Sure. But let's also acknowledge something crucial here: the government ended up resorting to illegal tactics for convoy removal because of a systemic failure by various levels of government to coordinate and apply regular laws (cf. Rouleau commission report). A less sympathetic/more cynical reading of the situation is one that can very well argue that the complete set of failures was because the police and the province were in fact politically sympathetic to the maple MAGAs who were imagining a Jan 6 type far right insurrection. The maple MAGAs of the convoy were very much skirting the edges of the Paradox of Tolerance, and thus acting decisively to end their convoy before the converged/crystallized to an insurrection was appropriate, from the point of view of the Paradox of Tolerance.
The fact that this kind of precedent is used as a hammer to also hit legitimate nonviolent and disobedient movements (e.g., indigenous blockades, university encampments), is hardly surprising, but also not causally attributable to it. These movements have always faced asymmetric policing! In other words: even without the illegal precedent, the trampling of student movements would still be happening, because the police and governments are hostile politically to the students in ways they were not to the maple MAGAs. To flip the argument around: the Rouleau commission found that the existing legal frameworks were adequate, i.e., they still are...
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The real threat facing Hungary is not Russia but the European Union, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a speech to supporters on Saturday, as his nationalist party ramps up an anti-EU campaign ahead of national elections.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s High Court ruled Friday that the government’s decision to outlaw the protest group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization was unlawful, but it kept the ban in place pending an appeal.
I am concerned about the safety of Palestinian Canadians and other Muslim and Arab Canadians if these 1500 battle hardened Zionists are allowed to return to Canada without any kind of interview or follow up to ensure they are not war criminals.
We have an urgent responsibility. Our existing economic system is incapable of addressing the social and ecological crises we face in the 21st century. When we look around we see an extraordinary paradox. On the one hand, we have access to remarkable new technologies and a collective capacity to produce more food, more stuff ...
As of now, President Volodymyr Zelensky does not plan to announce presidential elections or a referendum on a possible peace deal with Russia on Feb. 24, a source in the President's Office familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent on Feb. 11. ...
Fun fact: the original meaning of a dictatorship was precisely the case where the Romans extraordinarily appointed someone to have full authority to resolve a specific problem, such as when a serious threat the the state was present.
The Ukrainian constitution says no elections while war. Zelensky does not hold any dictatorial authority beyond the one given to him by the Ukrainian people and laws when he was elected.
If you are going to be mad at someone for straining Ukrainian democracy, be mad at the country invading it, and thus triggering the suspension of elections.
Given that the Roman Republic lasted for something like 480 years (509 – 27 BC) ? Pretty damn well thank you very much, that's a longer lifespan that any of our current republics (minus San Marino I guess).
While in a state of martial law. A constitution re-written as recently as 2015, the year following Ukrainian Oligarch Petro Poroshenko’s ascension to power.
You’re witnessing the end stages of the collapse of democracy in the country under a set of rules authorized barely a decade ago.
Why is martial law currently in effect buddy? Can you think of anything that would guarantee the immediate revocation of martial law? Anything? Any ideas?
Half a millennia of near endless military conquests and civil wars. What’s not to love?
You changed the subject.
Because your liberal reformists consolidated enormous powers in the executive branch. Again. You keep giving governments the ability to end elections and entrench themselves indefinitely. That’s exactly what it will do, every time.
What a ridiculous thing to write in the context of this discussion. Martial law was not enacted via self-coup. The Ukrainian executive did not wake up one nice morning, realize it had some kewl powers and thought let's enact martial law so that we can entrench ourselves. It was enacted when a foreign power invaded. It will be revoked the moment Russian soldiers return the fuck back to Russia.
I came here to say that only an idiot would ask an AI to explain a fire alarm, but then I actually read the post and holy shit. It was an AI agent responding on slack. So yea, this is serious.
If your reaction to this is outrage, you're politically juvenile. It's early 2026, this is exactly the time to be doing this kind of politics. If you already now signal to the Democratic Party establishment your capitulation, why should your concerns even be taken into account. Piker is putting the gun on the table at exactly the right time. Grow up.
What a bizarre response. Nowhere did I claim that he's an organizer. Public political speech by a prominent political broadcast commentator (yea that's what "viral streaming influencer" used to be called in the 1900s) is ...not nothing. Saying he isn't doing anything is like saying that political speech doesn't do anything.
Edit: you added the champagne socialist bit. Do I look like I care about this guy personally? He's an influential political commentator that made a good point. In this thread it drew reactions from the "blu no matter whu" crowd and I called that out. That's it.
You're judging his internal state of mind and disposition. I don't give a flipping fuck about it right now. Even if he is just a champagne socialist virtue signaling, the objectively observable thing is "popular influencer is putting a political blackmail of the dem establishment in the discourse agenda". Even under your set of assumptions his champaign socialist virtue signaling is not without real political impact.
I mean fuck, an even shallower piece of nothing is sitting in the white house and his vapid brainfarts are for sure creating political impacts.
Hate the guy all you like. I'm not a fan either. But that's not what I was talking about. I was talking about the political point he made. You turned it into a debate about his character, and with the weird "explains much" shit, into a debate about my character. You could have said "that guy's a douche" and I'd have responded with "yup but the douche is making a good point". Instead you chose toxicity and vitriol. Maybe chill a bit.
See that's the problem. You've poisoned the space between us, I have no patience to engage with you further and have this discussion on the actual merits of the fucking political point which I would have liked to have in the first place. Do better by our community next time.
The European Parliament has given the green light to the first list of “safe countries of origin” whose citizens will no longer be able to seek asylum in the EU. ...
European xenophobia is just fucking pathetic. Pathetic. On the one hand we make a big stink about the rules based order and liberal values. And in the other we make a mockery of all of that to appease the worst among us. Pathetic.
This is how "divide and conquer" works in Europe right now, in practice. If the Greeks stick with Europe, they risk their security by leaving Erdogan as the only interlocutor of Trump in the East Mediterannean.
Turkey is expected to be represented in Washington and is considered a US partner in efforts to reshape balances in the Middle East and the wider region.
If Greece aligns with the rest of Europe, they are leaving Turkey a wide open lane to "reshape balances in the Middle East and the wider region" however they like. And as Carney said "if you're not at the table, you're on the menu".
This bat was rescued off a barbed wire fence, then gave birth in the car on the way to the rescue!
Mom and baby were doing fine.
How dark web agent spotted bedroom wall clue to rescue girl from abuse ( www.bbc.co.uk )
Marco Rubio calls for revival of Western colonialism ( youtube.com )
And the Europeans clapped because Rubio is supposed to be the moderate of the MAGA posse.
From arch-Europe to anti-Europe ( www.eurozine.com )
Send Canadian oil to Cuba | CCPA ( www.policyalternatives.ca )
“Giving Palestinians Fewer Rights than Eichmann Received” ( jewishcurrents.org )
Memoirs of a Palestinian Communist ( jewishcurrents.org )
Group Sending Canadian Right-Wing Media Personalities on Free Trips to Israel Quietly Funded by the Israeli Government ( pressprogress.ca )
Trampling student movements: a growing trend at Canadian universities ( briarpatchmagazine.com )
Why I am scared to travel to the U.S. right now ( rabble.ca )
[Vidéo] « ICE tue, Québec paie » ( pivot.quebec )
What's yours?
Rubio calls for U.S. and Europe to "revitalize an old friendship" in speech to allies ( www.cbsnews.com )
Orbán says the EU and not Russia is Hungary’s real threat ahead of April vote ( apnews.com )
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The real threat facing Hungary is not Russia but the European Union, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a speech to supporters on Saturday, as his nationalist party ramps up an anti-EU campaign ahead of national elections.
In Cuba, people go without food and power as U.S. chokes oil supply and tourists flee ( www.cbc.ca )
Britain’s High Court says government acted illegally in outlawing protest group Palestine Action ( apnews.com )
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s High Court ruled Friday that the government’s decision to outlaw the protest group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization was unlawful, but it kept the ban in place pending an appeal.
Declassified data obtained through an FOI and published by Declassified UK reveals that as of March 2025, there were about 1,524 Canadians with Israeli citizenship actively serving in the IDF ( www.declassifieduk.org )
We can move beyond the capitalist model and save the climate – here are the first three steps.
We have an urgent responsibility. Our existing economic system is incapable of addressing the social and ecological crises we face in the 21st century. When we look around we see an extraordinary paradox. On the one hand, we have access to remarkable new technologies and a collective capacity to produce more food, more stuff ...
Does anyone know?
Zelensky won't announce elections on war anniversary amid talks of US-driven timeline ( kyivindependent.com )
As of now, President Volodymyr Zelensky does not plan to announce presidential elections or a referendum on a possible peace deal with Russia on Feb. 24, a source in the President's Office familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent on Feb. 11. ...
🔥AI wrongly tells user a fire alarm is just a drill ( mastodon.online )
[Video] Hasan Piker says he will vote 3rd party if the Democrats run an establishment candidate in 2028 ( files.catbox.moe )
MEPs approve list of “safe countries” excluded from asylum ( www.dutchnews.nl )
The European Parliament has given the green light to the first list of “safe countries of origin” whose citizens will no longer be able to seek asylum in the EU. ...
6 dead, shooter dead, 25 injured in Tumbler Ridge B.C. school shooting ( globalnews.ca )
When officers entered the school on Tuesday afternoon, they found six victims deceased, RCMP confirmed. ...
Athens weighs US Board of Peace invite | eKathimerini.com ( www.ekathimerini.com )
This is how "divide and conquer" works in Europe right now, in practice. If the Greeks stick with Europe, they risk their security by leaving Erdogan as the only interlocutor of Trump in the East Mediterannean.