Cdn-Firearms Digest Saturday, October 16 2010 Volume 14 : Number 140 In this issue: The political benefits of ignoring facts-National Post/TheCitizen Re: Oh, really - Sent to: durhamregion.com Jimmy... West Virginia campaign ad, a Democrat rifleman Re: Staggering' conditions on accused G20 ringleader - TheStar Re: MACLEANS: Canada's most dangerous cities Re: Dudley George memorialized in Ipperwash OPP Const. Vu Pham and 3 fellow officers cited for bravery ‘Officer Bubbles’ sues YouTube and users over cartoons The right to hunt and fish is on the ballot in four U.S. states Masonry firm walks off Parliament Hill construction job, calls ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010 23:09:24 -0400 From: Lee Jasper Subject: The political benefits of ignoring facts-National Post/TheCitizen [Should be required reading of all the politicians who promised us 'evidence based' gov't and legislation]. Politicians would rather rant about studies than read them By Dan Gardner, The Ottawa Citizen October 15, 2010 > http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Gardner+Politicians+would+rather+rant+about+studies+than+read+them/3676353/story.html Also published as: The political benefits of ignoring facts Dan Gardner October 14, 2010 – 10:46 am > http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2010/10/14/dan-gardner-the-political-benefits-of-ignoring-facts/ As campaign controversies go, it was minor stuff: Ottawa mayor Larry O’Brien accused the government of Ontario of funding a study to examine the feasibility of safe-injection sites in the province — and of keeping the study under wraps until the Oct. 25 municipal elections were over. This was immediately denied. The province hadn’t funded the study. And the study hadn’t been released because it hadn’t been completed. O’Brien withdrew his accusation and the media mused about the damage this embarrassing performance would do to his campaign. And that was the last we heard of it. Which is unfortunate. Because this little incident was only trivial in a political sense. Seen from the perspective of how public policy is made, it is devastatingly revealing. Go back to O’Brien’s original press release. “The fact that this research is even considering drug injection sites for Ottawa,” it said, “should be of concern to every resident.” O’Brien wanted to make an issue of the study because he is adamantly opposed to the creation of an injection site. And he thought he could score votes with his opposition. It didn’t work out that way, however. Jim Watson, his main opponent, said he is also opposed to the creation of a safe-injection site. For good measure, police chief Vern White called safe-injection sites “absolutely ridiculous” and regretted that O’Brien had even mentioned the study. “I’m a little disappointed that we’re giving this any legs,” White told a reporter. So the issue was a political dud. But notice that not one of these civic leaders expressed the slightest interest in reading the study. No, their minds were closed. They already knew the truth. No need to examine evidence as it becomes available, and certainly no need to adjust opinions accordingly. This is indefensible. It is nakedly irrational. Unfortunately, it is also perfectly natural. Every brain is stuffed with certain understandings of human nature and how the world works. Some are the product of evolutionary hardwiring. Others come from personal experience and culture. Whatever their origins, they shape our subsequent perceptions and thoughts, thanks to the brain’s insistence on maintaining order in its mental universe. When we encounter new information that fits with our existing beliefs, we have a natural tendency to embrace it uncritically. It’s consonant. It fits. It sits comfortably in our brains and makes us feel good. But information that contradicts existing beliefs is dissonant. It’s jarring, upsetting. And so we struggle mightily to find some excuse to reject it. Or ignore it altogether. The potency of this “confirmation bias” should not be underestimated. Brain scans actually show consonant and dissonant information is processed in different regions. That’s how deep the bias runs. In a sense, the whole point of science, or any rational inquiry, is to overcome this crippling tendency to make facts fit beliefs. Don’t cherry-pick evidence. Make an extra effort to find contrary evidence. And most importantly, be prepared to review evidence as it becomes available and change existing beliefs if the evidence suggests they are wrong. Unfortunately, the formal rules and informal cultural norms that keep science from veering off into confirmation bias are almost completely non-existent in democratic politics. “When the facts change, I change my mind,” John Maynard Keynes famously said. “What do you do, sir?” For most politicians, the answer is: “I avoid facts that don’t fit what I believe. Problem solved.” Look at the Conservative government’s mandatory minimum sentences, which the government says will deter crime. That’s not an unreasonable hypothesis. Any evidence? In a 2006 interview, the justice minister claimed there were lots of studies that said so. So I called his office and asked for them. They gave me five citations. Four were old and used dubious methodologies; three of those four provided only very weak support for the government’s claim, while the fourth actually contradicted the government’s position. The fifth study was the most recent and the best quality. And it concluded mandatory minimums don’t work. But more importantly, the Conservatives ignored a long list of other studies that contradicted its position. In other words, they cherry-picked. Badly. Since that time, the government has given up on evidence altogether. It simply makes assertions about the value of mandatory minimums and scoffs whenever criminologists say they’re wrong. How is that even remotely rational? In politics, this sort of thing is so common we seldom stop to think how utterly bizarre it is. The recent ruling on the constitutionality of the prostitution laws is a perfect case in point. The trial judge spent months reading studies and listening to the testimony of both sides’ experts. Much of the 132-page ruling is composed of a painstaking summary and evaluation of the voluminous evidence before the court. It’s an invaluable resource. All the arguments and evidence in one document! So how many of the politicians who loudly objected to the court’s ruling — including the inimitable Larry O’Brien — read the decision before spouting off? Judging by the many comments which were belied by evidence in the decision, I suspect none did. Imagine a scientist angrily rejecting the results of another scientist’s study without bothering to even read the study. That would be outrageous, wouldn’t it? Shocking. Irrational. And yet something similar happens all the time in politics. Of course it’s easy to blame this on the likes of Larry O’Brien. But ultimately, it’s not his fault. The media seldom ask about evidence. And the people don’t insist that they do. Thus, in our political system, public policy is made by closed-minded politicians who play to the prejudices of an electorate in whom knowledge and certainty are inversely correlated. It’s called “democracy.” Dan Gardner is a columnist for the Ottawa Citizen E-mail: dgardner@ottawacitizen.com National Post Letters to the Editor; kmcparland@nationalpost.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010 21:15:45 -0700 (PDT) From: Bruce Mills Subject: Re: Oh, really - Sent to: durhamregion.com - --- On Fri, 10/15/10, M.J. Ackermann, MD wrote: > Also present at the same Directors' table is Liberal party bigwig Mark > Holland (3). How can a sitting MP still be on the Board of Directors of any company? I thought they had to "divest"? Yours in TYRANNY! Bruce ------------------------------ Date: Fri, October 15, 2010 11:12 pm From: "David R.G. Jordan" Subject: Jimmy... And as Jimmy Durante used to sign-off his radio shows; ""Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are." - - DRGJ USS Alabama (SSBN-731)'s motto: "Audemus Jura Nostra Defendere" "We dare to defend our rights" ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2010 00:24:43 -0600 From: Larry James Fillo Subject: West Virginia campaign ad, a Democrat rifleman It may be only a simple hunting rifle, but up here this centre Democrat would never even be allowed to run this ad. Down there they still have campaigns that are independent of the national party leader and brass. While we weep at the thought of our citizens and our rights given surrender monkey status. http://online.wsj.com/video/opinion-journal-desperate-democrats/D5313AD9-9F7D-41AE-BFAE-1B3A7ACFD372.html?mod=djemEditorialPage_h ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2010 08:10:29 -0400 From: "mred" Subject: Re: Staggering' conditions on accused G20 ringleader - TheStar This would be humorous if not true ? what better indication do we have that we are living in a tyrannical police state? First they take our guns and then they take our free speech. This is so much like tyrannical third world countries it is truly frightening , and it is happening under Harpers watch. Do you REALLY think the CPC will remove the gun registry and licensing ? This act reveals their TRUE plans for joining in the NWO. ed/on - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lee Jasper" To: "Canadian Firearms Digest" Sent: Friday, October 15, 2010 9:39 PM Subject: Staggering' conditions on accused G20 ringleader- Toronto TheStar > [Where was the liberal judge in a liberal court in liberal Toronto]? > > Staggering' conditions on accused G20 ringleader > > Dan Robson > Staff Reporter > Oct 15 2010 http://www.thestar.com/news/torontog20summit/article/875746--accused-g20-ringleader-faces-astonishing-breach-of-rights-lawyer-says ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2010 08:18:35 -0400 From: "mred" Subject: Re: MACLEANS: Canada's most dangerous cities I would have to suggest that is a remark that could be JUDGED RACIST ?,by the politically correct new generation.? However much it appears to be true>? ed/on - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Vladyslav Strashko" To: Sent: Friday, October 15, 2010 9:34 PM Subject: Re: MACLEANS: Canada's most dangerous cities > Looks like ranking of the cities where the most aboriginals live.... > > --- On Fri, 10/15/10, Dennis & Hazel Young wrote: > > From: Dennis & Hazel Young > Subject: MACLEANS: Canada's most dangerous cities > To: "Firearms Digest" > Date: Friday, October 15, 2010, 4:31 PM > > MACLEANS - OCTOBER 14, 2010 > > Canada's most dangerous cities: The rankings ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2010 08:26:58 -0400 From: "mred" Subject: Re: Dudley George memorialized in Ipperwash Notice they say "killed " not murdered ? what else do you call shooting an unarmed person in a peaceful protest protecting their property ? Why the wishy washy play on words ? Mike the knife Harris"Get those fu**ing indians out of the park ". has blood on his hands as well but he was never charged . Unfortunately the officer who shot and murdered Dudley , died in an automobile "accident" a few days before he was to testify . Another officer who was going to testify for the prosecution also met and untimely death just prior to giving his testimony in another automobile "accident" ed/on - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lee Jasper" To: "Canadian Firearms Digest" Sent: Friday, October 15, 2010 8:27 PM Subject: Dudley George memorialized in Ipperwash > Dudley George memorialized in Ipperwash > > First Nations: New archeological survey finds 1,200-year-old human > remains in the former provincial park > > By SHAWN JEFFORDS QMI Agency > Friday, October 15, 2010 >> http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2010/10/15/15709841.html > > IPPERWASH — On a day organized to honour slain protester Dudley George, > evidence was presented that native leaders say vindicates him and the > other occupiers of Ipperwash Provincial Park 15 years ago. > ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2010 11:18:04 -0400 From: Lee Jasper Subject: OPP Const. Vu Pham and 3 fellow officers cited for bravery [Whether Preston had a firearms prohibition or a restraining order regarding his wife, how his behaviour on March 8, 2010 was lacking in respect for others and inconsistent with being a 'compulsively law-abiding' firearms owner and whether his Browning .270 was registered has not been revealed. It was previously reported that Preston didn't like to involve others with his problems and preferred to settle things by himself. This was one occasion in his life when he should have reached out. A classic case necessitating revocation of owner's privileges, registration and possession by the CFO, obviously gone astray]. [I wonder if there'll be repercussions from Huron-Bruce CPC MP Ben Lobb voting to shut down the long gun registry]? OPP Const. Vu Pham and 3 fellow officers cited for bravery Slain officer By JOE BELANGER The London Free Press > http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2010/10/15/15710251.html WINGHAM — And, finally, the pain and shock gave way to smiles and celebration. Oh, there were still tears over the tragic killing of Const. Vu Pham who was gunned down last March 8 on a quiet rural road north of Seaforth by a former politician from Northern Ontario threatening to kill his estranged wife and others. But many of the tears Friday were of pride and joy for the officer, his partner, Huron Const. Dell Mercey, and two other officers who went to North Line to confront Fred Preston, the former reeve of Joly Twp. who drove his pick-up truck from Sundridge north of Huntsville to a relative’s home looking for his ex-wife. Pham, posthumously, Mercey and two other officers, Adam Nicholson and Allan Penn received citations for bravery from OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis at the same community centre in Wingham where they held his funeral attended by an estimated 8,000 people, including 5,000 police officers from across the country. Pham’s wife, Heather, accompanied by their three school-age sons, accepted the citation from Lewis as well as a portrait of her husband. “(Had he survived) Vu would have shrugged off what he did that day as just him doing his job,” said the petite Pham to thundering applause. “But, of course, those of us who knew him, knew (heroism) was just his character . . . We’re proud of him and what he did that day and everything he stood for.” The commissioner handed out 93 awards and citations to OPP officers and civilians from the Western region, accompanied by Western Region commander Supt. Ron Gentle. “We’re here to celebrate ordinary people who were confronted by extraordinary circumstances and what they did, whether they were police officers or civilians,” Gentle told the crowd of more than 200 people. An ovation followed when Mercey received his citation from Lewis, but the officer did not speak about the shooting and politely declined media requests for interviews. It was Mercey who stopped Preston from fulfilling his threat, moments after Preston mortally wounded Pham, who managed to get one shot off from his service pistol. A description of the events that followed after Pham pulled Preston over on the road was included in the media package. It said Preston climbed out of the truck and pulled a Browning .270 calibre rifle with a scope from the rear seat and immediately went toward Pham, who hid behind the passenger side of the cruiser. Pham managed to get a shot off before Preston “reached across the hood and fired, shooting Pham once in the head as he fell into the ditch.” Mercey reversed his cruiser a hundred metres, then climbed out of his cruiser and returned fire as Preston fired, narrowly missing Mercey when a bullet went through the windshield. - -- Vu Pham > http://openparliament.ca/hansards/2173/133/ Statements by Members March 9th, 2010 / 2:10 p.m. Liberal Glen Pearson London North Centre, ON Mr. Speaker, too often it takes an incredible tragedy for us to recognize the honour and heroism exemplified by our police officers across the country, the men and women who protect our families and serve as pillars to our communities. Yesterday, in my community, one of those pillars was prematurely cut down. Vu Pham was only 37 years old when he was shot and killed in the line of duty just north of London. He leaves behind his wife and three young children. Adopted by a Canadian family from his birthplace in Vietnam, this remarkable officer represented the absolute best of what we hope for as a nation. There is a gap in our community today where a deeply dedicated man once lived. Let us seek to fill it with our own commitment to better the public space. Let us have no more negative statements this afternoon. I ask only that we seek to honour a life lived to its highest in mutual respect. - -- March 9th, 2010 / 2:10 p.m. Conservative Ben Lobb Huron—Bruce, ON Mr. Speaker, together with all Canadians, I was deeply saddened by the news yesterday of the passing of Constable Vu Pham of the Ontario Provincial Police. My deepest sympathies go out to his family, friends and colleagues. This event is a harsh reminder of the dangerous conditions faced daily by the men and women of our law enforcement agencies as they work to protect the safety and security of all Canadians. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the men and women in law enforcement across the country for the brave work they do. Out thoughts and prayers are with Heather and their three sons as they deal with this tragic loss. God bless. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2010 12:16:19 -0400 From: Lee Jasper Subject: ‘Officer Bubbles’ sues YouTube and users over cartoons [Have you ever heard of anything so patently silly? Doesn't your heart just 'bleed' for the big galoot. Perhaps he'd rather be 'kettled' by his poelease confreres, stuffed into a pen and forced to pee in public]? ‘Officer Bubbles’ sues YouTube and users over cartoons Published 6 minutes ago Jesse McLean Staff Reporter http://www.thestar.com/news/article/876487--officer-bubbles-sues-youtube-and-users-over-cartoons?bn=1 A Toronto police constable whose scolding of a G20 protester for blowing bubbles went viral on YouTube has launched a $1.2 million defamation lawsuit against the website and 25 of its users. The lawsuit by Adam Josephs, infamously known as “Officer Bubbles,” isn’t targeting the original video but a collection of eight cartoons posted to the popular video website that show a policeman resembling Josephs who engages in abusive acts of power. The cartoons depict an officer named “A. Josephs” arresting a variety of people — from a doctor to Santa Claus to U.S. President Barack Obama — as well as punching a news photographer. In his statement of claim, Josephs calls the cartoons and several comments “devastatingly defamatory,” alleging they have brought him “ridicule, scandal and contempt both personally and as a member of the (Toronto Police Service).” He claims the animations have also resulted in threats against him and his family. The lawsuit aims to compel YouTube to reveal the identities of the person who created and posted the videos — who has to username ThePMOCanada — as well as the identities of 24 other users who made allegedly defamatory remarks. The cartoons have since vanished from the site and about half of the 25 users being sued have deleted their accounts. Earlier this month, several of them received notices from Google, the owner of YouTube, asking whether they wanted the website to release their identities. The original video of Const. Josephs became a symbol for what many viewed as the police’s heavy-handed response to protests during the summit, prompting a mass protest outside Queen’s Park where demonstrators blew bubbles. In the video, the 52 Division officer holds a police line near Queen St. W. as a young woman blows bubbles. “You touch me with that bubble you're going into custody,” he tells the woman. “You want to bait the police. You get that on me or that other officer and it gets in her eyes, it's a detergent. You'll be going into custody.” When the woman tells Josephs she doesn’t feel he’s respecting her, he replies: “That's terrible. My heart bleeds.” ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2010 10:22:44 -0600 From: Joe Gingrich Subject: The right to hunt and fish is on the ballot in four U.S. states http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/right+hunt+fish+ballot+four+state/3682316/story.html The right to hunt and fish is on the ballot in four U.S. states October 16, 2010 Reuters Life! Worried that their pastime may get waylaid by a growing animal welfare movement, U.S. hunters and anglers in some states are seeking constitutional safeguards. When voters in Arizona, Arkansas, South Carolina and Tennessee go to the polls to cast their ballots in the congressional elections on Nov. 2, they will also be asked if they support making hunting and fishing constitutional rights. That will be a loaded question at that time of the year, when deer season is starting in many states and millions of Americans take to the woods, firearms in hand. "When you have something protected in your constitution, then it is very difficult to use the courts or other types of ballot activities to thwart, for example, hunting and fishing," said Steve Faris, a Democratic Arkansas state senator and the bill's lead sponsor there. "They start with cats and dogs and the next thing you know, someone says it's inhumane to shoot a deer. It's like buying an insurance policy," he told Reuters in a phone interview. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 10 states guarantee the right to hunt and fish in their constitutions. Vermont's provisions go back to 1777 but the rest have all been put in place since 1996. The current measures are not seen making a big difference in any House or Senate race. But they are another lifestyle clash in America's many culture wars, which often seem to pit the rural and conservative "heartland" against urban liberals. Such issues are not so cut and dried -- there are rural animal welfare activists and urbanites who love guns and hunting -- but there are real rural/urban and regional cultural divides which are often highlighted by these debates. The current drive to give hunting and fishing added protection also comes against the background of data that suggests a decline in such activities. According to one widely cited report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 12.5 million Americans hunted in 2006, down four percent from 2001 and 11 percent from 1991. The number of anglers from 1991 to 2006 fell 16 percent to 30 million. "A desperate attempt to prop up a dying pastime," was how Ashley Byrne, a New York-based campaigner for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), described the hunting and fishing ballot proposals. She said PETA had not mounted any campaigns against the amendments but she said it would "continue to educate people about how hunting is cruel and unnecessary." But for many Americans it is a cherished way of life and the divide between the PETA view of hunting and that of Mike Adams, 60, a builder from Bisbee in southern Arizona, could hardly be starker. He bought his first rifle when he was nine years old, and has hunted ever since. He is preparing for an annual deer hunting trip with a dozen buddies later this month, and backs Proposition 109, which he feels would enshrine rights in Arizona that he sees as under attack. "I feel that some of the animal rights activists are going to extremes to take our right away both to bear arms and to bag game," said Adams. "I'm a firm believer that anyone who wants to hunt should be able to do it, regardless," he said. Back in Arkansas, Senator Faris noted that hunting and fishing were also important to the state economy. On a national scale, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that hunters and anglers spent $76.7 billion in 2006, the last year for which such data is availabl ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2010 12:25:19 -0400 From: Lee Jasper Subject: Masonry firm walks off Parliament Hill construction job, calls Mounties Sender: owner-cdn-firearms@scorpion.bogend.ca Precedence: normal Reply-To: cdn-firearms@scorpion.bogend.ca [I seem to recall Harper absolutely promising that this kind of thing would never happen under the sharp eyes of a CPC gov't. Perhaps if he wasn't so preoccupied vetting all his MPs mail and figuring out patches for the Long Census. . Wasn't there some indication of payola in the initial awarding of the contract?]. Masonry firm walks off Parliament Hill construction job, calls Mounties Published On Fri Oct 15 2010 Steve Rennie The Canadian Press http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/876042--masonry-firm-walks-off-parliament-hill-construction-job-calls-mounties OTTAWA—There’s more trouble and fresh allegations involving a big-money Parliament Hill renovation contract being probed by the Mounties. Masonry work ground to a halt on the West Block renovation Friday after a subcontractor walked off the job and went to the RCMP. RJW Stonemasons president Bobby Watt says he isn’t being paid by the bonding company running the project. He also claims he’s being squeezed out of the masonry job in favour of another firm and he’s asked the RCMP to look into that. Last month, Watt’s lawyers notified the bonding firm, L’Unique Assurances General, that RJW intended to take it to court over $200,000 in unpaid work. A copy of the Sept. 23 letter was provided to The Canadian Press. “It has come to our attention that your agent on site ... has been deliberately attempting to interfere with the contractual relations between our client and its stonemasons by deliberately stating that L’Unique’s intent is to squeeze out RJW by failing to make payment in accordance with representations and promises made by L’Unique,” the letter says. The Mounties are already investigating a $9-million contract awarded to Montreal construction company LM Sauve in 2008 to do the job. LM Sauve head Paul Sauve has said he hired Tory-connected businessman Gilles Varin to help win the original contract, eventually paying him $140,000. But the company went bankrupt a year later and lost the contract. L’Unique took over the project and hired RJW to finish the masonry work. L’Unique declined to comment on the specifics of the matter. “For obvious reasons, we don’t want to talk publicly of problems that can be solved in a minute,” said Jacques Canac-Marquis, the company’s director of service. “We have to find out if they are real problems or not, and how to solve it. Period.” The RCMP’s Montreal division, which is looking into the original complaint over the West Block contract, wouldn’t comment the new allegations. “The RCMP acknowledges that the matter that you’re referring to regarding the allegations made by Mr. Paul Sauve is now in the hands of the ‘C’ division,” Cpl. Caroline Letang said. “We will look into the matter and decide where to take it from there. We’re not in a position to comment any further on this specific matter at this time.” ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V14 #140 *********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca Moderator's email: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@scorpion.bogend.ca List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@scorpion.bogend.ca FAQ list: http://www.canfirearms/Skeeter/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://www.canfirearms.ca CFDigest Archives: http://www.canfirearms.ca/archives To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next four lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".)