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Grassroots Blogger Reaction against Canada’s Status of Women Prompts Media Action

Public not aware feminist organization has been manipulating government since 1973

by Hilary White

TORONTO, August 25, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A grassroots effort to abolish the government-funded radical feminist organization, Status of Women, is picking up speed and garnering attention in the mainstream press. This morning, an article appearing in Maclean’s Magazine and the Globe and Mail, two of Canada’s most prominent news sources, cited the work of bloggers – also called “citizen journalists” – in bringing the issue to public attention.

On August 14, LifeSiteNews.com reported that Status of Women (SoW) was likely using public funds to launch a massive counter offensive in the media after human rights group REAL Women of Canada had sent letters to MP’s calling for the organization to be defunded and dissolved.

When the main Canadian media outlets ignored the story, it was taken up on the blogs – live online journals by private individuals – largely women, who say they were tired both of Status of Women’s radical feminist agenda in Canadian politics and the media’s campaign of silence against any opposed opinion.

Calling SoW (Status of Women) “elitist and undemocratic”, Suzanne wrote Tuesday on her blog, Big Blue Wave, “So it's a bunch of radical feminist bureaucrats consulting radical feminists to hear what they want to hear to promote more radical feminism on my dime.”

“When you question your government, your government will use your own money against you to punish you for daring to speak out,” Suzanne added.

From LifeSiteNews.com to the bloggers to the mainstream media, yesterday’s newswires included a piece from the Canadian Press on the grassroots online response. The item has so far been picked up by Maclean’s, the Globe and Mail and the Kingston Whig Standard as well as a number of other papers across the country.

Now REAL Women of Canada says the media calls have been coming in all morning. REAL Women Vice President Gwen Landloldt told LifeSiteNews.com that they had already had five media interviews with two more scheduled for today and three on Monday. Radio stations are also picking up the story, Landoldt said.

Suzanne – bloggers often use a nom de plume or withhold their surnames for privacy – had called for a “blogburst” on the subject and the Canadian bloggers responded. Big Blue Wave lists ten Canadian women bloggers who object to public funding for SoW’s promotion of a one-sided extreme feminist agenda.

Kathy Shaidle, a Toronto journalist and columnist who runs the 'blog Relapsed Catholic, wrote on Wednesday, “If Status of Women is so effective, why are the statistics for women so ‘bad’? The group has been around for decades, has a generous budget, but their own stats seem to indicate that they've not done much good.”

“SOW does NOT represent all women, and therefore shouldn't use my taxes to lobby for a radical feminist agenda dominated by abortion rights, victimhood, junk science and male bashing,” Shaidle continued.

Another, Loyalist, who writes on her blog Dissonance and Disrespect, said the campaign against public funding for SoW “is causing many an MSM reporterette and feminist blogger to break down in hysterics at the thought.”

Loyalist writes, “One wonders what exactly SOW has been doing with its $23 million a year to improve the lot of Canadian women. The only women's lot who have been improved, it seems, would be those who work for SOW and get grant money from it.”

Gwen Landoldt told LifeSiteNews.com that the response from the bloggers has been the catalyst that turned the situation around. “This is the first time in Canada that the bloggers are having an effect. Our letter went in and the mainstream media weren’t interested until the bloggers took it.”

Landoldt said that the blogs, after their successes in US politics and media interventions, are going to crack the shell around the Canadian political scene.

“People are just glad they can finally have their voices heard through the blogs and internet. Finally they have a medium in which they can vent their annoyance at some of these policies and at radical feminism getting all this money all these years,” she said.

In concrete terms of what the blogburst and media awareness will do, Landoldt said she did not know what would occur in the government, but at least now the public has been alerted.

“I think that people are looking at this agency (SoW) for the first time and scrutinizing it. All this time they have had all this money to do with whatever they want. And that is a great benefit.”

Landoldt said SoW is “alarmed” at the response. In their Access to Information request showing all correspondence between SoW and MP’s there was a memo to all regional directors to address the actions taken by REAL Women. 

Landoldt said, “Their livelihood is at stake, but also they are losing their grip on power. They have been manipulating the government since 1973 to conform to the extreme feminist ideologies and they’re terrified that they’re going to lose their influence.”

Read original LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Canadian Taxpayers Funding Radical Feminist Counter-Offensive
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/aug/06081501.html

Read the Anti-SoW blog burst:

Suzanne at Big Blue Wave:
“It is time to eliminate Status of Women”
http://bluewavecanada.blogspot.com/2006/08/it-is-time-to-eliminate-status-of.htm...

Hunter at Climbing Out of the Dark:
“One Mad Woman!!”
http://climbingoutofthedark.blogspot.com/2006/08/sows-going-ballistic.html

Kathy Shaidle at Relapsed Catholic:
“We need Status of Women Canada like a fish needs a bicycle “
http://relapsedcatholic.blogspot.com/2006/08/we-need-status-of-women-canada-like...

http://relapsedcatholic.blogspot.com/2006/08/oh-boy-charts-and-graphs-from-group...

Hailey at Every Good and Perfect Gift:
“Feminists Don’t Speak for Me”
http://haileysthreelittleangels.blogspot.com/2006/08/feminists-dont-speak-for-me...

Dianne Wood at Family Matters:
“The old SOW has got to go”
http://familymatterswithdianne.blogspot.com/2006/08/old-sow-has-got-to-go.html

Kate McMillan at Small Dead Animals:
http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/004489.html

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