WHAT WE'VE GOT HERE IS A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE...

From the Classic 1967 Movie Cool Hand Luke starring Paul Newman.

I am speaking of course about the Freedom Convoy and its likely last days.

Communication ...aka Negotiation has been sorely lacking.

What We've Got Here are thousands of ordinary Canadians leaving house and home and travelling thousands of miles to their Capital City ...in the dead of Winter and one would think they were the Plague. Pathetic.

Our Esteemed Prime Minister - supposed Leader of all Canadians has shown nothing but contempt for them.  Our Premier has imposed Emergency Measures as has our Mayor...none of them nor even the Police have made any attempt to negotiate a settlement which would save face for the Protestors and allow things to get back to some state of normal. The Media by and large has been biased by projecting its Progressive / Woke Commentary.   Makes one embarrassed to be Canadian. 

John Diefenbaker famously said...everyone is against me but the people ...how apropos to today. 

I keep saying in these Blogs that this is not about Covid Mandates though the straw that broke the camel's back was admittedly tied to this issue.  After 2 years of allowing Truckers to pass freely into Canada without proof of being vaccinated our petulant and scheming Prime Minister invoked this requirement.  He knew, like everyone else, that these are the dying days of Covid but His motivation was to one more time place a wedge between His Government and the Conservatives... the Truckers were simply a convenient vehicle to use.

Fortunately, it backfired spectacularly on Him to such an extent that his Prime Ministership is in real jeopardy of being lost.  And He has once again proven how unfit He is for office.

So if not the Mandates ..what are the real reasons for the discontent.  Well 2 years of Covid alone has taken its toll and that admittedly is not the fault of the Politicians or anyone else for that matter.  It is a once in a century occurrence that we are getting through the best we can and quite frankly we have done a fairly good job of dealing with it.  The Irony in this though is that our Truckers, until quite recently, were hailed as Heroes in that they were key in our collective efforts to get through this.  

So the Plague cannot be blamed on the Politicians nor on their Health Advisors but their indecision, miscues and holier than thou attitudes have turned many off and have literally bankrupted the service industry.  All the while they continue to get spectacular salaries - with raises, benefits and pensions...and then have the nerve to profess that We are all in this together...

In fact the underlying reasons go back over 50 years when Trudeau Senior pirouetted through the Halls of Parliament.  His Leadership...like His Son's, can best be summed up as being Divisive.  He too distained the West.  He too became the Sole Centre of Power...even declaring that a Member of Parliament was simply a "no-body 50 feet off Parliament Hill".  In the years since, this can still be applied to all Members of Parliament including Cabinet Ministers but now even while they are on the Hill.

The Prime Minister's Opinion is the only one that matters with the only exception being when the Court and its unelected and unaccountable 9 Justices... in their finite wisdom... make the law rather than interpret it as they are too often inclined to do.

And sadly, this is not peculiar just to Canada, throughout the World Democracy is in decline and its Pillars teetering.  The Rise of Dictatorships has been pronounced and the Freedoms we once so readily enjoyed are being taken from us by an ever growing Progressive Left which is all for Free Speech if the Speaker agrees with their Woke Position.  

Time / space precludes me from dealing with this in more detail but to end with this...

If we collectively as Canadians do not have room in our hearts for our Country's Blue Collar Workers...if we allow our Politicians / the Media / and the Progressives to denigrate them and call them names such as racist, misogynists, uneducated...we do not deserve the country our forefathers fought and spilled their blood for ....   Better to let it go which is what appears is happening.  

The Truckers need to call it quits now ..go back to their homes.  The Conservatives need to take up their Cause and See the Return of Democracy to our once proud country.  Members of Parliament must return to representing their constituents...and not be simply a mouth piece for their Party's Leader.  Parliamentary Committees must be separate from the Prime Minister's Office and exercise real power.  The Courts need to get back to interpreting rather than making the law and every time they attempt to do the latter...invoke the Notwithstanding Clause.

And of course,  we desperately need the Triple  'E' Senate...Equal, Elected, and Effective if we are ever going to get rid of 1 Man or 1 Woman Prime Ministerial Rule. 

Finally, if the Conservatives are not up to the Challenge which is likely, then we need to return to the Reform Days but this time with a Real McCoy Reform Party and not the namby-pamby Reformers under Preston ...Same Old...Manning turned out to be.  

Anyway, I could go on and on but you get the idea ...as the Freedom Convoyers so proudly state ..We Need To Take Back Canada before there is nothing left to take back.

As I See It...

'K.D. Galagher'

 

IF RIP VAN WINKEL HAD WOKEN UP TODAY

After His 20 year Siesta ...He would have been Shocked !!

There was NDP Leader Andrea Horwath being Interviewed and demanding that the Truckers from the Freedom Convoy lose their driving licences which would of course impoverish both them and their families.

The Dear Woman was not through though ...She spoke approvingly of Liberal Leader Del Ducca's suggestion to Seize and Confiscate their Rigs.

You see in defence of Van Winkel, when he went to sleep the NDP Party was the Champion of the Little Guy - the Worker and Truckers were at the Top of Their List in those needing the Party's protection.

What Van Winkel did not know...and how could he since he has been asleep for two (2) decades is that while he slept the NDP morphed into a Party that now caters to Unions for the Rich Bureaucrats...the University Professors and such and we all know why.  

It is because those most fortunate folks can afford to pay much more in Union Dues than the poorer ...much poorer and unpensioned blue collar worker could ever imagine doing.  

Nice to be able to jettison one's Principles so easily. 

So take away their livelihoods and to Hell with the Hindmost. 

It makes one sick...and speaking of that...:

Hidey-Hole Trudeau popped his Head up briefly last eve to unload more invective against the Truckers.

Wimpy Willie Watson our thankfully retiring Mayor eagerly joined the fray...demanding 1,800 more cops to add to the countless hundreds on the ground.  They much be quickly reaching the point where there are more police than protestors.

To date there have been no injuries no deaths but that is not due to either Trudeau or Watson and I fear that to add more police to the mix that just might spark it.

Negotiations with the Protestors is what is needed but sorely lacking. 

In that light - no pun intended.. Joel Lightbound a Liberal MP from Quebec and the Quebec Caucus Chair called a Press Conference this morning.  I received a call from my friend since childhood - Johnny asking me if I was watching CBC.  'Now Johnny' I said, when have I ever watched CBC but he quickly told me about Lightbound's Presser and I went to the TV Guide to find CBC's Channel.  Sure enough there was this most articulate young chap deploring the divisive and tone deaf ways of his leader ...Hidey-Hole Justin.  He acknowledged that this action on his part could cost him his Caucus Chair Role and very likely get him kicked out of Caucus ...but finally a Liberal has stood up for Values that have been missing.  Bravo Mr. Lightbound.

Hopefully this might signal the beginning of a movement to oust one of the worst Prime Ministers this Country has ever endured.  

Before closing one humourous note...during all of this an interview took place with a Reporter on the Street ...next to the Truckers.  There was a constant cacophony of horns blaring.  Was it not just yesterday that the Court Ordered an Injunction to Stop Such?  Did the Judge not realize such a Declaration would have no effect...everyone else seemed to understand that.  

But I guess there is hope that this horn honking will stop if Del Duca plan to Seize and Confiscate all offenders.

A Pox on all their Houses ...the Houses of our Delusional and out of control Politicians.

Tomorrow a Blog on a tragedy that nearly occurred in the midst of all of this.

As I See It...

'K.D. Galagher'

 

THE IRONIES OF IT ALL...

Update Note:  in this Blog I did not mention the role played by Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly and I should have.  He has been a steadying force -- cautious and non-confrontational and deserves my credit for the fact that the Freedom Convoy has remained mostly peaceful.  Well Done Chief Sloly. Before writing this update I checked to see if it was the Ottawa Police or Ottawa Bylaw that has been issuing parking tickets in the hundreds and discovered...as I had thought...it was Bylaw.  This ticketing is plain stupid and it is a wonder that it has not led to violence and this is all on Mayor Watson.  Take a Bow... Jimbo. 

 Ottawa's Leftist Loonie City Core Councillors are beside themselves with the "invasion" of the Freedom Convoy...they want more police on the ground and more action from them.

Question For You.  Are these not the Self-Same Councillors who mere months ago wanted to see these self same Police Defunded...less money...,much less money for Policing and more spent on Social Workers?

I guess the olde expression That Was Then and This Is Now applies. 

If you've noticed - urban city councillors tend to be Left Wing Loons and as you move out from the Centre, Councillors become by magic almost ...more conservative.

But that does not account for their sudden liking for the Cops.

In this vane, Our Mayor 'Wipper Watson' has come out declaring a State of Emergency for our Nation's Capital City...reminds me of Toronto City when then Mayor Mel 'the Swell' Lastman called in the Troops to deal with a few inches of snow.  Did he not know when he ran for this once prestigious office that it often snows in Canada during Winter? Guess not, anyway he obvious didn't think that over staffed City couldn't handle the job. 

Anyway, Ottawa Sun Columnist Brian Lilley summed this up better than I could in his column today:

   This Action will do little to remove the protestors, their trucks, their bouncy castles or their saunas.

And this reminds me of your comment Patrick (our wonderful straight 'A' grandson) when I showed him pictures of students in Ottawa huddled under their desks in case of Atomic Attack during the Cold War..."why grandpa that would protect them for 2 minutes or so".  His Grandma Anne - a student in Ottawa those days, was one of the under 'deskers'.  

All weekend long our Papers have published oodles of pictures of the goings on downtown and not one ...not one... showed any one committing damage or injury to others. Indeed, they show what Anne and I experienced yesterday when we walked those precincts...people determined but having fun...more Carnival than Ruthless Occupation.

You would not know that however if you got your News from our totally Woke T.V and Radio Media - they see danger at every corner and breathlessly report their distortions far and wide.  

Here is another take from the Weekend Sun:

    It is kind of fun to watch the progressive politicians and lib-left media light their hair on fire over the  trucker rally. But claims of widespread lawlessness were quite simply untrue.  Indeed, preliminary data from the Ottawa Police show there was less crime in the neighbourhood around Parliament Hill than in a typical week.   The Columnist goes on to highlight other accounts of the Woke that were equally untrue. 

One Turban Wearing Sikh was quoted ...with a smile on his lips, as saying that given his involvement that he must now be a White Racists too. 

Other accounts noted the friendliness between the Protestors and the Police.

Admittedly one thing lacking in the Ottawa Rally is the no one is trying to negotiate a settlement.  Officials in other Cities, including Winnipeg, Toronto, Quebec and Halifax report that things have gone much more smoothly in their cities because they were able to negotiate and find common ground with one another. No such attempt in our Capital City.

If the Rot starts at the Head then I blame our 'Hidey Hol' Prime Minister for this - the only time he pops up his head is to spew vitriol against the masses.

Second in line is our Mayor who too is missing in action when it comes to seeking a truce.  His answer, as noted above, is to call in the troops and in the meantime ticket every and all Convoy Vehicles they can.  If he is seeking a peaceful conclusion that... Dear Sir ... is not the way to do it.  This puts in even better light his recent decision not to run for re-election in the Fall. 

Last but not least are our wingy Inner City Councillors - no mention from them either om the need to negotiate...quite the reverse. And looking forward to October's Municipal Election so far only candidates from this radical cadre have thrown their hats.  We here in Ottawa stand to have an even more Woke Mayor in Office post October.

As I have said before, these protests are not about the anti-vaxxers though this issue set things off.  Rather, it is about Politicians, Health Officials telling us - the common folk - how you and I should live our lives and we have the added pleasure of paying higher taxes and greater costs of living for the privilege. 

Sadly, despite the best efforts of the Freedom Convoy things will not likely change.  Most Canadians hail from the Progressive Left and our Politicians for their selfish political interests cater to them.  The United States is now heading in the same direction.  

We need better Leaders ...much better Leaders and a return to Democratic Values but despite the best efforts of these Ordinary Canadians ...we are not likely to attain that.

As I See It...

'K.D. Bell'