Clearly gov't has too much power.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
Canada today is of course not Germany of 1933-34. As one historian pointed out, it’s not history that repeats itself, but human nature, and although there are many differences between Canada today and early Nazi Germany, the similarities are telling.

Of course history does not repeat *exactly*, but historical trends do repeat.

This is what 'history repeats' means. Human nature will always be the same, and we keep making the same mistakes.

I've been calling the Jan 6 Capitol incident brandon's Reichstag Fire since Jan 7, 2021. . .

quote:

Originally posted by Modern Day Savage:
The author quotes from Christopher Lasch’s book The Revolt of the Elites and I found this excerpt particular poignant:

"Control has become their obsession. In their drive to insulate themselves against risk and contingency – against the unpredictable hazards that afflict human life – the thinking classes have seceded not just from the common world around them but from reality itself."

What a coincidence you should post this now.

Just this morning, while doing some chores, I got to thinking about what's been going on in Canada and the U.S. I got to wondering how people who were members of free societies could elevate the likes of a Trudeau. How they could tolerate living under authoritarian regimes.

Then I had an epiphany: The Wu Flu scaredemic has illustrated it perfectly.

These people don't really want to be free. They need somebody to tell them what to do, what they can and cannot do, when they can and cannot do it. They don't have to think. To decide. To take responsibility. Then, if something goes poorly, it's not their fault.

These people aren't merely risk-adverse, they are literally scared of life.

They're Eloi

^^^They are psychologically weak Leftists...

Regularly, members express gratitude for the existence of this forum, and for that, I am thankful. I think you guys know I don't take this for granted, but what you may not know is that there are many times- and this is one of them- that I am as grateful as anyone here for the existence of this place. What we've seen happening, so close to home, is infuriating and difficult to deal with, When Trudeau and his totalitarian henchmen threaten to take the children from citizens and euthanize the pets of those who are protesting peacefully while at the same time tacitly endorsing leftist thugs who terrorize people and destroy private property, it's just too much. Being able to come here and commiserate with all of you helps tremendously, because as long as there are people like us, there is hope.

I've been watching Open Range again this morning, and some of its scenes resonate true at times like this.







And for any "interested parties" looking in on this, take a look at this, you liberty-robbing sons of bitches:

They pass laws so that everything you do is illegal. The people in charge decide against whom the laws will be enforced.

Reading through this mornings article on Red State. They protesters are back in Ottawa this morning including some that were previously arrested on Friday. Scrolling down through the article are several tweets describing a catch and release of the protesters that did not fight back or act aggressive. This may be some officers going through the motions to make the show of force but not willing to charge/jail the participants. This will (intended or not) allow the protest to continue through the weekend. The Emergency Act has to be voted on by Monday or it expires. Supposedly.

I'm also seeing other protest spreading across Canada posted in various places - Bigly.

Keep the faith.
-TVz

Keeping up the pressure is what's needed right now.

I was going to start a “caption this” thread, but I’ll drop it here instead.

^^^Trump recognizes Tyrannical Leftist 'Filth' when he sees it!

Yup, Trump knew.

Ottawa behind the fence in The Red Zone.

This videographer (Press for Truth) has been allowed in the area as he is staying in a hotel within the zone.

He has been trying to determine where The Red Zone is.
The Police could not tell him.
Left it simply as wherever we decide it is.

quote:

Originally posted by TVzombie:
Scrolling down through the article are several tweets describing a catch and release of the protesters that did not fight back or act aggressive.

I'm hopeful this is a bluff. This would also be an efficient way to document who was present at the protest when they start levying penalties under the Emergency Act, since they probably don't have the jail facilities for all the protesters and may not have the cops on duty (lotsa sick-outs, apparently) to bring all the protesters in. OTOH, it's easy to see how that could've all been for the TV cameras.

quote:

The Emergency Act has to be voted on by Monday or it expires. Supposedly.

The seven day time limit is seven days "when Parliament is sitting". One of the messed up things about yesterday is that the police action protesters supposedly made it unsafe for Parliament to gather, so instead of seven buisness days it'll be eight buisness days. Having said that, I'm not sure Trudeau has any additional support to assemble in that time so maybe its an opportunity for opposition to build.

I know that sounds kind of dour, and I apologize for that. But I see protests gathering across Canada (and the world - most notably, in this instance, in France) too, and that certainly seems like a very hopeful sign to me. If they keep building then opposition to Trudeau's little gambits almost has to build along with the protests.

I may not have been following this closely enough -- has Trudeau shown his face since the clearout?

^^ Very briefly, both in Parliamentary debate and in controlled press "availabilities" that always seem to happen right next to a door the press can't follow him through. IMHO he seems to be well aware that he's bluffing his ass off.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
These people don't really want to be free. They need somebody to tell them what to do, what they can and cannot do, when they can and cannot do it. They don't have to think. To decide. To take responsibility. Then, if something goes poorly, it's not their fault.

These people aren't merely risk-adverse, they are literally scared of life.

Eloi

I've made similar arguments in discussions with family members...this ever-present aversion to risk by many in the world today.

In one radio interview, one man suggested the reason that Socialism took hold in Europe so quickly in the 20th century was that Europeans had faced not one, but two devastating world wars, and that they were still rebuilding their villages, their infrastructure, their historic architecture, and their families from the first world war, when the second one began. They were, literally, war weary, and the allure of Socialism and a big centralized government that would provide for their needs and provide a blanket of security for them so they should never again face the devastation of war, was more than ample reason for them to trade away some freedom. We here in the U.S. have never faced that level of devastation and, up until recently, our framework and foundational ties to freedom superceded our desire for stability.

In another radio interview, a former NASA engineer lamented how the U.S. should have been on Mars by now, but the prevailing risk-aversive tendencies of government had permeated NASA, after the Space Shuttle tragedies.

There is a bit of a disagreement in Conservative circles, going on about freedom right now. Dan Bongino has talked about his "Beach Ball" theory of freedom. Take a beach ball and try to hold it under water. The beach ball, like freedom, takes a huge amount of force to hold under, and sooner or later, the person holding the ball under will grow tired and allow the ball to rise to it's natural place, above the water.

However, Dennis Prager takes the opposite point of view. He believes that freedom is not a natural human state, and that throughout history, citizens just simply never questioned their bondage or servitude, and simply accepted their fate as being controlled by whatever monarch or conqueror happened to be in power at that time (along with whatever deity(s) they believed in).

Most people, including U.S. citizens, have no idea where the term American Exceptionalism comes from. I know several who look down their noses and deride the term, and quickly point out our mistakes, and that we are no better than any other country, or any other citizens. To a large degree, this is true...

... but the term American Exceptionalism refers to the fact that the United States of America was the first nation in the history of the world, in which its citizens rose up to throw off the bonds of tyranny, and prove to the world that a free people could govern themselves, without need of a monarch or conqueror to rule them.

The proverbial Shot heard round the world.

Other citizens in other countries followed our example, with some being successful, others less so, and some failing.

I used to believe in Dan Bongino's Beach Ball theory of freedom but, sadly, over time, I've come to believe that Dennis Prager's theory that humans crave stability over freedom, that freedom is not a natural state, and that those few who want it must be willing to sacrifice and fight for it.

Some say that moderation is the key to life. If that's true, then Canadians, like U.S. citizens, will have to decide for themselves where to draw the line between cradle-to-grave stability and absolute freedom.

~~~~~~~~~~
...
• Political commentator Mark Steyn in his 2011 book After America: Get Ready for Armageddon uses the Eloi as a metaphor for what he believes is a post-Western society collapsed under the weight of secular-socialist political correctness, self-loathing and entitlement.

• In his non-fiction essay In the Beginning... Was the Command Line (1999), Neal Stephenson uses Morlocks and Eloi as a metaphor for what he sees as a distinction in contemporary culture: "Eloi learn everything they know from being steeped from birth in electronic media directed and controlled by book-reading Morlocks."...

New announcement from Trudeau's admin.

'Some' of the emergency powers need to be made permanent and they are acting to make it so. These are primarily the powers to financially destroy anyone who speaks against them or supports any action against them. Not kidding.

I'm sure that politicians here and the world over would love to do the same thing.

https://www.americanthinker.co...owers_permanent.html

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
These people don't really want to be free. They need somebody to tell them what to do, what they can and cannot do, when they can and cannot do it. They don't have to think. To decide. To take responsibility. Then, if something goes poorly, it's not their fault.

These people aren't merely risk-adverse, they are literally scared of life.

Eloi

I've been saying this for years. There are a ton of people out there that are afraid of their own shadow. That explains the easy compliance with mask mandates and other outrages that have been perpetrated on us in the last few years.

quote:

Originally posted by Modern Day Savage:
We here in the U.S. have never faced that level of devastation and, up until recently, our framework and foundational ties to freedom superceded our desire for stability.

Rearding your first point - I strongly disagree. The American Civil War was one of the bloodiest/most destructive conflicts in all of human history and (alongside the American Revolution) it defined this nation, its military and its people.

Europe went full socialist because NATO relieved them of having to pay for their own defense. The development of nuclear weapons made the concept of large scale war untenable. Only by harnessing the power to destroy the entire world, did Europe actually end their near constant state of war (in some way or another) that had existed for most of the previous millennium.

Seriously, Europe didn't get their act together until someone else, the US, made it clear that continued conflict would result in their ceasing to exist.

So I get really annoyed when Europeans lecture the US about war or crime or racism or whatever. Without the US they would still be fighting like they always had before WWII. It's not that they are pacifists now, they it's just that they are incapable of waging war.

And all those funds that would have been spent on defense are spent on social programs to keep the commoners from questioning the governments. Who owns all the land in the UK? Royals, govt, and big business. Very little is privately held by commoners. It's not much different than under feudal times. The royals and big business want to keep it that way - so they offer free stuff to prevent the commoners from realizing this and changing it.

America is exceptional because the common man could OWN LAND. That is why so many Europeans came here, staked out a piece of land, and started farming or raising livestock for their own benefit on their own terms. Our country was founded by PRODUCTIVE people who simply wanted to benefit from the fruits of their labor instead of handing it over to an UNPRODUCTIVE royal who's only claim was being born into a royal family.

In China the govt owns all the land and everyone just gets to lease it. The CCP knew that owning land is the key to freedom, so they made sure no one but them can own land. That's also why you see them buying up as much US land as they can.