I Rather Enjoyed This

Hope you do too.

H/t Alberta MD War Room

The Mockery They Deserve

While one shouldn't minimize the seriousness of what is going on in Ottawa, Jordan Klepper of The Daily Show metes out some well-deserved mockery of the mooks who have kidnapped our nation's capital.

Enjoy!

Such A Quandary

With such a fluid situation in Ottawa, what are opportunistic demagogues to do?

H/t Theo Moudakis

Breaking News!

 

Given the failure of police to stare down the hijackers in Windsor, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says we are going to have to learn "to live with blockades."

Drs.Theresa Tam and Kieran Moore concur.

- more to come.

Threats From Within and Without

                                  

 

There seems to be a growing acknowledgement that the trucker siege of Ottawa and various border crossings is not simply a home-grown movement to end Covid-19 mandates. Increasingly, it looks like both an international and a domestic effort to destabilize democracy and sow distrust of our political structures.

Judging by the impotent response of various levels of government, it seems the latter is being accomplished, although a few minutes ago Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency. What action that translates into is yet to be seen.

A number of journalistic investigations are currently ongoing, one of which Owen writes about today in his blog, citing David Climenhaga's piece in The Tyee about American influence and funding of these illegal actions. Both are well-worth your time.

While the interference of external actors is significant, there is, unfortunately, formidable domestic facilitation of what has essentially become an insurrection. Judy Trinh notes the involvement of former military and RCMP personnel:

The group Police on Guard, formed during the pandemic, has endorsed the truck convoy.

The organization says it has "boots on the ground" in Ottawa and has linked to YouTube videos of its members participating in the protest.

Furthermore, the leadership team for the protesters calling themselves the Freedom Convoy includes:  

• Daniel Bulford, a former RCMP officer who was on the prime minister's security detail. He quit last year after refusing to get the vaccine and is the convoy's head of security.

• Tom Quiggin, a former military intelligence officer who also worked with the RCMP and was considered one of the country's top counter-terrorism experts.

• Tom Marazzo, an ex-military officer who, according to his LinkedIn profile, served in the Canadian Forces for 25 years and now works as a freelance software developer. 

While all three have interesting backgrounds, Quiggin's is especially noteworthy.

During his tenure at the RCMP, Quiggin was a member of the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET), which was created to thwart terror threats following 9/11. At INSET, Quiggin worked alongside top officials at CSIS, Canada's spy agency, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and municipal police forces.

 Bulford, the former RCMP officer, seems to have a cozy relationship with the authorities:

"[Police] all know that this group is here for everybody, and I make a point of saying to other police officers, when I see them, it's like, 'Just so you know, in my mind and in my heart, we're doing this for all of you as well,'" said Bulford.

 A Twitter video posted by Trinh this morning speaks volumes. Be sure to watch the entire, incredible clip:

This spirit of fraternity is in addition to the skills that have been brought to the siege.

Michael Kempa, an associate professor of criminology at the University of Ottawa, says the convoy's policing and military expertise can be seen in the co-ordination of their activities in downtown Ottawa.

"They have this sort of military or police or at least survivalist training. Look at the sophistication of what they're setting up in terms of an encampment in downtown Ottawa," said Kempa, who studies policing across Canada.

"It looks like a military operation."

As examples, Kempa pointed to the tents and wooden structures used for kitchens that organizers have set up and the supply chain that has sprung up across the city to keep people fed, working and protesting. 

All in all, a very well-orchestrated and well-coordinated operation that did not emerge at random. If we are to retain faith in our government structures, something the insurrectionists are trying very hard to erode, it is now time to act with resolve and dispatch to end the hostage-taking of Ottawa and at our various border crossings. 

 

 

 

Change-Of-Pace Day

Since this is Hump Day, I felt a change of pace from the usual posts was in order.

Many will recall that Prince Harry and Meagan moved to the United States to get away from the relentless (so they said) British paparazzi. They also 'stepped back' from their royal duties, which means that they no longer have an assured income source. 

So what are hapless erstwhile royals to do for coin? Well, one of the sources seems to be Harry's motivational 'skills' as evidenced by his employment with Better Up, of which he is 'Chief Impact Officer'. (I merely report these things; I can't explain them.) Apparently, it is an organization that provides a coaching experience aligned to your business strategy. It also provides this 'opportunity' to individuals as well, all for about $500 U.S. per month.

Watching the video that follows reminded me of all the platitudinous garbage I was exposed to over the years on professional development days, not one of which ever made me a better teacher or human being. And yet there always seems to be an audience for the next big thing in personal and professional growth.

All I can say is that Harry picked the right country to reside in. Americans always seem to be on a quest for 'betterment', although judging by the results, they have a long way to go.

Please start the following at the eight-minute mark:

Sound And Fury

As the trucker convoy carries on, the first stanza of Yeats' The Second Coming seems more pertinent than ever:

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

The last two lines are particularly relevant as one considers the seeming impotence of the police and listens to trucker Jim as he pontificates into the ether.

H/t Renny Ronson

And who said the arts are irrelevant in today's world?

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