In terms of all-encompassing government, suppression of dissent and the denial of fundamental human rights to many of its citizens, Canada is now more similar to Cuba than to any free country. Canada may eventually return to Western civilization, but as of this writing, the majority of Canadians appear to have no interest in it doing so. According to Maru Public Opinion, “two-thirds (66 percent) of Canadians support Prime Minister Justin Trudeau bringing in the Emergencies Act…. A majority (56 percent) of Canadians do not support the truckers who are protesting in any way, shape, or form …. This is a majority view held in every province/region across the country.”
I suspect that most Americans—and certainly most people outside of America or Canada—do not know precisely what Canada’s Marxist prime minister, Justin Trudeau, is doing to his country.
So, allow me to review.
Last week, for only the second time in Canadian history other than wartime—the first time was under Justin Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau, the other Marxist to govern Canada—Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act. This statute enables a Canadian prime minister to suspend fundamental human rights and rule as a dictator.
The CBC described in detail how Trudeau is using the Emergencies Act to destroy the lives of Canadian dissidents. This should be read carefully. Such policies have never been enacted by a Western country against its own citizens (with the extremely rare exceptions of those actively engaged in terrorism):
“Using powers granted under the Emergencies Act, the federal government has directed banks and other financial institutions to stop doing business with people associated with the anti-vaccine mandate convoy occupying the nation’s capital.
“The government’s new directive, called the ‘emergency economic measures order,’ goes beyond asking banks to simply stop transferring funds to protest organizers. The government wants banks to stop doing business with some people altogether.
“The order says that banks and other financial entities (like credit unions, co-ops, loan companies, trusts and cryptocurrency platforms) must stop ‘providing any financial or related services’ to people associated with the protests—a move that will result in frozen accounts, stranded money and cancelled credit cards.
“The Emergencies Act gives authorities the power to freeze the finances of those connected to blockades and protests, and the consequences could last long after the demonstrations end …
“The regulation’s definition of a ‘designated person’ also includes … anyone sending funds to support these protests …
“Mark Blumberg is a lawyer at Blumberg Segal LLP who specializes in non-profit and charity law. In an interview, he said that while the Emergencies Act gives banks time-limited powers, these institutions ‘may just decide to shut the person’s account down’ because there could be ‘huge risks’ for banks servicing these customers in the future. Banks will be working with law enforcement to decide who should be ‘de-banked.’
“A senior government official said … police could gather the names and license plate numbers of people participating in a protest or an unlawful assembly and share that information with FINTRAC (Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada) …
“Former CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) senior strategic analyst Jessica Davis (said) ‘the people who are participating in the protest aren’t going to be able to do things like pay bills, pay their hotel bills. They will eventually run out of supplies as well …
“With access to bank accounts and credit cards and other financial instruments suspended, protesters won’t be able to pay for things like hotel and fuel bills …
“Over the longer term, Davis said, it may be hard for some of the truckers participating to ever find work again because they could lack the necessary insurance to operate a big rig. ‘Paying bills, paying rent and any kind of day-to-day financial transaction can be stopped for people who are part of the protest movement,’ she said. There may also be some ‘unintended consequences’ from frozen accounts, such as suspended alimony and child support payments, Davis said. ‘It’s going to be very difficult for them.’
“Banks have been granted immunity against legal action in the event of disputes over whether someone should have been denied financial services. ‘No proceedings under the Emergencies Act and no civil proceedings lie against an entity for complying with this Order,’ the regulations read.”
None of these life-ruining, due-process defying measures is necessary. The truckers’ demonstrations could have been ended by arresting drivers who would not move their trucks or simply just towing their trucks. The purpose of these regulations is to destroy dissenters and deter future dissent. In a word, it is to ruin the lives of those who disobey Justin Trudeau.
As one who has followed Canadian life over the decades—I have lectured in nine of Canada’s 10 provinces—the moral descent of Canada is depressing but not especially surprising. Since I was in college in the 1970s, I traveled abroad every year of my life except in 2020—to some 130 countries. I not only took interest in the countries I visited but in the tourists who visited them. I recall well that when I was young, many young Canadians stitched a Canadian flag onto their backpacks. As almost no tourists from other nations did that, I asked Canadians why they did. Their reason was to identify themselves as Canadian rather than as American.
I am not the first observer of Canadians to note that a major part of Canadian identity—especially among Canadian elites—is being a not-American. Many Canadians were and remain first and foremost not-Americans. Other than that, not much defines Canadians. And when a nation stands essentially for nothing, bad things eventually happen—because nothingness is eventually filled or replaced by bad.
On my radio show, I once asked the late Charles Krauthammer, one of the most insightful commentators of this era, what he saw as the greatest difference between his native Canada and his adopted country, the United States. Without hesitation, he said that in America the national motto is “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” and in Canada it is “Peace, Order, and Good Government.”
The first inspires a nation. The second doesn’t.
Upon the death of Fidel Castro, Justin Trudeau gave the most positive assessment of the Cuban tyrant of any Western leader. It is worth quoting in full because it demonstrates Trudeau’s affection for communism and because Trudeau is transforming Canada into Cuba:
“It is with deep sorrow that I learned today of the death of Cuba’s longest serving President. Fidel Castro was a larger than life leader who served his people for almost half a century. A legendary revolutionary and orator, Mr. Castro made significant improvements to the education and healthcare of his island nation.
“While a controversial figure, both Mr. Castro’s supporters and detractors recognized his tremendous dedication and love for the Cuban people who had a deep and lasting affection for ‘el Comandante.’
“I know my father was very proud to call him a friend and I had the opportunity to meet Fidel when my father passed away. It was also a real honor to meet his three sons and his brother, President Raul Castro, during my recent visit to Cuba.
“On behalf of all Canadians, Sophie and I offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and many, many supporters of Mr. Castro. We join the people of Cuba today in mourning the loss of this remarkable leader.”
There does remain one major difference between Canada and Cuba. Few Cubans support their Marxist leaders, but most Canadians support theirs. They don’t know what they’re in for.“
This brings to mind Revelation 13: 16-17:
“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
Here’s the juice:
Since we’re on the subject of hopelessly hypocritical, utterly incompetent Socialists, the Morning Jolt relates Vladimir Putin is likely taking his example from…
“Throughout the past few months, President Biden has accurately described Vladimir Putin and Russia’s aggressive moves toward Ukraine as a destabilizing threat to the “rules-based international order.” But as I have tried to emphasize throughout that time, there is no “rules-based international order” in any meaningful sense, and Putin — as well as the rulers of China, Iran, North Korea, the Taliban in Afghanistan, etc. — don’t want to preserve Biden’s vision of a “rules-based international order”; they want to replace it with an international order where they make the rules.
If Biden finds the rallying cry of “rules-based international order” generating underwhelming results among the American people, it may be because the American people don’t feel much rules-based order in their own lives. A sense of slowly creeping chaos is manifesting itself in a million different ways —runaway inflationand skyrocketing food and fuel prices, the supply-chain crisis making everyday productsunavailable on store shelves, a lingering labor shortage instead of a jobs shortage, rising crime rates, worsening drug addiction, social isolation from pandemic restrictions, and more.
But there are other ways in which Biden and his political allies have demonstrated either an inability to bring rules-based order to the lives of the American people, or a downright contempt for it.
Start with our insecure border…
…A rules-based order would ideally eliminate, or, more realistically, minimize illegal crossings of U.S. borders. But Biden clearly doesn’t find this to be a priority: Immigration and Customs Enforcementdeported just 55,590 illegal immigrants in 2021, the fewest number in five years.
…The attitude of “We don’t have the constitutional authority to do this, but we’re going to do it anyway” is an attack on the rules-based American order.
Making the vaccines widely available; running public-service announcements, lotteries, and giveaways — all of that was well within the existing rules-based order of the United States. Using the power of the federal government to force businesses to fire unvaccinated employees was not — and lots of Americans who fully support vaccination did not support vaccine mandates.
Governors’andmayors’use of “emergency powers” two years into a global pandemic is an assault on the American sense of a rules-based order.If something has gone on for 474 days,as in the case of Minnesota, it is not an emergency anymore!
“Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15!”Seizing lawfully purchased firearms in the absence of proof of a crime or clear threat to others is not a rules-based order.
If America’s public schools are going to teach critical race theory, or use explicit materials in sex education, this should be done in consultation with parents, and with parents’ consent. For public schools to redefine their mission as an effort to correct erroneous values taught by insufficiently progressive parents is an assault on the rules-based order.
A rules-based order is not “conservatives getting what they want.” A rules-based order is a system where changes to the law and policy are enacted by the people’s elected representatives, in clear language, debated extensively and honestly, under pre-set rules that are written down. The executive branch carries out and enforces those laws, in a manner that is consistent with the congressional intent, and the court system ensures that the passed laws are consistent with the principles laid out in the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution.“
“President Biden will step into the House next Tuesday to deliver his first State of the Union address. That’s when America will find out how he has chosen to address the defining moment of his presidency.
There will be time aplenty to plumb the West’s misjudgment and mishandling of Vladimir Putin up to now. But the failure can bluntly be summed up as a lack of seriousness. Mr. Putin spent years offering bloody proof of his intent to expand “Mother Russia”—in the Crimea, the Donbas, Abkhazia, South Ossetia. The U.S. and Western Europe tsk-tsked, then returned to slashing military budgets, debating new welfare handouts and handing their energy security over to Russia for the cause of “decarbonization.” Mr. Putin amassed an army on Ukraine’s border while the U.S. debated mask mandates and personal pronouns…”
Uhhh…
…not gonna happen!
Next, a sextet of items specially selected for inquiring Conservative minds:
(3). Writing at NRO, Robert Zubrin offers a intriguing means of countering Russian aggression: Drain Putin’s Brains. Which might work, but only so long as Putin didn’t take measures to prevent their emigration.
(4). Though it doesn’t change our low opinion of him, would anyone in the Obama Administration or his minions in the MSM care to admit Mitt was right?
(6). In a recent FOX News poll, 36% of respondents say the WuFlu completely or mostly under control, 43% feel it is only somewhat under control and 19% say it is not at all under control…which is roughly the same percentage who believe Elvis is still alive and the Apollo Moon landings were faked.
Which brings us, appropriately enough, to The Lighter Side:
Then there’s this string of Castro’s love child-themed memes…
…along with these from Jeff Foutch…
…the lovely Shannon…
…and Balls Cotton:
BTW, as regards that last one, though we never helped the Old Man fix his car, we UI catch him behind the left ear with a treble hook whilst casting for bass in Canada. It was the only time we ever heard him drop the dreaded “F” bomb, and remember thinking at the time: (1) That’s gonna leave a mark; and (2) His was an understandable response given the circumstances!
Though he passed 23 years ago this last January, we can still picture him in our mind’s eye…still hear his voice…still feel his whiskered cheek as he hugged us. We miss him greatly, but take comfort in the fact, thanks to his faith in Jesus Christ, we’ll see him again.
Magoo
P.S. Please pray for Kathy and Stilton Jarlsberg. Kathy’s latest test results were not good, and at this point, Stilt writes their only realistic option is hospice. As our’s is a God of true miracles, we’re still praying for Kathy’s recovery, as well as comfort and grace for the entire Jarlsberg family.
Video of the Day
Courtesy of Daniel Francis, watch as Good Samaritan and concealed-carry permit holder Ashad Russell takes down armed assailant Edward Strother, who had pinned down and was beating Deputy Dean Barde on I-75 this past November. Barde can be heard pleading “Shoot him…shoot! as he struggled on the pavement. Russell was cleared of any wrong-doing.
Tales of The Darkside
John Stossel makes the same point we did in our last edition: America needs skilled physicians, NOT woke social justice warriors sporting stethoscopes!
On the Lighter Side
Talk about ill-advised ad placement. BTW, MSLSD did the same thing as the Communist News Network
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