Wednesday, February 23, 2022

And in other news: America is furious at the Republican apologists

There used to be a quaint custom, particularly in the United States, that politics stopped at the border's edge - in other words, foreign policy was considered a national issue, and political games shouldn't be played when US interests abroad were at stake. 
The Trump Republicans have decided to ignore this convention now. Trump blathered on about how wonderful Putin was, and his Republican sycophants happily followed him.
Thousands of Americans are absolutely furious -- more than I have ever seen before.  On twitter, the tweets calling Republicans traitors are getting thousands of likes plus hundreds of retweets and comments. Here's one referencing that weird July 4 2018 Moscow trip taken by those Republican congressmen and senators. I have never understood why that stunt didn't get much more public coverage and criticism then or since. People are comparing the Republican reaction to the Ukraine with their support of the Canadian insurrection:
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Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Today's News: It passed

Done! The Emergencies Act passed the Commons and now the Senators get to posture and preen for a bit before they pass it too. We are thinking its over, but the problem is the insurrectionists aren't actually finished yet, they'll be glad to move back into Ottawa or the border crossings as soon as they can. They are going to be a policing problem for Canada for months -- until, I expect, a permanent bill gets passed that allows the feds to confiscate vehicles used illegally in protests and that also does something about the money angle too -- and THAT, my friends, is going to be where many in Canada will find it difficult to draw a line because of the fear - or even likliehood - that a future government could abuse powers like this to shut down legitimate protests.
We're already seeing this kind of stuff happening in the States - laws preventing people from taking water to people waiting in line to vote, for example. We're already seeing hypocrisy here - those who have no problem with dividing people into "good" protestors and "bad" protestors. So there may be some darker and more difficult days to come. 
But Canada will come through, I believe.
And today was a good day.
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Monday, February 21, 2022

Today's News: Cleaning up

A few recent statistics: Some comments: I thought this hit the mark: And some funny stuff, too: And because there's some other awful stuff about to happen in Europe, this is useful info too:
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Sunday, February 20, 2022

Today's News: Ending with a whimper

The least surprising news of the day: Just as Jan 6 was a Come-To-Jesus moment for some of the American media, so the Ottawa Occupation may become that for the Canadian media. The "both sides" stance is breaking down - a little bit, anyway. CBC's Chris Walker got hammered for this one: This Ivison clanger landed with a thump heard across twitter: And Brian Lilley is, of course, blaming the Liberal government - but also, the insurrectionists! So ... And no wonder, because here's a sensible discussion about those "divisive" accusations against Trudeau from the CPC that too many people in the media keep parroting: The thousands of Canadians who took part in this insurrection, and who are still cheering and honking and trying to blockade borders for no reason I can fathom, are going to have a rude awakening: And isn't this the truth: Funny of the day: I thought this was priceless:
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Saturday, February 19, 2022

Today's News: Finding Out

Canada was glued to the news channels today, watching as Ottawa police took their city back. Somewhere somebody is already drafting up 3,000-word think pieces about What It All Means and Where We Go From Here and all that. But for tonight, enjoy these: This particular thread was delightful to scroll through: Some other takes: Fox News was apparently going into hysterics about some insurrectionist knocked over by police on horses and it was, of course, another total lie. Here's a concerning story: And finally, this also:
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Friday, February 18, 2022

Today's News: Waiting for the end

Today Canada started to feel like maybe the end is in sight for the Ottawa Insurrection, or FluTruxKlan, or whatever it will end up being called. 
Ottawa police plus reinforcements FINALLY implemented a plan - they have set up a Red Zone in downtown Ottawa around the Parliament Buildings and they are trying to prevent new protestors from entering. Also, I think the fuel supply is getting cut off now. The organizers are getting arrested. And according to some twitter reports, the tow trucks are on the way. 
I really hope it isn't going to be a water cannon moment - I am still terrified for the children there, what are their parents thinking? -- but it looks like we are at the beginning of the end.
We shouldn't expect it to be quick. It took weeks to get into this mess, so I imagine it will take until the end of February or longer to get everyone out and figure out how to stop new convoys from forming. But I think Canada will be willing to wait now that we see some progress being made toward cleaning up the streets and implementing serious and well-deserved financial penalties too.
The Conservatives may still be trying to trying to promote their Insurrectionist Street Cred but I think fewer Canadians will be buying it: This is exactly why the Trudeau government announced its implementation of immediate financial disaster for any insurrectionist who continued to protest: And as the police and the accountants get a grip on the insurrection, Canadians are able to start laughing at these yahoos who thought they could intimidate Trudeau and the Liberal government: And the people of Ottawa are absolutely outstanding! Here's another Canadian Heritage Moment:
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Thursday, February 17, 2022

Today's News: The Hollow Men

This is the way the world ends 
This is the way the world ends 
This is the way the world ends 
Not with a bang but a whimper.

The insurrectionists are The Hollow Men tonight as their convoy occupation falls apart.
Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch. But I expect there will be some very sad and deluded people abandoned in Ottawa to clean up the mess: The Conservatives were seizing on the Emergencies Act declaration for their usual Question Period freakout - when Trudeau told them the truth, they erupted. I remember the War Measures Act too - I was in university at the time, and I was accused by some of my friends of being naive to trust the Liberal government with that much power. 
But I did - basically, we all did.  
They proved themselves worthy of that trust. After Trudeau got the Charter passed, the Mulroney government got rid of the War Measures Act and passed the Emergencies Act instead and nobody gave it a second thought. 
Until now. 
So yes, once again I trust the Liberal government to be responsible with the powers it is now going to be using against the insurrection.
Which, by the way, is even worse than we realized it was.
Meanwhile, though we may all be done with Covid, it isn't actually done with us, is it?
  Finally, some of the funny stuff today: And another Canadian Heritage Moment suggestion: And Ottawa had a city council meeting today. It went about as well as you would expect, after Council found out its Police Board had fired Chief Sloly and apparently then hired a new chief without any competition: Keeping count so far, the insurrectionists have managed to get rid of 
-Conservative leader Erin O'Toole 
-Ottawa Police Chief Sloly 
-Ottawa police board chair Diane Deans plus three or four other board members.
Trudeau and Freeland and the rest of the federal Cabinet are still here.
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Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Today's News: But the accountants never will

I found twitter to be in a bit of a lull today. 
Proclaiming the Emergencies Act gave us expectations that the FluTruxKlan will be arrested, broke or out of gas pretty soon, even as Tucker Carlson lost his mind. 
Chief Sloly resigned in Ottawa, thereby ending the public humiliation of one of the most inept public servants I have ever seen. 
The Coutts blockade and the other border convoys melted away as people realized there could be some expensive consequences to their yahoo behaviour. 
The hack of the trucker donation site provided lots of opportunity to investigate who has been stupid enough to support the grifters. What Canadians were asking themselves today was, why did it take so long? 
We are fired up now, and ready to kick some more ass. And we are also trying to start sorting out what it all means, for us now and in the future: Today's funnies: 
First, this whole thread is hilarious: And finally, this:
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Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Today's News: fuck around and find out

In October, 1970, the War Measures Act was declared when Pierre Elliot Trudeau proclaimed we were in the midst of an apprehended insurrection in Quebec 
Today, it happened again, in Ontario and in Alberta, sort of. 
This time the 1988 Emergencies Act won't suspend civil liberties (in spite of the New York Times breathlessly tweeting this hysterical take) and Parliament is overseeing the Cabinet declarations. 
Bit it was still a scary day -- starting with the news of the Coutts arrests and gun seizures: As well as ultimately getting rid of the trucks on Parliament Hill, the longer-term impact of the Emergency declaration and its related measures is likely going to be financial -- I think that anyone who contributed to the insurrectionists may find themselves in trouble Tonight on twitter the insurrectionists and their backers are trying to get people to make runs on the banks. Real patriotic, eh?
Even the Conservatives are realizing now they need to switch sides and fast, against the insurrectionists: And finally, a Ha Ha moment:
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Monday, February 14, 2022

Today's news: Ottawa Strong

The people of Ottawa started fighting back today - in the cold, standing out on the streets, being yelled at, carrying handmade signs, abandoned by their own police department and their politicians -- but nevertheless, they persisted. 
And they did it! #OttawaStrong was their attitude, and their hashtag (the insurrectionist anti-vaxxers tried to hijack it to apply to the FluTruxKlan themselves, but it didn't work.) 
I don't know enough about the geography of Ottawa to understand exactly where all this happened, but a bunch of brave Ottawa citizens stood their ground all day at the #Battle of BillingsBridge, to stop a line of trucks who wanted to join the anti-vaxxers on Parliament Hill. 
And even though police told the citizens to let the line pass, they would not move. More and more people joined them. Until finally the line turned tail and drove away. The conclusion tonight is that shit is going DOWN! 
Earlier this evening, the mayor of Ottawa announced he had negotiated a deal with the insurrectionists, to move their trucks to another section of Ottawa - basically, it was mostly-unconditional surrender, giving them a retroactive camping permit in trade for them not bothering people as much. Ottawa Twitter was absolutely furious. 
But then half an hour later the insurrectionists pulled the rug out from under the mayor anyway, saying there was no deal even though the mayor had released their actual letter agreeing to it. 
Finally this evening came the news that Trudeau would be holding an emergency Cabinet meeting tonight, and will be meeting tomorrow morning with the Premiers. 
Media reports are that emergency measures are coming in -- maybe the army? Or, at the very least, maybe army equipment to move the trucks: Now I'm afraid its going to be terrible - the Ottawa police and Ontario Provincial Police have done such a poor job - vacillating, unfocused, inept, pandering - how can they be trusted now to deploy any soldiers? 
If the army is put in charge, then the municipal and provincial police will scream - just as they did in 1970 -- but that may be our best chance to avoid people getting hurt. 
When this February Crisis is over - hopefully sooner rather than later -- Canada is going to have to deal with a serious aftermath. We have observed the US grappling with the fallout from Jan 6, but we are going to have fallout from this, too. 
Not only will there likely be criminal charges for some of the insurrectionists, but Canadians are going to be reassessing relationships with police and politicians, who either stood up to the insurrection or, in too many cases, did not. 
The contrast between how Indigenous people, young people, and poor people have been treated at protests, compared to how these anti-vaxxers have been treated, is disgusting and frightening. 
People are tweeting about it now: And also, unsurprisingly, there is a complete lack of sympathy for any of the anti-vaxxers. That, too, is going to be a difficult legacy for Canada as a country to deal with: Trudeau gave them their chance - he told them last week that they had made their point and it was time to go home. They didn't listen.
Finally, I guess we can always find a bright side:
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Sunday, February 13, 2022

Today's news: I wonder what's gone wrong

I don't know a soul who's not been battered
I don't have a friend who feels at ease 
I don't know a dream that's not been shattered 
Or driven to its knees 
But it's alright, it's alright 
For we lived so well so long 
Still, when I think of the Road we're traveling on 
I wonder what's gone wrong 
I can't help it, I wonder what has gone wrong 

 As I was reading Twitter tonight, I saw some posts from people I respect who are very worried about what is happening now with the Ottawa Occupation and at the Ambassador bridge crossing. 
Today was the day when we expected the bridge crossing blockade would be dismantled. And in Ottawa, it was anticipated that police enforcement against the occupation would start to show some results. 
It doesn't appear to be happening. 
Instead police seem to be standing around, or standing down, intimidated, frightened, or perhaps even taking the side of the FluTruxKlan even through their paycheques are still signed by the City of Ottawa.

People are getting PISSED OFF: And in local news:
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Saturday, February 12, 2022

Today's news: I AM CANADIAN

I AM CANADIAN is trending because thousands of Canadians want to stand up to be counted against the FluTruxKlan. 
The main news today was that Ford came out of hiding to tell the truckers to go the fuck home. 
And Trudeau gave the same message in his press conference. repeatedly telling them their message has been heard and they don't need to be in Ottawa or at the border anymore. 
Not unexpectedly, the FluTruxKlan is refusing to listen.
About the only pleasure I can take in what is happening is that the Conservatives will be going down with the FluTruxKlan:
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Thursday, February 10, 2022

I'm back!

Sorry for the long hiatus -- I took a temporary job in the fall and it kept me pretty busy but its over now and I'm glad to get back to following Canadian politics again. 
Though, pretty scary these days, isn't it? 
I think it is important for me now to blog about the Ottawa Occupation like I did about the summer election campaign, to try to assemble and keep track of the most important events and threads as they occur day to day. As well, I urge everyone to follow Montreal Simon and Dale Smith and Northern Reflections and Accidental Deliberations and Saskboy and Gazetteer and Canadian Cynic and Rev. Paperboy as they keep on blogging too.
We wlll get through this together.

Here's the stuff I gathered today:
Over the last three weeks, as the trucker convoy assembled, drove, occupied Ottawa, and then started blocking border crossings, I have gone through the usual Canadian reactions -- disbelief, denial, incredulity, disgust, ridicule, and now, finally, more than a little fear. 
I don't know how this will work out for our country, and I can't see a smooth path to ending what these right-wing hysterics have started. 
One thing that has gradually become clear to me, though, is that this is much more serious than I believed at first. 
While the tweet above is funny, what seems to be happening in Canada now is no laughing matter. Its more than anger, though -- it seems to be an organized campaign to undermine Trudeau and the Liberal government, to force resignation and replacement with autocracy. There seem to be some dark forces involved here, too. 
Myself, I am worried that the intention is to undermine Trudeau at a time in the world when NATO needs Canada more than ever, to withstand what I expect will be a war of aggression by Russia against the Ukraine.
But at least every day now, the people of Ottawa are fighting back, as only Canadians can - with a gay cowboy anthem and a #RamRanchResistance hashtag:
Out of frustration, leftists in Canada started trolling Zello channels by blasting the song “Ram Ranch,” both as a play on the Dodge Ram insignia of many of the trucks downtown and as a subversion of the channel’s patriotism (the artist who recorded “Ram Ranch,” Grant MacDonald, is Canadian). “It’s a deeply conservative belief system infiltrating our city,” says Katarina. “And when we played this song to jam their communication, they’d get extremely angry because it’s an explicit and LGBTQ-friendly song.”
The Ram Ranch Resistance website is here: https://ram-ranch.ca/ 
And there's this one now, too:
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