These people that organize the protests are not disadvantaged people, or even people who have lost their businesses. Most, if not all, have and always had the resources to promote, publicize and organize around their dangerous and delusional ideas. They can afford full-page ads in newspapers, fully choreographed "documentaries" that supposedly prove their claims, have money to travel between provinces or even across the border and yes, most of them have the cash to pay legal counsel to defend them if they get caught. These people are *not* suffering at all, yet they do not care if you are suffering. When asked about what to do about those who are vulnerable, some of their leaders basically said "let 'em die". I hear false claims from them that it is just the very frail elderly that are dying of this virus, despite recent reports of people as young as thirteen getting ill. More and more of them are middle-aged, much like the demographics of the people that have gone to these "protests".
First, these protests are not about anybody's "freedoms". Nothing has been done by our governmental authorities to snatch any our freedoms away or to dispense with our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. These are in fact the very same people that claim that because they cannot go down the street marching against having Muslims (or certain other people) in our community, or to write conspiratorial articles promoting hateful things about vulnerable minorities, that their "freedom" of speech is somehow compromised. These are also the very same people that believe people with disabilities with high care needs have less rights to live than people like themselves, if a choice ever came down to it. Many of the people I watched marching in my own community were the same people protesting at our MPs offices telling Syrian refugees to "go home". When asked why they think that, they actually believe that Muslims will come into our country, outnumber us and force us all to accept sharia law. Yet these same people are often members of Christian right organizations, whose ideas of a similar theocracy are so salivating to them that their freedoms again are the only ones that are important. I do not find any difference between a radical Muslim or a radical Christian, as they both promote and push fascism, rejecting (or killing) out groups and promoting in groups.
If one cares to notice, the only churches that are opening against the laws of the pandemic are those specific Christian denominations that typically operate in a cult-like manner, convinced that being able to have a freedom of conscience and to practice their religion means they need to congregate in groups of 3000 inside a building (without masks), when in fact millions of Canadians of less extreme faiths are praying everyday from their homes, watching services on Zoom and reading their books of faith, as well as having online prayer meetings with other members of their community. Because we are not permitted to crowd into buildings to offer prayers, or attend sporting events, or have large parties, or have happy hours or whatever one's taste may be, means nothing has literally been taken from us. Nor does this discriminate on anybody's religion. This is a temporary measure and if only people would listen and be patient and stop holding super spreader events, we may be able to get back to all of these activities someday.
Another path to 'normalcy' is the vaccine. I am pleased to see a high demand for the vaccine in the community and expressed frustrations by many who have tried to sign up for a vaccine online but have failed to secure an appointment. Further, as soon as the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine lowered its age limit to forty years of age, more people were signing up to clinics to get their vaccines. Last Friday, my husband and I got our AstraZeneca jab, which resulted in 36 hours of fever and flu like symptoms which readily subsided with rest and Tylenol. What is important to me is this shows that the vaccine is doing its job. Almost all of those marching in protest are not only anti-mask, anti-lockdown, but anti-vaccine as well. A large number of them would not even vaccinate their children against serious childhood diseases, something I believe should be part of something that child welfare experts should be cognizant of, particularly if outbreaks begin to happen.
Members of this cult call themselves independent thinkers, even though I have yet to hear a single independent thought from any of them. They say they do not get their news from the mainstream media, but obviously the only other place they would get it is the social media, which is rife with falsehoods and disinformation. If you do not believe me, ask for their sources, and every single one of them has the same sources on offer. These "sources", if at all medically trained, are often disgraced from their profession for some reason, or are being investigated. Others are not real doctors, or they are people on Youtube ascribing themselves with whatever credentials they want people to believe they have. How does anybody know that the person on Youtube is really that person and that this person indeed has those credentials? Fakery has been detected way too many times, which is why I completely bypass social media for any of my hard information. Anybody can start a Youtube channel and say whatever they wish, but this does not make that statement any more true than if I stood on a downtown street with a bullhorn and shouted out particular opinions of my own.
A good read of their sources, as well as the platform upon which they are published, is a good way to tell whether they have any credibility whatsoever. Certain platforms are used by the alt-right, where they seem to want to allow any and all expression whatsoever, except of course, when that expression is anything that disagrees with their delusional beliefs and disinformation. I simply stay out of those platforms, where they can all stay as far as I am concerned and become each other's echo chamber. Occasionally, there are people on these forums that become missing and I am aware of some of them, as they actually end up in hospital and die of COVID-19, even though they refuse to talk about it. Many of them do not believe there is COVID-19, or that people can die of it, so they deny this reality even among their own number. Many protests have been ascribed as super spreader events, particularly where a particular area is crowded out and people listen to speakers. With not a mask to be found on any of these people, I am sure within a week or so, some of them will fall ill, maybe a couple might die. When asked about this reality, they say they do not care if they end up dying of COVID or anything else. What they fail to understand is that while they might not care if they themselves get sick, but what about the number of people they are making sick?
Second, none of these protesters care about the rights of the real victims of the pandemic. That is people with disabilities, older people, poor people, ethnic minorities (we already know that!), amongst others. These people feel invincible. This reminds me of people in my younger days that used to drink themselves under the table and then try to drive home after, because nothing was going to happen to them ... until it did. I know many young and middle-aged people who contracted COVID-19, among which a few died. Roughly half of those that survived remain disabled in some way. Two are currently seeking disability benefits because they can no longer work. One of these people used to think exactly like the "freedom marchers" of today, who once believed it would not happen to him, until it did. Most days, he could not get out bed. He is always short of breath. Driving anywhere takes too much energy for him. Those that go to these protests and so-called freedom walks would know this man, although I cannot say who it is. They would not care anyways.
Third, these anti-maskers belittle people with disabilities. Like, when did they even start or begin to care about the interests of people with disabilities? Suddenly we have a large group of people that cannot wear a mask because of a disability? Yeah, sure. They are making light of people with real disabilities that are unlikely to even get out of their homes because of the impact of these real disabilities. I had a couple of people phone our office to ask for representation against a business for refusal of service due to the fact they were not wearing a mask. It is interesting how they disappeared after I spoke to them about what a case like this would involve, such as having a medically documented disability (that they know they do not have and cannot prove). There are stories about how some of these anti-maskers are extorting small businesses, which they claim to be fighting for in the midst of this pandemic.
I would really like to see prior proof of this kind of vigorous advocacy by these same people for people with disabilities; for example, to have a livable income, equal access to decently paid employment and affordable housing. Where were they when these fights were abound? I do not remember a single one of them at any of these meetings, rallies or media events, when such issues were being explained. Over the last thirty years of my life, directing many of these organizations (of which none of them were members), attending meetings with government officials, holding public rallies and so forth, not a single one of them were there. At the beginning of the pandemic, in fact most would not give a toss about people with disabilities by saying they "already" had enough to live on, while each of them, even in a couple, were able to easily get $2,000 a month each to survive for several months while many of their jobs were temporarily lost. If that is not privilege, I don't know what is. Their nerve to suddenly claim they have a disability now that prevents them from wearing a mask is just ridiculous if not pathetic. There are very few people who legitimately cannot wear a mask, so this is why I find it almost impossible to believe anybody that approaches me with such a claim (especially if they drove to where they met me, or seem to walk and talk okay). Among the ones I do know, one can visibly tell they are disabled (e.g. on oxygen, CP, etc.).
Fourth, I want out of this pandemic. I want to see an end to these lockdowns. However, just opening everything up and damned the torpedoes, is just going to overload our ICUs and cause many more unnecessary deaths. It is just unfortunate that some people are too selfish to recognize the limitations of their own bubbles they live in. I am indeed critical of some parts of the lockdown we are in, as some things are locked down that should not be, while other things remain open that should not be. It appears that when these lockdowns were ordered, none of the justification for the same came from the Science Table that Ford's government was supposed to listen to. Instead, he would just try to give police powers they did not even want to stop people and ask them why they were not staying at home, as well as shutting down playgrounds and other outdoor facilities. When the blowback came hard, Ford disappeared and cried the crocodile tears to the public that he did not mean it that way ... of course, I do not feel sorry for Ford. He should have done his job right in the first place, to prevent this third wave, as well as not neglected people in long-term care and other congregate settings, as well as people living on very limited disability allowances. If he had to listen to the number of such people I hear from regularly, who want to seek MAiD (medical assistance in dying), he would have a good reason to cry real tears.
Instead, he needs to be taken out of this leadership position and have another Cabinet member take over immediately, possibly Christine Elliott. Politics needs to be taken right out of the pandemic recovery. Let's do as the Science Table says, and then after that, let the politicians provide the supports to those that need them, such as businesses that were forced to close, individuals losing money because of price gouging that is openly going on during the pandemic for PPE, groceries, transportation, etc. We also need to get the vaccines into as many arms as possible. I do believe that once enough people get vaccinated, we will begin to see the lowering of numbers and less people dying, which should be the goal for everybody and our ultimate goal as well, which is to end the lockdowns.
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