A motion calling for the gun registry to be abolished passed second reading in Parliament last night, probably right around the time I fished one of those charming 10-percenter mailings out of my mailbox that accused the Liberals, New Democrats and Blocistes of colluding to criminalize law-abiding (and presumably hard-working and God-fearing) long gun owners.
Interestingly, when I scanned the list of MPs who voted for the private member's bill, my current Member of Parliament (Jim Maloway, Elmwood-Transcona, NDP) was among those who did not go with the majority in their party and said scrap the registry. While Maloway and NDP MP Niki Ashton (Churchill) voted to get rid of the registry, their other NDP colleagues from Manitoba -- Pat Martin (Winnipeg Centre) and Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North) -- as well as Liberal MP Anita Neville (Winnipeg South Centre) voted against the private member's bill.
Now, I doubt many of my fellow constituents will notice this distinction and may conclude - based on the tone of the ten percenters - that the New Democrats are nanny-state loving socialists who would regulate or prohibit anything fun like guns, or liquor, or sunshine.
So, I'd suggest two things here.
One, Mr. Maloway should tell his constituents, in no uncertain terms, he's against the gun registry, if that is indeed the case.
Two, to those Tories who feel the need to carpet bomb this riding with taxpayer-funded propaganda, send your missives about the gun registry elsewhere. Maybe add them to the pile of partisan crap you already jam into mailboxes in River Heights and Wolseley and count the number of votes your efforts to gut the gun registry win you in those areas.
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58 minutes ago
5 comments:
The junk from the conservatives in my mailbox is getting crazy too. I was getting about 4 a week up until last week when I got none. This week, I got two so far. They go right in the trash.
"Two, to those Tories who feel the need to carpet bomb this riding with taxpayer-funded propaganda"
Agreed!!! Just yesterday in Winnipeg South, I received one of those "10-percenter" from John Cannis MP. I can't stand it when those Conservatives have the nerve to use taxpayers money to spread their garbage.
Oh wait a second. Just read the read the back. Contact John Cannis, MP Scarborough Center c/o Liberal Caucus Services.
Never mind. This is completely different. Awesome piece of "Partisan Crap" and "Taxpayer Funded Propaganda" (to quote your post).
Perfectly acceptable if it comes from a Liberal, right? I'm sure you didn't conveniently neglect to mention that other parties are doing this.
However, I do realize it is your blog and you can do what you want.
@ Anon No. 2:
Ah yes, the old "two wrongs make a right argument."
Look, partisan crap is partisan crap. Personally, I don't think the any party should be allowed to carpet bomb unheld ridings with 10 percenters. As I wrote here, what we're seeing is the political equivalent of an arms race: one side blasts ridings with 10 percenters and the other side feels compelled to match their efforts because it may be effective.
The reason why I'm critical of Conservatives as opposed to others is their 10 percenter campaign has been far more egregious in both volume in tone. In this riding, I think I've seen six pieces from Tory MPs in the past four months, one thing from my NDP MP and I have yet to get something from a Liberal. When I lived in Winnipeg Centre, I had six or seven in my mailbox from Tory MPs last summer compared to one or two pieces from my actual NDP MP and again, none from a Liberal.
Talking to other people across the city, I know the Grits are sending some flyers into Wpg South and Charleswood-St. James. But again (and keep in mind this is anecdotal), the volume of taxpayer-funded mail being sent by Liberals pales in comparison to the number of 10 percenters that are regularly sent into Liberal-held Winnipeg South Centre or (before last October) St. Boniface.
If parties want to mail me partisan propaganda on their own dime, fine. But I resent having parliamentary mailing privileges abused just so some MP I've never heard of can tell me Michael Ignatieff is Just Visiting or Stephen Harper is a meanie. That's the real point of contention for me.
Believe me Curtis, I have no major problem on your original commentary and this was not a "Two wrongs make a right" argument. Those are your words, not mine.
Egregious in both volume and tone? Please. That would depend entirely on the point of view of as a Tory, Grit or a Dipper. I have had more than one of these Liberal pieces in Winnipeg South this year. I could be wrong, but I believe that this is now #4, and the tone has not been kind.
It was simply a point I wanted to make, and you responded in kind. But it did take a comment for you to express a complete post that all parties participate in this practise.
Have a good night.
@ Anon:
That's fair to say about tone.
As far as volume, though, this makes for an interesting read.
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