Westerners once endlessly propagandized “freedom” as the ultimate democratic virtue. Now, in fear of revolt, the leaders of these countries are mounting an opposite campaign
Justin Trudeau might have a “too much freedom” problem, but that doesn’t mean anyone else does.
“Freedom cannot exist without order.” — Canadian Justice Paul Rouleau
The Honorable Justice Paul Rouleau’s “Report of the Public Inquiry into the 2022 Public Order Emergency,” an analysis of Justin Trudeau’s decision to institute Canada’s Emergencies Act and seize funds during last year’s trucker protests, blasted across Canadian media this weekend, reduced to a handful of headlines. As has become the norm in Western media, language was nearly identical:
Trudeau’s ‘Freedom Convoy’ shutdown was justified, inquiry rules – Politico
Canada’s use of emergency powers during ‘Freedom Convoy’ met threshold, commissioner says – Reuters
Federal government met the threshold to invoke Emergencies Act: Rouleau – CBC
Rouleau’s report is clearly written by a man with mixed feelings. On one hand, he agreed “the Government did not have a realistic prospect of productively engaging” with those who “believed COVID-19 vaccines were part of a vast global conspiracy to depopulate the planet.” At the same time, Rouleau refused to confine “misinformation and disinformation” to protesters:
Protest organizers’ mistrust of government officials was reinforced by unfair generalizations from some public officials that suggested all protesters were extremists… Where there was misinformation and disinformation about the protests, it was prone to amplification in news media… The fact that protesters could be at once both the victims and perpetrators of misinformation simply shows how pernicious misinformation is in modern society.
In the report you also find significant criticism of Canda’s Covid-19 policies and heavy-handed emergency measures like allowing Canada’s Border Services Agency (CBSA) to keep foreigners out. Rouleau even said he came to his main conclusion, that Trudeau’s invocation of the Emergencies Order was legal, “with reluctance.”
But such musings have no propaganda benefit, and Rouleau’s report was reduced to a single thought, that Trudeau’s Emergencies Order “Met the Threshhold.” This was almost exactly like the American press reaction to the 2019 report by Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, which tore into FBI malfeasance for hundreds of pages but gave the press the headline it wanted: “Justice Watchdog Finds Russia Probe Was Justified, Not Biased Against Trump.”
Déjà vu? No matter what a report says or how many pages it takes to say it, a single phrase — “justified,” or “met the threshold” — can override everything
The article, which rails against the “warped idea of freedom… populism, and misinformation being sprayed all over social media,” reads like all the tsk-tsking editorials in the West you’ve read since Trump, which used every crisis to hype the idea that freedom = danger. It wasn’t long ago that a person couldn’t go outside without having the word “freedom” jammed in his or her ear, whether it was Mel Gibson yelling it over his hair extensions in Braveheart or Republican congressman Bob Ney engaging in a Pattonesque invasion of the House cafeteria so he could rename your potato-based side dish “Freedom Fries.”
So, as we wait for the widespread adoption of an alternative to government-controlled money, whether in crypto or elsewhere, those who believe in freedom should consider making the reintroduction of large-denomination bills a political priority. The level of oppression currently on display in Canada makes clear that we must do everything possible to prevent the same from coming here.
The Canadian government is now freezing the bank accounts and personal assets of those who donated to support the Freedom Convoy, which is an organized political protest of the vaccine mandates. The deputy prime minister announced that they will retain these so-called emergency powers permanently going forward and will also seek to implement additional measures to further restrict the ability of political protestors to raise funds or otherwise use the banking system.
This highlights the need to eliminate the state’s control over money, at least in societies that wish to remain free. As articulated in a fascinating Twitter thread, constitutional rights become utterly meaningless if there are no practical means to exercise them. Free speech rights and the right to assemble are of little use to those who have no ability to access their money. Organizing an assembly requires being able to afford the costs associated with travel. Exercising free speech rights, at least if one wishes to do so effectively, requires at least some funds to ensure that the message reaches a large audience.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau understands this fact, which is why his administration has chosen to freeze the bank accounts of those directly involved in the protest, as well as those who merely donated to help support the protest efforts. When a similarly power-hungry tyrant seeks to do the same here in the United States, the Constitution will be utterly powerless to stop them. Good luck mounting an effective protest to an unjust and tyrannical government without having access to money or the banking system.
It is therefore necessary that Americans start taking the necessary measures to help ensure such tyranny cannot come here. While the ultimate solution will require finding a path to free-market money, the Canadian experience makes clear that simply waiting for that to happen is too risky.
In the meantime, more must be done to bring the government’s war on cash to an immediate end. A future president and Congress can accomplish this by requiring the US Treasury to start printing $500 and $1,000 bills immediately, to make up for the loss in purchasing power that has occurred since the Treasury formally discontinued those higher-denomination bills back in 1969. There should also be a requirement that new higher-denomination bills be introduced when needed to offset the effects of inflation. In other words, when the cumulative effects of inflation inevitably produce another 50 percent decline in the value of US currency, the Treasury should also be required to automatically introduce a $2,000 bill into circulation, for example. This is necessary to ensure that Americans’ fundamental right to access cash is not eroded by the silent, but incredibly pernicious, effects of inflation. And while the practical value of this reform is admittedly modest, its main value lies in what it accomplishes in terms of reframing the debate regarding the nature of money and the state.
In other words, it is much easier for a government to implement the totalitarian measures currently on display in Canada when the populace already concedes that the state has the right to monitor banking transactions and views unmonitored transactions as synonymous with illicit activity. Merely protecting the right to access physical cash is thus an inherent repudiation of this view and instead signals a recognition that Americans are entitled to money and banking, especially to those forms of money that are hard for the government to control. And successfully shifting the Overton window in that way would greatly increase the likelihood of enacting more substantive reforms, like repealing the Patriot Act and other bank-monitoring laws.
So, as we wait for the widespread adoption of an alternative to government-controlled money, whether in crypto or elsewhere, those who believe in freedom should consider making the reintroduction of large-denomination bills a political priority. The level of oppression currently on display in Canada makes clear that we must do everything possible to prevent the same from coming here.
The places we thought were paradise are now hell holes.
First the protest was deemed legal as others before it. Then, members of the Freedom Convoy were told they were trespassing. Then, mass arrests came. Cameras began to be used against members of the Freedom Convoy to identify them. Then, water sprinklers were turned on. Then, loud music.
Things have only escalated in New Zealand, and they’re bound to continue in the near future.
As anticipated, the Canadian Freedom Convoy movement has expanded, and is now firmly in place within New Zealand. And the New Zealand Freedom Convoy has finally reached the grounds of Parliament.
February 7, New Zealand citizens clamoring for their inherent right to freedom absolutely saturated the area around Parliament, as thousands filled the area. And, like Canada, New Zealand’s Prime Minister would not discuss matters with them. Jacinda Ardern refused to meet her fellow citizens, claiming that not only did she have “other priorities” to attend to, but that “this too shall pass.”
Two days later, police had made over 120 arrests at the Freedom Convoy, stating that people were “trespassing” and were guilty of “obstruction.”
The New Zealand Police tweeted out at this time, “Wellingonians have the right to conduct their lives and go about their business without the interference of ongoing unlawful activity.”
Throughout the past two years, New Zealand has had incredibly tight travel restrictions. Many Kiwis have ended up stranded away from homewithin their own country, as a result. Families have been separated, forced apart by those who claim that they are serving the public’s interest.
New Zealanders are forced to show their “papers” anytime they enter a church, attend a rugby match, or go to many other venues as well. The Kiwis are fed up.
And now they’re being punished for saying ‘no.’
Parked vehicles are being given traffic tickets, drones and security cameras (most likely with facial recognition software) are being used to identify protestors, and anybody arrested is being told they cannot “lawfully” reenter the protest, as having been served trespassing papers, they would then be in violation of their trespassing notice.
What is strange about this though is that New Zealand has a long history of protesting on Parliament grounds. It’s never been a problem before. Police even explicitly stated at one time that the Freedom Convoy’s presence did not constitute a trespassing violation.
Even Jacinda had previously stated, “People often protest on the front lawn of Parliament. It is a part of New Zealand.”
After it was announced to the protestors that they were now trespassing, they responded in unison by engaging in the Maori haka, a traditional war dance.
So, what changed?
Perhaps, it is the stated goals of the New Zealand Freedom Convoy that has caused the sudden U-turn in policy by the police.
According to the Convoy, papers have been filed for the arrest of Health Minister Andrew Little. He is being presented with charges of manslaughter by the Freedom Convoy, and anybody who has evidence of a jab injury within New Zealand has been encouraged to provide their evidence for their claim.
I wonder if Juliette Kayyem was in Hillary’s Harvard graduating class?
by Tyler Durden
Harvard professor, CNN analyst and former Obama admin undersecretary of Homeland Security Juliette Kayyem has called for violence and vandalism against Freedom Convoy protesters who have amassed on the bridge that connects Detroit, Michigan to Windsor, Ontario.”The Ambassador Bridge link constitutes 28% of annual trade movement between US and Canada,” tweeted Kayyem. “Slash the tires, empty gas tanks, arrest the drivers, and move the trucks.”
In addition to a monumentally stupid idea considering the logistics of moving trucks with no fuel and slashed tires, one has to wonder if Kayyem is saying the quiet part out loud when it comes to how Democrats respond to non-BLM protests.
Can you elaborate on your brilliant plan to “move” trucks with no tires and no gas off of a bridge?
You’re a “professor,” right? You’re advocating violence and property damage for peaceful protestors? Were you this outspoken when BLM and Antifa were torching businesses and killing people? That was an economic and security issue, too.
The blockade, now in its fourth day, has drawn the attention of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who called on Canadian authorities to reopen the bridge, according to the Epoch Times.”The blockade is having a significant impact on Michigan’s working families who are just trying to do their jobs. Our communities and automotive, manufacturing, and agriculture businesses are feeling the effects. It’s hitting paychecks and production lines. That is unacceptable,” the Democratic governor said in a Thursday statement.”It is imperative that Canadian local, provincial, and national governments de-escalate this economic blockade,” she added, without suggesting how. “They must take all necessary and appropriate steps to immediately and safely reopen traffic so we can continue growing our economy, supporting good-paying jobs, and lowering costs for families.”According to Kayyem, slashing tires, stealing gas, arresting the protesters, and somehow moving all the trucks is the way to go.
That’s the point of worker’s strikes, Herr Professor.
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Ottawa police recently engaged in a widespread string of thefts of privately purchased gasoline and propane throughout the city in an attempt to drive the Freedom Convoy out of the city.
Section 8 of the Charter of Rights reads “Everyone has the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure.” Without a search warrant, this is just theft. Governments are used to violating our privacy now, aren’t they? And the media love it. pic.twitter.com/UOYAK6OoF8
This came about shortly after the Ottawa mayor, Jim Watson, declared a state of emergency on February 6. It was then that Watson said, “The situation at this point is completely out of control, because the individuals with the protest are calling the shots. They have far more people than we have police officers, and I’ve indicated to the chief that we have to be much more nimble and proactive when it comes to these activities.”
Watson would go on to say, “we are outnumbered and we are losing this battle right now,” as he went on to add, “We’re in the midst of a serious emergency, the most serious emergency our city has ever faced, and we need to cut the red tape to get these supplies available to our police officers and to our public works staff.”
“Declaring a state of emergency reflects the serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents posed by the ongoing demonstrations and highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government,” said a statement from the city.
It appears that Ottawa is potentially calling for federal troops to enter the scene. Other sources seem to confirm this notion.
(For information on how to starve the beast, be sure to check out our free QUICKSTART Guide.)
Shortly after the state of emergency was declared by the Ottawa mayor, the Ottawa Police Department sent out this tweet:
IMPORTANT: Anyone attempting to bring material supports (gas, etc.) to the demonstrators could be subject to arrest. Enforcement is underway. #ottawa#ottnewspic.twitter.com/tp4e5d2xe1
Around 9PM that night, the Ottawa Police Department reported that they’d made multiple arrests, having seized multiple vehicles as well as fuel. Members of the Freedom Convoy were frequently charged with “mischief” or “hate crimes.”
Transporting fuel into the Freedom Convoy was enough of a penalty to be slapped with a mischief charge. Other infractions members of the Convoy were charged with include not wearing a seat belt, having a defective muffler, and excessive honking.
At approximately, 7PM, the OPD had stolen 3200 L of fuel from the Freedom Convoy out of a parking lot. The OPD began the dismantling of the Freedom Convoy’s logistics camp as well:
There is a long row of tow trucks at the ready to remove transport trucks I see 30 police officers dismantling the logistics camp pic.twitter.com/LXWPv7tFcg
While there are some reports surfacing that claim that an Ottawa judge has ordered the police to return the stolen goods, this has not been confirmed as of yet.
Yet another rumor that is currently being floated about is that there is soon to be a mass arrest planned for members of the Freedom Convoy. Federal officers have allegedly been scouring Ottawa, gathering as much information about the members of the Convoy as possible.
The OPD set out a statement Sunday afternoon, stating, “Overnight, demonstrators exhibited extremely disruptive and unlawful behavior, which presented risks to public safety and unacceptable distress for Ottawa residents.”
However, Canadians have stated that the allegations of disruptive and unlawful behavior are being fabricated. Allegations of dancing on The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier have been made by Ottawa officials. Canadians have responded that they were actually shoveling the snow off of it.
Ottawa Police have also dismantled the Freedom Convoy’s food kitchen.
The Freedom Convoy had built a small wooden shed to serve food to Canadians out of. The Ottawa PD removed it in an effort to force the members of the Freedom Convoy to move on. Nobody was being charged for the food, as it was being freely given away to those in the area. Yet, it was removed.
There’s a homeless man parked at the corner of Wellington and Mackenzie Drive.Seen him many times over the years at the same spot.He told me he doesn’t understand why the truckers are here but they don’t bother him.They bring over food to him and he’s been invited to eat with him
The truckers have since expanded their Convoy to include the Ambassador Bridge in Michigan as well. As of this writing, the blockade of this bridge has been ongoing 50+ hours, and has the potential to cause severe supply chain issues.
As discussed previously here at TOP, this Freedom Convoy idea has rapidly gained traction throughout the world of late as well. A New Zealand convoy is currently being organized, with plans to meet up in the capital city of Wellington. Scottish truckers are preparing to head to Edinburgh. English truckers are headed to London. Ireland and Wales have begun to organize. And even Austria, home of some of the most draconian levels of force against citizens, currently has truckers preparing to head out to Vienna.
It appears this movement is only going to continue to spread, particularly after the success it has seen in Alberta and Saskatchewan, where governments have promised that they will allegedly remove all restrictions in the upcoming weeks.
But as this movement does grow, we are liable to see increasing levels of political resistance.
We’ll keep you updated as events unfold.
What are your thoughts? Are there other on-the-ground stories that you’re hearing? Do you think that Trudeau will back down? Let us know in the comments below.
The Canadian Prime Minister, who recently described the trucker convoy as a “small fringe minority” who hold “unacceptable views” against Covid mantes, may have unwittingly unleashed the greatest challenge ever to his political career.
Like those in the medical profession, long-haul truckers dutifully perform their jobs largely behind the scenes, even during the peak of the Covid pandemic. And just like thousands of nurses and doctors – many of whom were exposed to the virus in the line of duty and probably protected by natural immunity – unvaccinated truckers have found themselves out on the street, or rather, out on the highway.
Dubbed the “Freedom Convoy” that began in Vancouver last week, the 18-wheeler movement is expected to reach Ottawa this weekend as thousands of truckers will clog the capitol in protest. The convoy reveals the level of frustration being felt across the country thanks to Justin Trudeau’s draconian vaccine mantes.
Speaking from Ottawa this afternoon, the PM describes #freedomconvoy2022 participants as a ‘small fringe minority’ expressing ‘unacceptable views’ that don’t represent the views of most Canadians pic.twitter.com/TtYcFE3Izr
Since Jan. 15, unvaccinated truckers entering Canada are required to be tested and quarantined for 15 days; the U.S. mandated similar restrictions on Jan. 22. Naturally such regulations made their job impossible to perform. Thus, the mandates have removed some 20-25% of the estimated 175,000 cross-border American and Canadian truckers due to noncompliance in both countries. But these sidelined workers are not leaving their jobs without a fight, and it seems that many Canadians support the cause.
While mainstream media and social media has largely been able to control the flow of information that Canadians receive with regards to Covid and the vaccination mandates, the trucker convoy has given the public a chance to really express themselves. Judging by early indications it doesn’t look particularly good for the Trudeau administration.
Telegram, the censorship-free messenger application, is chockfull of videos and photographs of overpasses near Toronto loaded with placard-waving supporters as the convoy grinds its way towards Ottawa to the east. Other platforms showed the local residents of small towns handing out meals to the truckers despite the frigid temperatures.
Undoubtedly the most influential advocate of the truckers’ cause thus far has been Elon Musk, who tweeted a three-word message that certainly did not sit well with Justin Trudeau: “Canadian truckers rule.”
Speaking of Trudeau, the 50-year-old leader of the Labor Party announced just this week that he had been “exposed to Covid-19,” and would therefore be isolating at home for five days. That announcement sparked a small riot on social media, with many suggesting that the Canadian leader had used the excuse of Covid to hopefully avoid the truckers.
Keean Bexte, a journalist with Counter Signal, suggested in a tweet that a new variant of “Coward-19” was detected.
“This is, perhaps, the greatest act of cowardice from a sitting Canadian PM in this nation’s history,” Bexte wrote in an accompanying article. “When Canadians finally take a stand, finally take real action, Trudeau merely waves it away, practically flipping them the bird through a single Tweet, ending it with “please get vaccinated” to rub salt in wounds he’s opened.”
This is the problem when the media and government refuses to permit any sort of formal debate on a serious issue that affects millions of people on so many different levels. Trudeau has given his countrymen just one option, and that is to get the vaccination or essentially become second-class citizens in their own country. Unlike other effected industries, however, truckers have the option of putting their machines to use for a very effective form of protest, and one that promises to cause severe logistical problems as far as transport goes.
Although the Canadian Trucking Alliance and the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) have both distanced themselves from the movement, saying 90 percent of long-haul truckers are vaccinated, the remaining 10 percent (that is, assuming the figure is accurate as some believe the number of unvaccinated may be as high as 25 percent) leaves anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 of rigs easily capable of affecting a large swath of the economy, both in the U.S. and Canada.
With tens of thousands of truckers now unemployed, the supply chain crisis, which was already noticeable before the mandates went into effect with over 100 cargo ships docked off the coast of California, unable to unload their shipments, store shelves could become conspicuously less stocked in the days and weeks to come. Already Canadians are displaying disturbing images from their local grocery stores on social media.
Thank you Truckers! Trudeau is attacking personal liberty and threatening everyone’s ability to get groceries because of his overreach on vaccine mandates. He is the biggest threat to freedom in Canada.https://t.co/5b5k5ZjuY3
Mike Millian, the president of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada, said his organization is against vaccine mandates for truckers, but is worried about some of the rhetoric he’s seen among the protesters.
“Truck drivers are isolated in their jobs, haven’t been associated to spread, and we can’t afford to damage our supply chain any more than it is,” Millian said in an interview with CBC News. “But this convoy seems to have morphed into a kind of protest against all vaccine and COVID-related shutdowns.”
“We’re seeing signs that are calling our government ‘communists’ and ‘nazis’ and comparing the [situation over vaccine mandates] to the holocaust.”
“Obviously, we can’t support that message,” he said.
Meanwhile, the media in Canada seems to be priming the protest, suggesting that far-right agitators are behind the movement, even warning that Ottawa could experience its “January 6th storming,” a reference to the day when pro-Trump supporters took over the U.S. Capitol in their belief that the 2020 presidential election had been rigged in favor of Joe Biden.
What Justin Trudeau seems unwilling to admit is that Canadians are weary of the debate over vaccine mandates and the divisiveness it has caused throughout society, not to mention the loss of freedoms. For many of these people, the ‘Freedom Convoy’ represents an opportunity for Canadians to latch onto a movement that promotes their own ideas, which includes a strong dislike for the government’s handling of the Covid crisis.
Whether or not this trucker movement will morph into something greater remains to be seen, but it’s not a good sign that Justin Trudeau has removed himself from the public spotlight at possibly the most pivotal point in his political career.
Millions of Canadians, led by working class truckers, have put their foot down on the political class that has kept them hostage for the past two years. The media hacks scream “extremism” but the movement is going worldwide. Also today – Fauci says three jabs for your kids; Malone disagrees – who do you trust? And UK health workers see the end of the vax mandate.
Update (1500ET): While in a normal world this would be beyond satire and ridicule, it is perhaps of no surprise whatsoever that the blame for instigation of the “Freedom Convoy” is already being placed on so-called ‘Russian actors’…”…given Canada’s support of Ukraine… I don’t know it it’s far-fetched to ask but there is concern that Russian actors could be continuing to fuel things as this protest grows… perhaps even instigating it…”A lot of strange coverage by the media on this thing but this one wins the prize.pic.twitter.com/bLauTjI9NG — Jim Burnett (@jamesfburnett) January 29, 2022
MCViewPoint 