Great piece. EXCEPT for the inference Jan 6 was a “move(s) to overthrow the government.” Jan 6 had unforgivable riotous behavior from SOME. But an attempt to overthrow the government? Poppycock. An ACTUAL attempt to unseat the US government—the world’s most powerful nation—would require lots of guns and a very well-organized, highly-motivated group of ANTI-Patriots, anathema to what we actually witnessed. I grow increasingly tired of those that paint a small group of “burn it all down” anarchists as the core, driving force behind scores of peaceful protestors with legitimate concerns about a highly suspect, Cheat-by-Mail election.
Thank you Tara. It’s an important concept to understand but I’m afraid it gets lost on the people whose experience of the pandemic has been either positive or a minor inconvenience of losing out on spring break and pivoting from Europe to Muskoka. My heart breaks for my country right now and I’m in utter shock witnessing the complete lack of intelligence displayed by our ruling class and the media. Thank you for rising above and sharing this essential viewpoint.
You know what Tara, come down to the Ottawa occupation and experience it for yourself before trying to give us a rudimentary lesson in free speech. We all know this. We affirm their right to free speech and protest. We do protests of all kinds ALL THE TIME in Ottawa and we get on with it. I detest what March for Life stands for, yet up to 100,000 folks come here peacefully and respectfully and do their thing and we all just get on with it. This Ottawa Occupation is different.
Free speech is not without limits, as you (should) know. Nor is the right to protest: it comes up against lawful behaviour and the rights of other citizens. As women in downtown homeless shelters are checking themselves into hospital to get away from the noise, harassment and menace, who is affirming their rights? They are far more vulnerable than the Occupiers. Is this the elite that you speak of? What about the Shepherds of Good Hope volunteer that got assaulted? Also an elite? You have so easily fallen into the trap of the narrative that far-right has set out. It doesn't matter that the rights of Ottawa citizens have been eroded, because they are elites. Do I have to go Meryl Streep on you and ask 'Why are your freedoms more important than mine?' The Charter also upholds the equality of rights, in case you forgot that part. When it was a protest, the convoy's rights were affirmed plenty. Now that it's an occupation that breaks many, many laws and infringes on the rights of others, the conversation must change.
In the meantime, we know that the events in Ottawa are foreign funded. The self-proclaimed QAnon Queen burned a Canadian flag on the Hill yesterday. That's her free speech, fine. But she also has been directing her followers to kill heath care workers administering vaccines. May I introduce you to a limit on free speech.
PLENTY of people are engaging Joe Rogan on the essentials. His rights are intact. Don't worry there. And besides, he's savvy and he knows the controversy is great for him. Joe Rogan worked in large production TV for years. His podcast production could absolutely be higher-production value, but it's all part of the theatre - theatre you are completely taken in by, clearly.
Finally, what you are conveniently omitting in your righteous bloviating is what this *fight* is over. People are still dying in high numbers from Covid. Hospitals are at the brink. Our health care workers are at the edge and are being actively targeted. (see Q-Queen, above) Does anyone even remember what the mandates are for? It's to prevent the collapse of our health care system. Your analysis is so simplistic: it's a thought discussion of free speech, without limits, in a vacuum.
I subscribed because I thought you might have something interesting to say, but no, it's just warmed over populist drivel. Maybe you're gone from CBC because you can't journalism yourself out of a paper bag.
Fantastic. Nailed it. I do not need to agree but I must respect the right. How do I learn? How do I move forward with my life? How do solve problems? If I don’t openly interact with people who have apposing ideas I can’t progress. If we allow our fundamental rights to dwindle it is only a mater of time before you are the one protesting 🤔
So well written. Boils down to elites weeping and wailing because they are losing their power. Trudeau is an idiot for not meeting with the truckers and I agree that he is prolonging this. Who does he think he is? The buck stops with him. Hope this continues to massively backfire on him.
Thanks Tara, for changing the way a story gets told. It is a relief to read (your) articles that consider all sides with such balance and clarity. Liked and shared!
Great new comment from Dr. Robert W. Malone: "It turns out Canadian truckers listening to Joe Rogan know more than many “experts.” Had the truckers been in charge the last two years, the world would probably be healthier, and freer." Just gotta love that man.
Thanks for the article, Tara. I’ve read through the comments and am frankly astonished how many of these readers are framing the truckers’ and Canadian citizens’ protest against vaccine mandates and passports. That’s the issue behind this movement, let’s not forget it, even though nowhere in your article do you mention it, instead choosing to frame it as a “class” issue.
I have been following the protest very closely, and from what I observe, it has been predominantly peaceful and respectful. The people who cannot accept what is happening or have a shred of interest or consideration in addressing the legitimate concerns of the protesters are choosing to focus only on a few isolated incidents that in no way represent the intent of the protest. Vaccine mandates and passports have been dropped now in many countries. It needs to happen in Canada too, and soon!
Who gets to speak?
Great piece. EXCEPT for the inference Jan 6 was a “move(s) to overthrow the government.” Jan 6 had unforgivable riotous behavior from SOME. But an attempt to overthrow the government? Poppycock. An ACTUAL attempt to unseat the US government—the world’s most powerful nation—would require lots of guns and a very well-organized, highly-motivated group of ANTI-Patriots, anathema to what we actually witnessed. I grow increasingly tired of those that paint a small group of “burn it all down” anarchists as the core, driving force behind scores of peaceful protestors with legitimate concerns about a highly suspect, Cheat-by-Mail election.
Brilliant letter .. author unknown
This Convoy isn’t just for trucker mandates.
It’s for the 30 million people the Trudeau government approved to be allowed to spy on their cell phones.
It is for family members who are prohibited from visiting family in nursing homes.
It’s because of the censorship on all social media platforms.
It’s for all the people who are afraid to speak out for fear of being called a conspiracy theorist.
It’s for people who didn’t want to give up their freedom of choice!
It’s for people who don’t want to go into debt for the next 100 years.
It’s for people who just want answers to the many unanswered questions.
It is for people who are afraid to hug their family and visit friends.
It’s for people who want their lives back.
For hairdressers to cut hair.
For restaurants to serve food.
For the bars to play music.
For the students to learn.
For children to be free.
For people who want to work but are forced not to.
This is for the people.
This is for trying to silence honest and hardworking citizens.
Never in my life have I seen the healthy punished and the sick not treated.
This is for the 300,000 canceled surgeries.
This is for the people who died waiting for their surgery.
This is for the people who died alone in the hospital without being able to hold the hands of their loved ones.
This is for the exhausted nurses.
This is for the doctors who are not listened to.
This is for all the frontline workers…delivery trucks, grocery store employees, PSWS constantly working overtime, etc.
THIS IS FOR ALL OF US
Thank you Tara. It’s an important concept to understand but I’m afraid it gets lost on the people whose experience of the pandemic has been either positive or a minor inconvenience of losing out on spring break and pivoting from Europe to Muskoka. My heart breaks for my country right now and I’m in utter shock witnessing the complete lack of intelligence displayed by our ruling class and the media. Thank you for rising above and sharing this essential viewpoint.
Love everything you have done since Lean Out began. Please keep it up. Thanks Tara. I'm listening.
Bravo Tara. Well Presented.
Great piece.
You know what Tara, come down to the Ottawa occupation and experience it for yourself before trying to give us a rudimentary lesson in free speech. We all know this. We affirm their right to free speech and protest. We do protests of all kinds ALL THE TIME in Ottawa and we get on with it. I detest what March for Life stands for, yet up to 100,000 folks come here peacefully and respectfully and do their thing and we all just get on with it. This Ottawa Occupation is different.
Free speech is not without limits, as you (should) know. Nor is the right to protest: it comes up against lawful behaviour and the rights of other citizens. As women in downtown homeless shelters are checking themselves into hospital to get away from the noise, harassment and menace, who is affirming their rights? They are far more vulnerable than the Occupiers. Is this the elite that you speak of? What about the Shepherds of Good Hope volunteer that got assaulted? Also an elite? You have so easily fallen into the trap of the narrative that far-right has set out. It doesn't matter that the rights of Ottawa citizens have been eroded, because they are elites. Do I have to go Meryl Streep on you and ask 'Why are your freedoms more important than mine?' The Charter also upholds the equality of rights, in case you forgot that part. When it was a protest, the convoy's rights were affirmed plenty. Now that it's an occupation that breaks many, many laws and infringes on the rights of others, the conversation must change.
In the meantime, we know that the events in Ottawa are foreign funded. The self-proclaimed QAnon Queen burned a Canadian flag on the Hill yesterday. That's her free speech, fine. But she also has been directing her followers to kill heath care workers administering vaccines. May I introduce you to a limit on free speech.
The 'organizers' of the occupiers are insurrectionists. Full stop. Sure, people who are disenfranchised in one way or the other are caught up in this. They are being duped, they are being used. (https://www.trucknews.com/blogs/the-so-called-freedom-convoy-was-never-about-truckers-or-border-mandates/) But that STILL doesn't excuse the unlawful behaviour attached to their behaviour.
PLENTY of people are engaging Joe Rogan on the essentials. His rights are intact. Don't worry there. And besides, he's savvy and he knows the controversy is great for him. Joe Rogan worked in large production TV for years. His podcast production could absolutely be higher-production value, but it's all part of the theatre - theatre you are completely taken in by, clearly.
Finally, what you are conveniently omitting in your righteous bloviating is what this *fight* is over. People are still dying in high numbers from Covid. Hospitals are at the brink. Our health care workers are at the edge and are being actively targeted. (see Q-Queen, above) Does anyone even remember what the mandates are for? It's to prevent the collapse of our health care system. Your analysis is so simplistic: it's a thought discussion of free speech, without limits, in a vacuum.
I subscribed because I thought you might have something interesting to say, but no, it's just warmed over populist drivel. Maybe you're gone from CBC because you can't journalism yourself out of a paper bag.
Fantastic. Nailed it. I do not need to agree but I must respect the right. How do I learn? How do I move forward with my life? How do solve problems? If I don’t openly interact with people who have apposing ideas I can’t progress. If we allow our fundamental rights to dwindle it is only a mater of time before you are the one protesting 🤔
So well written. Boils down to elites weeping and wailing because they are losing their power. Trudeau is an idiot for not meeting with the truckers and I agree that he is prolonging this. Who does he think he is? The buck stops with him. Hope this continues to massively backfire on him.
Thank you for the sane and balanced perspectives. I am enjoying your writings as well as the interviews. Keep up the very important work!
Thanks Tara, for changing the way a story gets told. It is a relief to read (your) articles that consider all sides with such balance and clarity. Liked and shared!
Perfection. Thanks for articulating these points so cogently.
Spot on. Thank you.
Thank you Tara Henley!!!!!
Great new comment from Dr. Robert W. Malone: "It turns out Canadian truckers listening to Joe Rogan know more than many “experts.” Had the truckers been in charge the last two years, the world would probably be healthier, and freer." Just gotta love that man.
Thanks for the article, Tara. I’ve read through the comments and am frankly astonished how many of these readers are framing the truckers’ and Canadian citizens’ protest against vaccine mandates and passports. That’s the issue behind this movement, let’s not forget it, even though nowhere in your article do you mention it, instead choosing to frame it as a “class” issue.
I have been following the protest very closely, and from what I observe, it has been predominantly peaceful and respectful. The people who cannot accept what is happening or have a shred of interest or consideration in addressing the legitimate concerns of the protesters are choosing to focus only on a few isolated incidents that in no way represent the intent of the protest. Vaccine mandates and passports have been dropped now in many countries. It needs to happen in Canada too, and soon!