Category: General

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I’m enjoying Canadas Freedom Convoy

Honestly, I’m pretty sure that only Canada could have pulled this off without a ton of violence.

The Canadians, known for politeness and the way they interact with each other have shown us all what a protest is supposed to look like.

A big shout out and humble Thank You, to our neighbors to the North.

What mainstream coverage I’ve seen shows that even controlled media is having a tough time finding stuff to criticize.

(Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

The non mainstream media has been a bit more “Man on the street” in Ottawa and the protestors have been multiethnic, multicultural, and generally say the same thing.

Their interviews speak of kindness, and sharing. Food, & Drink being offered freely. People enjoying each other.

One or two of those interviews have mentioned small outbreaks of rowdiness but that those outbreaks are being controlled well by the protestors themselves and the police.

The striking feature is the fact that Ottawa and Alberta are not in flames, there’s not a lot of trash, no dumpster fires, or broken windows.

Again, this is what a peaceful protest looks like.

As other countries now have similar protests, it looks as if the Canada model is being followed.

Be Kind, be peaceful, clean up after yourselves, keep the protest focused on the goal, don’t allow the protest to be derailed by stupid actions of a few.

The Canadians are also showing something that America’s founding fathers mentioned. I’m paraphrasing here, but it’s something to the effect that a Government who is afraid of the people is JUST. A government with no fear of the people will lead to tyranny.

Protesters playing street hockey (Photo by Dave Chan / AFP) (Photo by DAVE CHAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Justin Trudeau ran for the hills. He’s hiding in a spider hole somewhere and commenting on a few Nazi Flags.

A picture, I can’t find now, showed one of those flags had Trudeau’s name tacked directly under the Nazi flag.

That message is clear, the person carrying the flag was saying that They thought Trudeau was akin to a Nazi, not that the person carrying the flag supported any Nazi cause.

Now there are more signs being held up, These signs are calling for Canadian TV and the CBC to speak the truth about the protest. They’re calling out both organizations for spreading lies about the protest and its nature.

I’m sure that there are some people in Ottawa that have been greatly inconvenienced by the protests. Especially the functionaries of the Canadian government. You know, those people who are highly paid and can afford to live in apartments in Ottawa near the government buildings where they work.

But the fact that average people are reportedly dropping off food, water, and fuel, would suggest that non-governmental Canadians are supportive of the protest.

This appears to be proven by the mayor of Ottawa commanding the police to seize fuel and propane.

The mayor has also shown his true dictatorial colors by issuing edicts saying that anyone caught helping the protestors will be fined or otherwise punished.

Historically, we’ve seen this before. It happened in a little place called Germany when some people said, “No” to the extermination of Jews, Gypsies, and anyone who spoke out against the Nazi party.

We also saw similar laws enacted by the Democrats in the American South when they said anyone helping a runaway slave would be punished severely. Lincoln enacted one of his most brutal executive orders in response.

The Canadian protestors are now demanding that Trudeau face them. They’re demanding that he make his false statements about them being racist to their faces.

New Zealand’s parliament is today facing a trucker protest too.

The Prime Minister of New Zealand has been quoted as saying she’s too busy to address the protestors standing before her demanding to be heard.

Sounds a lot like the government of the United States just before January 6th… I still believe that if Congress and the Judiciary had been brave and honest enough to actually speak with the people things would have gone a lot differently.

Then again I’m naive, I believe that leaders of a country who are doing a good job, or who are willing to explain and justify legally why they’re doing something unpopular, shouldn’t fear being among the people they govern.

Yet again and again, we see “Leaders” making sure that they have walls, barriers, guns, guards, and snipers in place before they make any public appearance.

These same “Leaders” scurry like cockroaches in their tunnels, basements, and high security areas never seeing the light of day or witnessing the suffering their laws, mandates, and actions cause.

Inevitably they are surprised to discover that they are universally hated when they must appear before the great unwashed masses.

In case the video won’t play in your browser, here is a link to a woman calling Trudeau a traitor to his face. https://youtu.be/n3GoGGv8OR4

I saw this a few days ago and almost choked to death on my coffee. All I could think was, “You GO Girl!”

I’d love to see something like that happen with Biden, Harris, or Pelosi. I think it would be very educational and would rip off the mask of “affected civility” our government officials hide behind.

How would the American People react to a Mother or GrandMother being hauled off and shoved in a “black site” the way the Jan 6th protestors have been?

You know, the 700+ people our FBI and DOJ have effectively “disappeared”. The only reason that this particular injustice has been allowed to stand is that it’s being done in silence. These people have no voice, their stories are, in general being censored. Their families silenced by fear of retaliation.

This alone is enough to make me question how far off the rails our government has fallen.

The American government is searching for organizations that are radicalizing people, I’m sure the Canadian government is doing the same. To them I say this;

“Look in the mirror!”

I’m not affiliated with any anti government group. I’m an old man and I’m ready to grab my pitchfork!

I’d tell the Canadian Truckers, when the police have taken your fuel, just before your rig can’t move… Block all the streets and bridges then disable the electrical system. It should be good fun watching the police trying to get big rig tow trucks on site to move your trucks. The odds are good, a lot of the tow truck drivers will roll in, park their rigs and do the same.

I’d also suggest that all trucks in Canada and America pull off the roads (or not) and refuse to move an inch until our respective governments listen to the grievances of their people.

Yep, a lot of people will be inconvenienced, the liberals will scream bloody murder when they can’t get their $6 lattes. Grocery store shelves, and gas stations will be empty. There will be a lot of people that get really mad at the truckers, but all eyes will eventually turn toward our ineffectual governments and demand answers.

Our brothers and sisters in Canada have shown us a path that is non-violent and effective.

It is now up to the rest of the free people of the world to take that path.

The alternative is pitchforks and torches, or worse, and too terrible to contemplate.

Thank you Canada!

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Winter Olympics… Yawn!

Is anyone paying attention to this farce?

The Winter Olympics have never been high on my personal list of events. The Olympics in general have become boring for me over the past 20 years.

I’m turned off by the hype, I’m turned off by the politics and while I respect the training that the competitors put in, it’s not an event that captures my attention or takes up any of my time.

This year’s Winter Olympics is literally less important to me than scratching my balls.

I personally think that the US Olympic team should not have gone in the first place. There’s just too much controversy around China now. It’s so off my radar I couldn’t even tell you what US network is providing coverage of the games.

While many Americans are trying to avoid Chinese products, and those same Americans are asking what it’s going to take for us to bring our manufacturing home; The Olympic Games are showcasing China.

There was one news report last week, suggesting the Olympic Team use burner phones instead of taking their cellphones with them to China.

If there is that kind of concern about Chinese spying, perhaps we have no business sending young athletes to a place where their naïveté could get them into trouble in the first place.

Let’s not forget that COVID is still of great concern to the Chinese government.

I fully expect an athlete from some country to accidentally break a CCP rule and have it turn into an overblown international incident. Then we’ll get to watch some Chinese minister shake his finger at the offending country.

Given the situation with Antony Blinken, I’m almost positive it will be an American athlete because the CCP couldn’t pass up that opportunity.

I’m hoping that the American viewership will be dismal to the point our athletes just say, “fuck it, what’s the point,” and come home. It’s unfair to the athletes to be sure, but the overarching issue is why is anyone paying attention to a grandiose propaganda event that benefits no-one but the CCP?

Before you think me a hypocrite, I’m keenly aware that I’m typing this post on a device that says, “Designed in California, Made In China.” Well, this is either the last computer that I buy, or the next computer will say, “Designed and manufactured in the USA.”

I’m not trying to be a “Crazy” nationalist… (Although, apparently it’s okay for other countries to be nationalistic.) I’m simply saying that if I have a choice, I’d prefer to buy American.

After all, aren’t we all supposed to be social justice warriors? Aren’t we supposed to be concerned about the enslavement of people? Anyone heard of the Uyghurs?

Just Sayin…

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As I attempt to focus on the positive…

Joe Biden’s Presidency has a redeeming side.

I’m learning about dementia.

I have aging parents. They’re not showing dementia symptoms but to be honest, I really hadn’t considered it as a possibly.

Watching Biden, I’m getting to see first hand what this looks like and how debilitating it is.

I learned a new term today regarding dementia. “Sundowning.” Apparently it’s quite common. As someone with dementia progresses through the day, they experience cognitive decline.

I’d argue that we all experience some decline as the day wears on. I guess with dementia patients it’s much more pronounced.

So I’m thankful for Joe. I’ll perhaps be more understanding and patient when or if my parents develop this condition.

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Wow, Neil Young thought he was still a star…

I find it really amusing that Neil Young blew it so badly.

Let’s see, he’s been in the entertainment industry for decades. You’d think that in all that time he’d have learned something about that business model.

You know, a little thing like, “Cash talks, Bullshit walks”.

Anyone with half a brain would have seen which way Spotify was going to go.

Option A, fold to Young’s childish demands and loose a ton of money by cancelling a current star like Rogan.

Option B, cancel a has been rocker that a lot of younger folks have no clue about.

Clearly Young missed the lesson of “Follow the Money”.

Now, Neil Young is asking for other ancient has been rockers to join his little snit. Apparently some are, Peter Frampton and Joni Mitchell have sided with Young.

It took Spotify less than 24 hours to come to a decision and delete Neil Young’s catalog. I imagine that if it comes to it, Frampton and Mitchell’s, music will be gone in less time. Other “Artists” may find their catalogs removed in seconds, not hours.

That’s the funny part of computers. The first iteration of something is always the slowest, the second, third, or fourth iterations of a function go much quicker.

I’d have to check the history of rock but wasn’t there a reason that Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, just became Crosby, Stills & Nash?

I could see Spotify getting to the point that they just present a message to the Artist;

“You are about to delete your entire music catalog from Spotify. This represents XXXX Dollars per week of income to you. This action cannot be undone.

Continue? Y / N”

Then we’d see who really had conviction and valued the “Moral High Ground”. I might even respect those who pressed “Y”.

Apple has chosen to take this opportunity to “Make Hay while the sun shines,” by featuring Neil Young on Apple Music.

If Neil Young thinks this is anything but Apple blatantly attempting to woo new subscribers to their service, he better think again. Once again, this is only about the Benjamins. Apple will move on as soon as the media hype drops off. It’s not personal, it’s simply business.

I find myself questioning Apple more and more these days, but that is another story.

Thankfully I have no need of new Apple products and therefore don’t find myself with the dilemma of choosing to confront my growing concern that Apple has become “Evil” like Google did, versus wanting something Apple makes. I know it’s a cheap way out, but I really don’t want to deal with mixed platforms again, this way I can delay feeling like I have to decide.

It’s bad enough that I’m cancelling Amazon Prime, and Hulu. While neither of them are watched or listened to in this household enough to justify their costs. I’ll miss those odd moments when I want to watch something mindless like, Ancient Aliens, for the hell of it but don’t want to actually “Buy” it.

Kinda like how Spotify fed the aging boomers Neil Young’s music, allowing them to relive their glory days without having to pay for the shitty “B” sides.

(That’s a reference a lot of younger folks won’t get. You used to be able to tell which side of a vinyl LP had the best songs when you pulled it out of the sleeve. One side was worn and slightly gray while the other was pristine and shiny black. )

Honestly, I wish the entertainers would just stick to entertaining. I’m tired of having my political awareness triggered when I hear some favorite song. I hate hearing something and then getting sucked down the rabbit hole of, “That’s a song by X, they’ve been demanding Y be cancelled and saying if you disagree you’re part of the problem.” It’s at this point that I hit skip on the music player.

I just want to enjoy the music or the movie without having that internal political discussion.

A couple of examples;

Hocus Pocus – Bette Midler completely destroyed that old favorite movie for me. Why? Because now when I see her being an overbearing nasty witch on screen, I kinda think she wan’t acting. If that’s the case, she’s not a very nice person.

Cher – I grew up on her music. She had a special place in my heart. The Sonny & Cher show wasn’t missed often when I was growing up. But now… Every time she opens her mouth I’m appalled.

Jane Fonda – I was too young to understand why my Father and Step Father would change the channel if she was on TV. It didn’t matter to them if she was being an actress or an activist. Neither of them would allow her to be on the TV in their homes. It wasn’t until I was an adult with my own home and TV that I got to see her films.

Now, as an older adult, I get it, because I’ve begun to feel the same way about a lot of my icons.

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I think the “He’s like Hitler” Trope has lost its value.

There was a time when invoking Hitler was the worst insult you could hurl at someone. This was particularly true in politics.

It was a shocking statement and conjured up some of the darkest images in recent history. There was a time when if someone called you Hitler, you were doing something very bad.

Trump was called Hitler, Ron DeSantis is being called Hitler by Nikki Fried (who is campaigning to take DeSantis’s position.)

Lately it seems as if that shocking insult is being leveled at anyone over simple political disagreement.

“Hitler” as an insult is rapidly becoming as commonplace as “racist”. Both are losing their shock value and their impact.

Now if someone calls you a racist in a discussion, it just means “You Win!” The person calling you a racist is declaring that they cannot win the discussion on merit, facts, or logic. This is the verbal equivalent of “The nipple crippler, or titty twister” in a fight. It’s a shameful and pointless move born out of desperation. It’s wholly ineffective and serves no purpose other than to show others what kind of poor loser you are.

Comparing someone to Hitler is rapidly becoming the same lame move.

One could similarly compare the Biden Administration to Nero fiddling while Rome burned. The story of Nero fiddling is not historically accurate but has entered into the collection of descriptive tropes we use as shorthand to describe things.

Nero isn’t nearly as insulting as Hitler these days, but in the sunset of The Roman Empire I’d bet calling someone “A Nero” was cause for a duel.

For me, when someone screams racist or Hitler I’m done. Nothing that person says after is of any importance. They came to a debate or a discussion unarmed and then got butt hurt when the weakness of their position was unmasked.

Nikki Fried has lost her election bid right from the start. She didn’t consider her audience.

Think about the age of most of the residents of Florida. A fair number of them would have been told stories of the horror of Hitler by their parents or grandparents. The images of the camps may still be in their memories. The fact that Hitler was so bad, we allied ourselves with Stalin to defeat him would also not be lost on those people.

A simple comparison of DeSantis today versus their memory of Hitler’s atrocities puts lie to Nikki Fried’s comparison.

Fried speaks for Miami. A lot of Florida doesn’t consider Miami part of Florida. Miami is where all the New Yorkers hang out, it’s a place where the prices are too high, the crime is too prevalent, the politics are too blue, and liberal progressive elites are thankfully mostly contained.

When I was a boy every hurricane season the “Normal” Florida secretly hoped a hurricane would scour Miami off into the Atlantic.

I’m wondering if DeSantis will address Fried directly. She’s handed DeSantis a great line. Fried calls him Hitler, he responds, “No, the trains still aren’t running on time.”

The majority of older Floridians would chuckle at the reference then watch in amusement as Fried tried to figure out what that meant or how it was relevant. A bunch of older Floridians would correct DeSantis by pointing out he’d gotten his dictators confused. Benito Mussolini, not Hitler, is the despot who insisted the trains run on time.

Unfortunately, the media would blast it as, “DeSantis admits he’s Hitler”

It’s a pity that sarcasm is lost on most people today.