Cdn-Firearms Digest Monday, December 6 2010 Volume 14 : Number 185 In this issue: Al Qaeda hopes implant bombs into thugs Body scans no panacea Montreal massacre was heinous crime, PM says CTV - Gun tracing regulations delayed for third time RE: Wear a white ribbon to show that you care Group urges immunization registry Federal gov't to expand use of social media (Facebook) Re: Recent conversation about the Montreal Massacre/Facebok Anniversary prompts criticism of Tory gun policy ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 06 Dec 2010 09:12:28 -0600 From: Joe Gingrich Subject: Al Qaeda hopes implant bombs into thugs http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/12/06/2010-12-06_al_qaeda_is_truly_gutless_terror_doc_eyes_sewing_bombs_in_thugs.html Frankenbombers are 'new kind of terrorism': Al Qaeda hopes to surgically implant bombs into thugs BY James Gordon Meek DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU December 6th 2010 WASHINGTON - Jihadis bent on concocting a "new kind of terrorism" are brainstorming how to surgically implant explosives to make undetectable Frankenbombers. "What is your opinion about surgeries through which I can implant the bomb ...inside the operative's body?" an apparent mad surgeon recently asked an online forum used by Al Qaeda affiliates. He called on bombmakers and doctors to cook up the perfect solution to murder "larger numbers of unbelievers and apostates." "I am waiting for the interaction of the experienced brothers to connect the two sciences together and produce a new kind of terrorism, Allah willing," he wrote, according to a translation by terror experts at the SITE Intelligence Group. The scheming comes amid controversy over body scanners and pat-downs in airports that some Americans complain are too invasive. The ideas for a "surgically booby-trapped martyrdom seeker" were chillingly concise for the doctor of death monitored by SITE. Stitching a bomb into the abdominal cavity made of plastic or liquid explosives - such as semtex or PETN - was judged the best method. "It must be planted near the surface of the body, because the human body absorbs shocks," advised one terrorist. Prior to the attempted destruction of a Detroit-bound flight last Christmas by accused underwear bomber Farouk Abdulmutallab, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula almost assassinated a Saudi prince with a bomb believed to have been concealed inside a body cavity; it was recently clarified that it was the first attempt at an explosive hidden in undies. Unproven body cavity bombs worry security agents, though "no one has figured out how to actually do it," said a counterterror official. Last month, Transportation Security Administration chief John Pistole said his agency wouldn't do cavity checks because secondary screening procedures and technology can find fuses and detonators, which must be outside the body. "You have to have some external device to cause that initiation," he said. "That's what the advanced imaging technology machine will pick up: any anomaly outside of the body." Still experts worry about the doctors among the terrorists' ranks and their willingness to kill. Al Qaeda's No. 2 is Ayman al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian doctor, and last year a Jordanian doctor known as "Abu Dujana al-Khorasani" killed seven CIA officers in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. "In the same way that drug smugglers have placed bags of narcotics in the body cavities of animals and had people ingest condoms filled with drugs, it would not be out of the realm of Al Qaeda operational planners to conceive of such a technique," said Mark Rossini, a former senior FBI counterterror agent. "No technique is off-limits to Al Qaeda to achieve its destructive goals." jmeek@nydailynews.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 06 Dec 2010 09:25:43 -0600 From: Joe Gingrich Subject: Body scans no panacea Body scans no panacea http://www.thestarphoenix.com/story_print.html?id=3881448&sponsor= The StarPhoenix By Joe Gingrich November 25, 2010 Re: Don't like airport screening? Don't fly (SP, Nov. 19). What John Gormley fails to understand is that regardless of how increasingly invasive the "touching," the searching, and the probing becomes before we board a commercial airline, the security of all air passengers and those who remain on terra firma is severely compromised. In addition, the screening effectiveness of full body scanners is limited. We must find a better way. Not all passengers are terrorists. If our privacy rights are to be trampeled, there at least has to be good reason for it. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says we need security, but seek ways "to limit the number of people who are going to be put through surveillance." Isaac Yeffet, former security director of Israel's El Al Airlines, notes airline security in America is an illusion and the U.S. should profile passengers. El Al, considered the world's most secure, requires passengers to be interviewed by a trained agent before check-in. Electronic body scans or searches are performed only on those who arouse suspicions during the interview. Opponents to El Al's technique argue it violates passengers' civil rights by allowing some to be more scrutinized than others. However, Yeffet says we must identify "the right people who are trying to blow up an aircraft or commit suicide." Yeffet feels it is unnecessary to search "innocent people" and so do I. Gormley should take a hike. Joe Gingrich Nipawin ------------------------------ Date: Mon, December 6, 2010 9:56 am From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: Montreal massacre was heinous crime, PM says TORONTO STAR - DECEMBER 6, 2010 Montreal massacre was heinous crime, PM says By Richard J. Brennan, Ottawa Bureau http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/902127--montreal-massacre-was-heinous-crime-pm-says OTTAWA—The massacre 21 years ago at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal was one of the most “heinous” crimes in Canadian history, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Monday on the anniversary of the murders. “On December 6, 1989, the lives of 14 young women were cut short in one of the most heinous acts of violence in Canadian history. They were daughters, sisters, wives and friends whose lives were full of promise and hope, horrifically taken by a gunman at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal,” Harper said in a statement. Marc Lépine, 25, murdered fourteen women and wounded ten women and four men at the engineering school affiliated with the Université de Montréal. The “senseless” murders has become known as the “Montreal Massacre”. “That these women were gunned down for no other reason than their gender is as incomprehensible now as it was in 1989. While we cannot, and probably never will, be able to make sense of the events of that day, we can work to ensure that it never happens again,” Harper said. Killed were: Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie LeMay, Sonia Pelletier, Michele Richard, Annie St-Arneault and Annie Turcotte. “Let us pay tribute to their memory in the best way that we can: by working to eliminate violence against women while making our communities safer for all Canadians,” Harper said. Governor General David Johnston said the anniversary “is a black mark on our history, a day of lost innocence, of sorrow and shame. “On this day, we will act. We will push back against prejudice, fight against unfairness, and refuse to turn a blind eye on such deplorable deeds. We must learn to co-exist side-by-side, to co-operate with one another, to contribute to the advancement of all who live within our great country of Canada. On this sombre occasion, I challenge all Canadians to come together on this day—and every day—to bring an end to all forms of violence against women,” Johnston said. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said the act was “so inconceivable that it compelled Canadians to seriously examine the prevalence of violent acts committed against women. “Though we have taken significant steps to address violence against women – including standing up for the life-saving gun registry – there is still much more we must do to ensure that our sisters, daughters, wives and partners will never be persecuted or threatened because of their gender,” he stated. NDP Leader Jack Layton said the anniversary is a reminder “we must turn to action and provide leadership in ending violence against women. “Unfortunately, women still face alarming rates of violence and we must all work together to ensure women live in safe communities away from violence or the threat of violence,” he said. “While we mourn, let us turn to action and work together to eliminate all forms of violence against women.” ------------------------------ Date: Mon, December 6, 2010 9:59 am From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: CTV - Gun tracing regulations delayed for third time CTV - Gun tracing regulations delayed for third time The Canadian Press - Date: Sunday Dec. 5, 2010 9:37 PM ET http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20101205/gun-regulations-101205/ OTTAWA - The Harper government has once again delayed implementation of regulations that police say they need to quickly trace guns used in crimes. The government quietly posted a notice last Tuesday -- one day before the firearms marking regulations were to have come into force -- disclosing that implementation has been postponed until Dec. 1, 2012. This is the third time the Harper government has delayed the regulations, which were created by the Liberal government in 2004 and were supposed to go into effect in April of 2006. The government has also deferred for another two years regulations governing the possession and use of firearms at gun shows. The latest deferrals are being applauded by gun enthusiasts, who hope the regulations will be repeatedly put off until such time as Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives win a majority and can scrap them altogether. The Canadian Shooting Sports Association sent out an alert last week noting that it has been "working tirelessly" to delay both sets of regulations. "They are both now delayed until December of 2012 which gives us more time to resolve the negative impacts these regulations will have and, since there is the strong possibility of an election within the next 12 months, have them rescinded with a majority government." The regulations are supposed to bring Canada into compliance with international protocols requiring import marks on all firearms. The objective is to shorten the time it takes to trace guns that cross national borders as part of normal commercial transactions. A spokesman for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said the regulations have been postponed "to allow time for consultation to develop a workable regulatory package." "We continue to support gun control that law enforcement need to protect themselves and the safety and security of the public," Christopher McCluskey added in an email. But Liberal public safety critic Mark Holland said the latest delay is further proof that "Conservatives are clearly more interested in listening to the gun lobby than to police." "Once again on public safety this government is all talk and no action. Police say this measure is critical yet Conservatives keep trying to delay it into non-existence," he said, pointing out that the Tories have also gone against police wishes in their determination to scrap the long-gun registry. Holland said it's particularly "disgraceful" that the deferral of regulations was announced just prior to Monday's 21st anniversary of the Ecole Polytechnique massacre, in which 14 female students were gunned down. "It broadcasts to victims' families that their concerns are being ignored and don't count," he said. Back in 2007, just before the Harper government postponed the firearms marking regulations for a second time, the three national associations representing police in Canada joined forces to plead for implementation. "This can make the difference between a firearm trace taking hours versus months," said a jointly written letter to the government by associations representing police, police chiefs and police boards. Current laws state that all firearms must have a serial number, or firearms identification number, according to the ministry of public safety. The new regulations would require firearm manufacturers to include a marking that would indicate the origin of the firearm, and for imported firearms, the last two digits of the year it was imported. The police associations' letter gives the example of a Beretta used in a crime in Canada. The firearm is made in Italy and typically sold to Canadian gun shops through large American distributors. "Without an import marking physically present on the firearm, it would be unknown whether the firearm was diverted from lawful possession in Italy, the U.S.A. or Canada. Police would have to determine that through a time-consuming records check with the U.S.A. and Italy," the letter says. "The presence of a Canadian import mark instantly identifies the firearm as having been legally admitted to Canada. In such cases, police can limit their search to domestic databases." The police associations also argue that over time import marks would help police "answer the question of whether firearms involved in Canadian crime are smuggled (into the country) or diverted domestically." McCluskey said the Harper government remains committed to meeting Canada's international commitments "while delivering results that actually work to protect Canadians." He noted that the government has introduced a series of measures to help prevent and solve gun crimes, including improved screening of firearms applicants, mandatory prison time for those who commit gun crimes and a joint law enforcement initiative with the U.S. aimed at stopping cross-border smuggling of illegal guns. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 06 Dec 2010 07:06:41 -0700 From: 10x@telus.net Subject: RE: Wear a white ribbon to show that you care The families and friends of those 14 women deserve closure. It is cruel to the families and friends of those women to use that horrible act to villify and demonize ALL men. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2010 13:32:59 -0600 From: Edward Hudson Subject: Group urges immunization registry And if we refuse to be immunized? Eduardo Group urges immunization registry National registry would aid public health efforts, Saskatoon physician says Mike Barber, Postmedia News: Monday, December 6, 2010 9:25 AM http://www.globalsaskatoon.com/Group+urges+immunization+registry/3934081/story.html A leading health-policy think-tank is urging Canadian politicians to consider introducing a national immunization registry. Saskatoon physician Dr. Cory Neudorf, chair of the Canadian Public Health Association, said creating a registry to track the vaccination history of every Canadian would help make sure as many people as possible are immunized, as well as better co-ordinate a response to a pandemic, such as last year's H1N1 outbreak. The proposal is central to this week's Canadian Immunization Conference, which opened Sunday in Quebec City. Neudorf -- who is also chief medical health officer for the Saskatoon Health Region -- said the current mini-outbreaks of whooping cough in remote areas throughout the United States and Canada are an example of how a registry could better serve public health responses. A five-week-old boy from Stanley Mission died last month from whooping cough. "With a registry . . . you get a better idea of what coverage rates are in different age groups for the whole population, and certain regions and sub-regions where to focus our efforts," Neudorf told Postmedia News. Some cities, such as Saskatoon, Calgary and Edmonton, already have regional registries in place, which Neudorf said helped those jurisdictions respond to the H1N1 pandemic. In Saskatoon, the apparatus sends out notices to the public, telling them when they need to be immunized, which has helped raise coverage rates, said Neudorf. "Overall, those places that did have registries of their own and entered that data as people presented it were able to target their clinics for H1N1 for areas where uptake was poor or get targeted public messaging out," said Neudorf. A national registry would avoid a patchwork of incompatible regional databases, and could assist Canadians when they move, or if they change doctors or clinics, said Neudorf. "(Coverage rates) are very high, but over time immunization schedules become a lot more complex, and they develop new vaccines for different diseases and often they require multiple doses," said Neudorf. "So it becomes very hard for an individual, even if they're motivated, to stay up to date or not. "If you're supposed to have four doses by age two of a certain vaccine, we want you to have four doses by age two, not just to be caught up by the time you get to Grade 1," said Neudorf. The Canadian Public Health Association wants politicians to discuss including the registry in the 2014 renewal of the First Minister's Health Accord, which was signed in 2003 by former prime minister Paul Martin and all provincial premiers. The accord set health-care priorities for the coming years and reaffirmed their commitment to the Canada Health Act. Neudorf said reaction from the federal Ministry of Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada to the concept has been positive so far. In a statement sent Sunday, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said the government is reviewing its current National Immunization Strategy, launched in 2003. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2010 13:50:12 -0600 From: Edward Hudson Subject: Federal gov't to expand use of social media (Facebook) Federal gov't to expand use of social media http://www.thestarphoenix.com/technology/Federal+expand+social+media/3932733/story.html By Andrew Mayeda, Postmedia News December 6, 2010 The federal government is developing plans to give public servants more freedom to use social media such as Facebook and Twitter so departments can engage more directly with the public and recruit young talent who expect a "Web 2.0" workplace. ... The Treasury Board presentation lists a number of reasons for increasing the use of social media, such as attracting and meeting the expectations of "new talent," improving the way services are delivered, collaborating with citizens, building a more agile and innovative public service, as well as accepting the economic reality that government "is challenged to do better with less." ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2010 14:17:20 -0600 From: Edward Hudson Subject: Re: Recent conversation about the Montreal Massacre/Facebok Re: Recent conversation about the Montreal Massacre/Facebook I find it very encouraging that the owner of the CFD posts on Facebook. I find it very encouraging that the owner of the CFD has a "profile" on Facebook with "private" information that he is not afraid to share openly. Perhaps his example will encourage others to join Facebook and engage in this means of rapid communication with a huge audience. Sincerely, Eduardo On 5-Dec-10, at 8:23 PM, Howard R. Hamilton wrote: > > The following is a "status" going around Facebook, and I felt a need > to respond to it. My response and the responses that it engendered > follow: > > > Although I agree with the idea behind your post, the Montreal > Massacre has nothing to do with women being murdered for daring to > educate themselves. > > It is about people not being allowed to defend themselves when a crazy > person takes a gun in and starts shooting people. It is also about the > failure of society in raising meek sheeple. >>>>>> ------------------------------ Date: Mon, December 6, 2010 4:19 pm From: "Dennis & Hazel Young" Subject: Anniversary prompts criticism of Tory gun policy MONTREAL GAZETTE – DECEMBER 6, 2010 Anniversary prompts criticism of Tory gun policy By Meagan Fitzpatrick, Postmedia News December 6, 2010 4:49 PM Comments (3) http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Anniversary+draws+criticism+Tory+policy/ 3935109/story.html OTTAWA — Conservative MPs have no right to commemorate the Montreal Massacre on Dec. 6 given their efforts to abolish the long-gun registry, according to a group of former l'École Polytechnique students. Twenty-one years ago, Heidi Rathjen heard the gunshots ring out in the halls of her school when Marc Lepine went on his deadly rampage and killed 14 of her fellow students. She escaped unharmed that day and has been at the forefront of campaigning for tighter gun laws ever since. Rathjen, who heads a group called Polytechnique Students and Graduates for Gun Control, was on Parliament Hill on Monday at a sombre commemorative event organized by the Liberals. Representatives from the Bloc Québécois and the NDP also attended, but the Conservatives were not included in the ceremony. "The reason I came to this was because the Conservatives were not part of it. If they would have been part of it, I would not have come," Rathjen said in an interview. "I don't think they have any right to commemorate Dec. 6 because they've done everything they can to destroy one of the main good things that came out of the tragedy, which is the gun control law." The long-gun registry, created in 1995, was the subject of much controversy this past year because of a Conservative MP's private member's bill to scrap it. The Tories argue the registry has done nothing to reduce crime, is a waste of money and instead penalizes law-abiding gun owners. An effort to halt Candice Hoeppner's bill was launched and came to a vote in the House of Commons in September. The vote was an intensely divisive one and Hoeppner's bill was killed by only the slimmest of margins — 153 to 151. The campaign by opposition MPs to save the registry won them favour with the Polytechnique victims, who are among the registry's biggest supporters. "I've never seen so much personal support and effort from members of Parliament to save something they truly believe in, and that's why I wanted to be here in Ottawa standing beside them," Rathjen said. She said while her group has been fighting since 1989 to make the country safer, the Conservatives have been doing the opposite and she would not have been comfortable attending a Dec.6 event with anyone from the government. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff was at the Parliament Hill service earlier in the day and when it was over, he also blasted the Conservatives over their gun control policies and accused them of missing the significance of the Dec. 6 anniversary. "They just don't understand how deeply wounding this massacre was to the psyche of Canadian women, and Canadian men . . . the Conservatives simply don't understand what that did to us and, consequently, the failure to take action on guns is simply incomprehensible to everyone that was marred by this tragedy," he said. He and other Liberal MPs continued their attack on the government in question period, saying the Conservatives listen to gun lobby groups more than victims of crime and asking when they would stop trying to scrap the long-gun registry. "We believe in gun control, gun control that works, gun control that will actually make our communities safer," Conservative House leader John Baird responded. Public Safety Minister Vic Toews also defended his government by saying no other party has been stronger in defending victims than the Tories. "We continue to support gun control measures that assist law enforcement in protecting our communities and the safety and security of the public," he said. - ------------------------------------ CTV - MPs mark Montreal massacre anniversary The Canadian Press Date: Mon. Dec. 6 2010 2:05 PM ET http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20101206/montreal-massacre-21-year-annivers ary-101206/ OTTAWA — The 21st anniversary of the Montreal massacre reignited political combat over gun control Monday. The Harper government came under fire for its decision last week to delay -- for the third time -- regulations that police say are essential for quickly tracing guns used in crimes. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said the timing of the decision demonstrates the Conservatives' insensitivity to the national trauma caused by the 1989 tragedy, in which Marc Lepine gunned down 14 female engineering students at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique. "They just don't understand how deeply wounding this massacre was to the psyche of Canadian women and Canadian men, moms and dads alike," Ignatieff said after taking part in a Parliament Hill ceremony honouring the victims. "The idea that young women could be singled out and systematically massacred for no other reason than that they were women . . . has just marked Canada forever and the Conservatives simply don't understand what that did to us." The massacre prompted the Liberal government of the day to introduce strict new gun-control measures, including the controversial gun registry. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has vowed to scrap the registry but his minority government has so far been stymied by the three opposition parties. A Tory private member's bill to eliminate the registry came within a whisker of passing last September, with the support of a half-dozen New Democrats. Last week, gun enthusiasts applauded the latest delay in implementing firearms-marking regulations, which were created by the Liberal government in 2004 and originally supposed to come into force in 2006. Sports shooters are openly hoping the regulations will be put off repeatedly until Harper wins a majority and can scrap them altogether. A spokesman for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has said the latest delay is intended to give the government more time to consult with various stakeholders. But Wendy Cukier, president of the Coalition for Gun Control, said the government has already conducted in-depth consultations, in which she took part. The regulations are supposed to bring Canada into compliance with international protocols requiring import marks on firearms, in addition to the serial number or firearms identification number currently required in Canada. The three associations representing police in Canada have said import marks would help police to speedily trace weapons used in crime and to determine whether such guns have been smuggled into the country or produced domestically. Harper issued a statement Monday deploring the Montreal massacre as "one of the most heinous acts of violence in Canadian history." He said the best way to honour the victims is "by working to eliminate violence against women while making our communities safer for all Canadians." By contrast, Ignatieff said the best memorial is "strict, relentless gun control. It's the contribution that we can make to keep everybody safe but especially young women." Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe issued a statement exhorting the government to implement the gun-marking regulations and end its campaign to undermine the gun registry. Conservatives were conspicuously absent from a solemn ceremony marking the anniversary on Parliament Hill, where flags were lowered to half-mast. The event was organized by the Liberal women's caucus but representatives from the Bloc Quebecois and NDP participated, along with some survivors of the massacre and representatives of various gun-control and women's groups. Michel Liboiron, a spokesman for Ignatieff, said no Conservative was invited because survivors, upset with the government's stance on the gun registry, indicated they'd boycott the event if Tories were involved. NDP Leader Jack Layton said particular attention needs to be paid to aboriginal women who face "staggering" rates of violence, aggravated by extreme poverty and discrimination. Gov. Gen. David Johnston called the massacre "a black mark on our history" and challenged Canadians to work together to end all forms of violence against women. "On this day, we will act," Johnston said in a written statement. "We will push back against prejudice, fight against unfairness and refuse to turn a blind eye on such deplorable deeds." ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V14 #185 *********************************** 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".)