From: owner-cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca (Cdn-Firearms Digest) To: cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Subject: Cdn-Firearms Digest V15 #885 Reply-To: cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Sender: owner-cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Errors-To: owner-cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Precedence: normal owner-cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Cdn-Firearms Digest Monday, August 19 2013 Volume 15 : Number 885 In this issue: Death of a Mountie Victor Davis Hanson- "With Your Shield or On It" Illinois governor signs law expanding background checks for ... McLachlin says Senate question at Supreme Court may take time Report says access to justice 'abysmal' Calls for change by 2030 Philadelphia Cops still searching for own guns Toronto police officer charged in streetcar shooting Deranged man stabbed 3 officers Toronto police officer charged with second degree murder in ... Re: Magna Carta- Digest V15 #884 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 19:31:55 -0700 From: Len Miller Subject: Death of a Mountie Date: Sun, August 18, 2013 1:03 am From: "R. LaCasse" Subject: (fwd) Cop involved with Dziekanski death, suicides On Fri, 16 Aug 2013 13:34:04 -0700, in van.general Con?RCon? wrote: A man with a conscience - or a man with pressures from his employer? _______________________________________ This needs proper reporting . . He was NOT involved with the Dziekanski killing . he falsely reported the incident to the public . . even after the Paul Pritchard video became known. One is speculating ( and WE shouldn't ) on what motified him . . Len 144 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 20:53:33 -0600 From: Larry James Fillo Subject: Victor Davis Hanson- "With Your Shield or On It" "A spirited take on a clash of civilizations" A reflection on our inheritance, of our origin. of what we struggle to retain, no matter the odds. ==================================================================== Victor Davis Hanson With Your Shield or On It Zack Snyder’s 300: a spirited take on a clash of civilizations 7 March 2007 On Monday night in Hollywood I attended an advance screening of the entertaining new Zack Snyder movie 300, starring Gerard Butler as Leonidas, king of Sparta. This past October, I had seen an earlier version when screenwriter Kurt Johnstad asked me to take a look at an advance copy of the film. He drove down to my farm, I liked what I saw, and I then wrote an introduction to the book accompanying the film. So I am not a disinterested observer. In truth, I think that many critics will dislike this final version of the film for a variety of reasons, even aside from its unabashed defense of the Spartan notion of martial excellence and the superiority of a free Hellas over a subservient Persian East. At earlier prescreenings, for example, some Europeans bristled at such Western chauvinism, came to the silly conclusion that the movie was a George Bush/Iraq allegory, and were appalled that the Persians appeared bent on conquest and weaker, man for man, than the free Spartans guarding the pass. 300 is certainly violent, with beheadings and lopped limbs aplenty. The characters are one-dimensional, with little complexity and no self-doubt or evolution in their thinking. And of course this is not the true story of Thermopylae, but an adaptation from a comic book by Frank Miller that is itself an adaptation from secondary books and films about the battle. While there are plenty of direct quotations from Plutarch and Herodotus, we are nevertheless a long way from the last stand of the Spartans, Thespians, and Thebans in the late summer of 480 B.C. If you want to see what happened at Thermopylae, this movie won’t necessarily help you do it. But the impressionism of 300 is Hellenic in spirit: its buff bare chests are reminiscent of the heroic nudity of warriors on Attic vase paintings. Even in its surrealism—a rhinoceros, futuristic swords, and an effeminate, Mr. Clean-esque Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) who gets his ear flicked by a Spartan spear cast—it is not all that different from some of Euripides’ wilder takes, like Helen or Iphigeneia at Taurus, in their strange deviation from the party line of the Homeric epics. Like the highly formalist Attic tragedy—with its set length, three actors, music, iambic and choral meters, and so forth—300 consciously abandons realist portrayal. The movie does demonstrate real affinity with Herodotus in two areas. First, it captures the martial ethos of the Spartan state, the notion that the sum total of a man’s life, the ultimate arbiter of all success or failure, is how well he fought on the battlefield, especially when it becomes clear at last that bravery cannot prevent defeat. And second, the Greeks, if we can believe Simonides, Aeschylus, and Herodotus, saw Thermopylae as a “clash of civilizations” that set Eastern centralism and collective serfdom against the idea of the free citizen of an autonomous polis. That comes through in the movie, especially in the fine performances of Butler and Lena Headey (Gorgo). If the Spartans seem too cocky and self-assured in their belief that they are the more effective warriors of a superior culture, blame Herodotus, not Zack Snyder. The cinematography, acting, and special effects are often stunning. And the Spartans’ mood of defiance is chilling, especially when we remember that their gallant last stand ended in the greatest defeat in the history of Greek city-states—until Alexander ended them altogether, 140 years later, at Chaironeia ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 23:08:36 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: Illinois governor signs law expanding background checks for ... ...potential gun owners http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/08/19/illinois-governor-signs-law-expanding-background-checks/ Illinois governor signs law expanding background checks for potential gun owners Published August 19, 2013 FoxNews.com Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a new gun-control measure into law Sunday that requires all gun owners, including private citizens, to check the background of the person buying the gun. Under previous legislation, adults only had to undergo a background check if they were buying guns at a licensed firearm shop or at a gun show in the state. Under the new law, gun owners are also required to report any lost or stolen firearms to the police within 72 hours. "Guns are a plague on too many of our communities," Quinn, a Democrat, said in a statement. "Making sure guns do not fall into the wrong hands is critical to keeping the people of Illinois safe. This commonsense law will help our law enforcement crack down on crime and make our streets safer." In Illinois, potential gun buyers are required to present a firearm owners identification card, or FOID. The cards are issued by the Illinois State Police to applicants who pass a screening of state criminal and mental health records. Under the new law, the potential seller would have to call a hotline to ensure that the would-be buyer's FOID is valid. Illinois State Police Director Hiram Grau praised the bill, telling the Chicago Tribune, "This legislation makes perfect sense ... It will make my officers safer, and our communities safer. The bill goes into effect on January 1, 2014. It was drafted after a federal appeals court struck down a state law banning people from carrying concealed weapons in public last September, saying it violated the Second Amendment. Earlier this year, Illinois lawmakers overrode Quinn's veto of parts of a gun control bill that would have allowed individuals to carry more than one gun, carry guns into establishments serving alcohol, and carry partially concealed guns. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 08:53:43 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: McLachlin says Senate question at Supreme Court may take time http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/McLachlin+says+Senate+question+Supreme+Court+take+time/8805353/story.html McLachlin says Senate question at Supreme Court may take time By Jason Warick, The Starphoenix August 19, 2013 The Supreme Court of Canada will do its best to resolve controversial questions around senate reform and abolition, but it "may take a little time," says Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin. "We'll do our best to get an answer for the Canadian people as quickly as we can, but obviously there's a lot of work to be done, a lot of thought to be put into the questions, which are not easy," McLachlin told reporters following a speech to Canadian Bar Association delegates at TCU Place. Recent controversies have stoked calls to reform the Senate. Others, including the federal and provincial NDP and Premier Brad Wall, say they favour abolition. There is no consensus, however, on issues such as the number of provincial governments which must consent to any changes. Earlier this year, the federal government asked the Supreme Court to examine these questions. The case is scheduled to come before the court this fall. McLachlin said she and her fellow justices realize there's a lot at stake. "It's a huge responsibility. We have to make sure that we have digested all of the submissions before us, and that we've given each question our deep and most conscientious consideration - so that may take a little time," she said, noting that difficult cases can take up to a year to resolve. McLachlin said it's not her role to give her opinion on whether the Senate should be reformed or abolished. Rather, the Supreme Court will tackle the question of how any changes could be made. "I don't have any comments on what should be done. That would be for the governments of this country or whoever we say is involved in the process," she said. McLachlin was asked about the complexity of the Senate question. "I really can't answer that until we get into it," she said with a laugh, then added, "We'll do our best with it." McLachlin told delegates the court continues to examine a wide range of pressing issues. In the past year, they've looked at the rights of Metis, prostitution laws and whether witnesses can wear a niqab that covers their head and face in court. She said they have 23 appeals to hear for the fall. "I think I'll just stay in Saskatoon," she said with a smile. McLachlin also emphasized the need to make the justice system more "accessible," a major theme of the conference. Timely, effective access is the most pressing issue facing Canada's justice system, said McLachlin. Many people have given up on seeking justice through the courts, deterred by the often expensive and time-consuming process, she said. Much work is being done on this front, including a national committee working on an "action plan" due for release this fall. McLachlin said it's vital the plan be taken seriously by everyone involved in the justice system. "We do need some new approaches ... We need to get behind the solutions," she said. "Justice is not a frill." The conference continues until Tuesday, with scheduled talks from Justice Minister Peter MacKay, CBC anchor Peter Mansbridge and others. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 09:00:04 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: Report says access to justice 'abysmal' Calls for change by 2030 http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Report+says+access+justice+abysmal/8804894/story.html Access to justice in Canada is being described as "abysmal" in a new report from the Canadian Bar Association, which also calls for much more than "quick-fix" solutions. Report says access to justice 'abysmal' Calls for change by 2030 By Jennifer Graham, The Canadian Press August 19, 2013 The summary report, released Sunday at the association's conference in Saskatoon, says there is profoundly unequal access to justice in Canada. "Inaccessible justice costs us all, but visits its harshest consequences on the poorest people in our communities," says the report. Report author Melina Buckley says one of the biggest concerns is the growing number of people who represent themselves in civil cases. Buckley says many people earn just enough money so they don't qualify for legal aid, but they also don't make enough to pay for a lawyer. Those people often find themselves on their own in court, she says. The problem is especially pronounced in family law cases. "They describe that as just being a terrible experience," said Buckley in an interview. "They find the whole process leading up to it is hugely stressful, has all kind of side effects in terms of their abilities to continue parenting their kids because they're stressed. Sometimes they lose their jobs or have to go part-time, all kinds of health and other situations. They tend to get alienated from friends and families because they become so obsessed by it." "And then quite often they don't have the kind of outcomes that we would consider just and fair." Buckley says that also puts more of a burden on the system. For example, a case that would normally take three days with a lawyer on each side, tends to instead take 10 days, she says. There are also more pressures on court staff who must walk a fine line between helping people with something like forms and legal advice that they can't provide. "They have to say 'Look, I'm sorry, that's legal advice. I can't do that.' And of course the person who has that need doesn't care, they need the answer. And if you can't point them to where they can (get it), it's obviously very frustrating, very high stress for people working within the courts," said Buckley. Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin said access to justice is a growing problem for many Canadians. Peoples' lives can be ruined if they can't get access to justice, McLachlin said Saturday at the conference. "We know that there are a lot of needs. People just swallow their pain and their loss and live with it, I guess, in some unsatisfactory way feeling they can't get justice," said McLachlin. The full report will be released in the fall, but the 59-page summary released Sunday makes several recommendations. Among other things, the report calls for more federal funding for civil legal aid. Buckley says the federal government can't say how much it contributes to civil legal aid because the amount is included in overall funding to provinces and the decisions on how to spend the money is made at the provincial level. The report says by 2020, all Canadians living at and below the poverty line should be eligible for full coverage of essential public legal services. Another goal is to have all law schools in Canada have a student legal clinic to help low-income people by 2020. All 31 targets are expected to be completed by 2030. "We think very serious and radical reforms need to be made to the justice system. We think they're all doable. We call it an ambitious, but possible vision, and we think 17 years is about the right amount of time," said Buckley. Change doesn't fall solely on governments or the bar association. The report also says law schools and other stakeholders must be involved. Buckley says the creation of an access to justice commissioner could make sure everyone works together. The report says tinkering with the system won't be enough. "The civil justice system is too badly broken for a quick fix. People fall between the cracks at an unacceptable cost. Injustice is too deeply woven into the system's very structure for piecemeal reforms to make much of a dent," it says. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, August 19, 2013 9:06 am From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: Philadelphia Cops still searching for own guns Cops still searching for own guns BY DAVID GAMBACORTA, Daily News Staff Writer gambacd@phillynews.com , 215POSTED: August 18, 2013 http://articles.philly.com/2013-08-18/news/41422782_1_ramsey-own-guns-firearms POLICE Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey yesterday replaced the head of the department's firearms-training unit. Capt. Mark Fisher, who had overseen the unit - which is based at the Police Academy - was transferred to offender processing and replaced by Capt. Charles Green, who had previously worked in Internal Affairs, Ramsey said last night. The command switch comes four months after the commissioner asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate after a regularly scheduled audit of 1,356 Colt M-16 rifles in a vault at the academy revealed that one of the weapons was missing. At that time, Ramsey said all of the guns had been accounted for during an audit in December. Records for the department's firearms are maintained manually, he said, so accounting for all of the weapons can be a long, painstaking task. "Right now, we have 12 guns that we still need to locate, but we have more than 100 officers that we've not yet checked with," Ramsey said. "It's too soon to say we can't locate [the firearms]. We have some officers who are out on IOD [injured on duty] status, and others that are detailed to other units. "We also have retired officers that we need to check with, to see whether they might have purchased their weapons when they retired," he said. The command switch was not directly linked to any concerns about the ongoing audit, Ramsey said. "I'm just trying to make a few moves, here and there," Ramsey said. "It's no reflection on [Fisher's] ability. He's a fine leader and a good man." ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 09:41:45 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: Toronto police officer charged in streetcar shooting http://globalnews.ca/news/788381/toronto-police-officer-charged-in-the-death-of-sammy-yatim/ Toronto police officer charged in streetcar shooting death of Sammy Yatim Global News By David Shum August 19, 2013 TORONTO - Ontario's police watchdog has charged a Toronto police officer with second-degree murder in the shooting death of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim on a streetcar last month. Yatim was wielding a knife on an empty streetcar, and died after being shot multiple times, then Tasered by police. Amateur footage by witnesses of Yatim's shooting captured the sound of police officers shouting several times for Yatim to "drop the knife." Nine shots can be heard on the videos with the final six shots appearing to come after he had already fallen to the floor of the streetcar. The Special Investigations Unit announced Monday that they have charged Const. James Forcillo with second-degree murder. The SIU says Forcillo has not yet been arrested because an arrest warrant was just issued. Yatim's sister, Sarah Ann, expressed her feelings over the decision on Twitter Monday morning. The SIU is an arm's length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. Yatim's death prompted outrage across the city and on social media, with more than 30,000 people signing a petition calling for criminal charges to be laid against the officer. Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin announced earlier this month that his office will be investigating police policies for defusing crisis situations. Police Chief Bill Blair announced last week that retired judge Dennis O'Connor would help him in a separate review of police use of force in dealing with emotionally disturbed persons. -with files from The Canadian Press ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 10:00:35 -0600 From: "Joe Gingrich" Subject: Deranged man stabbed 3 officers http://www.wgal.com/news/susquehanna-valley/dauphin/three-officers-stabbed-in-line-of-duty-police-say/-/9704162/21522856/-/g5iw6mz/-/index.html WGAL.com Deranged man stabbed 3 officers, police say Aug 19, 2013 HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Three Harrisburg police officers are recovering after a deranged man stabbed them on Sunday morning, according to police. Police were called to a home on the 600 block of Oxford Street early Sunday morning for a domestic dispute, where they said Lamarkus Williams had a "possible mental episode" and stabbed his mother several times. While the mother was taken to the hospital, officers went to the home, where they said they encountered a belligerent Williams. "Upon making contact at the door, Williams did not initially comply, but finally opened the door, yielding a large piece of wood. He began to swing the board at the officers, who then attempted to activate a Taser. Williams was able to retreat into the house. Officers entered the home in pursuit of Williams. Once inside, Williams charged the officers and engaged them in a physical fight, while yielding a knife. As the officers attempted to take him into custody, he was able to stab three of the officers. One of the injured officers was able to deploy his Taser and subdue Williams. Williams was taken in to custody without any harm to him," a police news release states. Two officers suffered stab wounds in the back or arm and the third suffered a slice across the head. The officers were treated for their injuries and released. The suspect's mother underwent surgery at Penn State Hershey Medical Center. Her condition isn't known. Williams is charged with four counts of attempted homicide. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, August 19, 2013 11:05 am From: "Dennis R. Young" Subject: Toronto police officer charged with second degree murder in ... ...streetcar shooting death of Sammy Yatim Toronto police officer charged with second degree murder in streetcar shooting death of Sammy Yatim Josh Visser | 13/08/19 | Last Updated: 13/08/19 12:51 PM ET http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/08/19/toronto-police-officer-charged-with-second-degree-murder-in-streetcar-shooting-death-of-sammy-yatim/ Ontario's Special Investigations Unit has charged a Toronto police officer with second degree murder in the streetcar shooting death of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim in late July. The SIU said an arrest warrant was issued for Toronto Police Officer Const. James Forcillo Monday morning. An arrangement was made through Forcillo's lawyer, Peter Brauti, for the police officer to turn himself in to the custody of the SIU Tuesday morning before a court appearance at Old City Hall. "The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Ian Scott, has reasonable grounds to believe that a Toronto Police Service officer committed a criminal offence in relation to the shooting death of 18-year-old Sammy Adib Yatim in July of 2013," the SIU said in the statement. Yatim died after being shot multiple times at about midnight on July 27. Eyewitness videos of the police shooting indicate nine shots were fired, three initially, followed by an additional six, about five seconds later. About 30 seconds later, with Yatim lying on his back, a Taser was deployed. There were about a dozen police officers surrounding the streetcar at the time of the shooting, but only Forcillo was subject to an investigation by the SIU. Yatim was holding a knife on an empty streetcar that was stopped on Dundas West near a popular downtown Toronto park at the time of the shooting. Witnesses on the streetcar have told the media that Yatim exposed himself, pulled out a knife and acted aggressively towards other passengers. The streetcar driver immediately stopped the vehicle, and passengers fled on to the street, leaving Yatim alone. Police arrived shortly afterwards, and witness videos shows the officers yelling at Yatim to drop the knife. Audio made available to the National Post from a video recording features a male police officer apparently saying: "If you take one step in this direction with that foot .[inaudible] die" shortly before the initial shots. Forcillo called for a Taser to be taken to the scene, a source told the National Post, believing the situation "could be contained" to the streetcar. However by the time a Taser arrived on scene, Yatim was already lying on his back, shot. Const. Forcillo was suspended with pay following the incident, as per provincial protocol. According to Ontario's "Sunshine List," the six-year veteran was paid about $106,000 in 2012. Forcillo is the seventh on-duty Toronto police officer to be charged with manslaughter or murder by the SIU since 1990, the Toronto Star reports. None have been convicted. Nearly the entire incident was captured on video, including several from witnesses and one video from a nearby business. Video from the streetcar's camera was not released by the Toronto Transit Commission. The shooting outraged many who viewed the videos, including Ontario ombudsmen Andre Marin, who lashed out at police training and co-operation with investigations. Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair took the unusual step of commenting on the shooting after the public backlash, promising his full co-operation to the SIU and an internal investigation. Retired justice Dennis O'Connor will lead a separate review of police procedures, use of force and police response to emotionally disturbed people, Blair said. Sammy Yatim's sister has participated in a number of protests and tweeted her thoughts on the charge Monday. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 12:33:38 -0600 From: Larry James Fillo Subject: Re: Magna Carta- Digest V15 #884 On 2013-08-18, at 7:01 PM, Cdn-Firearms Digest wrote: > ---- Original Message ----- > From: "Dennis R. Young" > To: "FIREARMS DIGEST" > Sent: Sunday, August 18, 2013 9:36 AM > Subject: TORONTO STAR: Magna Carta still has major relevance for > Canadians today > >> A dream to bring Magna Carta to Canada: Hepburn >> Historic British document still has major relevance for Canadians today. >> By: Bob Hepburn Politics, Published on Thu Aug 15 2013 >> http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/08/15/a_dream_to_bring_magna_carta_to_canada_hepburn.html > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Harper sent the Magna Carta back to England along with our individual > liberties. Never forget that it was an uprising of the local lords(e.i. provincial governments) that forced King John to sign the Magna Carta. So far no political power, neither federally, nor provincially speaks out for citizen rights against capricious government power. Harper is an economist, not a lawyer, not a historian, where is there an M.P. or Senator, anyone provincially, standing up for the principle of individual liberties? "Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women, when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it." - Justice Learned Hand ========================================================== > > Yours in Tyanny, > > Joe Gingrich > > White Fox > > > > http://suite101.com/article/the-magna-carta-and-the-cornerstone-from-runnymede-in-winnipeg-a260923 ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V15 #885 *********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca Moderator 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".)