The right to assemble, organize and peacefully demonstrate against government policy is of course a keystone upon which democracy is founded.
Yet there is something rather disconcerting about seeing people who barely two years ago called to have trains run over land defenders, suddenly decide that blocking critical infrastructure is totally justified.
You know, so long as it's for their cause.
Many of the same people who postured against peaceful, anti-racism demonstrators that in Canada largely took place in green spaces far away major highways, branding the demonstrations as disruptive, unwanted invasions of quiet towns, now suddenly have no qualms about holding communities hostage for days on end.
One might only imagine the unhinged, reactionary outrage from conservatives had reports of a soup kitchen's staff being harassed and forced to serve free food meant for the needy come to light during an anti-racism event.
Fortunately, the better side of human nature has shined bright, with donations flooding in following the disgraceful incident.
In Ottawa, some residents are apparently fed up and have started standing up to the trucker convoy.
It's also interesting how those who couldn't wait to automatically denounce and condemn as violent radicals all anti-racism demonstrators over the actions of a few, are so quick to now point out one shouldn't judge entire groups or movements based on the actions of a few troublemakers.
Although it's sadly understandable that so many people loathed the anti-racism demonstrations.
After all, the 24-7, fear-mongering propaganda peddled by the likes of Fox News and The Rebel in the fallout of the George Floyd protests focused exclusively on the instances of looting and rioting so that their viewers would never understand that the vast majority were completely peaceful.
Frankly, respecting those who are so proudly defiant in refusing to reciprocate a sliver of respect for anyone they disagree with, is a tall ask.
Respect isn't just automatically given because someone performatively pounds their chest demanding it.
Respect is earned.
And little I've seen so far in the course of the convoy's actions elicits any compelling reasons for me to shower them with adulation.
For starters, these protestors have yet to explain how adding even more to the harm caused by the mandates to Canadians and businesses, is supposed to help.
Many truckers they pretend to be fighting for -- some hauling Canadian beef -- are now stuck in bottleneck limbo, losing precious time and money, their desperate appeals for help falling on deaf ears.
Apparently, two wrongs now make a right.
These champions of liberty pretend to be worried about supply shortages, but are actively and remorselessly making them worse, along the way making life even harder for truckers who actually want to work.
Some participants apparently even developed buyer's remorse, but ended up stuck and unable to leave.
"We are working with truck drivers who are attempting to disengage from this event so that they are able to do so; however, current conditions have traffic immobilized," the Alberta RCMP posted.
But don't worry, the self-professed freedom fighters assure us they're totally doing this for us.
Without a shred of shame or irony, they even compare themselves with Canadian soldiers circa 1939 marching off to face the real possibility of death in war against a battle-hardened and ruthless enemy, while they crank up the heat and the tunes in their cozy cabs while tooting their horns and blurting expletives at Trudeau.
And along the way, judging by stores in Ottawa apparently selling out, they're smoking plenty of cigarettes -- unironically inhaling carcinogenic smoke one tumour stick after another, while supposedly being worried about the extremely rare side effects of the vaccines.
Let's not forget how the same folks who call for transparency over foreign-funded disinformation campaigns manipulating public opinion, don't find in the least bit suspicious that western separatist grifters and manufacturers of culture war reactionary outrage are behind the GoFundMe fundraiser.
Not to mention how the "play stupid games, win stupid prizes" and "why didn't he comply with police orders?" crowd seems quite selective in deciding when "Blue Lives Matter".
How quickly justifying defiance or even outright aggression against the police is quite all right, when it's for their cause.
One doesn't need a long memory to recall Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's UCP government wasted precious little time writing legislation in the fallout of the rail protests, essentially describing as unlawful any activities that hamper or threaten Alberta's economy.
Undoubtedly originally looking forward to with great enthusiasm unleashing the new law on either civil rights or perhaps even those pesky environmental activists, the premier now faces the rather awkward position of having little choice but to flex that legislative arm against a slice of his potential base, or reveal the true intention behind Bill 1, the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act, written specifically to protect essential infrastructure from damage or interference caused by blockades, protests or similar activities.
"The act builds on existing trespassing laws to create offences for trespassing on, destroying, damaging, and obstructing the use or operation of any essential infrastructure," the government's website says.
By its own definition, obstructing the use or operation of any essential infrastructure, which includes highways, is an finable offence with penalties starting at $10,000 and going up to $25,000 for individuals, or up to $200,000 for corporations that help or direct demonstrators.
So, the premier is now stuck between appeasing a significant portion of his potential base and his wealthy business interest pals and has, after previously expressing support for the convoy when the target was his favourite scapegoat Ottawa, decided to condemn the blockade in Alberta and called for it to end.
For their part, demonstrators have claimed they intend to stay put until all mandates are lifted.
Of course even if the mandates are lifted, the virus and the threat it poses to overwhelm the health-care system if allowed to run unchecked won't just suddenly disappear because we want it to.
And precisely how they intend to persuade the U.S. to lift its own mandates, is a mystery.
Regardless, considering how emboldened the protestors are, it remains to be seen whether they'll simply toss in the towel and drive home.
Seems unlikely, at this point.
But it's safe to assume that this whole situation is far from over.
