To: Taro who wrote (459790 ) 2/27/2009 3:21:42 PM From: longnshort Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 1573941 Well hung MARK STEYN Wednesday, 25 February 2009 The title refers to the defendant on the scaffold rather than the plaintiff in the shower in this latest example of the wonderful world of Ontario "human rights". The Closet Conservative draws our attention to the case of a pre-op transsexual - ie, still with the old meat and two veg, so not to be confused with the equally litigious post-op transsexual in the other great Ontario "human rights" transsexual jurisprudence landmark who demanded Dr Stubbs perform a labiaplasty on her. In this case, the transsexual applied to join a fitness club in St Catharines and wanted to use the women's area. At this point, she revealed to the owner, John Fulton, that she still had a full set of wedding tackle: Fulton said he wasn't sure what to do because his female clients might not be comfortable with a man in their changing room. "To me it was not a big deal, I just don't know how my women would feel about having a guy showering with them," he said. "He still hadn't had his operation yet." So two years later here we are in Ontario "human rights" hell. The plaintiff is now a plaintifette, having had the operation and relocated to Ottawa. But back in St Catharines it's John Fulton's pound of flesh that she and the commissars are determined to extract. When I was testifying at Queen's Park, I made this point to the parliamentary committee: >>>Maclean's and I have no fear of Barbara Hall, the commission or the tribunal. You're welcome to try and do your worst to us. We have deep pockets. We pushed back and we filled the newspapers with stories about all these wacky cases that Barbara Hall and others are so obsessed about. Like all tinpot bullies, the commission couldn't take the heat and backed down. But if you're just a fellow who happens to own a restaurant in Burlington, the Ontario human rights regime will destroy your savings, your business and your life for no good reason. The verdict is irrelevant; the process is the punishment. That's true. Let's take Commissar Hall and the fast waning Professor Moon at their word - that I'm a hater. I'm in the hate business. Hate is my middle name. Hating is what I do. I like my hating so much that when I leave my job at Hate Industries Inc I take my work home with me and hate all night, all weekend, and Victoria Day, too. So, when Commissar Hall decides to catch my eye I'm happy as Larry. Or rather I'm hatey as Larry. It's like a drop of blood in the shark tank. It's like tossing a raw carcase in the tiger's case. I gambol out to chew on Commissar Hall's leg and have a grand old time. That's the business I'm in. But Gator Ted in Burlington isn't, and nor is Dr Stubbs at his cosmetic surgery clinic, nor the owner of that strip joint in Mississauga, nor Mr Fulton at Fulton Fitness. They're just regular guys trying to make a living. They're not professional haters, or even mildly "right-wing". Most of these fellows are just the usual go-along-to-get-along squishy Canadians. Apparently, John Fulton has co-sponsored the annual St Catharines Aids walk for years. Does that sound like some foaming Steynian homophobe? Well, a fat lot of good it did him come the day the Ontario "human rights" enforcers showed up to ruin his life.<<< I also said this in my testimony: >>>When Mohamed Elmasry announced his suits against Maclean's, he was supported by Terry Downey of the Ontario Federation of Labour, and Ms. Downey, explaining her support for Dr. Elmasry, said, "There is proper conduct that everyone has to follow." Sorry; I pass on that one. For one thing, there is no "proper conduct" in the wacky world of pseudo human rights in this province. The rules are made up as they go along, so even if you wanted to follow them, you can't. What's the "proper conduct" for Mr Fulton? Decline to let the pre-op use the ladies' changing room and get a "human rights" complaint? Or let the Big Swinging Dick have the run of the shower and get a whole bunch of other suits from his outraged female members? What's the "proper conduct" for Dr Stubbs? Decline to perform a labiaplasty on the post-op transsexual because he's no idea what he's getting into (so to speak)? Or perform it and risk a malpractice suit for botching an operation? What's the "proper conduct" for Gator Ted? Tell the medical marijuana guy to stop smoking pot in his doorway and be hauled before the commissars? Or let the guy go ahead and get sued by the trucker sitting next to him at the bar when he fails his drug test? There is no "proper conduct", only the whims and caprices of nuisance plaintiffs backed by the Ontario government's social engineers. Bar owners and fitness clubs run up five- and six-figure legal bills. The nuisance plaintiffs get the tab picked up by taxpayers, and thus have no incentive to settle.<<< I returned to my theme during the questioning in Parliament: >>>The tribunal, I think, needs to be brought within the codes and conventions of this country's legal system. At the moment, it upends them. The burden of proof ought to be on the accuser. The accuser should not be allowed unlimited funds to frivolously torment people for no reason, beggaring them for something that serves no public purpose. Whatever you think of the marijuana thing, it seems initially to arise from a defectively written law. But that great issue, the issue of where you can smoke medicinal marijuana-the burden of that should not be on Gator Ted. The transsexual labioplasty is perfect nonsense. Any sane person understands exactly what was going on when that doctor said that he was not willing to operate on these two transsexual women. The idea that people should be essentially punished by a system that does not allow them equality with their accuser is a mark of great shame to this province. If there has to be a tribunal, it should be brought within the bounds of normal legal practice and this province's 800-year legal tradition.n St Catharines has "transitioned" to her new identity. The trouble is the justice system is transitioning along with her. The principles Canadian justice was born with - presumption of innocence, due process, equality before the law - have been systematically chopped off, and what's left has been given extravagant new implants of entirely synthetic "human rights". We will all have our fun with the right of penises to enjoy the ladies' shower. But Mr Fulton, like Gator Ted, will be ruined in the process. This system is not just ludricous, but profoundly wicked.steynonline.com