Moral-Flexibility.Net

The all candidates debate at the Pembroke Outdoor Sportsman’s Club turned a little ugly when one of the club members had the audacity to ask;

“If the handgun ban goes forward. What plan would your party offer to compensate those of us who legally own the guns that would be confiscated?”

A fair enough question given the fact the Liberals have made a lot of noise about their handgun ban. The response from Liberal candidate Don Lindsay was less than polished however;

“Sir America is our neighbor not our nation, if you elect a society that talks about that kind of perspective I suggest that perhaps you go there!”

Nice. Not that I was expecting any empathy from a politician (a liberal one at that), but scorn goes a little far.

Steve Janke has the full story here (or check the OttawaValley.Com for their write up)

Oh sure we joke about it, but some people actually do it.

..Despite checking less than half the polls, here are some irregularities that have been identified: 

• Almost 100 apparently nonexistent addresses in Edmonton’s downtown core - in some cases, the addresses listed fictional residences in between two genuine buildings
• Hundreds of people registered to vote out of their law offices, medical offices, accounting offices, and Government of Canada offices - in some cases these may be genuine errors, but in other cases, entire families are registered to vote out of high rise office space
• Dozens of people registered to vote out of office towers, but who did not list a suite number, causing the address to read similarly to ordinary residences - in many cases, these people are also registered to vote in other ridings using their home addresses, and in other cases, voters living in other ridings are only registered in Edmonton Centre
• Dozens of people registered to vote out of small mail box locations and from self-storage yards - there is no legitimate way for a person to appear on the list of Electors from a self-storage yard
• Eighteen people registered to vote out of a truck stop
• People registered to vote out of karaoke bars, lingerie stores, dance lounges, galleries, etc…

Evidence of Voter fraud in Edmonton Centre, Small Dead Animals has the full story.

Find those who voted more than once, prosecute them, then force them to serve their community hours assisting the Green Party with administrative tasks.

[Hat Tip: Angry in the Great White North]

This morning I decided I would do a little letter writing. It’s just the start but an email to the MP for my riding seemed the obvious choice. I’ve taken a few liberties for dramatic effect, but I s’pose grandstanding is a two-way street, no?

To: Yasmin Ratansi (Ratansi.Y@parl.gc.ca)
Date: November 9, 2005

Yasmin,

I have been a supporter of the Liberal party for years, Don Valley East has been a Liberal riding for quite some time, and I feel you have served us well. I was more than willing to support you again in the upcoming election, that is until yesterday when I heard the Prime Ministers announcement regarding the banning of handguns in Canada.

I am a shooting enthusiast, and while I supported the gun registry this step has clearly gone too far. I’m afraid the gun ban seems to do little to address the concerns we Torontonians have about escalating crime in our city, and instead it penalizes law abiding gun owners diverting resources that might better be spent in the pursuit of criminals.

I’m afraid that I am being forced to reassess my vote in the upcoming election, as much as it pains me I do not feel that I can, in good conscience, support the Liberals with this issue unresolved.

Erik Ingerman

And just because the address is easy to find, a quick letter to the prime minister.

To: Paul Martin (Martin.P@parl.gc.ca)
Date: November 9, 2005

Dear Prime Minister Martin,

I know the chances of you actually reading this missive are slight, but I hope that it will find its way across your desk and that you will take a moment to read it.

I am a quiet Canadian sir, I go to work each day to support my wife and child, I pay my taxes, I vote Liberal when it is time for me to offer my meagre participation in our electoral system. I have no soapbox sir, I am usually content to sit on the sidelines and leave the process of government to the government.

Your recent announcement regarding a handgun ban, however, has shattered my support for the Liberal party. A party that, until recently, I viewed as a reliable voice among the din of rhetoric and hyperbole.

I am a gun owner you see, and while I supported the firearms registry, despite it’s massive cost overruns, I cannot support further measures that penalize law abiding citizens. Diverting resources that would be better spent investigating and prosecuting those behind the escalating violence our country has stood witness to.

I have been made to feel victimized despite committing no crime. I have been made to feel unclean despite my strict adherence to the regulations that have been forced upon me. I feel I am being told that I am worse than the criminals walking our streets, and certainly no more trustworthy.

Mr. Prime Minister I implore you to rethink this course of action, so that quiet Canadians like myself will not be forced to support another party when it comes time to cast our ballot.

Sincerely,

Erik Ingerman

[Hard copies to be mailed out shortly]

C’mon Cannuck gun owners, sound off. What are YOU doing to fight this? What should WE be doing to fight this?

CBC Article - “Liberals expected to announce new gun laws”

Liberal Leader Paul Martin is expected to announce a sweeping ban on handguns as he makes a campaign stop in a part of Toronto plagued by a series of shootings…

…Under the current system, people are allowed to possess a restricted firearm for target practice, target shooting competitions, to form part of a collection or, in very rare cases, for employment purposes or to protect your life.

Ironically I was just having a conversation with my father about the problems I had with the conservative party (well, frankly with all major political parties), and that the only reason for voting for them was the liberal policies on civilian firearms ownership in Canada. I was waffling. I’m done waffling.

I WILL be voting for the conservatives, I will be convincing others to do likewise. Thank you Paul Martin, for helping me make up my mind.

[Hat Tip: Malfeus]

I’m angry, angry that once again I am being penalized for the actions of criminals in our city. I have dashed off an email to our esteemed Mayor Miller (should you want to do likewise you can drop him an email yourself), it’s hardly the most eloquent letter I’ve ever written, but I think it speaks to my disappointment and disgust.

Mayor Miller,

My name is Erik Ingerman, I was born and raised here in Toronto, and after living several years in Vancouver, British Columbia I returned to this city. I returned here because I honestly believe that Toronto is the best city in our country, a city I have considered home since I was a child.

The increase in gun violence has troubled us all, but your recent comments as to creating a “gun free zone” in Toronto saddens, disturbs and even angers me.

You see, I am a gun owner. I compete with and collect firearms. These firearms are registered in accordance with the federal regulations and I am licenced to own them. I store my firearms in a manner well beyond the measures set out in the federal regulations, as do those firearms owners I know within the city. We do this because the idea of arming criminals is abhorent to us, we do this because we live here too.

What saddens me is that you didn’t appeal to us gun owners for assistance, asking that we make efforts to secure our firearms against theft. You didn’t seek a situation where we were made part of the solution. You seem to have made the decision that we are part of the problem, that even when we are the victims of theft we are somehow on par with the thugs roaming our streets.

This, Mr. Mayor, is entirely unforgivable. Far from enlisting support from the law abiding gun owners of your city, you have instead managed to isolate and alienate an entire segment of the cities population, and this at a time when unity against the criminal element is of paramount importance.

I wish you well Mr. Miller, but I for one have to question the leadership of the city when the best solution to escalating gun crime is directed not at the criminals themselves, but at law abiding contributing members of the community.

Sincerely,

Erik Ingerman

Feel free to critique, I’m not going to resubmit the email (although I’ll be mailing off a paper copy to city hall this week), but it’ll help next time I’m writing a letter I’m sure.