Convoy’s dangerous demands must be rejected
Re Trudeau invokes Emergencies Act as police toe thin blue line on “Freedom Convoy” blockades (NOW Online, February 15).
While it is very PC to worry about governments taking on more powers, in the case of the Ottawa blockaders, it is obvious that the government of Canada is doing the right thing.
First, the provincial and local governments have done nothing. Second, the pathetic initial response of cops has shown that they are ideologically aligned with right-wing protesters. Third, the convoy extremists have no respect for the rule of law, the rights of Canadians or an understanding of the basics of protest and civility (blaring horns all night and attacking those who are masked). Fourth, citizen counter-protesters have had to take the law into their own hands.
We may not agree with Trudeau on everything but all other major institutions have failed and the convoy blockaders must recognize that their days of racial abuse, harassing the masked, destroying the economy and threatening journalists and politicians must end. The convoy must be brought to its knees and its dangerous demands rejected.
GS Ruddin – From NOWTORONTO.COM
Trucker protest unmasks white privilege
Some have argued that the relatively gentle treatment of the truckers’ protest in Ottawa is an example of white privilege. I’m not sure that it showed white privilege but it definitely showed truck privilege.
There is no reason to believe that someone inside a truck is any wiser or more articulate or patriotic than anyone else. Perhaps other protest groups whether they be Indigenous, racial or environmental will involve trucks or other motor vehicles in their protests to give them more weight.
Bruce Couchman – OTTAWA
Flow sells out to corporate interests
Re Flow radio moves up the dial to take over G98.7 in Toronto (NOW Online, February 15).
This is a face-saving move by Stingray – a way to divest its station of any lingering Black identity without looking like the bad guys.
But the really pathetic part of this is Denham Jolly, who mobilized the Black community for years in his effort to get a license and then sold to a corporation.
Murray K. – From NOWTORONTO.COM
Remembering Ivan Reitman’s classic cult fave
Re In memoriam: Ivan Reitman, 1946-2022 (NOW Online, February 17).
No one seems to be mentioning one of my favourite Ivan Reitman movies, the amazing animated science fiction feature film Heavy Metal.
It features the voices of Rodger Bumpass, Jackie Burroughs, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Don Francks, Martin Lavut, Marilyn Lightstone, Eugene Levy, Alice Playten, Harold Ramis, Percy Rodriguez, Susan Roman, Richard Romanus, August Schellenberg, John Vernon, and Zal Yanovsky!
An anthology of stories somehow bringing together jarringly different styles from a number of different animation houses, it features variously: blatantly sexist female images, comic whimsy, graphic violence and eerily beautiful heroic fantasy. It’s a classic cult favourite that will stay with you.
Carolyn King – From NOWTORONTO.COM
Doug Ford makes a mockery of the need for vaccines
Re Ontario to lift all COVID restrictions by March 1 – now will convoy protestors go home? (NOW Online, February 14)
The move to lift restrictions makes a mockery of the whole concept of vaccines being essential unless you believe the pandemic has run its course. Not likely. I will not be going into any more restaurants with no passport required.
Joe Andely – From NOWTORONTO.COM
