What with all the hoo-ha over the gun registry recently, I wanted to put my two cents in. I got in a Facebook argument with someone I don’t even know, and I was a little nervous that I might be wrong. I mean, I’m not used to being wrong — I’m pretty sure I’m right most of the time, and when I’m not sure if I’m right I just say what I believe more vehemently and usually that shuts people up.
So, the gun registry. On Wednesday, it narrowly avoided being squashed. So what does this mean? Does the gun registry actually reduce crime, or more importantly, does it reduce gun injuries or deaths?
Well, the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police seem to think so. Many “average Canadians” (a phrase Mr. Harper loves to use when trying to make it seem like he has more support than he does) also think so. The RCMP think so — and generally, they know what they’re talking about (with the obvious exception of prohibition and the drug war, in which case they have their heads just as far up their asses as their American counterparts). So why would the conservative government try to quash something so obviously important (or at least important to people who care about gun crime/deaths)?
Well, it seems to me that this once again falls under the category of political ideology. It seems like a contradiction, because typically Conservatives are the ones who are ‘tough on crime’ and ‘cracking down on gun crime’. However, these particular Conservatives seem to have a slightly irregular political agenda, when compared with other Conservatives in Canadian history. Usually they are supporting business, and farmers, etc. And in this case this seems to be true: the people who own guns are the ones supporting the end of the gun registry. So even though this conflicts with their typical crime agenda, that doesn’t matter — they’re just politicians, after all, and why should we expect politicians to listen to reason/science/the populace? I mean, their #1 goal is to stay in power, regardless of whether or not that is what the public actually wants. They want a majority, and they’re willing to buy/bribe/blackmail/slander/smear/criticize/ignore/spin/idealize their way in at any cost. That’s what politicians are supposed to do, right? That’s why we vote for them — to crush their opposition and slowly create a government based entirely around their party, cutting other voices out from the debate entirely until we have a one-party dictatorship in place.
I’m planning on voting either NDP or Green in the next election. I’m tempted to buy into the ‘vote Liberal to get the Conservatives out’ but to me, that is bullshit. When are people going to wake up and realize that you should vote for the person who accurately represents your needs, period? It seems so simple, but somehow our politcal machine has become so rusted and decrepit that an issue like the gun registry (which if everyone had ALL the facts about and were able to make their own unbiased decision would almost surely be supported by the people) becomes an idealized debate that isn’t really about guns or crime but simply about making sure that your opposition doesn’t get their way, even if you agree in spirit with what they are proposing.
This is the fundamental crisis that keeps me awake at night — humanity faces much larger challenges than gun crime, yet we can’t even work together on something as simple as that. Now what about drug laws, and climate change (which somehow, people are STILL denying is happening), and the economy? These issues can’t even be discussed in the House of Commons because it turns into an ideological war — attack the other side so what they said won’t be quoted; instead your slur will be quoted and people will focus on that.
So, now that we’re all thinking about it, I want to take this opportunity to remind you to go out and VOTE. Especially if you fall into a racial minority, or if you’re a woman. You fought so long and hard for the vote and now it’s power is slowly being usurped from you once again. I’m a white male and sometimes that sickens me, but unfortunately I don’t have to endure the same things you do. If I were to NOT vote and then complain about the government afterward, I would expect to be lynched by these groups. So by voting and doing everything I can to help fix these problems and inequalities in our world I am able to at least sleep a few hours a night.
If YOU don’t vote, then you don’t belong in Canada. This is a country that is (supposedly) based on democratic, rational leadership, and it is the People’s responsibility and right to ensure that this is what happens in this country. So please, go vote! and tell the government what you think. Contact your MP and MPP, and talk to you councillor. Make sure they understand what you want and that you’ll only support them if they’re meeting your needs, not if they demoralize their opponents.
Stay strong!
