Thursday, September 25, 2008

Can You See the Pattern Yet? Hint, It's Not Paisley

Let me introduce you to MP Lee Richardson. He's one of those MP's you don't see much of or hear from too often.

He broke that pattern recently though during an interview with Fast Forward, and here is some of what he had to say.

In light of recent shootings in Calgary, Fast Forward contacted Richardson September 18 to ask how the Conservative approach to crime compares to other parties’ approaches. In reply, Richardson said Canada has been too “soft on crime” by showing too much sympathy towards offenders and their civil rights. “Particularly in big cities, we’ve got people that have grown up in a different culture,” said Richardson, 60. “And they don’t have the same background in terms of the stable communities we had 20, 30 years ago in our cities… and don’t have the same respect for authority or people’s person or property.”

“Canada accepts so many refugees, for example,” he said. “These are people that have had a very difficult life from whence they came. If you’ve been in a refugee camp, then you live day-to-day. And those are troubled people. They come here and, well, it’s easy to take advantage of people that are trying to help.”
Richardson added: “Talk to the police. Look at who’s committing these crimes. They’re not the kid that grew up next door.”


So, there you have it. The Conservatives want to increase immigration, but only if they look like them and were brought up like them. Maybe their next announcement during their kindergarten presentation of, 'It's Crime Week boys and girls', will include locking up immigrants with 14 year olds?

Wake up people! This party is not your Mother's or your Grandfather's PC's. How much do you need to see to realize just who they are?

Ryan Sparrow, Tech-shoppe boys, Gerry Ritz, Lee Richardson, oh the list does go on. And what is the pattern? The mentality these people hold is not that of mainstream Canada.

They, including Harper, call Dion and Layton, 'fringe and extreme'. Are you kidding me? No, it is the Conservative Party of Canada who wins that award and the sooner Canadians open their eyes, the better.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a hypocrite. While having dinner with him one night in Calgary (at a mutual friend's place) he indicated "Harper's a redneck"... but don't worry, there'll be another leader soon (paraphrased). This was before the last election, and he was hoping to secure our support, and knew what some of us thought of Harper. He also did this knowing full well the group at the table was all brown. Still, he only talks about economic matters with us - particularly taxes (pretty much ONLY taxes), while never going down the social/cultural path. Just goes to show that some Republi-Cons will do anything to get elected... just playing to the crowd they are in.

I can just imagine what some of these Cons say when they're on the doorstep - visiting a "mainstream" household... lol...

Anonymous said...

What is so wrong with what he said? Look at the gun crime in Toronto. It is mostly immigrant youth.

Karen said...

anon @3:47, provide proof.

Karen said...

anon @3:46, thanks for your insight.

Anonymous said...

Shortly after being introduced as the Liberal candidate in the Toronto-area riding of Whitby-Oshawa, Brent Fullard likened Mr. Harper to Adolf Hitler, and corporate executives who support him to Nazi-friendly industrialists. Mr. Fullard was forced to make an embarrassing apology.

Similarly, a Quebec City Liberal candidate, Simon Bedard, was forced to step down after it was recalled that as a radio host during the 1990 Oka crisis, he had called on soldiers and the police to kill plenty of natives if that was what it took to restore peace and end the Mohawks' land claim.

Israel, "the most vile nation on earth" "committing war crimes"...


Yes, I'm starting to see a pattern here.

Speaking of patterns, I see the latest Nanos has the Conservatives at 40% and the Liberals at 25. Hmmmm. A lot of folks aren't buying what you are selling.

Karen said...

A lot of folks aren't buying what you are selling.

You're right. Sadly they are buying what the media are selling, which is not reality.

Anonymous said...

People give me a break. He apologized for it. But apparently apologies aren't good enough if it comes from the Conservative,only from the liberals and or NDP. Than it is O.K. But I digress.

Omar said...

ALL white people are racist. Some are just further up the ladder of recovery than others.

Karen said...

I'm not calling for his head, I'm pointing out the pattern, the Reform contingency in the party that you all deny and the basic disregard for those who do not share their view.

That mentality to a lesser or greater degrees has expanded itself into the fabric of the party, even if they aren't Reform or Alliance.

That is the point of the post.

Anonymous said...

Omar, don't be an idiot.
Saying that all white people are racist is as intolerant as Lee Richardson pointing to immigrants as the cause of crime.

I guess there are nutbars everywhere.

I do have to wonder if this is not the issue that will stick to conservatives.

If the multi-cultural media pick up on this, it could be very bad for the kinder, gentler image the conservatives have been working so hard to create. The so-called ethnic vote has seeped very cautiously to the conservatives and could well be a soft vote.

If Lee Richardson thinks his gaffe is a one-day wonder, he should think again. He may not have harmed his own electability in Calgary Centre, but he may have dealt the first serious blow to the Conservative campaign since this election began.

Omar said...

So I'm an intolerant idiot, am I? I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume you're white, anonymous. If you are, it is hardly surprising that you don't realize that whites are taught from a very early age to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, and not as the invisible systems that confer dominance on our group. You see, I'm white and I am also a recovering racist. We whites are so cocooned in our more than comfortable state of privilege that most times we do not even see (let alone understand) the racism we perpetuate. Learn about your privileged existence, anonymous, and you too can climb the ladder of recovery for a better, kinder and fairer way life.

Anonymous said...

Omar, I am not getting into a debate about this with you. I will just say you have a lot of nerve to make any assumptions about my race, how privileged or not my upbringing was and the experiences I have lived through that have shaped my view of culture and race. Just like you have a lot of nerve to assume because you are a "recovering racist" that everyone else around you is too. While I agree there is a pervasive and often subtle underlying racism in our world, some people of all races have recognized it and rejected it in its entirety. I wish you well with your journey in doing the same. Making assumptions about others tells me you're not there yet.

Omar said...

Oh you've got that right.

There is absolutely no point whatsoever debating race relations with someone who doesn't understand exactly what 'white privilege' is and why it remains as one of the cornerstones of racism in our society today. I would recommend some reading, but I am confident that your command of the subject is impeccable.

Cheers