Finding a Voice

This week's post is will be something like a guest editorial. I belong to The Word Guild, an association of Christian writers. Today's discussion digest (Yahoo) included a thread called "The blogosphere and intellectual freedom." Quite regularly, and especially recently, we consider such issues.

Leading the way this week is Denyse O'Leary, in a post on a community blog: "Christiancrat vs. independent Christian journalists!" Her screed is direct, confrontational, and clear. More than the article itself, what stood out to me most, was something she wrote in a comment, after posting the article:

in the new world of “hrcs” [Human Rights Commissions], there is no common sense.

So there is an opportunity for a profession class that is UNBOUNDED by our traditional liberties. We will be their serfs and dhimmis, desperately hoping they take pity on us.

If that’s not what’s happening, this is their chance to show it.

In the meantime, like Louise, I want a Royal Commission to scour the land and find the inarticulate people who may have been unjustly treated and even harmed.

As articulate people, we OWE them that. We can start to help ourselves, yes, but we MUSTN’T leave them behind!

This theme resonates deeply with me. The articulate must represent the inarticulate. Those with a voice (as in, eloquence, resources, power or access to it, etc.), must give a voice to the voiceless. In an email to members of The Word Guild, O'Leary exhorts us:

I would encourage Christian bloggers to talk about the hrc issues on all appropriate blogs.

Let's not forget Deb Gyapong's excellent posts on these issues! She is more on top of it than I am.

Key problem: Even if we are eloquent, there are not that many of us.

So our issues tend to become orphans unless we keep the pressure up. ...

If you write anything worth reading and are not rich and powerful, you have no reason for complacency.

I do not have time right now (nor the background, really) to research, write, and post a screed of my own. But I do have the interest to point you in the direction of my colleagues from The Word Guild ... and the commitment to provide a new post at least weekly, especially on Tuesday--and it's still "Tuesday" according to my waking hours.

Other voices from The Word Guild worth "listening" to (i.e., reading) on the topic of free speech:
Ray Wiseman
Deb Gyapong (also here)

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I failed to note that CUPE had taken my picture during an official photo shoot.
I just didn't know when or where they would use it ...
especially because they had actually come to take pictures of my colleague
and I just happened to be in the same room so they took some pictures of me, too.

Am I a token blonde?

Do you ever search for your name on the Internet? I googled mine today. This blog came up 4^th on the list. Interestingly, I also appear 8^th—in the CUPE gallery of all places! A few weeks ago my sister said she had seen my picture in a CUPE ad in The Carlyle Observer. Today I discovered that two more pictures appear here. I may have socialist leanings (yes, I vote NDP sometimes), yet I'm ambivalent about unions, even after working in one for a year, so think it’s humourous that they used my picture in their ad campaign!

I was actually in Carlyle last week. Gave a concert at the Pentecostal Assembly. My sister, brother-in-law, and nephew (13) are going on a mission to Mexico with 11 others from their church. I had offered to give a fund-raising concert, so they took me up on it. What a wonderful evening. About 1/3rd of the people were relatives! I entertained with story and song, and we worshiped together: Let your glory fall in this room / let it go forth from here to the nations. Afterwards while I sold coffee and CDs, there was a pie auction, including an auction to throw a pie at the pastor and another man.

Of course I stayed overnight with my sister and her family. Got some good hugs, cuddles and inspiration from my nephews and niece. Had a good, long, and overdue visit with Jaime. She gave me a clipping of the infamous CUPE ad.

The Mexico team is leaving this Friday, so my parents are going to babysit the other three kids. Eric will be on school break, so without anyone to put on the school bus, it will be a bit like a vacation!

The Carlyle jaunt threw my schedule off. I did quite a bit of writing last week, but must apologize for not posting any of it to the blog. Will try to be better at posting at least once weekly—preferably on Tuesdays.

On my plate these days:

- A big advertising push at the newspaper—we’re publishing 2 extra sections this month for Ag Week—so I’m putting in 4 (long) days instead of 3.

- A concert on Saturday in Regina: HeartbeatS, an evening of music and arts in support of OptionS Pregnancy Centre. Advance tickets are still available at $15 each. Call the Centre at 757-1371.

- Finishing an overview of the book publishing process for a non-profit organization. We’re discussing the possibility of me writing a book about their ministry and its beginnings.





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