The NRA folks must be smilin’…

… as Harper seems to be moving toward an American style position on gun ownership rights.

Now, not only are Canadians being told that there are terrorists around every corner, but armed criminals are just waiting for us at our country homes and cottages.

Scary country, Harper’s Canada!

Harper’s comments are being promoted by the Conservatives’ election campaign manager, who says she is “proud” of how Harper said gun ownership is “important for safety for those of us who live a ways from immediate police assistance.”

I’m personally not against gun ownership. But I am very much for a highly regulated environment. This is something we currently have and the main reason why we haven’t seen the gun violence in Canada that is so prevalent south of the border.

Of course, confrontation and hostility have become the touchstones for the Harperites… Lawrence Martin:

It’s hard to recall another time when we have witnessed such a flame-throwing approach to politics, policy and Parliament. Too often, the governing party resembles a band of belligerents rather than sage public servants. How many fights do they want to pick? Are they not concerned about the impact on the country’s social fabric, the dangers of pitting one Canadian against another?

Other governments had men at the top who served as voices of reason or restraint – think of Don Mazankowski in Brian Mulroney’s government, or John Manley under Jean Chrétien. Mr. Harper has no such force of measured resistance in his office or cabinet, no one to keep his harder-edged ideological impulses in check.

Provocations at home have also been coupled with provocations abroad. Last week, James Bezan, parliamentary secretary to Defence Minister Jason Kenney, raised the ante with Russia, claiming that our navy was “confronted” by Russian warships and “buzzed” by fighter jets in the Black Sea.

NATO officials said this was nonsense – that Russian vessels remained far off and that there was no buzzing.

How support for the ReformCons remains at the level it is at is beyond me. I really believed that Canadians would see through the politics of hate and cynicism… but maybe I’m wrong. 

 One hope – Duffy.  The other – Justin Trudeau.

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