Update Note: in this Blog I did not mention the role played by Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly and I should have. He has been a steadying force -- cautious and non-confrontational and deserves my credit for the fact that the Freedom Convoy has remained mostly peaceful. Well Done Chief Sloly. Before writing this update I checked to see if it was the Ottawa Police or Ottawa Bylaw that has been issuing parking tickets in the hundreds and discovered...as I had thought...it was Bylaw. This ticketing is plain stupid and it is a wonder that it has not led to violence and this is all on Mayor Watson. Take a Bow... Jimbo.
Ottawa's Leftist Loonie City Core Councillors are beside themselves with the "invasion" of the Freedom Convoy...they want more police on the ground and more action from them.
Question For You. Are these not the Self-Same Councillors who mere months ago wanted to see these self same Police Defunded...less money...,much less money for Policing and more spent on Social Workers?
I guess the olde expression That Was Then and This Is Now applies.
If you've noticed - urban city councillors tend to be Left Wing Loons and as you move out from the Centre, Councillors become by magic almost ...more conservative.
But that does not account for their sudden liking for the Cops.
In this vane, Our Mayor 'Wipper Watson' has come out declaring a State of Emergency for our Nation's Capital City...reminds me of Toronto City when then Mayor Mel 'the Swell' Lastman called in the Troops to deal with a few inches of snow. Did he not know when he ran for this once prestigious office that it often snows in Canada during Winter? Guess not, anyway he obvious didn't think that over staffed City couldn't handle the job.
Anyway, Ottawa Sun Columnist Brian Lilley summed this up better than I could in his column today:
This Action will do little to remove the protestors, their trucks, their bouncy castles or their saunas.
And this reminds me of your comment Patrick (our wonderful straight 'A' grandson) when I showed him pictures of students in Ottawa huddled under their desks in case of Atomic Attack during the Cold War..."why grandpa that would protect them for 2 minutes or so". His Grandma Anne - a student in Ottawa those days, was one of the under 'deskers'.
All weekend long our Papers have published oodles of pictures of the goings on downtown and not one ...not one... showed any one committing damage or injury to others. Indeed, they show what Anne and I experienced yesterday when we walked those precincts...people determined but having fun...more Carnival than Ruthless Occupation.
You would not know that however if you got your News from our totally Woke T.V and Radio Media - they see danger at every corner and breathlessly report their distortions far and wide.
Here is another take from the Weekend Sun:
It is kind of fun to watch the progressive politicians and lib-left media light their hair on fire over the trucker rally. But claims of widespread lawlessness were quite simply untrue. Indeed, preliminary data from the Ottawa Police show there was less crime in the neighbourhood around Parliament Hill than in a typical week. The Columnist goes on to highlight other accounts of the Woke that were equally untrue.
One Turban Wearing Sikh was quoted ...with a smile on his lips, as saying that given his involvement that he must now be a White Racists too.
Other accounts noted the friendliness between the Protestors and the Police.
Admittedly one thing lacking in the Ottawa Rally is the no one is trying to negotiate a settlement. Officials in other Cities, including Winnipeg, Toronto, Quebec and Halifax report that things have gone much more smoothly in their cities because they were able to negotiate and find common ground with one another. No such attempt in our Capital City.
If the Rot starts at the Head then I blame our 'Hidey Hol' Prime Minister for this - the only time he pops up his head is to spew vitriol against the masses.
Second in line is our Mayor who too is missing in action when it comes to seeking a truce. His answer, as noted above, is to call in the troops and in the meantime ticket every and all Convoy Vehicles they can. If he is seeking a peaceful conclusion that... Dear Sir ... is not the way to do it. This puts in even better light his recent decision not to run for re-election in the Fall.
Last but not least are our wingy Inner City Councillors - no mention from them either om the need to negotiate...quite the reverse. And looking forward to October's Municipal Election so far only candidates from this radical cadre have thrown their hats. We here in Ottawa stand to have an even more Woke Mayor in Office post October.
As I have said before, these protests are not about the anti-vaxxers though this issue set things off. Rather, it is about Politicians, Health Officials telling us - the common folk - how you and I should live our lives and we have the added pleasure of paying higher taxes and greater costs of living for the privilege.
Sadly, despite the best efforts of the Freedom Convoy things will not likely change. Most Canadians hail from the Progressive Left and our Politicians for their selfish political interests cater to them. The United States is now heading in the same direction.
We need better Leaders ...much better Leaders and a return to Democratic Values but despite the best efforts of these Ordinary Canadians ...we are not likely to attain that.
As I See It...
'K.D. Bell'
