Meanwhile, in Canada

[temporal1]

“Standing up cheerfully.” A message the world seems to be embracing.
In JANUARY!

[temporal1]

i expect there are various reasons this convoy is getting world-wide notice.

1) is there anyone who does not have a truck driver in their family/extended family?
2) they provide necessary work, esp during this pandemic.
3) it’s hard work, skilled, tedious, monotonous; everyone who drives deals closely with truck drivers on the road, even if they never speak with them for any reason.
4) they have a sub-culture. mostly ignored and taken for granted.
5) they are blue-collar, looked down upon by many (who are completely dependent on them).
6) they are generally quiet in the public arena.
7) they are generally relied upon “in case of emergency.”
8) they are often men providing for their families. often taken for granted in those roles.

More?? ..

i suspect they are resonating because they represent “everyman” to loads of folks who most often feel invisble, and worse.
the “cheerful” aspect represents the desires of the common people, who want to be cheerful and thankful! in all circumstances.

all the pieces of this convoy seem to be working together to capture the interest of the world.
“cheerful” is a magnetic quality Christians can authentically model.

my father did auto body repair work. he worked hard, got dirty. his clothes could get really dirty.
my mother did not have state-of-the art laundry (or kitchen) far from it.

my mother honored him, she could not have treated him better if he had been a CEO of a successful corporation.
she NEVER complained about doing laundry, fixing 3 meals daily. she lived to honor him. he honored her.

in this convoy, i believe i’m seeing a lot of appreciation+respect going to these drivers for their hard work and dedication, without much recognition. i sense a lot of the “cheerfulness” is about that.

[Robert]

[RZehr]

I’m not a fan of protests, but I wish them success.

[temporal1]

[media]http

I’m not a fan of protests, but I wish them success.

i agree.

in this case, aside from some coarse language (that, honestly, is normalized in the general culture) - the entire thing appears orderly and not at all frightening. they want to make a statement.

each one of those trucks represents a major investment, not to mention the cost of fuel and travel. it’s a personal big deal for each one. i don’t blame them for wanting to be treated with respect.

politicians that talk down to (at least half) their populations (ex., hillary, and her “basket of deplorables”) deserve to be taken down a notch or 2. what they’re doing isn’t good for anyone - including themselves.

i’m glad they’re being cheerful. that’s a good approach. being of good cheer and good will. why not??

[Dan Z]

Our own Appleman posted on the Freedom Convoy facebook page. I have not been on facebook for a year. I went on just to follow the truckers. This is what I found posted by AM. I thought it was good enough to share here.

I apologize. This is going to be a longer post but I need to get it off my chest.
Last night my oldest daughter reminded me of something I apparently said to her around 15 years ago. I certainly did not remember saying this but it does very well represent my beliefs to this day. And it is something I feel quite strongly about. Tamara had just obtained her license and she was ranting to be about how much she hated the fact that buggies were on the road. She saw them as a dangerous threat to her driving safety as well as their own and she just did not understand why in this modern day and age they were allowed to be on the road. And apparently this is what I told her.
“I do not totally understand why the old order Mennonites still drive horse and buggies. I certainly would not want to drive one myself. I too see them as being a dangerous mode of transportation. However I am very thankful that I live in a county where even though they are a very small minority they are allowed to do what they believe is best for themselves. “
I think you see where I am going with this. As I have stated in an earlier post. I am double vaccinated. I got the booster 3 weeks ago. I am totally convinced that for me and the vast majority of Canadians it was the right thing to do. But from the beginning while if we were to have a private conversation, you might find me strongly encouraging you to get vaccinated, I simply cannot support mandating it. Too me that is going too far. I am a 7th generation Canadian and have always been quite pleased to be part of a country that represents so much good. A place where for the last 200 years and more people have been able to come and live their life in freedom and according to their conscience. We are a very diverse nation and we have always been proud of that. Until recently that is. The last number of years I have seen alarming signs of our freedoms being eroded. Please understand I am not a libertarian. I can appreciate giving up some freedoms particularly when their is well established evidence for it. Take seatbelts for example. I think the evidence is overwhelming strong that they save lives when used properly. And so some might say. How is the vaccine any different? There is one very large difference. The vaccine is something that is put into our bodies and that is where I think we should draw the line. Personally I think the evidence of it’s goodness is so good that we should be able to convince most people to take it willingly. And guess what? We have.
It really bothers me that we have come to a place in this country where it is perfectly alright to be intolerant of those we disagree with. Our prime minister just insinuated that perhaps Canada is not big enough for those that disagree with him. I thought he was the leader of the “liberal” party. I thought one of the backbones of liberalism was inclusiveness and a willingness to be tolerant of others even those who may be very different than themselves. Well to my liberal friends of which I have many. May I suggest you take a close look in the mirror. Are you truly being tolerant. As tolerant of others as you hope people are of you? It is something we all should ask ourselves everyday.
I have been watching the trucker convoy with interest. And I see the lewd remarks made against our prime minister. And it makes me cringe. But then I hear the PM get up and claim even now that this is just a small fringe group and their ideas are “ unacceptable.”. And I see these people smiles and tears of joy. Not hundreds of people but hundreds of thousands of people from all races and religions lining up along our highways across our land in sub zero weather. Literally weeping because suddenly they are discovering that they are not alone after all. Suddenly feeling like it might be safe for them to believe what they believe even if they are a minority.
I simply hope their fear will not be dashed to bits by a small minority that may want to resort to violence.
I was especially intrigued with the fact that 25 Hutterite colonies took the time to get together and make a meal for the convoy. You might ask as some have why a peace loving group like this would get involved. As a Mennonite who shares some of their same common beliefs I think understand. You see it is almost in our DNA. Our ancestors were hunted down, burned at the stake, drowned, imprisoned, not because they were violent evil people but rather because they dared to believe something different than what the powers that be thought they should believe. And they were invited to a New World that promised freedom of conscience.
I have seen that slipping away slowly over the last few decades. So slowly it is hardly noticeable. But what is happening this week is giving me just a tiny sliver of hope they are yet millions of people that value that freedom
However I will say this yet. As I said in the beginning I happen to believe that being vaccinated is a smart thing to do. But I do know there are beliefs that I have that some would find to be strange, maybe even dangerous. Some of those beliefs I hold so strongly that I would be willing to die for them. No I will not fight. But I will be willing to go to prison for the rest of my life rather then give up ideas that I understand to be truth. I hope you do not feel threatened by that. Because I certainly will not get in your way of having your own belief system even though it may be very different then mine. I will even sit down over coffee and let you try and convince me I am wrong particularly if you give me the same courtesy. After all it really is just that simple. “Do to others as you would have them do to you.“
That is my commitment to you. May God bless each of you and may peace reign. I am praying that there will be peace in Ottawa. And no I do not hate the PM. Rather my prayer is that he may see the light and go on to truly being the man and leader he was called to be.

I read this on FaceBook as well. Here is my response to appleman:

• I share your conviction brother Steve! Like you, I'm also "boosted-up," and grateful for the medical advances that have contributed to the well-being of those I love - but as an Anabaptist I also recognize how dangerous it can be when coercive force is used to punish choices of conscience. Whether it be the choice to drive a buggy, or homeschool, or wear a head-covering in public, or not "bear the sword," history has taught us to be wary of authoritarian infringement upon matters of conscience. We must never forget that many of our forbears paid the ultimate price for their conscientious decisions. In the end, the choice to vaccinate or not seems like a matter of conscience to me.

[Robert]

https://www.dailywire.com/news/canadian ... ne-mandate

The leader of a Canadian province expressed his support for the “Freedom Convoy” trucker protest currently underway in Canada, and pledged to end vaccine mandates in his province.

Scott Moe, the premier of Saskatchewan, issued a letter Saturday endorsing the convoy, which was organized to protest Canada’s vaccine mandate.

Moe began his letter by thanking truckers across the country for helping the nation’s economy continue to function during the COVID-19 pandemic. “THANK YOU for delivering the food and household products we all use every day, the parts and equipment that keep our farms and industries running, and every other kind of goods and products you can imagine,” Moe wrote. “If you bought something today, a trucker delivered it. So THANK YOU!”

“You also deserve a special thank you for everything you have done over the past two years, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Moe continued. “In the early days of the pandemic, when we did not know much about COVID-19, we shut a lot of things down and asked most people to stay home. But not truckers. We asked you to keep working, despite the risk, because of how much we rely on you to keep our shelves stocked, our economy going, and our communities open.”

Moe championed the response from truckers, who continued to work during the pandemic. “Truckers stepped up and kept on hauling, they crossed provincial borders and they crossed the US border. You did this prior to rapid tests, prior to early intervention treatments and prior to vaccines. You took the necessary precautions, you kept yourselves and those around you safe, and you delivered the things the people in Saskatchewan needed to live.”

Moe clarified his position on vaccines, writing that he is fully-vaccinated and boosted. He also said that while the vaccine did not prevent him from contracting COVID-19, he believed it prevented him from becoming seriously sick. “My experience was similar to many other vaccinated people,” Moe wrote. “Vaccination does not keep you from contracting COVID-19, but it does prevent most people from becoming seriously ill. That is why I will continue to encourage everyone to get vaccinated, because I do not want any of you to become seriously ill.” Moe continued, speaking about COVID-19 transmission rates as it pertains to risk.

“However, the current federal policy does pose a significant risk to Canada’s economy and to the supply chain in our Saskatchewan communities, where you and I live. This federal policy will increase the cost of living, which is now rising at a rate that is creating significant hardship for many Canadians,” Moe concluded. “That is why my government supports your call to end the cross-border ban on unvaccinated truckers and it is why, in the not-too-distant future, our government will be ending or proof of negative test/proof of vaccination policy in Saskatchewan.”

Moe’s support comes as the province of Nova Scotia made it illegal to gather on the interprovincial highway to support the convoy. The Daily Wire reported that the government of Nova Scotia issued a directive that would impose severe fines on individuals or groups who attempted to gather on highways in support of the convoy. “The directive also applies to people who stop or gather alongside Highway 104, the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick border, or at the Cobequid Pass toll area in support of the 2022 Freedom Convoy, the Atlantic Hold the Line event, or others organized to interfere with traffic,” a news release said. “Allowing people to gather in those areas would put themselves and others at risk.”

[temporal1]

last paragraph above: ^^

.. .. Moe’s support comes as the province of Nova Scotia made it illegal to gather on the interprovincial highway to support the convoy.

The Daily Wire reported that the government of Nova Scotia issued a directive that would impose severe fines on individuals or groups who attempted to gather on highways in support of the convoy.

“The directive also applies to people who stop or gather alongside Highway 104, the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick border, or at the Cobequid Pass toll area in support of the 2022 Freedom Convoy, the Atlantic Hold the Line event, or others organized to interfere with traffic,” a news release said.

“Allowing people to gather in those areas would put themselves and others at risk.”

In general, it appears lots of unwanted legislation begins/comes out of Nova Scotia. The legal model of finding ANY remote opportunity to establish invaluable “legal precedence,” which than can be exploited to expand upon elsewhere.
The tail wags the dog.

Good people can have “eyes wide open.” Scriptures encourages open eyes. Matthew 10:16 / serpents and doves.

[Sudsy]

So how should a born again believer respond to these current events in Canada ?

Should we being 'slamming' the prime minister ? Fearing that our 'freedoms' are being challenged ? Helping feed the convoy, like some Hutterites have which could easily be interpreted as supporting rebellion of the government's actions ? Giving any support that possibly could cause another situation of violence that occurred in Washington ?

Or is our role one of prayer -

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.

And then trust God to work these things out according to His plans.

When it comes to peace and freedom, are we not ambassadors of true peace and freedom that only comes in knowing the Lord ? And of so, our mission does not change from one day to the next regardless of what is currently happening in Canada or elsewhere in the world.

I'm interested in how other believers think we should be approaching this event and feel free to challenge and/or question what I posted above.

[Dan Z]

Great question Sudsy.

While, as I stated, I am strongly sympathetic to the cause of freedom of conscience...I am concerned with how political causes like the trucker's convoy have the potential to suck Anabaptists into the soul-crushing ugliness of partisan politics. For example, I think the action of the Hutterites, in supporting the cause of the protesters, will likely draw them further into a carnal political worldview that is already taking root in their midst.