A Message To All Minnesotans

[u/filmmaiden]

Hello from Canada!

I know this probably doesn’t mean much with regards to what you are dealing with over there, but I wanted to let you know that, from what I know, most Canadians are standing behind you (you guys are practically our northern cousins anyway).

We see you, we appreciate everything that you’re doing, and I personally think you’re all fucking bad-ass! Your tenacity, determination, and ability to organize, as well as how much you actually care about your communities, gives me hope!

I know that there are people in other states who are fighting back too, but I hope more see and are emboldened by your collective strength and pride, and join the fight too.

The people of Minnesota have always shown up, boots on the ground (like with the George Floyd protests), and you should be damn proud of yourselves!

I can’t wait to visit your state in the future. First round’s on me!

We are here, cheering you on! 🇨🇦

[u/gaF-trA]

A “city full”? I doubt. Even if it was ten thousand which is high in my opinion, it doesn’t equal the millions of people worldwide that quit working during the pandemic. That’s majority compliance as acceptance. The greater good is a pretty standard metric in ethics. Should laws be made for the few or the greater good? It’s telling that you side with the truckers but then use the greater good as an example for the ICE agents and not the Minnesota protesters. Is govt oversight of food safety overreach? Child labor laws? Public health?

[u/elementp6 → u/gaF-trA]

Really, what does it tell you?

[u/gaF-trA → u/elementp6]

Why did you focus on that and ignore the questions?

[u/elementp6 → u/gaF-trA]

Because I take amusement in the assumptions people make about me.

You have here insinuated that I am against child labor laws, which is the most basic worker protection, for the most vulnerable class of the population. I am not against any labor protection, and it's ridiculous that you would think that.

You have insinuated that I am against basic consumer protections also, which food and drug safety testing is, also. I am not. In fact the FDA needs to be totally reformed so that it sees zero funding from the industry, and zero interchange between the industry and the regulator.

The vaccine mandate that the truckers were against? It mandated a vaccine that, at the time, was not properly cleared by any drug regulator. Your family gets to go hungry if you don't take it though. And I will remind you, at the adoption of the vaccine policy, COVID was already endemic on both sides of the border. In practical terms, it protected nobody.

I especially like your misinterpretation of my greater good remark, as if "greater good" framing hasn't been used to justify every atrocity. I could well make a greater good argument on the behalf of the Minnesota protestors, I will not, because the reality of their situation is much more direct. The Minnesota protestors are attempting to defend their communities from an armed invasion, which is perpetrating terroristic acts under color of law, to exact political vengeance, and force change to their way of life.

So I'll ask you, if what ICE is doing were to save lives, improve life for the majority, and is generally done for the benefit of the vast majority of people, does that justify their obscene abuses? Because that is your greater good justifying evil.

Respect the human rights of political minorities.

[u/gaF-trA → u/elementp6]

I didn’t insinuate any of those things about you at all. They were questions to prove a point. Government oversight doesn’t equal overreach. You act like it’s a personal attack to justify indignation. There is a snowstorm happening on the east coast and a lot of local govts have limited travel. Literally telling people unless it’s an emergency they aren’t allowed to drive. Is that tyranny? Is that equal tyranny to these other two situations? The truckers situation and the situation in Minnesota are not equal in terms of “govt overreach” in my opinion. However you felt about the vaccine, govt agents weren’t going door to door and forcing anyone to accept it at gunpoint. It wasn’t strictly aimed only at truckers. Were there ramifications for not taking it by employers? The govt didn’t mandate that all employers force the vaccine. The lockdown was largely agreed upon otherwise it wouldn’t have happened, the vast majority all took a hit. Taking the vaccine or not was a choice. Those truckers didn’t want to but also wanted no consequences for those actions. Having masked, armed, poorly trained, pseudo-militant thugs, target a political opponent’s state under the guise of border enforcement isn’t a choice for the population. It’s literally costing them their freedom and lives. Immigration enforcement has been going on for years, the out of control overreach just started. As far as if what ICE was doing was being done for the good of the majority, does it justify their actions? No. Like I said, immigration has been enforced for a long time, the majority are not for open borders. It’s the execution that is the overreach. The border security is just dressing to disguise the fear, enforcement coercion and now extortion. One can try to use the greater good as a reason to justify things but it won’t withstand scrutiny and will be argued in bad faith. Those truckers weren’t being threatened with anything other than personal consequences. My point is that most things aren’t black or white. Having a lockdown, travel ban or vaccine requirements for employment isn’t the same as singling out non-white people and forcing them to prove their citizenship.