"Freedom is not taking the vaccine"
"Freedom does not mean you can honk your horn all night"
"Freedom is for me to eat my donut while I drink my x-large double double in my big truck and listening to Truck Yeah, by Tim McGraw" (by the way, awesome song. I will include a YouTube link at the bottom of this post).
"Freedom is to have my non-fat mocha macchiato with a side of unicorn sprinkles while I listen to Indigo Girls"
Okay... Maybe. Part of it. Sure.
For me it "FREEDOM" has a different meaning; a more fundamental one. Please indulge me and listen a bit to my background story:
I've lived in Canada for almost three decades. I came here from the old country where I grew up under a brutal communist dictatorship and have personally witness a very bloody and terrifying revolution, where my dad, my uncles were out fighting the communists in brutal street to street urban combat. He was 33 years old then. Meanwhile, I stayed home with my mom, aunt and the rest of the family while gunshots, fighter aircraft and other sh*t you can't even imagine swarmed around us engulfed in violence, confusion, disinformation and mass hysteria. The only thing protecting us? A chain on the front door of the communist block flat and two neighbors, one armed with an AK-47 and one with an axe. This lasted for almost 3 weeks after which, the communist dictator was overthrown, captured, tried in a kangaroo court and executed by firing squad on Dec 25 1989. "As a present, we all got to watch it on TV". Fantastic! Just what an eight year old should see on Christmas Day. (*note the sarcasm)
It was brutal!
What led to that? Well, I'm no history buff, but the fact that my nation allied itself with Nazi Germany, partook in the invasion of the USSR, got the crap kicked out of us and eventually lost a good portion of our country may have started this sht*storm. After WW2 Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt carved up the world and my tiny little country fell under the iron curtain. What followed was 44+ years of communism. "The best kind".
The worst part was in the 80s, after our Dear Leader decided to visit North Korea and become good buddies with Kim Il Sung (the grandfather of the current leader). He was so impressed with the cult personality of his DPRK's counterpart that he decided he wanted the same thing. In the 80s he also became very obsessed with paying off any international debt. As a result, we were on rations for everything from bread to cars. If you were a party member you had SOME privileges, but for the most part, we were locked up, beaten, starved and controlled in every aspect.
The most amazing tool the Iron block countries had was DISINFORMATION. There was absolute control of the media, combined with the police, secret police (Kind of like the Stasi in DDR - Deutsche Demokratische Republik) as well as other methods of collecting information and surveillance. Phone taping was done in every house as well as neighbors, co-workers, friends, etc. were all a potential source of information for the communist government.
That didn't happen overnight. It took years and years, but anything you ever said could have been used against you. Something as innocent as saying "I like jeans" could get you in trouble.
State police: "Why do you like jeans? Are you a Western Spy? Do you support the Americans? Do you have contacts abroad? Have you ever listend to Radio Free Europe? Do you like donuts?"
Okay. Enough. I'm starting to ramble. I could literally sit here and type 100 pages of my experience in communism, but how does this pertain to Canada? Surely I'm not comparing it to the former Eastern block countries. No, but there is a trend I'm seeing here and it's scaring the hell out of me.
Canada is a country of rules. Any nation to properly function must have them. We must also pay tax. It's a necessity of modern life. (Within reason). What has happened in the last 2 years is nothing short of astonishing for me. No, it wasn't the fact we had to social distance, wear a mask or even have a vaccine available. It was some of the rules and mandates put into place, all in the "interest of safety", to "protect Canadians".
Here are the things that come to mind:
1. RESTRICTING DOMESTIC TRAVEL. This is the most absurd, tyrannical and communist thing a government can do. How the f*ck do you, as a free Canadian, accept your government(s), federal and provincial, to restrict travel within your own country? HOW? That is some "Fahrenheit 451" next level sh*t (Ray Bradbury novel). People could not see their dying parents, newborn grandkids, etc etc etc.
What makes it okay to travel from Toronto to Barrie, but not from Ottawa to Gatineau or from Banff to Revelstoke? Is it for my safety? The safety of others? Why can't I follow the same precautions that I follow in my own province?
2. Limit to gatherings in private homes. Since when is the government allowed to tell me who I can and can not have over my house, so long as the law is not being broken (but you see, that can be interpreted in many ways...) "You're spreading COVID so therefore you ARE breaking the law".
3. Travel restrictions on leaving / arriving in your own country - Free, unimpeded movement. Having to quarantine 14 days in your house or 3 days at a government approved hotel for $2000 is not acceptable. Even back in the old country we had insane travel restrictions. You couldn't even keep your passport at home. It had to be kept at the police station. Sure, you could leave, but you can only travel to Eastern Block nations, because it was "SAFE from capitalist influences and their damaging and immoral societies". You can freely travel to other nations if you were a top athlete, a mariner or aviator, but you could only do it if you left one of your kids behind. "We're not banning you. You're free to travel to West Germany, just leave your kids behind... and oh yes, if you defect your whole family may end up in prison working the chain gangs"
Anyway, I'm into my 3rd beer now and I'm losing focus.
The worst part I've seen in the last few weeks is the complete disinformation, construction of specific narratives and a general assault on every day hard working Canadians. Truckers have been called "racists", "homophobes", "terrorists" and every other name you can think of, because they are not marching to the beat of this administration. This to me is a lot like the old country...
I'm not anti vax, I'm not a religious nutcase, I support and advocate for minorities and generally I just want to have a normal life, where I can afford to feed my family, travel the world and be a contributing member of society. That's what FREEDOM means to me. I don't want to give away my liberties in the name of "SAFETY". That word has been used a bit too much lately to justify some pretty draconian measures.
Once you lose freedom, it's pretty hard to get it back... I know it because I lived through it. What's happening in Ottawa now is a very Canadian style protest. While it's annoying and uncomfortable for the local residents (and I feel for them), it's better than what I've witnessed 32 years ago.
See what I mean... photos from Dec. 1989. I was 8 years old.
Compare that to the peaceful protest we have in Canada.
P.S. Enjoy Tim McGraw - Truck Yeah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf7GfUORHtw
Why am I not surprised you'd come out with an inflammatory statement like that?
