CDN/US Covid-related political discussion

[daftandbarmy]

Sometimes it's hard to show proof that your wife and in-laws are trying to ruin your life and business. Other times, not so much:

Singh's brother-in-law donated $13,000 to group organizing trucker convoy​

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh today condemned a convoy of truckers and others travelling to Ottawa to protest a federal rule requiring that all cross-border drivers be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Singh said some of the people behind the demonstration are pushing "false information" through "inflammatory, divisive and hateful comments."

GoFundMe records show Singh's brother-in-law, Jodhveer Singh Dhaliwal, donated $13,000 to the group behind the demonstration — dubbed the "freedom convoy" by participants.

In a statement sent to CBC News, Singh said he doesn't support a campaign that harbours "extremist and dangerous views" and "unequivocally" disapproves of his brother-in-law's decision to donate.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/singh-trucker-convoy-brother-in-law-1.6328689

 

[FSTO]

Sometimes it's hard to show proof that your wife and in-laws are trying to ruin your life and business. Other times, not so much:

Singh's brother-in-law donated $13,000 to group organizing trucker convoy​

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh today condemned a convoy of truckers and others travelling to Ottawa to protest a federal rule requiring that all cross-border drivers be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Singh said some of the people behind the demonstration are pushing "false information" through "inflammatory, divisive and hateful comments."

GoFundMe records show Singh's brother-in-law, Jodhveer Singh Dhaliwal, donated $13,000 to the group behind the demonstration — dubbed the "freedom convoy" by participants.

In a statement sent to CBC News, Singh said he doesn't support a campaign that harbours "extremist and dangerous views" and "unequivocally" disapproves of his brother-in-law's decision to donate.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/singh-trucker-convoy-brother-in-law-1.6328689

He should call Jimmy Carter and get some pointers on difficult relatives.....

Billy Carter - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Colin Parkinson]

antifa?

Oh antifa playing tag with a bunch of truckers, that sell a lot of popcorn

 

[mariomike]

Oh antifa playing tag with a bunch of truckers, that sell a lot of popcorn

I expect it will escalate. I don’t put much past the crazies that joined them.

If it does "escalate", will "the crazies" blame antifa?

captitol riot antifa - Google Search

 

[Remius]

I’m sure there will be the usual “false flag” claims.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

If it does "escalate", will "the crazies" blame antifa?

captitol riot antifa - Google Search

not sure if Antifa will blame itself

 

[Spencer100]

The CBC is going to have a bigger problem lying. The trucking industry is very much owned and operated in Ontario by "new" Canadians. As you can see by Jagmeet Singh's family. And the ones I talk to on a daily basis are every much inline with this movement.

Plus the PM is going into hiding. So we will see.

 

[mariomike]

MPP Randy in the news,

Public safety minister calls on Twitter to remove Islamophobic tweet from MPP Randy Hillier

OTTAWA - Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino is calling on Twitter to remove a tweet from an Ontario politician who labelled federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra a “terrorist.”

www.thestar.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1486057239911841798

 

[daftandbarmy]

The CBC is going to have a bigger problem lying. The trucking industry is very much owned and operated in Ontario by "new" Canadians. As you can see by Jagmeet Singh's family. And the ones I talk to on a daily basis are every much inline with this movement.

Plus the PM is going into hiding. So we will see.

Might want to be careful how you use that phrase.

I know a few BIPOC folks whose families have been Canadian far longer than my Honky/WASP blood line.

 

[dimsum]

Might want to be careful how you use that phrase.

I know a few BIPOC folks whose families have been Canadian far longer than my Honky/WASP blood line.

Uh...yeah. East Indians have been in the Canadian trucking industry for decades (at least). I grew up in the 80s/90s seeing them driving around.

Chinese folks have been in Canada (despite the govt's best efforts) since the mid-1800s.

 

[Spencer100]

Uh...yeah. East Indians have been in the Canadian trucking industry for decades (at least). I grew up in the 80s/90s seeing them driving around.

Chinese folks have been in Canada (despite the govt's best efforts) since the mid-1800s.

Sorry....the minefield that is the modern language world.

OK but the trucking industry in Ontario is dominated by people that in the past have come from the East Indian area. (even that doesn't sound right) urgh.....

But anyway one of the trucking companies I deal with is owned by a Sikh family and they are 100% supporting the convoy. I know of others too.

 

[OceanBonfire]

Holocaust survivor decries 'abuse' of yellow star at COVID protests

Centenarian Holocaust survivor Margot Friedlaender urged the young generation on Thursday to always remember the Nazi genocide and denounced the use by some anti-COVID vaccination protesters of the yellow star Jews were forced to wear.

www.reuters.com

Israel says some protesters against COVID measures are fuelling anti-Semitism

Protesters against COVID-19 measures who liken themselves to Jews under Nazi persecution are stoking global anti-Semitism, the Israeli government said in a report marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

www.reuters.com

Some trucker convoy organizers have history of white nationalism, racism - National | Globalnews.ca

'We're saying that this is a far-right convoy because — from day one — the organizers themselves are part of the far-right movement,' said Evan Balgord, Canadian Anti-Hate Network.

globalnews.ca

 

[OceanBonfire]

A survey carried out for the Association for Canadian Studies by Léger shows that among the double vaccinated one in four no longer believe in the effectiveness of the vaccine and about one in seven feel that two shots are ‘just enough.’

“It shows that some people are concerned with its effectiveness. It will be up to policy-makers to remind people about the effectiveness”, said Jack Jedwab, the President and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies.

Other key findings:

- The higher rate of reluctance in AB, MB, and SK and among the respondents in the 18-34 age groups.

- The unvaccinated are six times more worried (82.6 %) about vaccine side-effects than the possibility of contracting COVID-19. The concern over side effects does not drop among unvaccinated even if they contracted COVID-19.

- Close to 95 percent of those who received two doses + the booster shot believe that vaccines provide protection from COVID-19. On the contrary, 67% of unvaccinated believe that contracting the virus and recovering might work better.

The findings emerged from a survey conducted via web panel by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies between January 7 and 9, 2022 with 1547 Canadians 18 years of age or older and has a probabilistic margin of error of ±2.9% 19 times out of 20.

79 % of triple vaccinated favor vaccine mandate for bars, restaurants, gyms. Among double-vaccinated support at 48 %.

https://www.facebook.com/assocanadianstudies/posts/1643764516016068

https://twitter.com/x/status/1487094435955548167

https://acs-metropolis.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ACS220101BEN-Boosterism-in-Canada_ed.pdf

https://acs-metropolis.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ACS220101AEN-Alternate-Realities-Vaxxed-vs-Nonvaxxed_ed.pdf

 

[PuckChaser]

So are we supposed to follow the science or follow the polls?

 

[Remius]

So Quebec is dropping the health tax.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/vax-tax-nixed-1.6334828

I know Altair was waiting to give everyone his “I told you so” but I guess he has to hold off on that now.

This was never going to get traction elsewhere and likely his lawyers told him it wasn’t possible.

Glad some common sense prevailed.

 

[PuckChaser]

Good thing they sent that dogwhistle out so we know who all the ethically and morally bankrupt people are who vocally supported it. It was never going to be legal unless they used notwithstanding.

 

[lenaitch]

Good thing they sent that dogwhistle out so we know who all the ethically and morally bankrupt people are who vocally supported it. It was never going to be legal unless they used notwithstanding.

Which Quebec seems quite adept at using. I suspect that once the legalities, ethics and logistics were looked at, they quickly realized it would have been pretty much unworkable.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

So are we supposed to follow the science or follow the polls?

Many would argue they are the same thing.

 

[QV]

John Hopkins University: Meta-analysis of the effects of lockdowns on COVID-19 mortality

'While this meta-analysis concludes that lockdowns have had little to no public health effects, they have imposed enormous economic and social costs where they have been adopted. In consequence, lockdown policies are ill-founded and should be rejected as a pandemic policy instrument'

https://sites.krieger.jhu.edu/iae/files/2022/01/A-Literature-Review-and-Meta-Analysis-of-the-Effects-of-Lockdowns-on-COVID-19-Mortality.pdf

 

[Blackadder1916]

John Hopkins University: Meta-analysis of the effects of lockdowns on COVID-19 mortality

'While this meta-analysis concludes that lockdowns have had little to no public health effects, they have imposed enormous economic and social costs where they have been adopted. In consequence, lockdown policies are ill-founded and should be rejected as a pandemic policy instrument'

https://sites.krieger.jhu.edu/iae/files/2022/01/A-Literature-Review-and-Meta-Analysis-of-the-Effects-of-Lockdowns-on-COVID-19-Mortality.pdf

What immediately caught my notice was "mortality", so my next question (it's my particular pet peeve, what is the question that wasn't asked) was what about "morbidity". I did a word search (using "morbid") of the report and found that letter combination only three times; once in the title of a study about mortality and morbidity that was excluded from their analysis and twice when referencing the title of a publication (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) in which one of the included studies was published.

Not surprising, as Herby et al clearly state in the document.

Focus on mortality and lockdowns We only include studies that attempt to establish a relationship (or lack thereof) between lockdown policies and COVID-19 mortality or excess mortality. We exclude studies that use cases, hospitalizations, or other measures.

I haven't found any reviews yet (not surprising since it was only recently released) from any of the big brain types who can more competently analyze Herby's analysis. However, my expectation (as evidenced by the reports in media outlets that seem to lean to the anti-mandate confirmation bias) is that that it won't matter to those who'll already hold tight that this is scientific proof.

As counterpoint, I'll refer to this meta-analysis that looked at a wider range of outcomes.

Main outcomes included COVID-19 case growth rate (percentage daily changes), COVID-19 mortality growth rate (percentage daily changes), COVID-19 ICU admission (percentage daily changes), and reproduction number changes.

And obviously, somewhat different conclusions than in the report that you linked to.

Conclusion
The majority of NPHIs had positive effects on restraining the COVID-19 spread. We found significant decreases in COVID-19 case growth rate, death growth rate, and reproduction number during and in the later stage of the lockdown. However, it was challenging for countries to maintain this path after the lockdown was lifted. The early enforcement of lockdown, when the incidence rate is not high, can contribute to a shorter duration of lockdown and a lower increase of the case growth rate in the post-lockdown era.
. . .