RFK Jr. says Democrats weaponized Jan. 6 riot

Independent POTUS candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tried to issue an even-handed statement on the January 6 2021 riot and its aftermath, calling Donald Trump's belief that he won the 2020 election "delusional," but also accusing the Biden administration of "weaponizing" the Department of Justice. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Undercuts Democrats on January 6: ‘Little Evidence of a True Insurrection’ | Breitbart | Joel B. Pollaks:

April 5, 2024 - "Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a statement on the January 6 prosecutions Friday, saying that while violent rioters deserved to be punished, many prosecutions of non-violent protesters were excessive.... Kennedy’s statement reads as follows:

"January 6 is one of the most polarizing topics on the political landscape. I am listening to people of diverse viewpoints on it in order to make sense of the event and what followed. I want to hear every side.

"It is quite clear that many of the January 6 protestors broke the law in what may have started as a protest but turned into a riot. Because it happened with the encouragement of President Trump, and in the context of his delusion that the election was stolen from him, many people see it not as a riot but as an insurrection.

"I have not examined the evidence in detail, but reasonable people, including Trump opponents, tell me there is little evidence of a true insurrection. They observe that the protestors carried no weapons, had no plans or ability to seize the reins of government, and that Trump himself had urged them to protest 'peacefully.'

"Like many reasonable Americans, I am concerned about the possibility that political objectives motivated the vigor of the prosecution of the J6 defendants, their long sentences, and their harsh treatment. That would fit a disturbing pattern of the weaponization of government agencies — the DoJ, the IRS, the SEC, the FBI, etc. — against political opponents.

"One can, as I do, oppose Donald Trump and all he stands for, and still be disturbed by the weaponization of government against him.

"As President, I will appoint a special counsel — an individual respected by all sides — to investigate whether prosecutorial discretion was abused for political ends in this case, and I will right any wrongs that we discover. Without the impartial rule of law, there is no true democracy or moral governance. That’s why John Adams, a staunch patriot, defended the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre in court. If we betray justice in pursuit of an ideal, that betrayal will corrupt anything we accomplish.

"Both establishment parties are using J6 to pour fuel on the fire of America’s divisions. Each side claims that a victory by their opponents means the end of democracy. Then, anything is justified to stop them. We run the risk of destroying democracy in order to save it.

"Instead of demonizing our opponents as apocalyptic threats to democracy, let’s focus on the issues and priorities of how they will govern, and defeat them at the ballot box rather than through legal maneuvers and dirty tricks. Presidents Trump and Biden both presided over the continued worsening of our national debt, chronic disease epidemic, government corruption, erosion of civil liberties, and foreign military entanglements. Maybe it is because the establishment parties differ very little on these key issues that they campaign on the demonization of their opponents and all who support them instead."

Read more: https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/04/05/robert-f-kennedy-jr-undercuts-democrats-on-january-6-little-evidence-of-a-true-insurrection-riot/

I did a search on "Robert Kennedy January 6" looking for video to illustrate the article, and this is the only one I could find: an MSNBC video entitled, "Calls grow for RFK Jr. to drop out after remarks sympathetic to Jan. 6 rioters." Despite its title, the video does not discuss, quote from, or even mention, Kennedy's remarks.    

Schools closing to protect children from eclipse

This Monday, hundreds of schools across North America are closing ostensibly to protect children from sustaining lifelong injuries by looking at the sun during the solar eclipse.. 

Lock Up Your Kids: The Eclipse Is Coming! | The Free Press | Rupa Subramanya:

April 5, 2024 - "On Monday, April 8, hundreds of schools across North America, from Texas to Ontario, are closing in order to protect pupils from sustaining lifelong injuries — from the sun. Just after 11 a.m. local time, a complete solar eclipse will begin over the Pacific coast of Mexico. Its “path of totality”—the areas where the sun will be entirely blotted out—will pass through 13 U.S. states, before ending off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. In these regions, schools face a dilemma: Is the eclipse a learning opportunity for kids—or a threat?

“'The solar eclipse offers a rare educational occasion,' Natalie Jameson, an educator in Canada’s Prince Edward Island, admitted last month. 'But prioritizing safety is crucial.' And so, classes in her district will end two hours early to ensure 'students will be home safely' before the start of the eclipse. The decision, her department added, was made 'out of an abundance of caution.' The same decision was made by Ontario’s Waterloo District, even though it initially opted to remain open.... But after the elementary teachers’ union criticized the decision, with its president arguing 'it’s naive to assume students won’t look directly at the sun,' the school board announced it would cancel class after all.

"Educators in America, meanwhile, are singing from the same hymn sheet. 'You obviously cannot look at the sun when this is happening,' a rep for Perry Township Schools in Indianapolis told local news. Instead, she told me, the school district is 'having an e-learning day due to safety reasons.... A superintendent in upstate New York echoed these reasons when he explained why classes in the Schoharie Central School District would be canceled on Monday: 'It really is out of an abundance of caution.'

"Abundance of caution. You hear this phrase a lot in our era of absurd safetyism, which is reshaping modern childhood. An abundance of caution is the reason kids no longer spend time alone or play outside, depriving them of some of life’s most fulfilling experiences. To be clear: when you look at an eclipse, your instinct to squint may not kick in — which can damage your eyes — but cases of blindness are vanishingly rare, and there are simple precautions that can be taken....

"Many of the scientists also believe the eclipse should be treated as a learning opportunity for kids. Ilana Macdonald, an astrophysicist at Ontario’s Eclipse Task Force, said the event is a way 'to incite wonder and amazement about the world. And yet they’re focusing more on the negatives and the dangerous aspects of it,' she said of schools that are closing.... Michael Kirk, a research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, agrees, calling the eclipse 'a once in a lifetime experience.' 'You will tell your grandchildren about this. You will remember it for the rest of your life,' he said, noting that the next total eclipse visible in America won’t happen until 2044....

"I spoke to Lola McAdam, 13, whose Ottawa school district has opted to close on April 8 to 'ensure safety' for students. 'I probably would rather have been with my friends,' she told me. 'It would have been cooler than being stuck at home.' Suzanne Hancock, Lola’s mother, said she still has fond memories of the total solar eclipse in 1979, when she was 7 years old. Her school remained open, and the students made pinhole projectors together so they could safely watch the event. Suzanne wishes her daughter had a similar opportunity.... 'That experience and adventure has been robbed from today’s students just like during the Covid-19 pandemic,' she concluded.... 

"Lenore Skenazy, founder of the Free-Range Kids project — which promotes 'a commonsense approach to parenting in these overprotective times' — says there are many examples of silly safetyism in schools.... 'We have a culture that sees childhood through the lens of risk and danger,' Skenazy said. And it’s not just schools. Up until 2011, an eight-year-old could travel unaccompanied on Amtrak—and then the minimum age was raised to 13. The reason for the change? An Amtrak spokesperson cited an 'abundance of concern.' 

"Skenazy said she dislikes these empty words. 'An "abundance of caution" turns out to be excess caution,' she said. And if we stop kids from taking solo train rides, or bringing old plates to school, or collectively experiencing a spectacular, celestial event, Skenazy believes we are effectively giving them something much worse: 'An abundance of distrust.'”

Read more: https://www.thefp.com/p/school-safetyism-classes-closed-solar-eclipse?utm_source=tfptwitter

Rupa Subramanya is a reporter for The Free Press. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @rupasubramanya.

Lies About Solar Eclipses You Should Never Believe | Grunge | April 1, 2024: 

CCP interference cost Conservatives up to 9 seats in 2021, ex-leader says

Former leader Erin O'Toole believes that Canada's Conservative Party lost five to nine seats in the 2021 election due to a CCP-orchestrated disinformation campaign targeting Conservative candidates on Chinese-language social media.

Foreign interference cost Conservative Party up to 9 seats in 2021, O'Toole tells inquiry | CBC News | Peter Zimonjic:

April 03, 2024 - "Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole told the Foreign Interference Commission inquiry Wednesday that he believes his party lost five to nine seats because of a foreign misinformation campaign aimed at Conservative candidates in B.C. and Ontario, and at his party more generally. O'Toole also told the commission he might have continued as leader after losing the 2021 federal election had it not been for Beijing's misinformation efforts.... 

"'The small number of seats would not have impacted the minority government that Canada has right now, but the difference of two, three, five seats may have allowed me more of a moral justification to remain as leader,' he said. O'Toole told the commission that winning two fewer seats than the party did in the 2019 election made it very difficult for him to make that case.

"Speaking in Toronto on Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dismissed O'Toole's suggestion that foreign interference cost the Conservatives seats as something coming from 'someone who lost an election … trying to look for reasons other than themselves.'

"Commission counsel cited policy promises in the 2021 Conservative platform explaining how it would approach China and asked O'Toole if those pledges might explain why his party lost those five to nine seats. The platform promised to recognize the Uyghur genocide, ban imports manufactured with forced and enslaved Uyghur labour and ban Chinese mobile giant Huawei from Canada's 5G infrastructure. O'Toole dismissed the suggestion.... 

"'In recent years there's been a ramping up of foreign interference operations and that's why I don't think some of those seats were turned because we had a more traditional, or a more aggressive, foreign policy posture with respect to China,' O'Toole said. 'I think a lot of people did not vote because they were intimidated.'

"Commission counsel also asked O'Toole about a Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force assessment that was prepared a week before the 2021 federal election detailing possible foreign interference threats. That document said the Rapid Response Mechanism Canada (RRM Canada), which monitors foreign state-sponsored disinformation, had observed what might have been a Chinese Communist Party campaign to discourage people from voting Conservative. 'This was not raised to our attention,' O'Toole said. 

"O'Toole was also asked about another RRM document dated around the same time that cited media outlets in Fujian province reporting a Conservative government in Canada would pursue 'greater political cooperation with Taiwan.' 'No, we were not informed of that,' O'Toole said. 'In fact we were raising instances of foreign interference that we witnessed and the SITE committee tended to downplay them. We were given the impression that there were no concerns about foreign interference.'

"The former leader said Mandarin and Cantonese-speaking campaign workers in B.C. noticed that social media platforms and chat groups in China were spreading disinformation about his party and candidates, and the party reported their concerns to SITE. O'Toole said that the reports from the field that he remembers most clearly involved Kenny Chiu, then the Conservative MP for the B.C. riding of Steveston—Richmond East.

"'The level and volume and tone of misinformation towards Mr. Chiu was horrendous,' O'Toole said. 'He was fearful for his own well being and that of his family and it was a personal attack of a racially motivated nature, suggesting he was a race traitor.' O'Toole said his party heard nothing back from SITE....

"Chiu told the commission Wednesday that he'd hoped David Johnston, appointed by Prime Minister Trudeau as special rapporteur on foreign interference, would talk to him. He said Johnston never met with him."

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/otoole-foreign-interference-inquiry-1.7161989

Erin O'Toole alleges foreign interference may have cost him his job | CBC News: The National | April 3, 2024: 

MPs allege CCP interference in 2021 election

Conservative MPs Kenny Chiu and Michael Chong, and NDP MP Jenny Kwan, testified Wednesday at Canada's public inquiry about alleged Chinese Communist Party interference in the 2021 general election.

Former Conservative MP says he was 'drowning' in Chinese election misinformation | National Post | Catherine Lévesque:

Apr 03, 2024 - "Former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu said he did not feel protected by the federal government when he was 'drowning' under alleged Chinese foreign interference that cost him his seat in the 2021 election. At the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference Wednesday, Chiu spoke at length about the growing concerns during the election campaign that he was 'anti-Chinese' and how Chinese-Canadian voters in his riding turned against him out of fear in the lead-up to voting day....

“'I thought I would be protected by my country,' he said. 'And I was deeply troubled and disappointed that I was exposed, and the government didn’t seem to care. And now that, through the commission, I’ve learned that they’ve known all about it'....

"Chiu said his team began noticing weeks before the election that Chinese language social media labelled him as a 'race traitor' and a white supremacist, and that articles circulating were saying discrimination against Chinese-Canadians would increase if he were re-elected in Steveston—Richmond East in B.C. Voters who had supported him in the 2019 election and put signs on their lawns would not speak to him anymore or were shutting the doors in his face, he recounted.

"Chiu was criticized for having tabled a bill to create a foreign agent registry to ensure more transparency on involvement by state actors, which prompted the narrative that he was anti-China or anti-Chinese. And when he attempted to correct misinformation, either with videos on YouTube or with press conferences, he was repeatedly ignored by Chinese-language media outlets. One radio station owner had allegedly instructed staff not to invite Chiu onto their programs. Chiu ultimately lost his riding.... Chiu said his share of the vote decreased by eight percentage points, which was contrary to trends across the country that showed increases in total votes for the Conservatives....

"Other elected officials have been targeted for speaking out against China or being critical of the regime. NDP MP Jenny Kwan told the inquiry she started noticing more fear and apprehension from her constituents over the last five years, starting in 2019. She said senior citizens were afraid of supporting her and feared repercussions for themselves and their families if they did so. Kwan also said she started being excluded from events in her own riding or was simply not acknowledged if she was present....

"Conservative MP Michael Chong revealed at the inquiry that he received a 'veiled threat' in an email purporting to be from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs ahead of the 2019 election warning him he was barred from entering Chinese territory. And during a virtual all-candidates’ debate in the 2021 campaign in a tight-knit rural community in his riding of Wellington—Halton Hills, an individual with what Chong described as a Mandarin accent spoke up to accuse Chong of contributing to the rise of anti-Chinese racism and discrimination in Canada. 'After the debate, we asked around if anybody had ever seen or heard of this individual. And to this date, no one has a clue who this individual or person is,' said Chong.

"Former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole also testified Wednesday, arguing that Chinese foreign interference could have influenced up to nine ridings in the 2021 election and ultimately contributed to his ouster as leader of the party a few months later."

Read more: https://nationalpost.com/news/conservatives-saw-voting-anomalies-in-same-ridings-they-suspected-foreign-interference-in-2021-election-otoole

Former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu scrums at foreign interference inquiry | cpac | April 3, 2024:

Louisiana Senate bill nullifies UN/WHO mandates

The Louisiana Senate has unanimously passed Bill SB-133, which provides that "No rule, regulation, fee, tax, policy or mandate of any kind of the [World Health Organization] WHO, [United Nations] UN and the [World Economic Forum] WEF shall be enforced or implemented by the state."

Louisiana Senate passes bill to ban all 'woke' organizations' decrees; CPC MP proposes Canada follow suit | Western Standard | Jen Hodgson:

March 29, 2024 - "The State of Louisiana Senate unanimously passed a bill that would ban all influence from the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations (UN) and the World Economic Forum (WEF). 

"International organizations, especially since the pandemic, have gained an increasingly dominant role in many of its 194 member countries’ policy making, including in Canada. 

"Bill SB-133 on Public Health and International Organizations, a law that proposes 'that the WHO, the UN and the WEF shall have no jurisdiction or power within the state of Louisiana,' passed ... the senate by a vote of 37 to 0 Monday. 'No rule, regulation, fee, tax, policy or mandate of any kind of the WHO, UN and the WEF shall be enforced or implemented by the state of Louisiana or any agency, department, board, commission, political subdivision, governmental entity of the state, parish, municipality, or any other political entity,' the bill states.... 

"On March 11, the bill was introduced in the Senate, read a second time, and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and International Affairs. After the unanimous vote Monday, it was sent to the House....

"Canadian Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis is pushing for similar steps to be taken in Canada. Lewis launched petition e-4623, in opposition to the WEF’s Agenda 2030 and for Canada to exit the WHO and UN. It garnered 90,089 signatures by its February 7 deadline and was presented to the House of Commons March 22. 

"The WHO’s Pandemic Treaty, proposed last year, has a deadline of May 2024. Canada will then either commit to the treaty or not. However, there still has been no parliamentary review or even discussion of Canada’s position or commitments to an international pandemic treaty, according to Lewis.... The legally binding treaty gives power to the WHO over global health management of future pandemics — according to what the organization classifies as a pandemic. In such an event, the WHO would require countries to implement its designated response measures. 

"Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government earlier released a statement regarding the development of the WHO’s Pandemic Treaty. 'Canada is working closely with other countries and international partners to strengthen global pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. This includes the development of a new WHO convention, agreement or international instrument,' it said, adding that Canada has been offered the opportunity to contribute to the drafting process.... Canadian officials will then participate in the vote on the final draft at the World Health Assembly (WHA) meeting in May 2024.

"Last year Trudeau was questioned on the government’s engagement with the WHO on drafting these International Health Regulations amendments. 'As an active member of the WHO, Canada has always been there to push for better science and to push for better impacts in the way we collaborate around the world. Canada is a leading voice on ensuring not only that we make it through this pandemic, which is continuing to be ongoing, but also that we prepare for future pandemics, which, unfortunately, may well be the reality for decades and generations to come,' replied Trudeau. 'We will continue to be active, strong participants in international forums around health while always respecting and protecting Canada’s sovereignty and choices to make the right decisions for its own citizens.'

Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/news/louisiana-senate-passes-bill-to-ban-all-woke-organizations-decrees-cpc-mp-proposes-canada-follow-suit/53416

Protests across Canada over carbon tax hike

Canadians mount Freedom Convoy-styled protests against carbon tax True North | Rachel Emmanuel:

April 1, 2024 - "Thousands of Canadians from across the country are gathering along highways, provincial borders, and Liberals MPs’ offices in a Freedom Convoy-styled protest against the federal carbon tax. The tax rose to 17 cents per litre of gasoline, 21 cents per litre of diesel and 15 cents per cubic metre of natural gas on Monday, Apr. 1.

"Event organizers at various locations told True North that demonstrators are prepared to stay for weeks in hopes of swaying Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to remove his costly tax. 'We’re going to be camping out. There’s no departure date, let’s put it that way,' organizer Elliot McDavid told True North at the Calgary protest. The demonstration saw around 400 attendees by Monday morning, with more arriving each minute....

“'A week, two, three — whatever it takes,' organizer Miranda Courts told True North at the protest in Loydminister along the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. Around 500 attendees showed up there to protest the tax. That demonstration featured a pancake breakfast, coffee, and a warming shack.

"Demonstrators at the Nova Scotia–New Brunswick border succeeded in slowing traffic to a near standstill, according to the RCMP. Hundreds of cars and trucks lined both sides of the highway, with the RCMP eventually closing the road and diverting traffic to a detour. 

"Another 30 protesters picketed Ontario Liberal MP Jennifer O’Connell’s office.... Another several hundred demonstrators arrived in Ottawa and chanted “freedom” in French and English. The demonstration took place on Parliament Hill and included speeches. 

"Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told supporters last month that he wanted them to organize protests at the officers of Liberal and New Democrat members of Parliament to pressure them into stopping the carbon tax hike.... The Conservatives introduced a non-confidence motion in the government over the tax, but it was blocked by all of the other parties in the House of Commons. Poilievre [was] set to host his own 'spike the hike' rally in Nanaimo, B.C. Monday evening."

Read more: https://tnc.news/2024/04/01/convoy-styled-anti-carbon-protests/

Cross-country protests greet carbon tax increase | CBC News: The National | April 1, 2024:

Pass my bill without reading it, Canada's Deputy PM tells Senate

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland recently told Canada's Senate to pass an almost $9 Billion spending bill without reading it.  (Note: This is not an April Fool's story.)

Freeland urges senators to pass last-minute $8.9 billion bill before reading it | Western Standard | Jen Hodgson: 

Chrystia Freeland, 2017. Wikimedia Commons.

 

March 29, 2024 - "Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland provoked outrage after asking senators to pass an $8.9 billion budget bill they had not yet read, Blacklock’s Reporter reports. The greatest portion of Freeland’s last-minute increased spending bill tacks on $3.2 billion to cover interest charges on the national debt.... This is not the first time the Trudeau Liberals have tried to get a bill passed before it was adequately reviewed.

"Bill C-67 An Act For Granting To His Majesty Certain Sums Of Money, seeking approval for new spending in the billions to take care federal expenses until the end of the fiscal year (March 31, 2024), without disclosing the legal text of the bill.  'Prudent spending is the government’s focus,” said Sen. Patti LaBoucane-Benson, Cabinet’s legislative deputy in the Senate, adding the failure to publish the bill in advance was 'really a House of Commons problem.'

“'You need the bill to vote on it,' said Sen. Elizabeth Marshall, a former provincial auditor. 'I haven’t seen the bill. It’s not posted. I don’t know how we can vote on a bill that we haven’t seen'.... 

"Senators suspended the meeting for an hour while clerks distributed copies of the bill. 'This is an embarrassment,' said Senate opposition leader Senator Donald Plett.... 

"In addition to the $3.2 billion to go towards paying interest charges on the national debt, Freeland’s bill proposes $2.2 billion more for national defence and $1.2 billion in pay increases for federal employees. The bill granted Canada Mortgage And Housing Corporation (CMHC) an extra $101 million to cover loan losses and write-offs under the National Housing Act and approved an extra $34.6 million to run the federal prison system.

“'I want to bring up a little bit of history,' said Sen. Denise Batters. 'This is not the first time this sort of thing has happened.' Parliament from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic on Friday, March 13, 2020 in less than two hours passed without debate three budget bills granting cabinet wartime spending powers for 90 days. The Commons then voted itself out of session for five weeks. Blacklock’s that day confirmed no text of the bills was disclosed until hours after they were signed into law.... Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government then used the bills to grant itself authority to borrow without parliamentary scrutiny a total $350 billion by March 31, 2020."

Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/news/freeland-urges-senators-to-pass-last-minute-89-billion-bill-before-reading-it/53325