Andru McCracken, EDITOR
It’s a tough time all over, COVID-19 is isolating us, for many the economy stinks, jobs are hard to come by, security is nowhere in sight. And in these times of darkness there are two roads we can travel.
We can choose to soldier on and hold tight to our core values or we can look for a scapegoat.
The perceived threat of antifacist activists has baited the water with blood and now, it seems, some folks have found a perfect scapegoat for all the ills that have befallen them.
There is new interest and a lot of new activity from the Soldiers of Odin and the Three Percenters in Alberta.
The groups staged a noisy counter protest to anti-racism protests in Lacombe and Red Deer in late September. The counter protests degenerated into physical threats and then violence.
This is exactly the opposite of what we need from ‘strong’ citizens.
If you have too much time on your hands and want to use your martial arts background for good, join the military. Don’t skulk around looking for an enemy to beat down, mixing your penchant for bar fighting with an incurable woundedness.
If your job sucks, your benefits suck and you feel you are being undercut by new Canadians, then do what labour has always had to do to go forward. Unionize.
Don’t start breeding hatred. Hate won’t help you and it won’t help your family.
Evidently there is a burning discontent fueling hate against new immigrants, First Nations, Muslims, and anti facists.
Newsflash: Nazis still suck.
People who fight ideas with violence in a democracy suck.
When you join the Soldiers of Odin and the Three Percenters, because the world is ostensibly falling down around your ears in preparation for the end times you are the first rat jumping ship. You are arming yourself in advance of the collapse of civilization. That’s weak. That’s what traitors do.
Feeling scared and alone? Join the military.
Democracy is good. Free speech is good. If you are scared about the future, arm yourself and build a bunker, knock yourself out, but when you start building a militia and caching weapons you are choosing to put this fragile democracy at risk.
Warlords don’t make democracies better. Strong democratic institutions do.
A couple weeks ago we took a look at how the Canadian Armed Forces were in the process of tossing out a Valemount Ranger for his affiliation with two groups with bad reputations: the Soldiers of Odin and the Three Percenters. We asked the Ranger what happened during his time with those groups because it was left out of the national broadcaster’s discourse. We knew this man and good things he did in the community – activities that strengthen the community and help protect the weak are good. But the groups he joined are not good.
I’m not for mind policing. You can think what you want. Think what you want about COVID, the government, the flat earth, chemtrails, gluten, lizard people… but when you call for or engage in threats you have stepped over a very clear line.
The genius counter protestors who showed up at Red Deer anti-racism protest on September 21 crossed this line. Not only did they threaten physical violence, they sucker punched a rally goer and attempted to break up the rally.
One wonders how any self respecting libertarian metes out violence because someone is speaking their mind at a peaceful protest.
Clearly counter protestors are looking to vent their rage on a scapegoat, trying to take control in a world they don’t understand.
As Canadians that’s not what we are called to do.
In uncertain troubled times do what you can to support civil discourse and build strong democratic institutions, and make sure that people are able to speak their minds without the threat of violence.
