What the Freedom Convoy wants (an open letter)

February 17, 2022 

Open Letter to our Premiers, and to our elected and appointed officials

End the mandates; end the vaccine passports. That's why we are here. 

We have given hope and power to freedom-loving Candians and beyond. People from arond the world are now standing with us and want their freedoms back. 

Today, February 17, 2022, we continue to inspire millions of Canadians to resolutely demand the return of their freedoms. We have furthermore become the model - the beacon of hope - for citizens across the globe. 

The government-imposed restrictions in the effort against the CoOVID-19 pandemic, which rescinded many of our liberties for our protection, have been worse than useless. For instance: families have become separated; children, who require intimacy and play for their educational and social development, are suffering the consequences of inhuman isolation; small business, especially the service industry, can no longer survive with limited capacities; mental health issues such as drug addiction, alcohol dependency, and suicide have increased several-fold.

The list of harms is too many to document here, and others will emerge with time. All we can do now is limit the damage you have done. 

The concept of 'freedom' here is not only an idea: we have materially felt its loss. Otherwise, we would not be in the streets. Many of us now have nothing to lose. This is out line in the sand. This is where we hold the line. 

Once we arrived in Ottawa, we experienced a truly Canadian gathering. The Sikh communities shared food with everyone. Dance parties were set up. Concerts with sea shanties were held. Children drew thank-you cards for truckers and handed roses to police officers in between playing street hockey, drinking hot chocolate, and jumping in bouncy castles.

We have heard Canadians far and wide. Here we communicate what has been conveyed to us. 

The message is clear: End the mandates; end the vaccine passports. That is why we are here. We are calling on all governments in Canada to restore the rights and freedoms of Canadians and set concrete limits so governments can't easily abuse our rights and infringe on our freedoms again. The message is as follows:

We call upon our governments to restore the rights and freedoms of all Canadians: 

1. End all vaccine mandates.
2. End federal, provincial, and municipal vaccine passports. 
3. End all state-of-emergency declarations pertaining to out peaceful protests.
4. Provide financial protection for the small businesses harmed by Covid restrictions. 
5. Respect freedom of choice without discrimination.

Furthermore, Canadians want assurance that our governments will not make the same mistake again. We propose the following steps be taken to ensure this.

1. Supreme Court of Canada Review of Government Actions

We need to know whether our rights under the Charter mean anything. We call upon the Federal Government to initiate a Constitutional Reference to the Supreme Court of Canada about the constitutional validity of the Covid laws and restrictions.

2. Public inquiry of Government's Response to Covid

As a matter of national importance, Canadians call upon the Federal Government to appoint a fully independent and impartial public inquiry on the government's handling of Covid responses.

We need to know what went wrong - what caused governments to so easily trample our rights and freedoms and cause so much harm to our people and our nation. 

For the inquiry to be effective, the following conditions must be considered:

(a) the inquiry membrs are to be selected by an all-party parliamentary process;

(b) it must contain a thorough examination of the science, internal communications, policy responses, and the consequences. 

 _________________________________________________________________________________

Social media:
fb.com/realFreedomConvoy2022
Instagram: @realFreedomConvoy2022
Twitter: @rFreedomConvoy
www.freedomconvoycanada.com

Press Contacts:
Dagny Pawlak: dagnypawlak@gmail.com
Benjamin Dichter: bjdichter@gmail.com

Canada Unity withdrew Memo of Understanding

by George J. Dance

On February 8 Canada Unity (CU), a group headed by James and Sandra Bauder, formally withdrew their Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), a document posted in support of Freedom Convoy 2022. The withdrawal notice (at right, full text below) notes that over 300,000 Canadians had signed the MOU online by that date. 

Who is James Bauder? The New Statesman (NS) calls him "a QAnon and Covid-19 conspiracy theorist" – but then, the NS is a notorious legacy leftist rag, so their bio should not be simply accepted at face value. It also calls Bauder the "leader" of the Freedom Convoy, which is simply wrong; while he may have come up with the idea originally (the NS says that he had "previously organised a similar convoy to protest against measures to reduce carbon emissions") he was never its leader; the main organizers of the Convoy, and the recognized spokesmen for it, have been Tamara Lich and Benjamin Dietrich.     

The Convoy has one goal, as outlined by Lich at a February 3 Ottawa news conference: a commitment, by every level of government, to a "clear plan" for ending all Covid19 mandates and restrictions. (Since the Convoy began, three provincial governments have announced such plans.) Not only do lockdowns and other mandates violate fundamental rights guaranteed under Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but they were also imposed unconstitutionally: the Charter provides a process for a government to violate a right when absolutely necessary (Section 33, the notwithstanding clause), but no government bothered to follow the due process; the Charter was simply ignored by all. Presumably, the MOU (which is no longer online) supported that goal.  

However, as has been reported, the MOU also called for the replacement of the Justin Trudeau administration with a new government, by the Governor-General (a power the GG has formally, though not in fact) and the Senate (a power the Senate does not have). As previously noted on this blog, that is not how Canada's political system works. A federal government can be removed at any time, under the Canadian system, but only by the House of Commons: if a government loses a confidence vote in the House, it must resign and a new government be formed. Without a loss of confidence in the House, the GG and Senate have no constitutional power to remove a government. 

Sadly, the pro-mandate part (by far the largest part) of Canada's legacy media seized on those lines in the MOU to promote its own narrative (the "unintended interpretations" mentioned in the withdrawal notice) that the convoy was an attempted 'insurrection' or coup, its real goal being to overthrow the Trudeau regime by force. The same message has been picked up and amplified by the world media. Here, for instance, is how the already-cited NS article describes the convoy's goals:

The protesters drew up a memorandum of understanding, calling on the senate and the governor general to overthrow Canada’s elected Liberal government. Pat King, the Alberta organiser, told followers of his livestream that 'the only way this is going to be solved is with bullets'. Throughout the protests, though they have shrunk from joining in, numerous conservative politicians have either posed for photographs with the truckers, or issued overt statements of support. There is no mystery as to what kind of movement this is: it is 21st-century fascism. 

The NS goes on to equate the protest to both the  2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, also framed that way  – a favorite comparison of Canadian media as well  – and even to the 1922 March on Rome that brought Mussolini's fascist government to power. 

Meanwhile, the Convoy's stated goal – of ending Covid mandates and restrictions that violate Canadians' Charter rights – was ignored by the same media. The result, if not the purpose, was to sow confusion and spread misinformation about the Convoy's goals and its supporters.

So it was good to see Lich call for only the removal of mandates (ignoring if not tacitly repudiating the MOU) on February 3, followed by the document's formal withdrawal by CU a few days later. No doubt much of the media will simply ignore those two facts, and continue misrepresenting the Convoy's goals. (The quoted NS article, for instance, came out February 16.) But now, at least, they have no excuse for doing so. 

Notice of Formal Withdrawal of MOU by Canada Unity | Canada Unity (news release):
February 8 2022 - "It has come to the attention of Canada Unity that the Memorandum Of Understanding (herein referred to as MOU) does not reflect the spirit and intent of the Freedom Convoy Movement 2022
"We represent the voice of many Canadians who desire to have the Charter of Rights and Freedoms upheld. We are everyday Canadians, not lawyers or politicians.
"We are immediately withdrawing the MOU as we do not want any unintended interpretations to continue. Our sole desire with the MOU was to have a document where Canadians could peacefully express their displeasure with current C19 mandates, and express their desire to be free. Canada Unity does not support or encourage any acts which tarnish democratic values held by Canadians.
"To the over 320,000 original signatories of the MOU; we appreciate your support and will continue to peacefully demonstrate until the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is upheld.
"This document was created with the sole purpose of bringing the government of Canada and all Canadian citizens into agreement; that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms should be upheld for all
"Canada Unity firmly supports the constitution and democratic process. We remain committed to following lawful process and upholding freedom of choice."

Canada Unity
James Bauder
Sandra Bauder
https://canada-unity.com/mou/

Norway, Netherlands ending Covid restrictions

Norway drops almost all COVID-19 restrictions | Politico Europe - Hanne Cokelaere:

February 12, 2022 - "Norway is dropping most COVID-19 measures, including distancing, mask-wearing and quarantining requirements, the government announced Saturday. 'The coronavirus pandemic is no longer a major health threat to most of us,' Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Saturday. 'The Omicron virus causes far less serious illness and we are well protected by vaccines,' he argued.

"From Saturday morning, requirements to keep a one-meter distance and wear a face mask are lifted; infected adults no longer have to quarantine, but are advised to stay home for four days, Reuters reported. The government also eased travel restrictions, dropping remaining requirements to carry proof of a negative test. But the government carved out an exception for travel to the archipelago of Svalbard, arguing health services are limited there.

"The shift follows advice by Norway's Institute of Public Health that there aren't clear benefits to delaying the spread of the coronavirus with restrictive measures. The government is expecting an uptick in infections as restrictions are eased, but said the country is well-placed to handle an increase. Norway already removed a large number of measures earlier in February."
Read more: https://www.politico.eu/article/norway-drops-coronavirus-restrictions/

The Netherlands to scrap all coronavirus restrictions | Politico Europe - Lukas Kotkamp:

February 15, 2022 - "The Dutch government today announced that it will lift all COVID-19 restrictions starting on February 25 despite several thousand confirmed daily cases of the coronavirus, mostly of the less severe Omicron variant. 'The country will reopen,' Health Minister Ernst Kuipers said during a press conference, the first such briefing since the start of the pandemic to take place without Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

"All public venues — including cinemas, restaurants and bars — will be able to resume normal operations at full capacity for the first time in almost two years. Face coverings and social distancing will no longer be mandatory in most places but will still be required on public transport and at airports.

"The government still advises against shaking hands and told people to get tested if they show 'flu-like' symptoms, with Kuipers saying that 'corona is not gone, keep that in mind'' and adding: 'Luckily, hospitalizations do not increase like the number of infections does.' About 86 percent of the adult Dutch population is fully vaccinated, one of the highest rates in Europe.... 

"The Netherlands is one of several European countries that have decided to scrap all pandemic restrictions, following Denmark, Sweden, England and, from Saturday, Norway."
Read more: https://www.politico.eu/article/the-netherlands-to-scrap-all-coronavirus-restrictions/ 

Trudeau invokes Emergencies Act to suppress Freedom Convoy

Canada invokes unprecedented emergency measures — and triggers a political firestorm | Politico - Zi-Ann Lum:

February 14, 2022 - "Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has just taken the biggest risk of his political life. He’s gone all in, deciding to invoke the Emergencies Act — the first such use in Canada’s history — to put an end to the paralyzing truckers’ convoy. It’s a big bet for a third-term prime minister already facing criticism for politicizing the pandemic.... Invoking the Emergencies Act is a measure of last resort. It gives the federal government enormous powers to quell the disturbances, shut down crowdfunding and freeze the bank accounts of anyone assessed to be aiding the demonstrators. 

"Trudeau sounded a measure of both willfulness and desperation in a somber late afternoon press conference with Cabinet members. He made clear his conviction that the protests were no longer 'non-violent,' but also assured listeners that his government didn’t intend to use military force to put an end to the 'Freedom Convoy' occupation that is now entering its third week on Parliament Hill and encampments around the city.... He said the act doesn’t mean fundamental rights are suspended nor are Charter rights overridden. 'We are not limiting people’s freedom of speech,” he continued. “We are not limiting freedom of peaceful assembly. We are not preventing people from exercising their right to protest legally'....

Maksim Sokolov  Freedom Convoy protesters, Ottawa, Feb. 12, 2022. CC BY-SA, Wikimedia Commons.

"Criticism over the prime minister’s historic announcement came flying from all sides and levels of government.... New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh said Trudeau’s decision to invoke the act ... is evidence of a failure of leadership. 'The reason why we got to this point is because the prime minister let the siege in Ottawa go on for weeks and weeks without actually doing anything about it,' Singh told reporters.... Trudeau’s bid to protect democracy in Canada was slapped down by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association as an overreach. The association said the federal government hasn’t met the necessary threshold to enact emergency legislation, and cautioned against its repeated use. 'It threatens our democracy and our civil liberties,' the CCLA tweeted.

"Premiers, Canada’s provincial governors, are concerned Trudeau’s decision to invoke the Act could further inflame political entrenchment. 'We really need not to put oil on the fire,' said Quebec Premier François Legault ahead of Trudeau’s official announcement. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said he respects citizens’ rights to protest.... Kenney called federal mandates, particularly those just being brought in as provinces and other countries are lifting measures, irresponsible public health policy that’s unsuitable 'particularly at a combustible time like this'....

"Trudeau made his historic announcement only an hour after MPs voted narrowly 185-151 against a Conservative motion proposing the government present a plan to lift federal vaccine mandates by the end of the month.... Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen backed the convoy protest from the onset.... 'The prime minister had an opportunity to talk and to listen to people who he disagreed with, and he refused to do so,' Bergen said. Invoking the Emergencies Act is a 'ham-fisted approach' that will likely have the opposite effect, she said, pointing the finger at the PM for escalating and inflaming the situation by using labels to deride people’s concerns and pandemic anxieties....

"Leadership hopeful Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre is another member of Bergen’s team who has been vocal with his support of the convoy. He blamed Trudeau for causing a political emergency. 'The solution is staring him in the face,' Poilievre said. 'All he has to do is listen to the experts, do what other countries are doing — and that is to eliminate these mandates and restrictions — to let the protesters including the truckers go back to their jobs and their lives'.... Conservatives’ and protesters’ demands to lift all Covid-19 mandates comes at a time where restrictions are easing across Canada, a country considered one of the most highly vaccinated in the world....

"'There will be time later to reflect on all the lessons that can be learned from this situation,' Trudeau told reporters Monday afternoon.... Under law, a public inquiry must be launched within 60 days of the expiration or revocation of the act investigating the circumstances that led up to its declaration. The inquiry also has a reporting obligation: It must produce a report to be tabled in Parliament within 360 days after the act has expired or revoked — making the issue one the Liberal government will have to revisit next year."

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/14/canada-emergency-measures-political-firestorm-00008896

Manitoba announces plan to end Covid restrictions

Manitoba to drop capacity limits next week, eliminate mask mandates by mid-March | CBC News - Darren Bernhardt:

February 11, 2022 - "Manitoba will eliminate capacity limits for many businesses and other venues starting Tuesday as the province aims to abolish all restrictions, including mask mandates, on March 15. The province also intends to remove all proof of vaccination requirements on March 1, which means vaccination cards will no longer be needed. All restrictions will end March 15, Premier Heather Stefanson said at a Friday morning news conference....

"'Today we offer hope to those who have been waiting for a long time to see that light at the end of the tunnel,' she said. 'The restrictions have placed many burdens on Manitobans, and now that we see the pressure of our hospital systems starting to ease, it's our responsibility of government to ease those restrictions on Manitobans.' Stefanson, who has stressed the importance of getting vaccinated, toned that message down on Friday. While she said she and her family are fully vaccinated, she added that 'the choice to get vaccinated is yours'.... 

• On Tuesday, pandemic capacity limits will be dropped for restaurants, licensed premises, entertainment venues, indoor and outdoor sporting events and casinos and gatherings at private residences. 
• They will also be removed for outdoor public gatherings.
• Indoor public gathering limits will be removed if proof of vaccination is required to enter. If not, the limit will be 50 people.
• Anyone age 12 to 17 who is participating in indoor sports and recreation will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination or recent testing.
• There are no changes to retail and personal services until March.
• Public health continues to recommend self-isolation for people who live in a household with someone who has symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, but it will no longer be required.
• Self-isolation requirements for people entering the province will also be discontinued. However, anyone travelling from international destinations will continue to be required to meet requirements under the federal Quarantine Act.
• Public health orders restricting travel to northern Manitoba remain in place....
• Masks are required indoors for staff and students but will not be required during physical education classes. Medical masks will be recommended but no longer required for school staff.
• Schools will continue to send out community notification letters if public health officials have identified increased transmission or recommended remote learning for a class, cohort or entire school. As well, Manitoba's online dashboard will continue to post this information but will no longer include case numbers, the province said in a release.
• Children, school staff and child-care staff will only be eligible for PCR testing if medically indicated, in line with eligibility criteria for all Manitobans.
• In some settings, such as personal care homes, shelters and health-care facilities, public health officials have continued to work with facilities to notify close contacts of people who test positive, but that will end on March 8, the province said in a news release.

"The Manitoba Health Coalition, a non-profit health-care advocacy group, released a statement on Friday expressing its disappointment with the changes. It suggested the province is responding to the anti-restrictions convoy set up outside the legislative building and international border."

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-covid-19-pandemic-restrictions-1.6347862

Canada's government threw out PPE in 2019

Federal government trashed millions worth of PPE before COVID struck | Canadian Taxpayers Federation - James Wood:

July 29, 2021 - "The federal government threw millions of dollars worth of personal protective equipment [PPE] in the garbage months before COVID-19 arrived in Canada, according to exclusive records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation..... 

"The disposal took place in September of 2019, during the closure of one of the Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC]'s National Emergency Supply Stockpile warehouses located in Regina, SK. An estimated two million N95 masks and other assorted personal protective equipment were sent to the local dump. The original cost to purchase the PPE was $1,194,474, according to the records. Out of the landfilled PPE, $888,150 was made up of medium to large N95 masks, which skyrocketed in price during COVID-19. Face shields, surgical masks and other emergency medical supplies were also thrown away.... The feds disposed of the original masks in Sept. 2019 because they were reaching the end of their 'useful life,' according to the government.... 

"The CTF spoke with retired senator David Tkachuk, who served as the deputy chair of a Senate committee in 2008 that concluded the federal government had mismanaged and underfunded Canada’s emergency response system. ''First of all, I think it's nonsense,' said Tkachuk. 'These aren't the sort of products that spoil, but secondly, it was the fact that they weren't replaced and then they closed three of the warehouses'.... Tkachuk also noted that the responsibility for this waste of resources should be on the prime minister.... 'He never made an inquiry. He didn't do anything. He just ran away from it, didn't answer any questions and knew that CBC and CTV, nobody would really follow it up and make sure he was held accountable'....

"When the CTF approached PHAC for comment on this story, the agency defended the actions it had taken, saying there had been no need for PPE in its Regina warehouse at the time of disposal. The cost to toss the masks rang in at $4791, and PHAC said the closure of the warehouse saved $147,000 annually. As for whether or not the masks could have been used, the agency did not want to speculate."
Read more: https://www.taxpayer.com/newsroom/federal-government-trashed-millions-worth-of-ppe-before-covid-struck

Depleted national stockpile leaves Canada reliant on China for masks, gowns and other supplies during pandemic | CBC News - Geoff Leo:

May 06, 2020 - "More than two months into the coronavirus pandemic, federal and provincial governments are using extraordinary measures to supply health-care workers with personal protective equipment, including letting them use expired masks. And with more than 61,000 cases of COVID-19 coast to coast, and the country reaching the milestone of more than 4,000 deaths on Tuesday, supplies are just trickling in from overseas suppliers....

"As of April 30, Health Canada had ordered 1.8 billion units of PPE, from masks to gloves to gowns. Of the 36 devices approved so far under the order, 34 are manufacturers in China, including Wuhan Orient Honest International Trade Co., Shandong Zhushi Pharmaceutical Group Co., and Peek-a-Boo! I A See U!.... Much of the global supply of PPE comes from China.... Last month, China's own government revealed it had seized 89 million pieces of poor-quality product. Canada has also received at least one million masks from China that don't meet its standards since the pandemic began.... 

"The president of the Canadian Medical Association, Dr. Sandy Buchman, says ... this highlights a failure of government planning. 'If we had planned properly and monitored these provincial and federal supplies of the equipment, we wouldn't be scrambling,' he said. 'We would be stockpiled and ready to go'....  Wesley Wark, a national security expert from the University of Ottawa who's studied Canada's national stockpile, said the pandemic has exposed a gaping hole in Canada's supply chain that urgently needs to be filled. 'The NESS concept has failed Canada in this current crisis.... We find ourselves in a position where China is our only hope,' he said."
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/ppe-import-china-shortage-1.5552426

No dismissals at Public Health Agency after PPE stockpile screwup | Rebel News - Sheila Gunn Reid:

February 11, 2022 - "[A] shocking admission was made during a House of Commons public accounts committee meeting on Thursday afternoon during an exchange between Ontario Conservative MP Philip Lawrence and Dr. Harpreet Kochhar, president of the Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC]....

"[PHAC], tasked with the responsibility [of] pandemic preparedness, emptied several strategic stockpiles, allowed others to expire and closed warehouses to save money — though PHAC's own internal reports from 2011 warned managers to maintain a four month supply of masks, gloves and gowns. Tossed in the landfill were 8,839,942 masks, gowns and other PPE the year before the outbreak of COVID. PHAC had an annual budget at the time of more than $600 million.

"Blacklock's Reporter published a brief transcript of a portion of the committee meeting Friday morning:

Lawrence: “I asked a fairly direct question and I’d like a response. Was anyone held accountable? Was there anyone whose employment was terminated as a result of these significant lapses in your department? Was there anyone who faced any discipline at all?”
Kochhar: “This is a cumulative responsibility within the Public Health Agency – ”
Lawrence: “So to be clear no one has been held to account even though there were significant lapses that put our front line workers at risk?”
Kochar: “I reiterate the point that we are working very closely with our partners –”
Lawrence: “I’ll take that as absolutely no one in your department was held accountable for putting our front line workers at risk...."

"One manager at PHAC tasked with PPE warehouse mismanagement retired in 2020. Two previous PHAC presidents were given other public service jobs without seeing a pay cut."
Read more: https://www.rebelnews.com/no_dismissals_at_public_health_agency_after_ppe_stockpile_screwup

The Power of Protest

The Power of Protest | Brownstone Institute - Jeffrey A. Tucker:

February 3, 2022 - "Israel has repealed [Covid] restrictions and is backing off vaccine mandates, even as cases and deaths are hitting new highs, and implausibly so in the most vaccinated and boosted country in the world. The UK has backed off too. Same in Denmark, Ireland, Finland, and Norway. Switzerland has joined in, and Sweden has rolled back its plans for an extended vaccine passport [and] has decided to get rid of them completely. Saskatchewan is ending all restrictions. We are seeing local governments and universities in the US gradually stepping back. No new cities have joined the brigade for vaccine passports and Denver, CO, is stopping theirs....

"Monmouth University tracks attitudes in the US toward government and media as it pertains to the pandemic response. At this point, every arrow over time slants down to the right. The number of people opposing vaccine passports outnumbers those supporting them by 10 points. A polled 70% say it is time we accept Covid as normal....

"It is surely not a coincidence that all of this accelerated the same week as the trucker convoy formed in Vancouver and made the trek across ... Canada ... in the snow, ending up in Ottawa and gathering many tens of thousands of citizens to protest. The Prime Minister fled the city and went to his bunker, making what looked like hostage videos that denounced the truckers with all the usual epithets. 

Crowds cheered Freedom Convoy Canada, January 27, 2022. Photo by Rise of the Dots! CC BY, Wikimedia Commons

"What’s even more striking is that the media in the US and Europe did not cover the convoy, probably the largest in history and certainly the most important protest in modern times in Canada. The topic never ended up on the front page of either the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. And yet: the effect was hugely powerful. Public opinion in Canada swung 15% to create a solid majority against all restrictions and mandates.... And other governments around the world are paying attention.... They are backing down, more already in Europe than the US. But even in US blue states, you can see evidence that the basis for restrictions and mandates is falling apart. Let’s also mention New Zealand, the island nation that pretended it would somehow magically make the virus go away. Now with wave after wave of cases, even the crazy Jacinda Ardern is rolling back quarantine mandates and gradually reopening the country. 

"The great slogan is 'living with Covid.' It is an implicit repudiation of everything that has happened for two years. It’s what we should have done all along. But the fanatics took over. The hysterical scream back in 2020 was that the power of the state, backed by media and corporate interests, would somehow make the virus go away. It was always ridiculously unachievable. The attempt unleashed massive abuse against the population, disrupted economies everywhere, and unleashed a tremendous amount of financial corruption that is still going on today. 

"We are nowhere near done with this. Massive restrictions are still in place. Travel is still a disaster. The mask mandate on transportation is as awful as ever. The segregation in DC, NYC, and Boston is morally repulsive. Plus, so many lives have been shattered. So many businesses have closed. Public health is in shambles. The demographic disruption has been profound. There are scandals lurking everywhere. What exactly were Fauci, Farrar, and Collins doing the whole of February 2020 instead of examining ways that sick people could get well? Why did they use burner phones? And that article debunking the lab leak in Nature, the one highly criticized later. How did that come about?

"Mysteries abound about the vaccine trials. And wait until people have a look at the “Emergency Use Approval” documents submitted by the manufacturers. They will discover that the pharma companies never promised much at all. They certainly never said that the vaxx would stop the spread, keep people from being infected, much less end the pandemic. They never said that it would work against variants.... 

"Governments spent many trillions of dollars, most of which ended up in the pockets of well-connected elites in the corporate and banking sectors. The payoffs and graft connected with everything, from testing kits, to masks, to therapeutics will be alarming to behold. And wait until people figure out that all along we might have had solid generics that have a massive effective impact on early treatment. 

"All wars come to an end, but governments rarely think in advance about the exit strategy. Instead, they kill and destroy until exhaustion sets in and then try to sneak away hoping that everyone will just move on. That’s pretty much how things fared with the Iraq War, and the results were devastating for the whole world. There are analogies to how governments are sneaking away from the catastrophe of the last two years. It’s been a war on people, a war on reality, and an attack on rights and liberties on a scale and scope that is without precedent in the modern age. None of it worked. Indeed, that is incredibly obvious now, and wholly humiliating and discrediting for vast swaths of the ruling class. 

"What kind of world emerges on the other side? There will be hatred against experts, elites, governments, media, pharmaceuticals, politicians, and deep-state bureaucrats. It’s already happening. And think of this: if it can happen in Canada, it can happen anywhere. Who would have imagined that it would be Canadian truckers who would step up and save the world?

"It’s a lesson to all of us. It shows that only an active minority of people can make a massive difference, if they speak with moral conviction and courage. Everyone else follows, provided the message is clear and speaks to the reality all around us.

"That, in a nutshell, is the case against despair. There is tremendous virtue right now in staying patient and letting the chips fall exactly where they have begun to fall. Yes, resignations would be ideal but regardless there will be a political realignment and a cultural rethinking. Freedom can win in the long run. And the world will be rebuilt, on a much more solid foundation than was present two years ago. We tried an experiment in tyranny. It flopped. Despite the enormous cost of what took place, we will all find ourselves in a good position to see a rebirth of liberty, human rights, and prosperity on the other side."

Read more: https://brownstone.org/articles/the-power-of-protest/

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