So now the 'he said she said' (almost exclusively he said I might note) starts, along with the blame game as to what should and should not have be done to end the occupation of downtown Ottawa for several weeks. I will try to not get too specific as to my views as to the commentary from our political 'leaders' of all stripes and levels for the diversity of opinions either actually held or expressed for political gain is so diverse that little can be gained by getting into that swamp!
I will however express some support for the various individuals and organizations that have received condemnation for variously not moving to stop the 'occupation' sooner, more forcefully or will no doubt come under months of unwarranted condemnation. The question that must be asked of those that would poke holes is 'and what would you have done' given that here in Canada (at least for the most part and so far) we permit citizens to gather together and express their concerns with various decisions and activities. Would they perhaps have arrested and seized all those massive cargo haulers before they got to Ottawa in the belief they might not have stayed more than a few hours, or perhaps begged the several levels of government to comply with the demand of a few vocal trouble makers to competently remove all safeguards against covid spreading further than it has already and filling our hospitals with the sick? Let face it getting these big rigs to move when they dont want to leave is hardly the same as moving a crowd of 'protesters' or for that matter towing a few cars, that they were soon supported by a considerable number of highly disturbed people who had no respect for either the rule of law or the impact they were having on the local citizens further adds to the problem.
I will not expand further on these thoughts, you get the general idea, I will however say that by the time the 'convoy' reached Ottawa it had already clearly been infiltrated by a large number of anti everything folks who had nothing to do with the trucking industry and the frustration of a few truckers on having to 'get the shot' in order to truck across the border. One only has to view the more recent videos of the efforts to get folks to clear the area in front of our legislature to see that the whole thing has morphed into far more than a 'truckers protest' and into a right wing nutcase forum. I will also be clear that I support our governments moves to lock the accounts from various largely unaccountable online sites that enable funding to such forums and their seizing of the funds and equipment of those that refuse to comply with lawful request to exit the area and go home. I further support those hundred of officers from all over the country who have shown great restraint in taking hours of verbal and occasional physical abuse from said nutcases and only using minimal force as directed by their commanders when required to undertake their duties.
There will be many who disagree with my point of view but all I am going to say is try and turn off your political biases and look at the actions and impacts of this particular 'protest' and decide if your want such individuals running the country, the province or you local council for that is what eventually this is all about.
Enough said!
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Boil all this crap down, and what it amounts to is the revenge of people who were sent home without pay from their job because they wouldn't get vaccinated. Add to them the people pissed off because they got vaccinated when they didn't want to, just to hold onto their jobs. Personal resentment writ large triumphing over community spirit. How comforting.
The common thread among these folk is that they couldn't have cared less about their fellow citizens. It was all about ME. Whether they believed Covid was a hoax despite the thousands of deaths, whether they believed the vaccines were poison or whatever lack of reasoning they applied, none showed any compassion for their fellow citizens' health. It was all an unjust imposition on their own precious little lives -- why should they be inconvenienced in any way?
Easy then for the white-supremacist bigots to egg on the anti-vaxxers, and take over the incoherent minds of unvaxxed truckers in this instance, and send the dopes off to Ottawa led by themselves, the dangerous right wing white supremacist nutballs of society.
The "leaders" issued a Memorandum of Understanding as the convoy drove to Ottawa to have the GG dissolve the Commons, and for the Senate to run the country. Non-negotiable. Aliens from Muskian Mars saying "take me to your leader who we shall destroy!" I
Now, after the fact, typical nice softie Canucks on phone-in shows wonder why the PM refused to have a "dialogue" with them. About what? About a complete load of nonsense? A convoy of lunatics intent on replacing the elected national government? To talk down lifelong racists with a jolly nice friendly pow-wow and logic? People completely forget in only three weeks the ultimatum the trucker "leaders" made to change government unilaterally under duress and with no election.
Then there's the goonish CPC trying to make hay out of siding with the lunatics to gain votes. Anyone who supports the Cons I have zero time for. Opportunistic slimeballs preying on the stupid instead of shoring up the country against goons. What's to like about the CPC?
The people living in downtown Ottawa met and were forced to deal with these honking lunatics. I hope the citizen class action lawsuit ruins the truckers, I really do. It's heart-rending to hear the put-upon citizen stories, and there's really no satisfactory compensation anyone can offer them for what they've been through, more's the pity.
The "story" will all get twisted and turned and screwed up beyond recognition in all the recriminations that will follow. In six months, the story of what happened will have changed beyond recognition from the reality, because everyone will put their own slant on it. We have no strong leaders who command respect to control the narrative with the definitive story, so chaos is likely to be the result.
Meanwhile, if the new Omicron BA2 variant doesn't get us, some other variant will. I sincerely hope that such Covid gets the anti-vaxxers first. And I would jail for years anyone caught harrassing healthcare workers, couldn't care less about protester "rights" in such situations, which are simply beyond the pale of so-called civilized people. The inmates have escaped the asylum and are abroad,
Jeez, I guess at heart I'm an authoritarian who rejects Conservatism, and pours sarcasm over people who refuse to be educated on basic virus spread, know zero civics as to how our government of three levels works, and who are proud therefore, to be both functionally illiterate and inconsiderate of others.
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