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This all goes back a few years to the Ammon Bundy who, along with other like-minded idiots defied federal law by taking his cattle to graze on park lands. Due to a weak federal response, they occupied park buildings and garnered support from Fox News, and the GOP and showed that if you do something illegal while screaming loudly that your rights are being violated is a good way to get your way. Meanwhile, in the USA: ‘Twisted’ Conservatives Feel Trudeau Is More Evil Than Putin If you want to understand someone’s values or worldview, take a look at who (and what) provokes outrage and who (and what) evokes sympathy. The cognitive dissonance inherent in much of the American right can make such an examination problematic. That’s because some of the most prominent voices on the right today view Vladimir Putin as a misunderstood victim. Meanwhile, they cast Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as an authoritarian strongman. Consider the message of right-wing commentator Candace Owens, who recently tweeted: “STOP talking about Russia. Send American troops to Canada to deal with the tyrannical reign of Justin Trudeau Castro. He has fundamentally declared himself dictator and is waging war on innocent Canadian protesters and those who have supported them financially.” Dictator? (Hardly.) Innocent protesters? (This only makes sense if you also believe the Jan. 6 rioters were harmless tourists.) Or consider Fox News host Tucker Carlson, my friend (though we disagree profoundly on politics) and former boss. Carlson isn’t outraged over what is happening to Ukraine, but found time last week to bash “strongman” Trudeau as “the dictator of Canada,” while saying that “Canada canceled democracy…” There’s also Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who says Trudeau has gone “full dictator.” And J.D. Vance (celebrated author and Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Ohio) who recently declared that he “doesn’t really care what happens to Ukraine.” American Conservatives are Wrong to Rip Into Justin Trudeau While Giving Vladimir Putin a Free Pass (thedailybeast.com)

FYI: Putin has formally recognized the occupied two areas of Ukraine as part of Russia, and now this is his pretext to send in uniformed military to solidify possession. The reality is that these areas have been occupied by un-uniformed Russian troops for months under the guise of these being "separatists". The only question what kind of response (if any) the rest of the world will give. The partition of Ukraine and occupation of these parts was always Putin's endgame. He expects that there will be a lot of hand-wringing but the rest of the world will be relieved enough that all-out war has been avaoided that they will do essentially token protests.

Anti-Vaccine Mandate Trucker Convoy Wants to ‘Choke’ D.C., Organizer Says The trucker convoys planning to head to Washington, D.C. later this week to protest vaccine mandates seek to shut down the Beltway and “choke” the capital city, an organizer of one such convoy said. “I’ll give you an analogy of that of a giant boa constrictor,” explained Bob Bolus, one of the decentralized convoy movement’s organizers, in an interview with Fox 5 DC. “That basically squeezes you, chokes you and it swallows you, and that’s what we’re going to do the D.C.” The owner of a Pennsylvania-based trucking company added: “We will be along the Beltway where the Beltway will be shut down.” While the truck-based protests have yet to materialize in the D.C. area, they ostensibly aim to disrupt the region around President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address next week and mimic the Canadian anti-vaccine mandate convoys that shut down traffic near the U.S.-Canada border until it was dispersed. Anti-Vaccine Mandate Trucker Convoy Wants to ‘Choke’ D.C., Organizer Says (thedailybeast.com)

He had a troubled life, but remained an icon of the possible.

It is obvious that some police not only sympathize with them but actively support them. And most of them are too dim to realize they have been infiltrated by extremists and betrayed. There are those among the protesters who are going to make a lot of money or are hoping to,

Yup

Or that you will hear about. When Ben Johnson was caught using PEDs, there were reliable reports that at least two other gold medal athletes also tested positive for PEDS- one was Lynfors Christie of the UK and Carl Whatisname from the US, but due to politics neither was publicly named. The masking agents have become very sophisticated and effective and will beat the testing regimens far more often than not.

After Beijing Bubble Bursts, Can The IOC Save The Olympics? BEIJING (AP) — Before he got out of town, the great Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris called the Beijing Games a version of “sports prison.” He was joking — sort of — but his vision wasn’t that far off. The cordoned-off Olympic bubble that folds up when the closing ceremony ends Sunday has produced its usual collage of amazing athletes doing great things. This 17-day journey, however, has been witnessed through a sealed-off looking glass — a lens warped and sterilized by Beijing’s organizing committee with underwriting from the Chinese government. The ultimate sponsor: the International Olympic Committee, which has been under fire for producing Games that, to many, have felt soulless while also being tainted by scandal and political posturing. “I think that sometimes it doesn’t seem like their heart is in the right place,” the outspoken freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy said. “It feels like it’s a greed game. I mean, the Olympics are so incredible. But it’s a TV show.” As the IOC pulls up stakes from Beijing, it has 29 months to hit the reset button and hope for a different, COVID-free and much better vibe when the Summer Games go to Paris. The lingering question is whether, even in a more-welcoming, democratic locale, the Olympic overseers can repair their reputations to the point that people — most notably, the dwindling TV audience and the increasingly alienated throng of athletes — start to enjoy this enterprise again. Some images they’ll have to work to forget: —Tennis player Peng Shuai and IOC President Thomas Bach hanging out together to watch freeskier Eileen Gu’s first gold medal. —The thousands of testers, cloaked head to toe in personal protective gear, shoving swabs down athletes’ throats day after day for their mandatory COVID-19 screenings. —A sobbing Belgian skeleton racer, Kim Meylemans, going to social media to beg for release from quarantine. —And, of course, the Russian doping scandal, all perturbingly encapsulated by the image of 15-year-old figure skater Kamila Valieva crying after her disastrous long program while her coach asked: “Why did you stop fighting?” “For all the wrong reasons,” said Syracuse pop culture professor Robert Thompson, Valieva’s performance last Thursday made for riveting television. “Surprising, weird and hyper-dramatic,” Thompson said. “Yet today, I searched the hallways in vain to find anyone who had seen it, or even heard tell of it. I’ve been paying close attention to the Olympics for 40 years, and never have I seen one surrounded by so much silence, so little buzz.” Through last Tuesday, the Nielsen Company said prime-time viewership on NBC ( which pays the lion’s share of the bills for these Games ) and its streaming service, Peacock, was down 42 percent from a 2018 Games that didn’t do all that well, either.

But well supported.

Jason Kenny, who, like Heather Stefanson, had asked for federal help a few days before the Emergency Act was invoked, has now decided that it is a good use of several million dollars to sue the federal government over the implemantation of that act. In a CBC interview this morning, he said that things were pretty much in hand and there was no need. Now he has added stupidity to cowardice and hypocrisy.

'Kraken' Lawyer Sidney Powell Says Cops Fired Tear Gas To Force Jan. 6 Rioters Into Capitol Notorious “Kraken” attorney and a key spreader of lies about the 2020 presidential election Sidney Powell claimed in a fundraising video this week that police fired tear gas toward rioters on Jan. 6, 2021, to drive them into the Capitol. That’s what she has “heard,” anyway, said Donald Trump’s former campaign attorney, and she’s looking for a handout to further investigate the reports on behalf of the Jan. 6 defendants. (Powell later removed the video from the website of her nonprofit organization Defending the Republic.) 'Kraken' Lawyer Sidney Powell Says Cops Fired Tear Gas To Force Jan. 6 Rioters Into Capitol | HuffPost Latest News

Fox News staffer made up story about Canadian protester getting trampled — and duped Ted Cruz: report Fox News contributor Sara Carter has retracted an "entirely fictitious" story about a Canadian "freedom convoy" protester getting trampled by a police horse, the Daily Beast reported Saturday. “Reports are the woman trampled by a Canadian horse patrol just died at the hospital ... #Trudeau #FreedomConvoyCanada,” Carter tweeted on Friday. Carter has 1.3 million Twitter followers, and her post was amplified by conservatives including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Fox Nation hosts Diamond and Silk. But on Saturday morning, Carter — who claims to be an "award-winning correspondent" and is frequently called upon by host Sean Hannity — admitted the story was false. “The Reports I was given earlier yesterday from sources on the ground that someone may have died at a hospital during the trampling was wrong,” Carter tweeted, adding that “someone was taken to a hospital with a heart condition - not due to trampling. I want to clarify this again and apologize for any confusion.” Carter subsequently deleted her original tweet — but only after being contacted by the Daily Beast on Saturday evening. And not until after Cruz deleted his retweet – in which he had written above Carter's original post, "This...is...horrific." "I deleted my retweet about a Canadian protestor being trampled to death because the journalist who first reported it now says it was in error," Cruz wrote on Saturday afternoon. "I remain deeply concerned about the abuse—seizing money & employing violence against peaceful protesters—that we’re seeing in Canada." Fox News staffer made up story about Canadian protester getting trampled — and duped Ted Cruz: report - Alternet.org

Jones will wring that out of him in sort order.

That 'freedom convoy' in Ottawa? It's inspired by an Old Testament account of divine massacre When a church announces what’s called a Jericho March (or a Jericho Walk), you might picture congregants praying, walking around a building, trumpets blasting and an odd gospel song here and there. You might forget, however, what comes next. From Joshua 6:20-21: When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys. Jericho Marches are organized by a group by the same name. They were created by a coalition of Christian nationalists in the US. They are co-led by a Catholic think-tank writer (Arina Grossu of the Family Research Council) and an evangelical businessman (Rob Weaver). The Jericho Marches rose to prominence recently. Supporters have been marching around the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa for around 20 days. They are, for Americans, a gothic reminder of what had been brewing in the lead up to the J6 sacking and looting of the US Capitol. The same toxic brew Jericho March, the group, is one of the religious groups, movements and ideologies that were at play in the insurrection. The Uncivil Religion project has uncovered a bevy of beliefs. The Jericho Marches, however, were the principal symbol of J6 and the Christian nationalism at its heart, not only in DC but at state capitols around the country. Christian nationalism is a religious idea that transcends borders. It attracts a lot of support from like-minded insurrectionists abroad. Last year, when journalist Emma Green wrote “A Christian Insurrection” for The Atlantic, it was subtitled it, “Many of those who mobbed the Capitol on Wednesday claimed to be enacting God’s will.” The CBC Investigates piece on the Ottawa convoy this week is titled, “For many inside the Freedom Convoy, faith fuels the resistance.” The links are very clear between groupings. And now, organizing in small groups and marching around Parliament, is a new Jericho March. Spiritual warfare Filmed versions of Jericho Marches reveal a large group in the snow, bearing primarily Canadian flags and singing hymns, reciting the Lord’s Prayer, and then blowing shofars before they began marching. The hymns and prayers were occasionally punctuated by people yelling “Freedom!” and trucks honking. One woman spoke in tongues before engaging in rhetoric I’ve seen in spiritual warfare sermons. They prayed for healing from vaccines and for summoning the “Lord of Heaven’s armies.” As the National Review reported, the Jericho March goes every day, once around Parliament, and seven full laps on Thursdays, carrying horns and trumpets. And they hope eventually more will show up, to the tune of thousands and thousands. Benita Pedersen, an organizer from Alberta, was interviewed by a sympathetic Christian YouTube channel about what they are doing. Pedersen said she felt a “call on her heart” to do this. She had been given a steer horn by a local farmer. She knew she had to bring it to Ottawa and to do a Jericho March. She’s using that as a shofar. She said that the “freedom movement” was “100 percent hand in hand with Jesus.” They go together beautifully, she said, and nonbelieving supporters should think about Jesus and about how it goes together. But, of course, this isn’t her first time. She led an anti-vaxx rally outside of the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton in September, received 10 Public Health Act tickets for organizing various anti-public health rallies in northern Alberta last year and revived her Twitter account, dormant since 2016, specifically in order to promote anti-public health events she organized and ran. The story of Jericho is nothing to worry about. It’s only about divine massacre. That 'freedom convoy' in Ottawa? It's inspired by an Old Testament account of divine massacre - Alternet.org

Bad News For Trump: 1/6 Rally Organizer Katrina Pierson Testified And Didn’t Plead The Fifth -Facebook Katrina Pierson was the organizer of Trump’s 1/6 rally. Not only did she speak to the 1/6 Committee, but she also didn’t plead the Fifth. 1/6 Rally Organizer Talks To House Select Committee Politico reported: Pierson has detailed knowledge of the rally that preceded the attack. The committee subpoenaed her in late September 2021 for documents and testimony — one in a group of 11 people who helped set up the Ellipse rally. Her interview with the committee came in the weeks after the subpoena was issued, one of the sources said. Everyone Outside Of Trump’s Inner Circle Appears To Be Talking To The 1/6 Committee Pierson is definitely one of the highest level of Trump organizers to speak to the 1/6 Committee. She has a vast amount of knowledge about the organization of the rally that gathered the eventual insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol. The 1/6 Committee isn’t dripping out the information that they are uncovering on a daily basis. Instead, they are talking to a massive amount of people who were in the President’s orbit before, during, and after the 1/6 attack. If Pierson is talking, that is bad news for Trump. .The 1/6 Committee is getting information that they need to put Trump’s coup plot together. Trump demanded total loyalty as president, but he is getting none from the people who are lining up to talk to the 1/6 Committee.

Jordan Klepper Confronts Canadian ‘Freedom Convoy’ Truckers, Finds a Lot of Conspiracy Nuts. The ‘Daily Show’ correspondent ventured to Ottawa to ask the Canadian truckers protesting vaccine mandates why they’re doing it—and found some bizarre characters. Last fall, both the U.S. and Canada lifted vaccination requirements for long-haul truckers in order to combat a series of supply-chain disruptions. Those restrictions were put back in place last month, and ever since, Canadian anti-vaxxers have formed a convoy in protest of COVID-19 vaccine mandates, shutting down roads and harming businesses. The so-called “Freedom Convoy” has become a political flashpoint, given that many of the protesters have no ties to trucking, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance. It’s been praised by culture war-obsessed right-wing troll-politicians in the U.S. like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and much of the funding for the display has come from right-wing donors in America, with some of the biggest donations given by well-heeled Republican backers. And so, it was the perfect place for The Daily Show’s Jordan Klepper to do his thing. Klepper, of course, has garnered a reputation for confronting deranged right-wing Americans, from those storming the Capitol to try to overturn a democratic election on Jan. 6 to childish anti-vax protesters with a fetish for comparing the choice to get a vaccine in order to help prevent a deadly global pandemic that’s killed millions to Nazi Germany. The comedian’s latest “Finger on the Pulse” took him to Ottawa to try to get to the bottom of why these protesters have been making such a fuss. “We don’t live in Germany… We don’t live in Nazi Germany. Those days are over,” one protester told Klepper. “Show me your papers don’t happen anymore. That’s a freedom that everyone should have.” “Is the Germany comparison a stretch here in Canada?” countered Klepper. “No,” he replied. During his segment, Klepper encountered a number of protesters in the convoy who also happen to be Trump supporters—and approached one wearing a QAnon hat. “I see the ‘Q Army’ on your hat. Is Q the American thing trying to find JFK Jr.?” asked Klepper. “Exactly… exactly,” the man replied. Another conspiracy theorist-convoy protester who Klepper came across said, “It’s more than just the vaccine passport and stuff… The Agenda 2030 is a good start… It’s where the world’s headed toward one government. They want to sterilize us that only certain people can have kids.”

City doc who donated to convoy questions vaccinations Winnipeg Free Press · Posted: Feb 18, 2022 12:17 PM CT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago Dr. Kaz Czaplinski immigrated to Canada from Poland and works in cardiac surgery at St. Boniface Hospital. (Trevor Brine/CBC) The medical community is concerned a Winnipeg doctor, who donated to the so-called "freedom convoy," is questioning vaccination and public health measures.

Even weirder, the police lieutenant is Black. Go figure.

In a subsequent article, it was freported that this officer was copied on all emails by the organizers, right down to storming the Capitol building.

It seems to me that the police and politicians completely misjudged the degree of organization and the amount of committment by the occupiers. This was likely due to the "Candianishness" of our collective mindset. The same thing happened in Washington on 1/6 and many Americans still cannot fathom that this was an organized , well-funded deliberate attmpt to overthrow the government and capture or kill as many disliked politicians (including VP Mike Pence) as possible. If it had nor been for their own ineptness and lack of tactical discipline, they might have succeeded. The occupiers in Canada do not seem to have been quite as millitant. They somehow hoped/expected to force the government to give in to their demands and then resign, allowing the idiots to set up some sort of provisional government as dictated by them. Had the governments and police moved quickly to oust them, it would have collapsed quickly, but the dithering and tacit support of the politicians and police made a situation that was potentially bad, worse. So far, we have not seen bloodshed, but the delays in clearing the protesters have given them an increased sense of righteousness and support by large numbers of Canadians.

Right-wing DC police lieutenant suspended for allegedly sharing intel with Proud Boys leader: report A police lieutenant in Washington, D.C., with ties to right-wing organizations, was recently suspended from his job after allegedly passing intel to the far-right extremists, Proud Boys. According to The Washington Post, the officer has been identified as top-ranking police 22-year veteran officer, Shane Lamond. Law enforcement officials have confirmed that there is "suggesting communications between Lamond and Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio, who described himself as the former chairman of the group." Speaking to reporters at a recent news conference, D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee III said "only that a member of the department had been placed on administrative leave during an 'ongoing investigation' being conducted by his department, the FBI and the Department of Justice." However, Contee did not offer in-depth details about the investigative findings as the probe will be ongoing. Anonymous inside sources also echoed similar remarks. In a statement defending his client, Tarrio's attorney Jeffrey Feiler pushed back against the latest reports highlighting the Proud Boys leader's ongoing relationship with law enforcement. Per The Post, he also said Tarrio “worked in an undercover capacity in a case involving information pertaining to an illegal immigrant smuggling ring and, again at his own risk, in an undercover role met and negotiated to pay $11,000 to members of that ring to bring in fictitious family members of his from another country.” When contacted about the latest controversy, Tarrio also dismissed the allegations suggesting that his relationship with Lamond was strictly professional, “He was just a liaison officer for when we held rallies,” Tarrio said of Lamond. He went on to criticize investigators saying, “They’re just trying to get anybody at this point. I only told him, ‘We’re coming into town and we’re going to hold this protest.’ That’s as far as the relationship went.” Right-wing DC police lieutenant suspended for allegedly sharing intel with Proud Boys leader: report - Alternet.org

Hacked convoy data shows more than half of donations came from U.S. A hack of the crowdfunding site GiveSendGo revealed the names and details of people who donated money to the protest. (Lars Hagberg/Reuters) Although Canadians gave more money than Americans, more than half of the donations to the convoy protest made through the crowdfunding website GiveSendGo came from the United States, an analysis of hacked data from the site reveals.

Yup. Bettter than jail or penury.