Freedom rally report, starting fresh in a new town

It felt great to be back with freedom-fighters today! I met a group of likeminded awake patriots pushing back against Trudeau and the globalists, who are using Covid, climate change agenda, digital ID, and other destructive policies to undermine the sovereignty of Canadians. Here's how my first day went.

My wife and I moved our 2 young children to a small town in Northwestern BC (up near the Alaskan panhandle) at the start of November. She managed to get out to one rally before the snow and ice got too bad, and we've been getting email invitations since then, but today was my first opportunity to join the local group.

We were previously in the Okanagan (South-central BC) where there is a much larger population, and much more active freedom community. We had been there 3 years, and really got involved about a year into the Covid lockdowns, which were very destructive to our little family. I documented my experiences right here on this blockchain, over 2 years of weekly rallies and other protests and actions. @MediKatie and I have been doing activism (fighting for Liberty, against the Trudeau puppet government, and against Big Pharma) since at least 2011, so it was only natural that we get involved in the anti-lockdown anti-mandate protests. It was hard to leave all that behind to start over in a small town up North, but we had no choice, as there was literally nowhere to live in the Okanagan. To keep a roof over our heads, we packed up and took our babies on a 2 day drive.

The winter has been cold, as well as snowy, and at times mild and rainy. We also haven't until just the other day had a stable living situation. Now that we're settling into our house, and the bad weather let up, I was excited to make it to a local rally! We saw a Freedom Convoy tribute roll through our neighborhood a few weekends ago, which brought a smile to my face after a long lonely winter without a glimpse of another lover of freedom.

Today's rally

I walked to the rally, held on the "main drag" (not a very happening place in such a small town). The weather was cloudy, a few degrees above freezing, windy, with occasional cold rain. I had a folded Canadian flag in my jacket pocket.

As I approached, I was pleased to see a reasonable number of people gathered at the roadside, each with a sign or a flag, and some signs up on the grass. A couple people were handing out information pamphlets. When I reached the rally, they were friendly, although they didn't yet know I was there to join them. A small group smiled and asked me to stop and talk, so I did.

The man, about 60, asked "so what brings you here today?"

I said "I was hoping I could join you, if that's alright." And pulled the flag from my pocket.

The small group I was standing with was excited to have a new member, and introduced themselves to me. They invited me to stand wherever I liked, so I took a spot and started waving my flag.

The public were receptive. It was about the same ratio I was used to from my previous time spent at freedom rallies - 50% honk or wave, 10% scowl or give the finger, and 40% don't react. We got several enthusiastic cheers and horns from several vehicles throughout the afternoon, which served to brighten up the protesters who cheered and waved their signs/flags happily.

I fell into conversations with those standing near me.

Conversation 1

A man about 55, holding 2 flags, friendly and intelligent. He came across as a sort of unofficial leader, as others seemed to value his opinion. He stated that he believes government (especially Trudeau's Liberals) does everything incorrectly, and if he were elected, he would repeal EVERYTHING they had done since taking office in 2015. I agreed. I long fought against Trudeau's 2018 cannabis legalization, which was nothing more than a corporate monopoly takeover of the market. When I said that, he said "cannabis should be regulated like any other flower", and we talked about how it is one of the least dangerous medically-active substances known to man. Get government out of the business of policing people's lives, he said. I look forward to talking with him more at future rallies.

Conversation 2

A woman about 50, holding a pro-freedom sign, well-informed. She welcomed me, gave me some general info about the group, and shared her main concerns. She's upset about the public school system's "SOGI" (sexual orientation and gender identify) programs, pushing kids to be gay and/or trans. She also is unhappy about incest porn appearing in school libraries. She is anti-Trudeau and was a Freedom Convoy supporter. She was interested to hear my stories from the Okanagan, and that I had helped launch the convoy a year ago. She's unhappy about yesterday's ruling that found Trudeau was justified in using martial law to violently end the Freedom Convoy protest. After all, it was a Trudeau loyalist in charge of the inquiry! She told me it's a good group here, and that they look forward to seeing MediKatie and I back for more.

Conversation 3

A man about 70, holding a flag and sign, very passionate. He told me what Canada was like in the 1960s when he was a kid. He recounted a story where 4 of his buddies decided to get in a car and head down to the USA. They were 17 at the time, and all had a week off, so they went on an adventure. There was no passport required at the border - in fact, no ID was needed at all! They just drove through and waved at the border guards. "We ended up at a music concert called Woodstock," he said with a wistful look in his eyes. He told me about seeing his favourite band, Credence Clearwater Revival, playing live, as well as musicians like Janis Joplin. "Hippies everywhere, they smiled and gave you the peace sign." He told me Canada has become an unfriendly place, cold and uncaring, compared to when he was younger. He said he has hope for the future, and won't give up trying to bring things back to peace, freedom, and strong community. He's into fishing for salmon, and seemed to be almost inviting me to join him in the spring. He's also a gardener, and grows as much of his own food as possible. "I hate buying stuff in a can for $4 that tastes like crap, when I can grow it for much cheaper and it's full of nutrition." I hear him on that.

There were about 20 people at the busiest point, which apparently is about as good as it gets around here. I'm used to 50+ people at least, and we had 800 or so at the height of Freedom Convoy this time last year. But I was happy to be around "my people" at all, no matter how many. Even 2 or 3 would have made it worth my while.

I grabbed a short clip of the people and signs:

After a couple hours, my hands were freezing, and the rally was finishing up. I walked home, feeling very glad I attended. I hope I made a decent first impression. I'd be really happy if my family can attend on a regular basis, and start to make connections in the local community. It's those connections that will not only provide friendship and resources, but potentially be what the globalists with their technocratic takeover plans cannot get past. It feels a bit late in the game to be "starting over" in a new place, but I've got a backpack full of experiences and skills from my past activism adventures, so I'm hitting the ground running. I'm happy there's a freedom community up here at all, and it does appear to be good one despite its small size, so there's reason to be hopeful.

DRutter