16 Comments
User's avatar
Kathy Ross's avatar

Martyna deserved praise and support for coming in to report what happened to her, not a sentence. Instead she met with cruelty and injustice. Horrific story, painful to read, and worse to endure. The judge who sentenced Martyna has a heart of stone and a muddled mind.

Expand full comment
J. Lidtkie's avatar

The justice for female victims hasn't caught up yet, as long as men and those who think they should, hold the power I doubt it ever will.

You can carry bear spray in Canada.

You also (unless laws have changed) can carry a knife that is shorter than the width of your palm, and not a switch blade, so a hunting knife.

I've carried one for decades now. One of the 97%.

Expand full comment
Sarah Carling Polk's avatar

As a woman growing up in the UK I was told to pee my pants or fake a sezure while yelling fire if I were being raped. In the US I became a firearms instructor and taught (mostly older widowed) women how and when to use a firearm safely for self defense. I know which strategy I will teachy daughter.

Expand full comment
Laurie Wood's avatar

Hi Kaeley - a Canadian female reader here who wishes we could carry pepper spray legally. Many young people in my city carry bear spray instead but if they're caught with it they're charged with carrying an illegal weapon. There's a huge market for machetes among them as well. I wouldn't go as far as you in saying we need to be toting guns up here :) I enjoy our gun control laws and the fact that I'm not afraid I'm going to be shot in the cross fire when I'm at a restaurant or theatre (at least, it's very unlikely). Also, we don't have the mass shootings or school shootings you have down south. However, I'm a strong advocate for women learning physical self defense, if only to give themselves self-confidence and the ability to know what to do in close quarter fighting. It should be taught in every elementary and high school. Girls should know how to defend themselves from a young age and boys should grow up knowing that they're going to get clocked if they try anything.

Expand full comment
Duckie Louise's avatar

(It’s also very unlikely in most places in America that we will ever get caught in any shooting/crossfire, btw 😅.)

Expand full comment
Duckie Louise's avatar

YALL CANT CARRY PAPPER SPRAY?! ☹️

Expand full comment
Ann Marshall's avatar

I don't disagree with your position generally but I can't for the life of me see how boys will ever grow up convinced that a girl will clock them if they "try something". In other words, you seem to posit that it is possible to raise boys to fear a physical altercation with a girl. I think the difference in baseline strength which results from testosterone will always give most boys and men the upper hand over most girls and women.

Expand full comment
Laurie Wood's avatar

see my comment above re raising boys...

Expand full comment
ILoveLiberty's avatar

In the Bible, Amnon was killed, he had raped his own sister. Absalom took care of it. Rape is a horrifying violation and the punishment deserves to be death, not these junk punishments today, where someone can get off with a song. Absolute Fire, like said below. Thank you.

Expand full comment
Cynthia's avatar

Absolute fire 🔥🔥🔥 Thank you!

Expand full comment
Dan Bouchard's avatar

You are so right!!!

Expand full comment
Victor Hauk's avatar

If one cannot defend their life from violent attacks then they are not free.

Expand full comment
Laurie Wood's avatar

Boys/men will always have superior strength due to muscle mass and testosterone. However, if girls grow up taking self-defense and learn how to leverage their bodies and use pressure points to defend themselves, their self-confidence and their own strength will develop. I was 117 lbs when I was a police officer and could defend myself and take down a 250 lb man because I was properly trained to do so. And back in the l980's we didn't use Tasers either. It's because of my training and past experience that I know girls/women could benefit from learning self-defense and martial arts to take care of men who assault them. They won't always "win" but they'll win a lot more than they do if they don't know self-defense.

Expand full comment
Sweet Caroline's avatar

Ridiculous. Removing the ability for women to protect themselves And then defund the police and not prosecute crime. #winning

Expand full comment
ChrisBoston's avatar

Everyone has a moral right to their life and liberty, and by extension to protect themselves from bodily harm, with whatever means is available to them. To deny or prevent this is itself as immoral as slavery, murder, etc. -- whether or not one is a judge who believes they are simply following the law.

Expand full comment
Michael F Thomas's avatar

Kind of bizarre that these responses were doubtless brought to you by people who saw #MeToo as an unadulterated good. We live in a moral universe increasingly bereft of reason.

Expand full comment