From: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V8 #637 Reply-To: cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Sender: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Errors-To: owner-can-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Precedence: normal Cdn-Firearms Digest Thursday, November 17 2005 Volume 08 : Number 637 In this issue: STEPHEN HARPER IN NORTH BAY Liberals hire lobbyist to run their war room Re: [LETTER] (Bizarre sense of humour.) Re: Scrap registry poll "Girls, Get Your Guns" By Wendy McElroy of Canada REGISTERED LOBBYISTS FOR EDS, CGI & RESOLVE CORP. What do I think Letter: Convincing still needed to arm customs officers School threat empties classrooms Re: Editorial: Tougher laws long overdue UK: Working together for a safer London Clark claims leaders aren't PM material My letter to several newspapers First Sgro, now John McKay... DRUGS, GUNS FOUND ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 12:42:04 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: STEPHEN HARPER IN NORTH BAY Office of the Leader of the Opposition Cabinet du chef de l'opposition MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 16, 2005 STEPHEN HARPER IN NORTH BAY OTTAWA - Stephen Harper, Leader of the Opposition and leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, will attend the following event. Details as follows (all times local): THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH North Bay, ON 12:00 PM North Bay Luncheon Best Western North Bay, Regency Room 700 Lakeshore Drive *Media availability upon arrival *Speech at 12:20 PM - -30- For more information please call: Carolyn Stewart Olsen (613) 297-9479 ___________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________ AVIS AUX MÉDIAS POUR DIFFUSION IMMÉDIATE 16 novembre 2005 STEPHEN HARPER À NORTH BAY OTTAWA - Stephen Harper, chef de l'Opposition et chef du Parti conservateur du Canada, assistera à l'événement suivant. Les détails sont comme suit (en heure locale) : JEUDI 17 NOVEMBRE North Bay (Ontario) 12 h Déjeuner à North Bay Best Western North Bay, Salle Regency 700, promenade Lakeshore *Rencontre avec les médias à l'arrivée *Discours à 12 h 20 - -30- Pour de plus amples renseignements : Dimitri Soudas au (613) 295-6330 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 14:21:40 -0600 (CST) From: "Bruce Mills" Subject: Liberals hire lobbyist to run their war room http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=9d75940e-b4e8 - -43fd-98ad-9393cbf4b9f9 Liberals hire lobbyist to run their war room Elections strategist claims working for PM not conflict of interest; parties prepare for vote Glen Mcgregor The Ottawa Citizen Wednesday, November 16, 2005 The Liberals have chosen a lobbyist with close ties to the party to run their campaign "war room" and manage day-to-day communications in the coming election. The appointment of Cyrus Reporter, a lawyer with the Ottawa firm Fraser Milner Casgrain, comes amid growing criticism that the Martin government is far too tight with lobbyists. Mr. Reporter, a former aide to Liberal cabinet minister Allan Rock, said yesterday he will take a leave of absence and deregister as a lobbyist for a stable of private-sector clients during the election, whenever it might come. A vote is widely expected to be held in early January, after the opposition parties hold a non-confidence vote next week, and all the parities are getting their campaign teams lined up. Mr. Reporter currently counts oil company BP Energy, pharmaceutical firm Bayer Inc., Teleco MTS Allstream and others as lobbying clients. On their behalf, he lobbies the departments of finance, industry, trade, foreign affairs and the Privy Council Office, among others. But Mr. Reporter said he sees no conflict between his role in the coming election and his professional life. "In my work in the campaign context, I don't know that I'll be dealing with anything that would put me in a conflict," he said. "Certainly, I'm not working for people at the same time." He noted there is often a crossover between those who work in politics and government relations. "People who engage in lobbying as part of their professional activities are very much involved with all political parties and will be playing a significant role with all the political parties," he said. "That's not a substantive conflict." Mr. Reporter was asked to take on the role with the party's campaign communications team by Brian Guest, formerly of the Prime Minister's Office, who is devoting more time to setting up a think-tank on environmental issues. Liberal Party of Canada national director Steve MacKinnon said Mr. Reporter would not be in a conflict because he will have no role in setting government policy. Still, the involvement of a Liberal lobbyist in such a high-profile position could again raise questions about the relationship between the Martin government and the lobbyists who get paid to influence it. "This kind of movement, of being a lobbyist one day and a senior and key political activist with direct access to government the next day, should be a concern to some voters," said Ottawa NDP MP Ed Broadbent. While Mr. Reporter is breaking no rules by working on the campaign, Mr. Broadbent acknowledged, it speaks to an attitude within the Liberal party denounced by Justice John Gomery in his report on the sponsorship scandal. "They are a group of very powerful people who over time really do acquire, in Gomery's words, a sense of entitlement about access to power and the right to make decisions." Because of his wife's health problems, Mr. Broadbent is not running in the coming election. The Liberal nominee in his Ottawa Centre riding, Richard Mahoney, is also a lawyer and sometimes lobbyist in Mr. Reporter's firm. Mr. Mahoney and Mr. Reporter registered to lobby this fall for Canadian Satellite Radio as it successfully waged a government relations campaign to convince the cabinet to reject an appeal of its broadcast licence. The party's relations with lobbyists have proved politically awkward in the past. As the Martin government prepared to take power in the fall of 2003, the "transition team" that set up the new administration was staffed by many past and present lobbyists, including Mr. Reporter and Martin aides Michael Robinson, John Duffy, Andre Albinati, Mark Resnick and Francis Fox. Faced with allegations that their clients could gain preferential access to inside government information, seven members of the transition team agreed to deregister as lobbyists during the transition period. Several of them returned to lobbying afterwards. © The Ottawa Citizen 2005 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 14:22:45 -0600 (CST) From: Dave Jordan Subject: Re: [LETTER] (Bizarre sense of humour.) I wonder if Alan Perkins, [ RE: "Hunting mishap a fluke," (Nov. 13.)],has as much disrespect and low opinion for ALL of the other people that prepare and put food on his table as well? Typical of people who only see their food through Saran-warp and have no idea what so ever where it comes from! What a disgusting, self-serving moron! Maybe if he were to actually have the intestinal fortitude to go out and actually forage for food on his own instead of going straight to the Supermarket, he might just have a different attitude? Naw, he'd actually be as much, if not more so of a hazard to those people who actually do go out and forage, dress and prepare their own food for themselves. Better he stay at home on his medication, watch the tube and believe in La La land! Dave Jordan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 14:23:26 -0600 (CST) From: Dave Jordan Subject: Re: Scrap registry poll Hey there Linda! Glad to see that you're back "in the trenches" with us again! Welcome back! DRGJ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 14:25:20 -0600 (CST) From: Joe Subject: "Girls, Get Your Guns" By Wendy McElroy of Canada Girls, Get Your Guns By Wendy McElroy Tuesday, November 15, 2005 The spotlight on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito's position on abortion has shone so brightly that the issue has overshadowed another controversial question: Where does he stand on gun ownership? It is just one example of how gun rights have been temporarily pushed aside. Issues like same-sex marriage, Hurricane Katrina, the price of gas and many other pressing questions are currently eclipsing gun rights. When the issue reassumes center stage, some will be surprised to see that it wears a somewhat different face - a more feminine face. One thing is certain: The issue of gun rights will keep emerging not only because it has highly organized advocates and detractors, but also because the average person has become more concerned about personal safety in a post-Sept. 11 world. Recent events have heightened people's concern. For example, when the infrastructure of New Orleans collapsed in the wake of Katrina, many remaining residents were left without police protection. News reports of roving bands that looted, raped and murdered - whether those reports were accurate or not - made people reflect on how fragile police protection might be. When the authorities in New Orleans systematically confiscated lawfully owned firearms, many commentators protested against leaving residents defenseless. They echoed Dave Kopel, Research Director of the Independence Institute, who declared in Reason Magazine: "To the extent that any homes or businesses were saved, the saviors were the many good citizens of New Orleans who defended their families, homes, and businesses with their own firearms." Now those same good citizens were deprived of self-protection. New Orleans may be one reason that Gallup's annual Crime Poll, released in mid-October, revealed that people's confidence in their local police to protect them from violent crime fell from 61percent last year to 53 percent this year, which is a 10-year low. Whatever the cause, a grassroots movement toward self-protection is quietly growing; in short, people are arming themselves. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, some 60.4 million firearm transactions were approved between 1994 and 2004. According to the National Rifle Association, a gun advocacy group: "The number of NICS checks for firearm purchases or permits increased 3.2 percent between 2003-2004." The personal trend is paralleled by a political one. The number of "Right-to-Carry" States has risen from 10 in 1987 to 38 currently. Generally speaking, the term 'right-to-carry' refers to the right of responsible people to carry a concealed weapon. Packing.org provides a good overview of the differences between states. Pro-gun women have gradually become more prominent in both the personal and public arenas, though the evidence is largely anecdotal. Statistics on this trend are difficult to locate and confusing; they have become a source of controversy in-and-of themselves, as gun control advocates argue that claims of female gun ownership are often inflated. Organizations dedicated to female gun ownership are spreading from well-established organizations like Second Amendment Sisters and Women and Guns to relatively new ones like Mother's Arms, which urges mothers to protect their children with armed force if necessary. Media accounts abound. For example, on Nov. 14, ABC News reported: "When she moved from California to Arizona, Judy Dutko, had a short list of must-dos upon her arrival in her new home: obtain a driver's license, join a church and register for a gun." Several factors may contribute to the emerging prominence of female gun owners. One factor is the increased presence of women in the military. More women are becoming comfortable with the feel and use of firearms. And, as the media showcases the role of military women, the general public is becoming more accustomed to - and, presumably, comfortable with - the sight of women and weaponry. Another factor is the active recruitment of women that has been conducted by pro-gun organizations over the last decade. For example, the NRA founded the subgroup Women On Target. WOT expands women's use of firearms from self-defense into the traditional male-bastion of hunting and recreational shooting. WOT states: "There are currently about two million American women who hunt and an additional four million who enjoy target shooting. These numbers are steadily increasing." According to NRA spokeswoman Kelly Hobbes, the NRA's classes for women have grown from 13 five years ago to 200 today. Female gun ownership has become more fashionable in a literal sense as well, as companies like Browning Firearms illustrate. About three years ago, the 109-year-old Utah firm, renowned for producing quality guns, reacted to market demand by establishing a line of shooting apparel for women. Another contributing factor: the rise of unmarried women and single moms. Such women may feel more vulnerable to crime and, so, are more open to radical options of self-defense. Daily life and normal concerns will slowly reassert themselves in the wake of controversies, tragedies and disasters. As this happens, gun ownership will be among the issues to return in full force. Indeed, if the furor over San Francisco's recent ban on guns is any indication, then that process is well underway. Some advocates will be pleasantly surprised to see that the feminization of gun ownership has continued throughout the chaos; guns have become a "women's cause" conducted, as Women Against Gun Control claims, by "ladies of high caliber [sic]" Others will be appalled. Me? I'll be on my feet, applauding the women (and men) who are standing up for their human and constitutional right to self-defense. Wendy McElroy is the editor of ifeminists.com and a research fellow for The Independent Institute in Oakland, Calif. She is the author and editor of many books and articles, including the new book, "Liberty for Women: Freedom and Feminism in the 21st Century" (Ivan R. Dee/Independent Institute, 2002). She lives with her husband in Canada. Respond to the Writer ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 14:32:07 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: REGISTERED LOBBYISTS FOR EDS, CGI & RESOLVE CORP. Registered Lobbyists for EDS Canada https://strategis.ic.gc.ca/app/ec/lrrs/search.do;jsessionid=0000cnlX8QMW k2m4r9BUC1Uej9r:10hc5g1ed Registered Lobbyists for Resolve Corporation https://strategis.ic.gc.ca/app/ec/lrrs/search.do;jsessionid=0000cnlX8QMW k2m4r9BUC1Uej9r:10hc5g1ed Registered Lobbyists for CGI Information Systems https://strategis.ic.gc.ca/app/ec/lrrs/search.do;jsessionid=0000cnlX8QMW k2m4r9BUC1Uej9r:10hc5g1ed - ------------------------------------------------------ NEWS RELEASE - November 15, 2005 $527 MILLION WASTED ON GUN REGISTRY COMPUTER CONTRACTS "Will it take the Auditor General or a 'Gomery' to find out why it cost so much?" http://www.garrybreitkreuz.com/breitkreuzgpress/2005_nov15.htm OCTOBER 31, 2005 - UPDATE ON THE $273 MILLION GUN REGISTRY CONTRACT AMENDMENT http://www.garrybreitkreuz.com/publications/2005_new/21.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 15:07:55 -0600 (CST) From: "M.J. Ackermann" Subject: What do I think What do I think about the Lieberals' (sic) latest intrusion into our basic human rights (warrantless electronic surveillance)? I think the communists have won the Cold War, and that we are well on the way to establishing exactly the kind of oppressive statist dystopia that Orwell, Huxley, Rand, and Atwood have been warning us of and that our Veterans fought two world wars to prevent. If you think for one second this power won't be abused, then you haven't been paying very close attention to the numerous scandals lately, not the least of which were the police raid against a journalist and the illegal surveillance against a police board member because these individuals had embarrassed the ruling elite. As for those who perpetrate this disgusting power grab, I just hope that when the day finally comes to kick them back to the sewers they crawled out of I am still young enough to be an effective Freedom Fighter! A pox on them all. - -- M.J. Ackermann, MD (Mike) Rural Family Physician, Sherbrooke, NS Secretary, St. Mary's Shooters Association President, Guysborough County Horse and Pony Association Member All For Horses Association, Nova Scotia Equestrian Federation Box 13, 120 Cameron Rd. Sherbrooke, NS Canada B0J 3C0 902-522-2172 My email: mikeack@ns.sympatico.ca My Bio: http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/mikeack/mikeack.htm SMSA URL: www.smsa.ca "Hope for the best, but plan for the worst". ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 15:45:34 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: Letter: Convincing still needed to arm customs officers PUBLICATION: The Windsor Star DATE: 2005.11.16 EDITION: Final SECTION: Editorial/Opinion PAGE: A9 BYLINE: Orval L. Whitesell SOURCE: Windsor Star WORD COUNT: 85 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Convincing still needed to arm customs officers - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please allow me a few lines to express an experienced opinion about the customs officers walking off the job because they aren't armed. When they can convince me and others that they have faced weapons on numerous occasions, and that they have been threatened by armed individuals, I say "yes." Also, there are many of these officers who do not want to be armed. It appears it is just a few that can't make the grade to become a police officer but want to carry a sidearm. Orval L. Whitesell Sarnia ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 15:46:07 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: School threat empties classrooms PUBLICATION: Times Colonist (Victoria) DATE: 2005.11.16 EDITION: Final SECTION: Capital & Van. Isl. PAGE: B2 BYLINE: Kim Westad SOURCE: Times Colonist WORD COUNT: 252 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ School threat empties classrooms - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A scrawled threat in a Spencer Middle School washroom saw almost two-thirds of students not attending classes Tuesday, and a strong police presence throughout the Langford school. A custodian found threatening graffiti in a washroom on Nov. 4, indicating something was going to happen on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. Jim Cambridge, Sooke school district assistant superintendent, will not be specific about the threat on police advice, saying it could encourage copycats. Westshore RCMP were contacted and the district followed their advice, Cambridge said. A second message thought to be a copycat was found in another washroom last week, referring to the same general threat outlined in the original graffiti. A letter was sent home to parents Nov. 9, advising of the threat. The district didn't want to inflame the situation, Cambridge said, nor reinforce the actions of the vandal, but did want to advise parents and let them know measures were being taken. Details of the "measures" were not made public to the parents or students. But uniformed police were on site Tuesday, as well as several others as part of a safety plan of which administrators and some teachers were aware. "It was taken seriously by police and we followed their advice," Cambridge said. Graffiti threats have happened in the past, but not in such detail, he said. "There is a greater sensitivity towards threats like this now," Cambridge said. "Ten or 15 years ago, we may have asked the custodian to clear it off. But in the era we live in now, we err on the side of caution and I admire the principal for doing that." Classes continued Tuesday, but only about 250 of the school's 850 students were at school. Normal school operations will be in place today. The RCMP continue to investigate. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 15:47:33 -0600 (CST) From: Dave Jordan Subject: Re: Editorial: Tougher laws long overdue To: whiged@thewhig.com I do appreciate your "understanding" of the relevance of Bill C-68 in it's relation to actual crime and all, but we don't need anymore tougher laws to deal with the failure of the Firearms Registry and firearm crime as you suggest in your editorial "Tougher laws long overdue" dated November 15th. The laws and the penalties under the law are already there. What we need is a Justice System that will have prosecutors, lawyers and judges that will enforce the laws that ARE already on the books that are now continually plea-bargained away in the normal course of doing business. Fix the deficiencies in the Justice system first, instead of asking for more redundant laws that will do absolutely nothing other than to give people the illusion of safety. One can legislate create all the "laws" they want, but in reality it means doodly-squat if you have a Justice system that refuses to apply the full force of the rule of law on to it's offenders. It is as simple as that. Dave Jordan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 16:47:12 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: UK: Working together for a safer London METROPOLITAN POLICE Working together for a safer London OPERATION TRIDENT http://www.met.police.uk/trident/index.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 00:21:29 -0600 (CST) From: "Bruce Mills" Subject: Clark claims leaders aren't PM material http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2005/11/16/1309001-sun.html Clark claims leaders aren't PM material By CP Wed, November 16, 2005 WINNIPEG -- Former Tory prime minister Joe Clark says there is no credible future prime minister among the leaders of the three Opposition parties -- Conservative Stephen Harper, the NDP's Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc Quebecois. Clark warned the current tactics of the Opposition coalition -- insisting Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin call an election by February or they will force a Christmas campaign -- could backfire. Voters are not enthusiastic, he said. "The Opposition has the burden of proving either that there is some reason to move more quickly or that, if an election happens precipitously, it's not their fault," Clark said. When his own short-term minority government fell before Christmas 1979, voters had a viable alternative with Pierre Trudeau's comeback. Clark said because there is no strong candidate this time among Opposition leaders, that could mean another minority government. However, he said that would ultimately be good for the country, since both the Liberals and the Conservatives would likely change leaders. "In the long-term, I think it would be a good thing." ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 00:39:47 -0600 (CST) From: "Bruce Mills" Subject: My letter to several newspapers Just submitted, not yet printed. Have you written a letter today? - ----- Original Message ----- From: Bruce Mills To: Bruce Mills Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2005 1:23 AM Subject: No credible leaders... Joe Who claims that there are "no credible leaders" amongst the three opposition parties. Since it would take one to know one, I guess that would make him an expert on the subject. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 06:08:20 -0600 (CST) From: "Bruce Mills" Subject: First Sgro, now John McKay... Actually, the other way around... Check out the CFRB interview with Lieberal MP John McKay, Oct 25/05: http://www.proudtobecanadian.ca/blog/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 09:01:00 -0600 (CST) From: Breitkreuz@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca, Garry - Assistant 1 Subject: DRUGS, GUNS FOUND PUBLICATION: The Edmonton Sun DATE: 2005.11.17 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: 12 COLUMN: Sunflashes WORD COUNT: 74 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DRUGS, GUNS FOUND - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Two Red Deer residents were charged after RCMP found drugs and guns in an apartment raid Monday. Police executed a search warrant at 407 7140 Parke Avenue in Red Deer and seized small amounts of cocaine and marijuana, along with two firearms. A stolen fur coat and ID cards were also recovered. Donald James Geddert, 45, faces several charges, including possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, possession of marijuana, unsafe storage of firearms and possession of stolen property. A 26-year-old woman, also of Red Deer, faces the same charges. ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V8 #637 ********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:akimoya@cogeco.ca List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca FAQ list: http://www.magma.ca/~asd/cfd-faq1.html and http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/homepage.html FTP Site: ftp://teapot.usask.ca/pub/cdn-firearms/ CFDigest Archives: http://www.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca/~ab133/ or put the next command in an e-mail message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca get cdn-firearms-digest v04.n192 end (192 is the digest issue number and 04 is the volume) To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next five lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-alert unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".) 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