suds

I'm not fully understanding this 'overthrowing of democracy' thing. They must have had some kind of plan right? Or is it even possible for a bunch of unarmed protesters to overthrow the US government? Maybe you could suggest a plausible sequence of events for such a thing to take place? Or was it just a protest that got out of control and turned into a riot that a lapse in security forces was unable to deal with? Maybe Pelosi and Mayor Bowser should have taken Trump up on his offer to send in the national guard to act as security a few days before? What do you think, eh?

When those like yourself claim they want to 'save democracy', i have no idea what that means. Your posts imply that democracy is majority rule and is unlimited in scope even to the extent that constitutional rights don't apply to all citizens. By 'patriots', are you referring to antifa, vigilantes, FBI, or .....? Maybe you've heard of the term 'tyranny of the majority'? Democracy in no way guarantees freedom, and in no way guarantees that what the majority decides is best for all. Perhaps you can clear a few of these things up.

You can also look at this another way. By election time trump's approval rating was about 43% (6% lower) and the election was a lot closer than it looked. Trump had a chance of beating Biden even at 43%. In fact everything was close. The senate was a tie, and the republicans picked up a number of seats in the house.

Trump's approval ratings (49%) were the highest in his 4 year term during the first 5 months of 2020. And this was in the midst of his first impeachment and the onset of covid-19. I'm not going to argue with you but it's obvious to me that he was on a roll and the democrats used the coronavirus to derail him. Didn't Biden promise to shut down the virus? Yeah, right. https://news.gallup.com/poll/203198/presidential-approval-ratings-donald-trump.aspx

They'll leave commie Joe in for a while longer until all the dirty work is done. Then Joe gets the hook with a $50 million book signing deal with some publisher (fiction of course). Slide in Kamala who might be a tad better, or bring in a real moderate and hope the public doesn't realize they've just been played.

I'm not a big believer in mandatory vaccinations. It's like supporting women's rights on abortion. It's a 'your body', 'your choice', sort of thing. I've been thinking about what it would actually take for those who choose not be vaccinated to get vaccinated on their own free will. Would a variant maybe not so transmissible but if infected cause almost certain death do it? I'll bet it would. We should pray it never comes to anything like that.

There's a relatively small number of voters in the center (call them the real moderates if you want) that decide US elections. Polls taken from less than 2 years ago offer substantial evidence that if it wasn't for covid, Trump was on his way to win handily in 2020. Biden ran as a moderate (and uniter) which appealed to the moderates, but since taking office has been anything but. Biden's polling numbers on things that average americans really care about, such as covid, economy, crime, law enforcement, education, inflation, border/immigration, have tanked. Kamala Harris' polling numbers are even worse. Democrats are beginning to realize they're in big trouble. Not only are they losing the votes of those in the centre, they're losing support from hispanics and blacks which will not only affect the elections in 2022 and 2024, but for a generation to come. 10 years ago i could never envision anything like this happening. But it is happening, and right before our very eyes. And it's the democrats own doing. Those in the center who decide these elections aren't pleased.

I've only had to wait in advance polling. Our system works beautifully, and i've never heard a single complaint. But just wait. Somebody (sure as hell) is going to decide there's just got to be a better way.

I doubt anyone would complain about someone stepping out of line for a pee break. I also doubt that the person standing ahead of you or behind would object to holding your place in line.

My opinion about the US election is that there was a lot of funny stuff going on (all in the name of covid of course) but not to the extent that it would have changed the outcome. My main concern was that unless some of the republican concerns were addressed, they would be used as some form of precedent for future elections. And regrettably, i was right.

Just out of curiosity I checked the 'Canada Elections Act' to see if there was anything pertaining to soliciting at polling stations.... Electors not to be impeded 142 An election officer who is assigned to the polling station shall ensure that every elector is admitted into the polling station and that the electors are not disturbed when they are in or near the polling station.

Covid treats everyone differently whether vaccinated or un-vaccinated. If we were to open up again would there be enough therapeutics available for everyone that might require them? I can't seem to find much info on this.

i believe in limited democracies where the powers of an elected government are limited and the rights of minorities (and individuals) are constitutionally protected.

So who would get to decide on who had a voice and who didn't? If you were forced to choose between freedom and democracy, which would you choose? Define 'patriot'.

For 4 years democrats referred to trump as an illegitimate president. In fact, every election democrats lose they make a habit of challenging the legitimacy. So why is it only undemocratic when republicans do it? The democrats are in trouble and they know it. Average americans don't support their insane policies and a large segment of their base (especially the hispanics) have shifted their allegiance away from the democrat party and going republican. That's how democracy works.

Trying to balance freedom of religion with the idea of 'laicite' which implies a 'secular state' or 'neutral state' can be a tricky one. So is trying to balance freedom of religion with our idea of equality between the sexes. Trying to be respectful of all religions and beliefs especially when they conflict can be next to impossible at times. The Quebec government claims that one of the reasons for Bill 21 (not to mention incorporating it into the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms) was to avoid lawsuits. In my opinion i can see the law applying to such individuals as police officers and judges. In other words, those who are given the power of using coercion over others. I personally don't see where teachers fit into all this.

In 2017, the Quebec liberals pass Bill 62 which required government service workers (when dealing with the public) to have faces uncovered. It also required the public (when dealing with those same government workers) to uncover theirs as well. In 2019, the CAQ pass Bill 21 (basically an extension of Bill 62) to ban the wearing of religious symbols in most public sectors. While Bill 62 is disproportionately aimed at one religion, Bill 21 is aimed at all religions and although somewhat less discriminatory is far more reaching in scope. 2/3 of Quebec citizens support Bill 21 and would have to assume that number includes a large number of school teachers as well. I see nothing wrong with wearing a hijab (headscarf in particular, or as long as the face is showing) or the wearing of religious symbols if kept to a certain number and size. My opinion is that while Bill 62 makes a certain amount of sense, Bill 21 is a perfect example of government overreach.

If it's references you want they are from South Africa's medical advisor Waasila Jassat.

South African reports indicate that hospital admissions have risen for all age groups during this 4th wave but are disproportionately high for those under 5. They believe the omicron variant may be evolving to target young children. While it's true that South Africans are not as well vaccinated as Canadians, are all of our children vaccinated yet? Is this not enough evidence for a cause of concern?

We know the new variable is the most transmissible yet. Until we know more i find the implementation of the 'lowest level of restrictions' a prudent thing to do in such case. That's really all i can say at the moment.

I agree with the race/religion bit, but this has absolutely nothing to do with race or religion does it? I'd be surprised if the stores chose proof of vaccination over physical distancing. It's not like businesses to chase away customers.

Let's say grocery stores did require proof of vaccination (to enter stores) instead of physical distancing. There's other ways of getting groceries (and pharmacy) by pick-up and delivery where no customer has to actually enter the store. I don't agree with the anti vaccinators but i support their right to decide what goes into their bodies. The thing is that THEY have to accept they're not the only ones who have rights.

The last thing i want to see is a Trump/Biden rematch or Trump/Harris. In my estimation there's zero probability of that ever happening. Both parties could use some new blood.

Biden is a lame duck president. Trump should sit out in 2024 and do something he's really good at like campaigning for the republican nominee. And if there was a god, it would be Tulsi Gabbard sitting in the oval office instead of that complete disaster Biden. The truth is that someone like Gabbard (no matter how qualified) is unelectable in a 2 party system of government which has become so polarized. Personally, I don't agree with all her views but i admire her character.

It always takes the first major snowfall for people to realize they should check the weather reports and double their driving time in adverse conditions. Instead, they get stuck in traffic and realizing that they're going to be late for work do stupid things. It's as simple as that.