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It seems to me that the police and politicians completely misjudged the degree of organization and the amount of committment by the occupiers. This was likely due to the "Candianishness" of our collective mindset. The same thing happened in Washington on 1/6 and many Americans still cannot fathom that this was an organized , well-funded deliberate attmpt to overthrow the government and capture or kill as many disliked politicians (including VP Mike Pence) as possible. If it had nor been for their own ineptness and lack of tactical discipline, they might have succeeded. The occupiers in Canada do not seem to have been quite as millitant. They somehow hoped/expected to force the government to give in to their demands and then resign, allowing the idiots to set up some sort of provisional government as dictated by them. Had the governments and police moved quickly to oust them, it would have collapsed quickly, but the dithering and tacit support of the politicians and police made a situation that was potentially bad, worse. So far, we have not seen bloodshed, but the delays in clearing the protesters have given them an increased sense of righteousness and support by large numbers of Canadians.

Right-wing DC police lieutenant suspended for allegedly sharing intel with Proud Boys leader: report A police lieutenant in Washington, D.C., with ties to right-wing organizations, was recently suspended from his job after allegedly passing intel to the far-right extremists, Proud Boys. According to The Washington Post, the officer has been identified as top-ranking police 22-year veteran officer, Shane Lamond. Law enforcement officials have confirmed that there is "suggesting communications between Lamond and Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio, who described himself as the former chairman of the group." Speaking to reporters at a recent news conference, D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee III said "only that a member of the department had been placed on administrative leave during an 'ongoing investigation' being conducted by his department, the FBI and the Department of Justice." However, Contee did not offer in-depth details about the investigative findings as the probe will be ongoing. Anonymous inside sources also echoed similar remarks. In a statement defending his client, Tarrio's attorney Jeffrey Feiler pushed back against the latest reports highlighting the Proud Boys leader's ongoing relationship with law enforcement. Per The Post, he also said Tarrio “worked in an undercover capacity in a case involving information pertaining to an illegal immigrant smuggling ring and, again at his own risk, in an undercover role met and negotiated to pay $11,000 to members of that ring to bring in fictitious family members of his from another country.” When contacted about the latest controversy, Tarrio also dismissed the allegations suggesting that his relationship with Lamond was strictly professional, “He was just a liaison officer for when we held rallies,” Tarrio said of Lamond. He went on to criticize investigators saying, “They’re just trying to get anybody at this point. I only told him, ‘We’re coming into town and we’re going to hold this protest.’ That’s as far as the relationship went.” Right-wing DC police lieutenant suspended for allegedly sharing intel with Proud Boys leader: report - Alternet.org

Hacked convoy data shows more than half of donations came from U.S. A hack of the crowdfunding site GiveSendGo revealed the names and details of people who donated money to the protest. (Lars Hagberg/Reuters) Although Canadians gave more money than Americans, more than half of the donations to the convoy protest made through the crowdfunding website GiveSendGo came from the United States, an analysis of hacked data from the site reveals.

Yup. Bettter than jail or penury.

The latest news on Kamila is that she will not get her medal awarded at the games, but it will be sent to her home afterwards. A complete farce.

The Monroe doctrine enacted in 1823 gives the American government the power to enforce American will anywhere in the Americas. In the 1970's, when the US was going through a bit of a widespread drought, they convened a meeting called "Water For Peace". The invitees were: the US, Mexico and Canada. You can guess who was asked to sign an undertaking allowing the US to take/divert freshwaters. One of the things proposed by the US was that they could dam up the north end of James Bay to raise the level of the bay and force the rivers flowing into it to reverse themselves and raise the level of the Great Lakes so that water could be channeled into the American Southwest. This did not go anywhere, but it does give an insight into American thinking.

Miami police used traffic stops to push "Trump 2024" merchandise In Florida, one tends to find the heaviest concentration of Democratic voters in the southern part of the state — including Miami. But when some motorists were recently pulled over by Miami police officers, the Miami Herald reports, they received "an invitation to check out a website selling Trump 2024 merchandise." According to Herald reporter Douglas Hanks, "A city police flier in circulation until last week explaining how to resolve minor traffic tickets online dropped a crucial hyphen for a Miami-Dade County courts website, steering drivers away from a bland judicial portal and to an online store selling flags, videos and caps celebrating former President Donald Trump and his potential third run for the White House." Hanks note that "offerings at miamidadeclerk.com include Trump 2024 camouflage caps, a DVD exploring the possibility of a 'one-world centralized government' with Trump in the White House, and two Trump-themed flags featuring the obscenity 'F***": one paired with 'Biden,' the other with 'Your Feelings.'" But those flyers were not officially endorsed by the Miami Beach Police. In an official statement issued on Valentine's Day, Miami Beach police spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez said, "We put out a notice to officers to discontinue using them." In Miami Beach, Hanks notes, President Joe Biden "won 60% of the 2020 presidential vote." "Since pulling the fliers from distribution last week," Hanks reports, "Miami Beach told police officers to hand out dated brochures with traffic tickets that don't include the new options for avoiding court from non-moving violations. Rodriguez said drivers will still learn of those options when they visit the court website, and that new fliers with only the proper web address are being printed." Miami police used traffic stops to push "Trump 2024" merchandise | Salon.com

Elon Musk slammed for comparing Trudeau to Hitler in 'lazy, attention-peeking' pro-trucker pro-crypto meme meltdown The world’s wealthiest person, Elon Musk, is being mocked and criticized after posting a meme comparing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Adolf Hitler. In a tweet Musk’s meme shows a photo of the Nazi leader, responsible for the deaths of approximately 17 million human beings, with the words: “Stop comparing me to Justin Trudeau. I had a budget.” The Daily Beast calls it a “deeply confused point about the anti-vaccine-mandate trucker protests and cryptocurrency,” along with ‘lazy, offensive, and attention-seeking.” Musk was responding to a report the Canadian government has ordered financial institutions to stop doing business with 34 cryptocurrency addresses.

Apparently, the protesters at the Lege have had new reinforcements added today. Getting them out of there is becoming more difficult by the day.

The National ComPost has deteriorated into a right-wing echo chamber, and Rex Murphy is a perfect fit. In related news, four of the Coutts mob have been charged with attempted murder. Apparently these were actively planning to kill RCMP officers, presumably to spark a violent uprising. In other related news, CBC News and the New York Times have reported that the Ottawa police have been very friendly with the protesters. And a total of 7 Canadian Armed Forces personnel are in the process of being discharged for making public statements in support of the convoy. There is a report that a retired RCMP officer once in charge of security for the Prime Ministers helped plan the Ottawa occupation.

Report: Russian Skater Had 3 Different Drugs In System When She Failed Test ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) — Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva listed two legal substances used to improve heart function on an anti-doping control form she filled out before her drug case at the Olympics erupted, according to documents submitted in her case. The World Anti-Doping Agency filed a brief in the Valieva case stating that the existence of L-carnitine and Hypoxen, though both legal, undercuts the argument that a banned substance, trimetazidine, might have entered the skater’s system accidentally. Hypoxen, a drug designed to increase oxygen flow to the heart, was a substance the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency recently tried, without success, to get placed on the banned list. L-carnitine, another oxygen-boosting performance enhancer, is banned if injected above certain thresholds. The supplement was the focal point of the doping case involving track coach Alberto Salazar. Combining those with 2.1 nanograms of trimetazidine, the drug found in Valieva’s system after a Dec. 25 test, is “an indication that something more serious is going on,” USADA CEO Travis Tygart said. “You use all of that to increase performance,” he said. “It totally undermines the credibility” of Valieva’s defense. Report: Russian Skater Had 3 Different Drugs In System When She Failed Test | HuffPost null

Fox News descended into utter insanity on Wednesday Today has been a wild one over in Fox News propaganda land, even by their standards. This morning, anchor Jesse Watters urged the United States to annex Canada to save it from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whom Watters suggested is a communist. And he was serious. “We have to finish the wall and build a fresh one in the north if this keeps up. Or we could just liberate the Canadians from their dictatorship,” said Watters. “It’s not like America hasn’t done that before. There’s room for a few more stars on the flag.” Good luck with that. Fox News descended into utter insanity on Wednesday - Alternet.org

I believe that Argentina has a history of welcoming people of his ilk.

You are disregarding the phallic sympbolism of guns so dear to those males who are not generously endowed. Its called compensation.

Who is better has yet to be proven. With a decent O-line, receivers and coaching, Prokop may well turn out to be more productive.

If they want to put some excitement into the olympics , put intersections in the luge and downhill skiing events.

6 COVID-related deaths in the last 24 hours in Manitoba, and the Tories are loosening restrictions. Brilliant.

The Free Press is reporting that, contrary to her public statement yesterday decrying the implementation of the Emergency Measures Act, three days previously, Heather Stefanson sent PM Justin Trudeau a letter begging for assistance. Nothing to see here. Move along now, Same old stories- lying Tories.

Ottawa residents respond to anti-vax truckers with a song about gay cowboys Anti-vaccine truckers from the "Freedom Convoy" in Ottawa, Canada on February 12, 2022, Wikimedia Commons In Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, a convoy of anti-vax truckers have been protesting against the Canadian government’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement for truckers reentering Canada from the United States — and many Ottawa residents have grown impatient with the traffic jams and gridlock they have created. Some of those Ottawa residents, according to LGBTQ Nation’s Bil Browning, have responded by “using an explicit heavy metal song about gay cowboys having sex to overpower the group’s communications and broadcast it to anyone listening.” The song is “Ram Ranch,” a 2012 recording by Canadian rocker Grant MacDonald. “Ram Ranch,” Browning reports, “is being blasted over several Zellow channels dedicated to the convoy.”

An object lesson for pro athletes: no matter how talented you think you are, you still have to prove yourself every game. With all the politicization and interference in the games and drug testing, its hard to believe any of this stuff and even harder to care.

America's popularity among democracies has been low and sinking for a couple of decades now as evidenced by the reduced number of people from those countries wanting to visit or move there.

It is very easy now to be come despondent and cynical about the social culture of Canada right now, but these idiots comprise probably less than a tenth of one percent. However they are very vocal and the media and some politicians and popular figures have given them a profile completely out of proportion to their numbers and purported popularity. The politicians have been divided and hesitant in their responses as have been the police, and that has compounded the problem. The net message the protesters have taken out of this is that whenever they do not get what they want, even if illegal and outrageous, they can repeat these behaviours and escalate if they choose to with little or no consequence. Bullies rarely respond to negotiation- they see that as an admission of weakness and renew their demands.

Firearms seized from peaceful, misunderstood demonstrators at Coutts, Alberta. The Ottawa police chief has said that he has no doubts that some of the protestors there are armed.

And still won nothing.