Commentary from the Mises Institute
The denigration of the Canadian trucker protest convoy exemplifies how freedom is now the biggest villain of the COVID-19 pandemic. A Washington Post cartoonist portrayed the trucker convoy as “fascism” incarnate in a now-deleted Twitter post, while another Post column derided the “toxic ‘Freedom Convoy.’”
Anyone who resists any government command is apparently now a public enemy.
The trucker protest was spurred by the Canadian government’s sweeping COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Many truckers believe the risks of the vaccine outweigh the benefit and, more importantly, that they have the right to control their own bodies. Aerial views show some of the context for how massive these convoys are that are converging on Ottawa. It is widely estimated, “If it gets there on time—and if the convoy holds together as it has in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan—it could be 10 times larger than the world record,” for the longest convoy in history.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared: “There is no place in our country for threats, violence or hatred.” Except for the hatred Trudeau whips up by denouncing vaccine mandate opponents as “racist” and “misogynistic.” And except for the “threats” and “violence” used by government enforcement agents to compel submission to any pandemic decree issued by Trudeau or other politicians.
Since the start of this pandemic, many people who boasted of their trust in “science and data” also believed that absolute power would keep them safe.
According to their scorecard, anyone who objected to government commands was the equivalent of a heretic who must be condemned if not banished from every place except the cemetery. North of the border, Quebec epitomizes this intolerance with its new edict prohibiting unvaccinated individuals from shopping at Costco or Walmart.
The same critics who latch on to any obnoxious behavior by a few wayward Canadian truckers (MSNBC denounced them as a “cult”) to condemn freedom are also happy to exonerate any American politician who pointlessly destroyed freedom during the pandemic with bizarre edicts.
And so, Canadian truckers organized, creating the Freedom Convoy.
This massive caravan may very well have set a world record, as it’s estimated that 50,000 trucks have joined with it. That’s trucks—not truckers.
The Jan. 15 royal decree has stated that Canadian truckers who do not have the vaccine in their body will be forced by Canada to undergo a two-week quarantine period should they traverse the Canadian-American border. Washington D.C. decreed a similar demand on Jan. 22, when the post-9/11 US Department of Homeland Security decided that Canadian truckers had to be fully vaccinated should they enter American soil.
Both of these decrees (when enforced by those who do not understand what their respective countries truly stand for) would result in thousands of men losing their ability to provide a paycheck for their families—to put bread on the table.
And the Canadian truckers are not alone, it seems. Reports are surfacing of thousands of American truckers all traveling up to Canada to join the fray. The caravan is heading towards Ottawa, where it intends to turn the city into the largest truck stop of all time.
Canadian mainstream media has been downplaying the extent of this convoy, and there are even reports surfacing that --with live camera feeds -- the public can watch the convoys and get real information. Naturally, the Trudeau dictatorship is battling against the truckers, but the public supports them and has donated millions of dollars to help their cause. The fundraiser for the effort now exceeds $5.5 million dollars and still climbing. It reached $10,000,000 before being suspended.
It is now estimated that over 50,000 vehicles are participating in the convoy effort, and the Canadian Dept of Transportation is doing everything possible to stop, block and impede the assemblies. Every federal truck stop and DOT weigh station has been opened, and every truck is being required to go through the DOT checks. This is not accidental. The movement has now evolved into a conflict of the average Canadian, represented by the truckers, -vs- the oppressive government, represented by the activated federal agencies of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It really has become an incredible example of THE PEOPLE -vs- GOVERNMENT.
Cars, SUVs, vans, and small commercial trucks are now included in the massive convoy lines and joined with the big rigs. On every highway along the way crowds are cheering and waving support for the truckers.
People want their freedom. They have a right to peacefully protest these restrictive shutdowns and oligarch mandates. And, they have a right to decide what goes into their bodies and make their own health choices.
Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr., is founder and chairman of the Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama,
and editor of LewRockwell.com, and author of Fascism versus Capitalism.
You can reach him at https://mises.org/
This article originally was posted here on the Mises website : https://mises.org/wire/canadian-truckers-battle-against-covid-tyranny
