was such a happy go lucky kid and I was very proud to have him as a son.

His I-pod touch was his constant companion and at school he was allowed to have it on as it helped him to focus,.....go figure, It would drive me crazy and I wouldn't be able to listen to music and write or do school work at the same time!!!... "



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"... Mason's favorite color for t-shirts or collared shirts was always white. Especially now that the spring and summer is here. For winter his favorite color for shirts was black.....all the way :)


Mason loved to work out with a Universal Weight Machine that we have here at home and he used it daily. He liked to lift weights and he liked to do Martial Arts. He was in a Ju Jujitsu class last year and loved to grapple. He used the punching bag at home a lot. He was also in a Hapkido class.He had a lot of respect for Master Choi.

The job he dreamed of having was in Construction work. He LOVED hard work and wanted to get big and strong and thought he would take a college course in Construction work... "



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"... He was preparing himself for the time that I would be in the hospital for my Total Hip Replacement Surgery, as I would be in hospital for 12 day's. He had a Heart of Gold. Always said "mom, don't worry it will be okay, you'll see, you'll be better than ever when this is all over with..."


Mason "... was very self sufficient. He was a very tidy person. Not a thing allowed out of place in his room. He would not allow me to help clean his room, and he kept it polished and the TV was always shining with not a speck of dust on it, (as it is black). As was his bedroom furniture always sparkling from being polished. I was not allowed to vacuum his room, that is something that he had to do himself, on his own time. His room was HIS Domain :)


He had many friends on the computer game "The world of Warcraft" as well as "Runescape". I do not know how to let people there know that he has passed. He will be missed dearly there as well because he was an avid player and played often with his Chat headset. He was a true warrior on the games and helped many, many kid's and adults alike on the game.


He and his brother, Dustin often sat side by side with 2 computers to be partners to beat the game, and they often played into the wee hours of the morning :)
Dustin will treasure those memories forever. Dustin is 18 and was Mason's "role model", he looked up to him..."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


On the day of the concert it was supposed to rain, I had gardens to till up and flowers and vegetables to plant. Mason was the kind of boy that said to me "okay mom, lets go.....I'm gonna till the garden for you and you can pull the weeds and then we'll plant the flowers"!!!

He was soooo excited to go to the concert, he kept telling me "OH Mom, I am so PUMPED for tonight". We also spoke of the dangers of him being in Toronto and the rough and tough people that hang down near there (downtown Toronto). I told him to make sure he tells his friends NOT to"slam dance" and to be careful that you don't bump into people, because you surely DON'T want to get kicked out of the concert. I said to him....that's THE LAST YOU WANT TO HAPPEN, IS TO GET KICKED OUT!!!! He said, I know Mom and I've already talked to them about that!


Mason was not a good swimmer and would never ever go willingly anywhere near the water as he was afraid of it. Nor would he just start wandering around on his own, not knowing where he is. He also didn't know which way is North or south. Was always bad with directions. He couldn't go public transit due to his Aspbergers. He didn't even have the chance to call me as he was escorted out of the club at 8:17 and we know that his cell phone battery was dead due to the immersion at 8:30. That's a very short period of time, And call me, he would..."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


From Jodie, Mason's girlfriend;


"... Mason was a pretty happy person, so he laughed a lot. His best qualities were probably the way he could make you laugh about anything, even if you didn't want to laugh at all he could still make you smile. As well, he was very understanding, he wouldn't judge anyone he always had to get to know them for himself first before making up his mind.

Mason treated people with respect and would treat everyone really kindly even if they weren't too nice to him, he'd still try to be nice to them.


Mason had tons of friends. He loved meeting people and talking with people. Everyone will miss him so much and we all love him. He made a huge impact on this world and helped a lot of people in their darkest times..."

Mason MacPhail 1993 - 2009

Mason David Connor MacPhail



The family of Mason sadly announces the tragic passing on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 in Toronto at the age of 16. Beloved son of Lori and Carl Simmons. Loving brother of Dustin MacPhail, Cory, Travis, Melissa and Ashley. Uncle of Jeneah, Sophie, Aiden, Rhiannon and Emma. Sadly missed and loved by Jodie McGregor. Also missed by his family and friends.

Friends and relatives will be received at Calvary Pentecostal Church (1421 Lansdowne St. W., Peterborough) on Tuesday, June 2, 2009 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. A Funeral Service will be held on Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 1 p.m. at Calvary Church. Cremation to follow at Rosemount Memorial Gardens.

Autism Dog Services

For those who are curious where we went and how we determined if a service dog was for us.

(Copy the links and paste them in your address bar)



Official Site:

http://autismdogservices.ca/



Volunteer Site:

http://sites.google.com/site/autismdogservices/Home


Autism Dog Services
139 Hewat Street,
Cambridge, ON N3H 4H2

(519) 721-1068

info@autismdogservices.ca

Contact / Director: Wade Beattie