2022 Freedumb Convoy(s) Thread

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

It doesn't help when these people are getting played at every level.

You have mainstream media telling people not to trust mainstream media (and, in turn, seeming trustworthy, "only WE are telling you the truth")

You have elected officials telling people not to trust the government (and, in turn, seeming trustworthy, "WE aren't real politicians, we're just like YOU")

Then you have a menagerie of underhanded people looking to capitalize on the easily duped for anything as simple as an ego boost to financial reasons and turning these people into actors to further their hate-driven goals for societal change.

Basically, much of the world conspires against these "simple" people, and very astutely, it is the ones specifically conspiring against them telling them this. The ones who want to use them will tell them they are being used.

I don't think it can be repeated enough that the organizer of this convoy/protest/occupation (whatever you want to call it) are far right. Among them (the organizers) are white nationalists, people who have spread hatred of muslims, LGBTQ people, and basically any minority you can imagine, people who have advocated for the violent overthrow of the government. These are the organizers, as in, the reason this exists in the first place and the reason it became what it was.

We can argue all day about how it's right or wrong to lump people mean or be mean on the internet (how quaint and meaningful a discussion!) but anyone who doesn't recognize what this movement is and who is driving it is just as simple as the people following it. It is not a secret at this point.

People can jump into this thread defending their friends who are "good people!" that donated to this all day. But if you're not explaining to your friends what they donated to and why it's dangerous, your words are pointless. "Oh no, people are saying mean things that could be attributed to my friends!" Congrats, who cares? Go talk your friends out of doing something stupid instead. After all, they're good people. They'll listen to you.

The more I learn about the organizers, the more it feels like this whole "convoy" was a hustle. This seems typical of a lot if far right provocateurs. There's big money in it.

[Doctorfever]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

It doesn't help when these people are getting played at every level.

You have mainstream media telling people not to trust mainstream media (and, in turn, seeming trustworthy, "only WE are telling you the truth")

You have elected officials telling people not to trust the government (and, in turn, seeming trustworthy, "WE aren't real politicians, we're just like YOU")

Then you have a menagerie of underhanded people looking to capitalize on the easily duped for anything as simple as an ego boost to financial reasons and turning these people into actors to further their hate-driven goals for societal change.

Basically, much of the world conspires against these "simple" people, and very astutely, it is the ones specifically conspiring against them telling them this. The ones who want to use them will tell them they are being used.

……….


"Oh no, people are saying mean things that could be attributed to my friends!" Congrats, who cares? Go talk your friends out of doing something stupid instead. After all, they're good people. They'll listen to you.

I tried talking to him. But he still voted for Trudeau!

[chubeyr1]

Originally Posted by Makarov

The more I learn about the organizers, the more it feels like this whole "convoy" was a hustle. This seems typical of a lot if far right provocateurs. There's big money in it.

Where is this big money coming from?

Please supply some links.

I would think this was a massive income loss for anyone in the area trucker or business owner, tax payer.

[Amethyst]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I like it. Not sure why the horn would ever need to turn off, though.

If something is constant, you get used to it. Something that occurs off and on, at unknown intervals is actually more traumatic.

[direwolf]

Looks like Washington DC might be getting their own version of the Karen convoy.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/0...tests-00010653

The Pentagon said Tuesday it is considering a request to deploy the National Guard to provide assistance ahead of trucker protests that could halt traffic around the nation’s capital as soon as this week.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the department received a request for Guard support from the U.S. Capitol Police and the D.C. government, but had not yet decided to approve the request.

“The Department is analyzing a request for assistance from the US Capitol Police and the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency,” Kirby said in a statement.

“Those agencies have asked for National Guard personnel to provide support at traffic control points in and around the District to help the USCP and DC government address potential challenges stemming from possible disruptions at key traffic arteries.”

The Capitol Police have also been preparing for a potential protest — especially with the State of the Union coming up on March 1. Department officials briefed aides on the House Administration and Senate Rules committees last Friday, and the Capitol Police closed some roads surrounding the Capitol as well.

[SutterBrother]

Ontario police contribute to the convoy on or after Feb 5th when the gov called it out as illegal.

Not behind paywall.

https://granthshala.com/ontario-poli...reedom-convoy/

The leaked GiveSendGo donors list included the names and postal codes of donors (postal codes had to be accurate for credit card payments to go through). Torstar reporters cross-referenced the list with publicly available records, including property records and Ontario’s most recent public salary disclosure, the 2020 Sunshine List.

The review identified two recently retired Ottawa officers, three officers from Toronto and 10 OPP officers, whose identities were corroborated with middle names, birth dates, and photos from social media.

Another 23 donors shared names and geographic locations with Ontario police officers from the three services, but reporters were unable to find any other data to either include them among the identified officers or cross them off the list.

Gosh what shocking news!

[SofaProfessor]

I think the convoy has shown us that whatever we are investing in public education needs to be tripled. I'm all for people protesting but they don't even know what they're protesting at this point. They just want to be mad and make a scene while the rest of keep society chugging along. I saw a group of people outside today with "Freedom" signs and signs that said "Communism" with a big red x through it.

I fail to understand what an economic system has to do with "freedom" in Canada. I know people are riled up and like to use communism as a catch all for "things I don't like" but this isn't the 1960's anymore. Communism lost. China is more capitalist than communist at this point. What are we scared of? Cuba?

Not that I want to give the dummies more ammunition but I think the word they're looking for is "authoritarianism." We can debate about if we currently live in an authoritarian society and I would argue we don't but at least it makes more sense than communism. Hard to take people seriously when they didn't even finish their grade 9 social studies textbook. We let these people blockade borders and residential roads for weeks? Big yikes.

[Wormius]

Vivian Krause has been having some bizarre takes lately. I am not sure I have a lot of sympathy for Lich, although she probably needs to get help.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1496355153909149700

[Krovikan]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Vivian Krause has been having some bizarre takes lately. I am not sure I have a lot of sympathy for Lich, although she probably needs to get help.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1496355153909149700

When you don't come to court prepared with a serious plan on how you will abide by the bail restrictions, the judge is going to deny your bail.

They should have spent less time reading the first amendment of the US Constitution and more time taking her court hearing seriously...

[Makarov]

Originally Posted by chubeyr1

Where is this big money coming from?

Please supply some links.

I would think this was a massive income loss for anyone in the area trucker or business owner, tax payer.

Sorry, I thought my post was clear that I was specifically referring to the organizers. I certainly agree that for everyone else involved or affected, the "convoy" had massive negative financial consequences.

With respect to organizers, there are numerous reports that organizers raised (ostensibly) over 20 million dollars. Now, the vast majority of those funds were never actually transferred to the organizers, and we don't know yet (and may never know) how the funds that were transferred were actually spent, but therein lies a lot of the problem (and us the source of a lot of my cynicism and speculation).

Anyway, I acknowledge this is just speculation/suspicion at this stage. Hopefully, the ongoing criminal investigation and eventual trials reveal more.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

People can jump into this thread defending their friends who are "good people!" that donated to this all day. But if you're not explaining to your friends what they donated to and why it's dangerous, your words are pointless. "Oh no, people are saying mean things that could be attributed to my friends!" Congrats, who cares? Go talk your friends out of doing something stupid instead. After all, they're good people. They'll listen to you.

Not sure if that was sarcastic, but I have a few friends who are convoy supporters, including one who is genuinely among the nicest people I know, and that's not a condemnation of the rest of my social circle. But the way I see it, low probability of persuasion, high cost in time, and risk of damage to the relationship make the expected value of the attempt negative. In a way, it's easier to engage with people who don't know me.

If you're sincere, how do you suggest going about this? How do you persuade someone whose views are quasi-religious?

[FormerPresJamesTaylor]

Pat King is 44 years old. That's a rough rough rough 44.

[calculoso]

Crypto group protests court order to freeze trucker convoy accounts — says it ‘cannot’ freeze money or prevent it from being moved

https://www.thestar.com/business/202...ing-moved.html

A cryptocurrency group whose software was used to funnel bitcoin to the “freedom convoy” in Ottawa says it cannot fulfil an Ontario judge’s order to freeze accounts associated with the protest, testing the legal system’s ability to curtail the flow of digital currency.

On Friday, after Ontario Superior Court Justice Calum MacLeod granted an injunction to a private citizens’ effort to stop funding for the protest — including more than $1 million in bitcoin — crypto exchange Nunchuck.io said that it “cannot” freeze its users money or prevent it from being moved because it does not have access to their digital wallets.

“We cannot ‘freeze’ our users’ assets. We cannot ‘prevent’ them from being moved. We do not have knowledge of ‘the existence, nature, value and location’ of our users’ assets. This is by design,” the group wrote in a tweet, showing a screenshot of an emailed response they claim to have sent to the court.

(Snip) - they also added a bit of snark into their response

In an email to the court on Friday, following the injunction, Nunchuck wrote: “Please look up how self custody and private keys work. When the Canadian dollar becomes worthless, we will be here to serve you, too.”

[Fuzz]

They are an exchange, so if they know the wallet, they certainly could prevent it from accessing the exchange. Are there ways around that? Sure. But you might not want to taunt a judge.

[Fuzz]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1496333607937400834


Chris Barber already breaking bail conditions?

[Krovikan]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

They are an exchange, so if they know the wallet, they certainly could prevent it from accessing the exchange. Are there ways around that? Sure. But you might not want to taunt a judge.

If they allow the downloading of the Private key which from the sounds of it they do, then they can not "freeze" the funds in traditional ways. However, if they have access to the wallets, they could (a) disable downloading of the private key to those accounts (b) for any account that has downloaded the key, they could easily transfer the funds to an escrow account to freeze the funds.

edit: They claim they don't hold any keys, but I'm not sure how they allow their users to download them but don't hold them.

[Krovikan]

Originally Posted by calculoso

Crypto group protests court order to freeze trucker convoy accounts — says it ‘cannot’ freeze money or prevent it from being moved

https://www.thestar.com/business/202...ing-moved.html



(Snip) - they also added a bit of snark into their response

These guys need a legal team... and that legal team should tell them to cut the snark. I'm not sure where they are located, but they don't seem to argue the court's jurisdiction, so I assume Canada.

Even if they are 100% correct and they don't hold keys and do things 100% above all Canadian and Internal Software export control laws and financial regulations. This judge could make this companies life very very miserable.

Honestly, I highly down they are above board though, looking at their communication this morning I suspect this is a company of one or a small group. Based on their response, as mentioned, I don't think they have legal representation or even a qualified CISO, that would have stopped this.

BTW, they aren't an exchange, they are a multi-sig wallet provider, that allows you to avoid loss of your wallet, without a centralized store I'm not sure how they would do this. They may be 100% telling the truth; however, I have a day job and don't have the time to audit their code.

If anyone is curious here is their repository: https://github.com/nunchuk-io/

Edit, they may not have the key, looking at this image, they don't quite prevent loss of your wallet, they just keep multiple copies of your private key around, and basically copy it from your backup if you lose it.

[Krovikan]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

https://twitter.com/user/status/1496333607937400834


Chris Barber already breaking bail conditions?

Look similar; however, the brown jacket he was arrested in (that looks almost the exact same) had a patch on the left breast, whereas this one did not. The facial structure also looks different to me.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by SebC

Not sure if that was sarcastic, but I have a few friends who are convoy supporters, including one who is genuinely among the nicest people I know, and that's not a condemnation of the rest of my social circle. But the way I see it, low probability of persuasion, high cost in time, and risk of damage to the relationship make the expected value of the attempt negative. In a way, it's easier to engage with people who don't know me.

If you're sincere, how do you suggest going about this? How do you persuade someone whose views are quasi-religious?

It wasn’t sarcastic, but I’m no therapist or relationship expert.

All I know is this: being a nice person isn’t the same as being a good person. There are people who act like #######s who are genuinely great people, and then fairly horrible people who hide behind a façade of “being nice.” Not saying that’s your friend, that’s just the way it is.

Only you know how best to approach your friends and whether it’s even worth it or not. I don’t have any friendships where there’s a difference of opinion so serious or felt so strongly that broaching it could damage the relationship, so I don’t really know.

My main point with the quote you pulled was that if you’re not trying to defend your friends from making poor choices that could actually affect them in a meaningful way and instead you’re going around on the internet defending your friend from being talked about negatively by strangers, you’re being a coward and you’re not actually being a friend. None of my friends could care less about people vaguely talking about a group they might fit into on a message board they aren’t aware of.

Defending them, in that case, would just be a see-through attempt at defending myself. But if I let them get caught in some white nationalist grift, I’m not just selfish, I’m actually the ####### for sitting here saying “but they’re good people!” while actually doing nothing meaningful about it.

I guess my thought is that if you know they’re convoy supporters, that conversation has been broached, so there’s your opportunity to level with them and start with finding the actual why behind it. I think people sometimes go into things trying to change a mind, which is extremely difficult. Don’t try to change their mind, try to change an action. They don’t need to suddenly be “for” restrictions, they need to stop donating to a far right grift.

[indes]

My fiancee and I have put pauses on a couple of relationships at this point due to the convoy and the divisiveness that's been brought to the forefront.

My policy is to leave political issues like this at home but we have a few friends who are so embroiled in this whole freedom thing they are incapable of talking about anything else.

I understand these are big issues and people want to discuss them but if people try to change the discussion just move on! Nothing like spending an afternoon hearing about how the government is out to get us and then an evening about how the neo Nazis are taking over!

We've definitely reached American levels of identity politics in our country and I'm already seeing friend groups breakdown between left vs right, vaxx vs antivaxx etc. It's a sad state of affairs, I wish I had the answer to de-escalating our current political divides but who even knows where to begin.