Never a Liberal ballsack around...
...when you really need one...
Something odd is going on with Michael Ignatieff and China. It’s more than two weeks since dissident Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel peace prize while residing in a Chinese jail cell. If Mr. Ignatieff has had anything to say about it, he’s keeping it well hidden.
Read more
Monday, October 25, 2010
Gordo, busy shuffling the deckchairs
Cartoon courtesy of the Vancouver Sun
Gordo, for you international visitors is the Premier of our Province, an area larger than many countries. His current approval rating is somewhere around 9% courtesy of his own self inflicted wounds, the latest being the HST tax. Not to mention that little deal for BC Rail either. His answer to this minor problem of being absolutely despised is to shuffle his ministers around and to make a public announcement. I wonder if you can get a minus public approval rating? This is despite our Province doing better than the rest of the country and fairly successful winter Olympics. I can imagine his ministers sitting in Cabinet comparing him to Nero?
I have always despised Gordon Campbell, I saw his style when he was Mayor, it sucked back then and it sucks now. The worst part of this sorry tale is that the opposition is not much better, the NDP have stumbled along under the lackluster leadership of Carole James and frankly I have to say she is the only one that can save Campbell, just as he is the only one that could possible get her elected. I wish we had a Shakespeare to write a play about this farce, I wonder what he would call it?
Meanwhile reluctant voters will trudge to the polls with the option of jumping from a cesspool into pool full of nuts. Thankfully I have a Conservative running in my area, otherwise I might have to vote for the resident Marxist-Leninist who normally gets 5 votes (no doubt one from Mom) I miss the Rhino party at least they were honest about not wanting to do anything constructive, other than changing driving from the right to the left, gradually buses and trucks the first year and the cars that survive the next year!
BILL C-580: Fixing the gun registry, or fixing gun owners?
Courtesy of the Don’t tread on me blog and the CSSA
BILL C-580: Fixing the gun registry, or fixing gun owners?
Bill C-580 was tabled on October 8, 2010 as a private members bill by NDP M.P. Charlie Angus to address potential fixes to the long gun registry. Its stated purpose was to “respect the concerns of rural Canadians while enhancing public safety.” It does not accomplish either purpose.
Let’s examine the goals in detail, along with other aspects of C-580 that the NDP have chosen not to publicize.
Providing a first-time exemption from criminal penalty for not registering a long-gun:
C-580 provides this exemption for “first time offenders” only if charged under Section 112 of the Firearms Act, a little used section that can already result in a fine for the offense of possession of a non-restricted firearm without a registration certificate. The usual charge laid by police is a Section 91 offense under the Criminal Code. Bill C-580 does NOT address Section 91 offenses.
Mandating the Auditor General to provide financial oversight of the registry:
Auditor General Sheila Fraser stated to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security in May 2010 that she could not possibly conduct any financial audit for the next three years due to prior commitments. It is only a good idea if it is tied to a cost/benefit analysis. The Auditor General is not mandated to perform a cost/benefit analysis.
Protecting the privacy of gun owners’ identifying information:
C-580 permits any records of any individual to be released to any person, inside or outside Canada, “in the interests of public safety.” Bye, bye privacy. This maintains the shopping list for criminals.
Creating a legal guarantee to uphold Aboriginal treaty rights:
While C-580 states an offense under any of sections 90, 91, 93, 97, 101, 104 and 105 may have the effect of abrogating or derogating from any existing aboriginal or treaty rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 may not be proceeded with, it places the onus upon the Defendant to prove his or her treaty rights were violated. This process will cost the Defendant tens of thousands of dollars to prove a violation. A decision favourable to the Defendant would almost certainly be appealed by the Crown. In net effect, there is little difference over what currently exists.
Establishing permanently free registration
Not quite. C-580 only eliminates the fees for Non-Restricted firearms. Owners of restricted and prohibited firearms will still be subject to an, as yet, undefined fee. This serves to create a two-tier system. Given the rest of the provisions in this bill one can assume this is deliberate. The fees for registering any firearm were eliminated in 2003 and registration has remained free since. These provisions in C-580 are a step backward, not forward. And remember, the Canadian taxpayer will end up stuck with the tab. Nothing is free.
Allowing military and police to share important information with the Canadian Firearms Program, including mental health concerns
This section should read “Requiring military and police…” It requires that Canadian military and police personnel must disclose whether they have ever served with the Canadian Forces or have ever served as a police officer. In doing so, all their service records become open to the Chief Firearms Officer without their consent. It is appalling that someone who has served Canada with honour should be subject to “criminal suspicion” because of their former occupation. This is precisely the issue that ordinary Canadians have bitterly complained about for so long. If, as C-580 implies, these individuals present a risk by virtue of their service to our country, perhaps we should be examining whether they should be given firearms in the first place? This section is offensive to those who serve and certainly does not indicate any “fix” of the long gun registry. On behalf of all gun owners, we are ashamed this made it to First Reading.
The following sections are not publicized in the NDP releases.
Ripping off widows and families
(2) Paragraph 112(2)(b) of the Act is replaced by the following:
(b) a person who comes into possession of a firearm by operation of law and who, within 90 days or such longer period as may be granted by a chief firearms officer under subsection (2.1), lawfully disposes of it or obtains a registration certificate for it; or
This is the section of the Firearm Act that pertains to firearms placed in the possession of an Executor for the purposes of lawful distribution under the Inheritance Act. Currently, the sentence states the person has a “reasonable time” to fulfill their obligations under the two Acts. This current wording is appropriate. Larger collections may be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and require months (or years) to sell at fair market prices. Bill C-580 removes that option from an executor of an estate, forcing very valuable firearms to be sold off at bargain basement prices within a 90-day period. Literally, this section rips off widows and families by forcing the sale of valuable estate property. This grossly unfair.
Bill C-580 does allow for the extension of the 90-day period by permitting a single 90-day extension. In order to obtain that extension however, the widow must go, hat in hand, to the Chief Firearms Officer and be granted permission to extend. Simply put, another basic right subject to an arbitrary decision made by an appointed bureaucrat.
Gun bans – fasten your seat belt!
4. Section 117.15 of the Act is amended by adding the following after subsection (2):
(3) The Governor in Council may make regulations requiring a manufacturer or importer to provide information for the purpose of establishing that the thing in question is reasonable for use in Canada for hunting or sporting purposes.
This section is a Canadianized version of the infamous British “Sporting use test” where all firearms are subject to bureaucratic interpretation as to what justifies a hunting or sporting firearm. This has been used to prohibit most of the firearms in Great Britain. It places enormous power in the hands of the bureaucracy to ban firearms. It is obvious that this is the intent of this section. Charlie Angus spoke of “closing the loopholes” in order to prohibit the popular Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle, a common sporting and hunting firearm used by tens of thousands of Canadians. As the Mini-14 is no different than many other hunting rifles, this would be the start of wholesale confiscation.
Summary
It is very clear that this legislation does little or nothing to address the problems inherent with the long-gun registry of the Firearms Act. It is “smoke and mirrors” legislation which will certainly lead to further prohibitions of firearms, increased bureaucratic authority and more regulatory hoops firearms owners will have to jump through. Bill C-580 proves Canadian firearms owners cannot turn to the NDP party for relief from this oppressive legislation. Whether intentional or not, C-580 is proof positive: They just don’t get it.
The CSSA believes all responsible firearms owners should strive to ensure Bill C-580 never sees the light of day.
BILL C-580: Fixing the gun registry, or fixing gun owners?
Bill C-580 was tabled on October 8, 2010 as a private members bill by NDP M.P. Charlie Angus to address potential fixes to the long gun registry. Its stated purpose was to “respect the concerns of rural Canadians while enhancing public safety.” It does not accomplish either purpose.
Let’s examine the goals in detail, along with other aspects of C-580 that the NDP have chosen not to publicize.
Providing a first-time exemption from criminal penalty for not registering a long-gun:
C-580 provides this exemption for “first time offenders” only if charged under Section 112 of the Firearms Act, a little used section that can already result in a fine for the offense of possession of a non-restricted firearm without a registration certificate. The usual charge laid by police is a Section 91 offense under the Criminal Code. Bill C-580 does NOT address Section 91 offenses.
Mandating the Auditor General to provide financial oversight of the registry:
Auditor General Sheila Fraser stated to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security in May 2010 that she could not possibly conduct any financial audit for the next three years due to prior commitments. It is only a good idea if it is tied to a cost/benefit analysis. The Auditor General is not mandated to perform a cost/benefit analysis.
Protecting the privacy of gun owners’ identifying information:
C-580 permits any records of any individual to be released to any person, inside or outside Canada, “in the interests of public safety.” Bye, bye privacy. This maintains the shopping list for criminals.
Creating a legal guarantee to uphold Aboriginal treaty rights:
While C-580 states an offense under any of sections 90, 91, 93, 97, 101, 104 and 105 may have the effect of abrogating or derogating from any existing aboriginal or treaty rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 may not be proceeded with, it places the onus upon the Defendant to prove his or her treaty rights were violated. This process will cost the Defendant tens of thousands of dollars to prove a violation. A decision favourable to the Defendant would almost certainly be appealed by the Crown. In net effect, there is little difference over what currently exists.
Establishing permanently free registration
Not quite. C-580 only eliminates the fees for Non-Restricted firearms. Owners of restricted and prohibited firearms will still be subject to an, as yet, undefined fee. This serves to create a two-tier system. Given the rest of the provisions in this bill one can assume this is deliberate. The fees for registering any firearm were eliminated in 2003 and registration has remained free since. These provisions in C-580 are a step backward, not forward. And remember, the Canadian taxpayer will end up stuck with the tab. Nothing is free.
Allowing military and police to share important information with the Canadian Firearms Program, including mental health concerns
This section should read “Requiring military and police…” It requires that Canadian military and police personnel must disclose whether they have ever served with the Canadian Forces or have ever served as a police officer. In doing so, all their service records become open to the Chief Firearms Officer without their consent. It is appalling that someone who has served Canada with honour should be subject to “criminal suspicion” because of their former occupation. This is precisely the issue that ordinary Canadians have bitterly complained about for so long. If, as C-580 implies, these individuals present a risk by virtue of their service to our country, perhaps we should be examining whether they should be given firearms in the first place? This section is offensive to those who serve and certainly does not indicate any “fix” of the long gun registry. On behalf of all gun owners, we are ashamed this made it to First Reading.
The following sections are not publicized in the NDP releases.
Ripping off widows and families
(2) Paragraph 112(2)(b) of the Act is replaced by the following:
(b) a person who comes into possession of a firearm by operation of law and who, within 90 days or such longer period as may be granted by a chief firearms officer under subsection (2.1), lawfully disposes of it or obtains a registration certificate for it; or
This is the section of the Firearm Act that pertains to firearms placed in the possession of an Executor for the purposes of lawful distribution under the Inheritance Act. Currently, the sentence states the person has a “reasonable time” to fulfill their obligations under the two Acts. This current wording is appropriate. Larger collections may be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and require months (or years) to sell at fair market prices. Bill C-580 removes that option from an executor of an estate, forcing very valuable firearms to be sold off at bargain basement prices within a 90-day period. Literally, this section rips off widows and families by forcing the sale of valuable estate property. This grossly unfair.
Bill C-580 does allow for the extension of the 90-day period by permitting a single 90-day extension. In order to obtain that extension however, the widow must go, hat in hand, to the Chief Firearms Officer and be granted permission to extend. Simply put, another basic right subject to an arbitrary decision made by an appointed bureaucrat.
Gun bans – fasten your seat belt!
4. Section 117.15 of the Act is amended by adding the following after subsection (2):
(3) The Governor in Council may make regulations requiring a manufacturer or importer to provide information for the purpose of establishing that the thing in question is reasonable for use in Canada for hunting or sporting purposes.
This section is a Canadianized version of the infamous British “Sporting use test” where all firearms are subject to bureaucratic interpretation as to what justifies a hunting or sporting firearm. This has been used to prohibit most of the firearms in Great Britain. It places enormous power in the hands of the bureaucracy to ban firearms. It is obvious that this is the intent of this section. Charlie Angus spoke of “closing the loopholes” in order to prohibit the popular Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle, a common sporting and hunting firearm used by tens of thousands of Canadians. As the Mini-14 is no different than many other hunting rifles, this would be the start of wholesale confiscation.
Summary
It is very clear that this legislation does little or nothing to address the problems inherent with the long-gun registry of the Firearms Act. It is “smoke and mirrors” legislation which will certainly lead to further prohibitions of firearms, increased bureaucratic authority and more regulatory hoops firearms owners will have to jump through. Bill C-580 proves Canadian firearms owners cannot turn to the NDP party for relief from this oppressive legislation. Whether intentional or not, C-580 is proof positive: They just don’t get it.
The CSSA believes all responsible firearms owners should strive to ensure Bill C-580 never sees the light of day.
You shall conform!!!!!
This Candid camera episode is a perfect example of social pressure to conform. Words are not spoken, just the actions forces people to conform even if there is no logical reasoning behind it. We are social animals and being part of a group is important to us. That innate desire is used by people to attempt to force you to conform to their ideas, another name for this is “Social engineering”. Having married a wonderful lady from Malaysia, we both get to see how much our culture influences us and causes us to thing in “norms” which are only normal for us and not others. Never underestimate how much your culture controls you with a unseen hand!
As a gun owner I have watched this social engineering take place. Shooting and gun ownership in Canada has gone from a everyday well respected institution to social outcast. Shooters are afraid to promote their sport for fear of be ridiculed or becoming an outcast. It’s all part of a plan, envisioned by people like Allan Rock and company. They have worked hard to convince people that gun ownership in Canada is a foreign influence from the “Evil US” and therefore Canadians that own firearms and shoot are therefore not “True Canadians” and have their rights constrained and their property confiscated. Sounds Orwellian does it not?
Oddly enough I also see the same thing happening in Malaysia. The Imams there are claiming that traditional Malay dances that long predate the arrival of Islam on it’s shores are part of a “evil foreign influence” trying to corrupt good Muslim. The irony of their statement is totally lost on them, just as the irony of what the Gun Control types do to alter Canadian history to fit their future.
On a lighter note Candid camera was a fabulous show that really understood what made people tick, one of my favorites was the pretty girl with the broken down car, getting help from passing strangers, who would ask her to pop the hood, whereupon they would discover there was no engine, yet the girl was insisting she had just been driving it! The look on peoples faces as they tried to reconcile the two conflicting piece of information was great
Thursday, October 21, 2010
New Cats for the Army
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) has handed over the first of 20 Leopard 2A4M CAN modernised battle tanks to the Canadian armed forces yesterday, October 7th 2010. The roll-out took place in the presence of the Canadian military representative, Vice Admiral Denis Rouleau, the deputy armed forces inspector, lieutenant-general Bruno Kasdorf, and numerous other representatives of the Canadian and German army on training area at Bergen near Hannover (Germany). The next deployment location for the Canadian Leopards will be Afghanistan.
The new (actually rebuilt) tanks based on the Leopard 2A4 models we bought from the Netherlands are now called Leo2A4 Ops and have incorporated a lot of the lessons learned in Afghanistan. These include better belly mine protection, better all round protection and the ability to attach pioneer equipment (ie mine plows, rollers, etc). Some of these tanks will be going to Afghanistan to replace the most worn out of the 20 leopard 2A6M’s that we leased and the older C2’s that we still used because they were equipped with the pioneer equipment, which the Leo 2A6M was not equipped for.
Heatballs!!
Human ingenuity will always outwit silly laws.
Siegfried Rotthaeuser and his brother-in-law have come up with a legal way of importing and distributing 75 and 100 watt light bulbs -- by producing them in China, importing them as "small heating devices" and selling them as "heatballs."
Judge and Jury
Picture courtesy of Vancouver Sun
Hmm seems the old adage “Be careful of what you wish for, because you may get it” still has meaning today. The Police Union here in BC has declared that the new tough laws on drinking and driving are causing their members to spend to much time dealing with people that have had only 1 or 2 drinks and not dealing with chronic offenders. Seems the police are not enjoying being the judge and jury and taking the flak for their decisions.
This is what happens when you have laws driven by special interests groups using emotions as a guiding force.
For a law to be effective and focused, you need facts, hardcore facts with unbiased research to back them up. This takes time and politicians hate taking time to get all of the facts. Harder yet with a sobbing mothers telling you that you are a heartless beast for not enacting this law right away. But to have good law it must be well thought out, with a clear and achievable objective, able to withstand the hard cold light of logic and reviewed without emotion. Another aspect is the law of diminishing returns. At some point the cost of enforcement and suppression of civil rights outweighs the gain to society brought by the law. The reality here is no amount of law is going to completely stop people from driving drunk and people getting killed. We can reduce it, but never stop it. Humans just have to many variables for such absolutes.
The politicians have themselves, the police and ourselves in a pickle. Any attempt to reduce the law will cause a backlash with the special interest groups, while the media will enjoy splashing sensational headlines on front pages, which are great for selling papers but not great for solving our issues. As a firearm owners we have been warning about these types of laws and law making, now that it is beginning to effect the rest of the population all we can say is “We told you so”.
Update thy BIOS
Seems all of my computer problems were caused by out of date BIOS software. Lesson learned is keep the BIOS updated. The problem of course is updating the BIOS is not easy and is one of the few things in modern computers where you can really screwup. Thankfully as I mentioned in this post, BIOS will be replaced in 2011.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Procol Harum - Conquistador
For all of you that can’t sleep and need some cool music. The song is based on the story of Don Quixote. The song is by Procol Harum.
I await the riots from the Muslim world as another mosque is desecrated……
Governor Muhammad Omar was killed while worshiping during Friday prayers at the Spinghar mosque in Taluqan, the provincial capital of Takhar province, Pajwhok Afghan News reported. Omar regularly attended Friday prayers at the Spinghar mosque. The Taliban are thought to have planted the bomb in the mosque prior to the service, and detonated it during prayers. Among those also killed in the blast was the prayer leader of the mosque.
Read more: www.longwarjournal.org
Read more: www.longwarjournal.org
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)