Trucker Convoy

Imagine...rows of Priuses, Volts and Teslas honking outside your bedroom window all night. Throw in a couple of converted VW vans running on recycled French fry oil wafting in your room. And kids, you know those folks have kids and lots of them. Bouncy castles, swings sets and maybe even pony rides right on your main street! They would for sure attract the indigenous protestors so it wouldn't be long before there were a couple of sweatlodges erected. Your kids school is closed. Every time you leave the house and get into your F350, they yell and scream at you. The local police are overwhelmed and unable to disperse the ever growing and angry crowd. Their claim is that ineffective environmental controls are adversely affecting their health and that this protest is about the freedom to ensure a healthy life. They demand an immediate meeting with government officials and threaten to force the resignation of elected officials if their demands are not met. Imagine that happening in Canada! Preposterous!
 
Last edited:
  • Haha
Reactions: Michael Ludwig and Freight17
Ironically; I'd expect that subculture to be aligned with the mission statement of the convoy as you wouldn't expect converted VW to be supporting mandatory vaccination.

PS: If I was playing politics; the first logical move against an opposition protest is to debase the moral high ground. What you do is you hire paid actors to integrate themselves into the crowd and do stupid shit. Secondly, you get the media to cover just that this way it already starts off sloppy; and this way whoever is behind the protest is on the defensive before you can deliver any constructive ideas. If lets just say I was a drama teacher with years of drama experience; I'd play to my strengths and put on a show.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MRLAM
There is not and never was “mandatory vaccinations”. Sounds gruesome and certainly inflames the emotions, but no one was and no one will be forced to be vaccinated against their will. “Freedom” of choice has been and always will be maintained for those who decline vaccinations. As with smoking, it is not illegal to smoke, you just can’t smoke wherever you choose. In spite of all the noise, this cross border vaccination thing will soon be rescinded both in Canada and the US, just as every other COVID related restriction is being lifted. As for debasing the moral high ground, that assumes there was one in the first place, which from all accounts indicates there wasn’t. “Paid actors” you are kidding right? Once again, we hear the tired old excuse, the media can’t be trusted, only trust social media as the real voice of the truth. As for putting on a show, it certainly appears that Tamara and her gang of clowns did an excellent job in that regard. Have you read the transcripts of her husbands bail hearing? Comedy of the highest degree!
 
Do you know that creating a sub-class of citizens with reduced freedoms/abilities doesn't help anyone?

Quebec floated the idea of increasing tax rates on those who didn't vaccinate, I see how that doesn't really affect our freedoms, but that choice doesn't seem to be free.

I get that we're all fluent in this demagoguery but to assume that you're not economically handicapped by making choices for yourself is like competing on rates with a company that exclusively hires LIMA drivers; with your logic paying 21 cents a mile doesn't impede on anyone's freedoms either, its just rules to a game.

Man, I left Eastern Europe because clowns in office wanted to play stupid games to win stupid prizes. If you think this handkerchief ends here I have this amazing investment opportunity for you to get on the ground floor of this new bridge over Brooklyn they're building.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MRLAM
Freight17 said:
There is a big difference between a protest and an occupation.

If someone is stupid enough to stand in front of a horse...
Click to expand...
So if I hit someone with my car, perhaps they should not have been standing there?
I've had horses my whole life and can tell you right now that no horse willingly plows into people with out explicit instruction.
 
This is all such bullshit, stop whining about this, go protest for a weekend and move on. But no we are going to stay for 3 weeks, when a few thousand police officers show up to move you along you are going to still refuse and push up against the police line? You DESERVE everything you get, I watched it on TV for Friday and Saturday and was amazed at how well the Police showed restraint, nobody was really hurt by the horses and every time they showed up after everyone paid attention. If anyone really believes this was organized by truck drivers and was all about truck drivers they are sadly mistaken. When your organizers cut bait and run you should know that you have been USED for their purposes and as soon as you have served their purposes they leave you on your own. They all could leave at any time as they always had an exit with no strings attached but they chose to stay and this is what happens.
EVERYONE in Canada has a right to protest but not for 3 weeks holding neighborhoods captive.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DIETCOKE, Shakey and loaders
When it's all said and done, it's clear we're headed in the direction of a police state.
The sad part is the we have pretty much done it to ourselves ... 40% voter turnout means the majority of people just don't care how the government, any government, runs their lives. In essence we, as a people, have ceded power to the government. Remember absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Case in point ... (Cole's Notes version) just a few miles down the road from where I live, lived a gunsmith. Toronto Police Services (TPS) wanted to talk to him with respect to a gun they found at a crime scene that had be sold or serviced by his shop. TPS arranged for a plain clothes officer to keep the gunsmith busy in his shop. They sent 4 armed officers outfitted in tactical gear and their own ambulance to the gunsmith's shop. They did not inform local police services of their intentions. With the plain clothes officer in the shop, the armed officers kicked in the door and shot the gunsmith dead. None of the commotion or declarations you see on TV. They just kicked in the door and killed him.
Are we really that different from East Germany 30-40 years ago (Maybe someone from the Eastern Bloc countries could chime in)?
These are unprecedented times my friends, and we peace loving Canadians are ill equipped to handle them. It's been more than 100 years since we have endured tyranny and treachery.
The governments will not be held accountable for the roles they played, good or bad, in this incident or others, unless we hold them accountable at the ballot box, and "we" means everyone.
 
In one word....hardly. 3 months from now, 6 at the most, people won't even remember this fiasco. High fuel prices, the cost of new trucks, etc will occupy this site. Talk of a "police state" regardless of how titillating that sounds today, will vanish and more , realistic topics will take its place.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lowmiler88
loaders said:
In one word....hardly. 3 months from now, 6 at the most, people won't even remember this fiasco. High fuel prices, the cost of new trucks, etc will occupy this site. Talk of a "police state" regardless of how titillating that sounds today, will vanish and more , realistic topics will take its place.
Click to expand...
Whether one agrees with @loaders or @Michael Ludwig articulations of reality, the stark truth that all of us need to remember is that the sense of betrayal, dismissiveness and alienation that fuelled the beginning of this protest is not going to easily go away. Rather than acknowleding the reality of it, our government chose to demonize it, polarize it and weaponize it. Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, or whether you support or do not support the convoy, you will dismiss this social and cultural reality at your peril. Acknowledge it, and you begin to mend the fabric of our society.

Spend some time understanding the deep sense of alienation and distrust on one side. Spend some time understanding the complete dismissal and lack of validation on the other side. Acknowledge that there may be legitimacy in viewpoints of than your own. Spend some time reading and understanding both sides of the issue. Personally, I found the book Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance helpful in understanding the rise in similar sentiments in the USA a few years ago, and strongly recommend that anyone who is more serious about having an informed opinion than in being right take the time to read it and other resources to provide a deeper and more nuanced look at the world that we live in.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MRLAM, Grandpa, tasuinam and 3 others
I just have one question. With all the protests and blockades ended, why did the government still enact the Emergency Measures Act on Monday? Why was it needed in the first place? Hmmmmm
 
  • Like
Reactions: Grandpa
That is a very well written and thoughtful post. If it was describing the present state of American society it would be entirely accurate. I do not feel that this forlorn sense of frustration and alienation is as widespread here in Canada as it is South of the border. The gap between haves and have not is as vast. Our level of education is higher. Our social programs ensure a certain degree of security not found in the US. No question, everyone is tired of Covid and all that it entails and that can create a tinderbox of emotion when some one decides to put a match to it as we saw recently. I guess my question would be, if there was a change in government, would this seething undercurrent of frustration and alienation dissappear, or is it a manifestation of the current government?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Shakey, tasuinam and lowmiler88
bull958 said:
I just have one question. With all the protests and blockades ended, why did the government still enact the Emergency Measures Act on Monday? Why was it needed in the first place? Hmmmmm
Click to expand...
The Act was invoked last week by the government. In order for the Act to remain in place, it had to be debated by Parliament. Had there not been ongoing problems on the streets in Ottawa at that time, the debate would have taken place on Friday. For the safety of all members, debate was postponed until Monday. By that time, due to the hard work of police and other security forces, the vast majority of the problems had been removed. Nothing sinister, just a matter of safety and timing.
 
loaders said:
I guess my question would be, if there was a change in government, would this seething undercurrent of frustration and alienation dissappear, or is it a manifestation of the current government?
Click to expand...
I don't think so, and that is the sad part. There really isn't anyone to replace the current government that is any better. It seems we're stuck with an ineffective government and a restless, divided public for the foreseeable future.
If a party, any party, were to put forth a charismatic leader that talked the talk, and walked the walk, that could galvanize the public, they would win the next election hands down, regardless of the colour of their lawn signs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MikeJr
Michael Ludwig said:
I don't think so, and that is the sad part. There really isn't anyone to replace the current government that is any better. It seems we're stuck with an ineffective government and a restless, divided public for the foreseeable future.
If a party, any party, were to put forth a charismatic leader that talked the talk, and walked the walk, that could galvanize the public, they would win the next election hands down, regardless of the colour of their lawn signs.
Click to expand...
That is the best explanation that I have heard for the election of DJ Trump. No need to be smart, no need to have a plan, just tell the people what they want to hear in the language they understand. Doug Ford tried that populist approach and it seemed to be working until he ran into a Covid pandemic that required some critical thinking and listening to boring science stuff. I sincerely hope that the Canadian populace is not as disgruntled and alienated as some here suggest.
 
Wow dude, 10:15 AM and you're already into too many margaritas.
Take a second and reread what I said ... "a charismatic leader that talked the talk, and walked the walk, that could galvanize the public", meaning someone that could actually lead a country, and could actually hold the respect of the people. All of the people.
The Trump presidency was a made-for-TV movie. Canadians aren't stupid enough to fall for that crap.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jonny-chicken
loaders said:
That is a very well written and thoughtful post. If it was describing the present state of American society it would be entirely accurate. I do not feel that this forlorn sense of frustration and alienation is as widespread here in Canada as it is South of the border. The gap between haves and have not is as vast. Our level of education is higher. Our social programs ensure a certain degree of security not found in the US. No question, everyone is tired of Covid and all that it entails and that can create a tinderbox of emotion when some one decides to put a match to it as we saw recently. I guess my question would be, if there was a change in government, would this seething undercurrent of frustration and alienation dissappear, or is it a manifestation of the current government?
Click to expand...
Having had the opportunity of living in both countries, and having family on both sides of the proverbial 49th parallel, I am convinced that the the difference between our two countries cultures continues to dissipate as we become more and more alike.
Reality is that we place far more cultural value on education and social programs as differentiators to feed our sense of national superiority, but the reality is that the strength of any culture is found in the ability to understand the different between education/knowledge, and its applications. Put more pithily, its the difference between knowledge and wisdom, or between education and common sense- or as Ayn Rand would postulate, its the difference between the looters and those who produce.
The reality is that our culture is rapidly approaching a breaking point- check any historic civilization and you will understand why I use that term. Unless civil discourse, respect and logic are the tools used to communicate in spite of our differences, we will continue to hurtle toward the precipice.
A change in government will not make the alienation disappear - the only real solution to that is to once again make civil and political leadership attractive to those with leadership and experience who serve out of a sense of duty to the people, rather than the current "professiona political class that exists". To be honest, I'd take almost any member of this board as an acceptable leader of this country, regardless of whether I agree with your political leanings or not, because the world is truly shaped by those who understand what success is, and what kind of work is required to get there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jonny-chicken, Rob, dad2andrew and 1 other person
That is the scariest thing I have read in years, " the differences between our two countries continues to dissipate". One of the driving forces motivating the fathers of confederation was to ensure that Canada would remain sovereign and not be gobbled up by or drawn into the sphere of US influence. It seems their best efforts were for naught, as culture apparently knows no borders. Perhaps we should try and resist that diminishing of our cultural identity instead of resigning ourselves to its eventuality.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom