Originally Posted by
welsh
None of those quotations actually support the assertion you made. Rock never in fact "admitted ... it was the beginning to slowly confiscate firearms over time."
The oft quoted "I came to Ottawa" bit is questionable, too. It comes from a Maclean's piece where it was part of a larger interview. Rock is speaking in the past tense of his belief at some time in the past, and it is not clear whether he still held that belief at the time of the interview. The wording -- "I came to Ottawa last year with the belief that" instead of "I believe that" -- suggests otherwise. Hitting the microfiche to dig that one up and see if there is more context has been on my to-do list for about a year. Looks like I'll have to get around to it soon ... the fact is, most of the quotes we see floating around on this are gotcha quotes pulled out of context and then endlessly recirculated: political gamesmanship. The Axworthy quote, for example, isn't even a full sentence, but it is passed around as if it represents the entire content of his speech.