on the part of the ‘Freedom’ Convoy.
-not acknowledging that 90% of Canadian truckers are vaccinated and adhering to the rules on both sides of the border.
-not appreciating that, being unvaccinated, they could get sick and spread it to their families, kids, friends, and coworkers, thus aggravating and extending the very real, continuing pandemic.
-not appreciating essential health-care workers who potentially, may end up taking care of them, their kids, families, friends, and coworkers–even saving them from death.
-confusing the limits of the pandemic with Nazi Germany and the Holocaust: a far different, much more serious/tragic event than the pandemic.
-vandalizing Terry Fox’s statue and the war memorial, not appreciating how these true heroes laid down their lives for other Canadians.
-destroying the lives of the innocent people living and working in Ottawa and other cities on a dumb-ass whim.
-destroying the economy after 90% of truckers (vaccinated) have saved Canadian lives by keeping supply lines open.
-thinking Canada is the imploding States and that they are like ‘noble’ Alamo-style GOP rednecks acting out the absurd “Live free or die” GOPism.
-on and on…
But other Canadians are also living in this precarious time and not making distinctions which is increasing violent racism and gender hate crimes. We have been under siege for two years from the pandemic and American media/politics.
Some personal distinctions, notwithstanding:
I woke up this morning very happy that 90% of Canadian truckers are smart, responsible good guys who have kept this country afloat for two years.
I am thankful for a flawed PM, and the much more sensible Liberals, NDP, and BQ who are running this country, not the PC/Green/People’s Party extremists.
And I am optimistic that most Canadians support the former’s beliefs, values, and public platforms instead of the rogue noise-making rebels in Canadian cities this weekend.
And it’s another day, it’s warming up in Edmonton despite the snow, there is food on the table, money in the bank, our daughter is dropping by for brunch, I’m listening to beautiful music by Telemann, I will get to read the local newspaper, and watch some golf from a nice soul-warming green-grass place.
There are many different realities and perspectives. And we do not all, mercifully have to live the same limited/limiting ways of some minority. We can choose to live differently, understand and appreciate all the good things in our lives, past and present, of which there are many.
There are much larger, more uplifting perspectives than some dumb-ass lout’s “I want to be free” (me, me, screw the rest of you), and, fortunately, these losers will eventually be rousted out of our cities so the latter can get back to a truer, more reflective normal again.
I give thanks today to long-term perspective and the ability to make distinctions and reason unlike some loser-dopes out there. And I accept their existence and right to protest, but I do not pity their actions, their freely-chosen, dumb-ass pig-headedness, and their adherence to Confederate flags instead of the maple leaf.