Rebel News Podcast - Alberta moves from the most free province to the least free

00:00:00.000 Hello, my friends. I'm from Alberta, which I always thought was the freest province.

00:00:03.700 And, you know, Alberta's own motto is Fortis et liber, strong and free in Latin.

00:00:09.660 I don't know if that's so true anymore. The premier there is talking about bringing in a curfew.

00:00:14.360 Only the second jurisdiction in North America after Quebec to do so. That's shocking to me.

00:00:18.300 I'll take you through it. Before I get to that podcast, let me invite you to become a premium

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00:00:54.700 Just go to rebelnews.com and click subscribe. Thanks.

00:00:58.500 Tonight, Alberta moves from being the freest province towards being the least free. I didn't

00:01:19.020 see that coming. It's April 30th, and this is the Ezra Levant Show.

00:01:22.540 Why should others go to jail when you're a biggest carbon consumer I know?

00:01:28.260 There's 8,500 customers here, and you won't give them an answer.

00:01:32.340 The only thing I have to say to the government, the wire publisher, is because it's my bloody

00:01:37.220 right to do so.

00:01:43.040 You know what a curfew is, right? Of course we do. It's what parents typically give their

00:01:47.180 teenage children. Be home by 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. or whatever. Because they're children, they

00:01:54.340 can't make all decisions for themselves, at least on certain things. And a teenager can

00:01:59.060 get up to special trouble at, say, midnight that they might not be able to get into at midday.

00:02:05.540 But the thing is, they're children. There's some of the times for curfews, too. In a time

00:02:09.840 of genuine public safety emergency, like widespread rioting that are ongoing. You know, reading

00:02:17.820 the Riot Act itself is a form of a curfew, really. But again, that's for criminals, not

00:02:22.600 for law-abiding people. I guess a quarantine is a kind of curfew, but again, that's for

00:02:27.520 sick people. That's where the word comes from. Quaranta giorni, 40 days. That's how long ships

00:02:33.700 had to wait before entering the port at places like Venice in the Middle Ages to make sure any

00:02:39.340 sickness in the ship would have burned itself out. But a curfew for adults who've committed no

00:02:46.000 crimes and who are not sick, it's not a curfew anymore. That's a police state. That's treating

00:02:51.040 law-abiding, healthy adults like criminal sick children. Except that even some criminals get 0.62

00:02:56.880 out for parole. I want to show you what the curfew is like in Quebec, the only province in Canada

00:03:02.920 that I know of that enforces a curfew, the only place in North America, in fact. Let me show you

00:03:09.040 about five or ten minutes. I'm going to play a lot of this. I found this riveting. Take a look.

00:03:13.920 Shabbat just finished here in Montreal. And this is what's going on here in this city. A bunch of

00:03:20.420 cops are showing up. This is what's been happening for weeks and months. But tonight, it's next level.

00:03:26.920 Check this out. Check this out. This is an outrage. And the whole weekend, it was like this.

00:03:32.700 This is what's going on. This is Montreal. This is Canada. This is a police state. Check this out.

00:03:39.840 Oh, because a few Jews wanted to pray. You're following people? This is what's going on? 0.63

00:03:44.680 So they're following people home. This is what they're doing. This is a police state in Canada.

00:03:49.580 Look, look. They're going to try entering someone's house without permission.

00:03:52.600 What do you want from our kids? Four police officers. Five police officers. For what?

00:03:57.120 A Jew walking in the street. No, you love shining the lights here. Back with the lights. 1.00

00:04:01.860 We're going to give you a check. This is normal. This is normal. The lights lie.

00:04:10.280 Careful. I'm more careful.

00:04:12.660 Watch your step. Watch your step.

00:04:13.840 I'm always watching. You're over for me.

00:04:15.560 Oh, shit. 1.00

00:04:16.360 Oh, shit. 1.00

00:04:17.240 Oh, shit. 1.00

00:04:17.800 Oh, shit. 1.00

00:04:18.360 Oh, shit. 1.00

00:04:19.300 Oh, shit. 1.00

00:04:20.300 Oh, shit. 1.00

00:04:21.300 Oh, shit. 1.00

00:04:21.800 Oh, shit. 1.00

00:04:22.300 So you're not accepting exemption notes? Tell me this. 0.99

00:04:45.020 Sorry, I'll talk to you.

00:04:45.780 Why not?

00:04:47.360 Okay.

00:04:48.740 So you're not accepting exemption notes from people and giving them tickets?

00:04:52.140 Is that what you're doing?

00:04:53.340 Yeah, I'm asking you again to repeat it.

00:04:55.540 I don't want to...

00:04:56.240 Just respect the two meters.

00:04:57.240 Okay.

00:04:57.740 Okay.

00:04:58.240 All right.

00:04:58.740 So they have exemption notes?

00:05:00.740 Respect the two meters. 0.95

00:05:01.740 You respect it.

00:05:02.740 You respect human beings.

00:05:05.540 Okay.

00:05:05.940 You respect human beings.

00:05:07.540 Okay.

00:05:09.040 Okay.

00:05:09.440 That's my problem.

00:05:10.040 Not yours.

00:05:11.040 Why don't you respect human beings?

00:05:13.040 Listen to me.

00:05:14.840 Don't ask me any questions, okay?

00:05:16.240 I'm allowed to ask.

00:05:17.240 Because actually...

00:05:18.240 I'm allowed to ask.

00:05:19.240 That's okay, you're pressed.

00:05:19.940 I'm allowed to ask you.

00:05:20.940 That's okay, you're pressed.

00:05:21.940 But now, now if you have some questions, you're entraving my questions.

00:05:25.540 I'm not.

00:05:26.540 So let me do my job, okay?

00:05:28.040 No!

00:05:28.540 He's media!

00:05:29.040 He's driving in the car.

00:05:31.040 No.

00:05:32.040 You're not speaking to them.

00:05:33.040 They are.

00:05:34.040 Let me do my job.

00:05:35.040 What is your job?

00:05:36.040 Tell me what your job is.

00:05:37.040 Give me a paper that will allow you to be outside right now.

00:05:40.040 Sure.

00:05:41.040 And I'm going to ask you a piece of ID too.

00:05:42.040 Sure.

00:05:43.040 Because actually, you are entraving my...

00:05:45.040 I am not.

00:05:46.040 He was speaking today.

00:05:47.040 I'm trying to do my job.

00:05:48.040 What is your job?

00:05:49.040 I asked you what your job is.

00:05:50.040 That's not true.

00:05:51.040 That's not true.

00:05:52.040 That's not true.

00:05:53.040 I saw other people going through it.

00:05:54.040 If you are really pressed, you can ask for our...

00:05:56.040 We are a service.

00:05:57.040 That asked for...

00:05:58.040 No, I asked you.

00:05:59.040 I asked you.

00:06:00.040 You weren't busy with him.

00:06:01.040 I have it on video.

00:06:02.040 You have no question.

00:06:03.040 I did.

00:06:04.040 I asked what are you doing here.

00:06:05.040 You exactly know what we are doing.

00:06:06.040 Here.

00:06:07.040 Yeah, take it.

00:06:08.040 Do you have a piece of ID too?

00:06:09.040 Yeah, take it.

00:06:10.040 I'm going to give you an ID.

00:06:11.040 Whatever you want.

00:06:14.040 You don't like answering questions.

00:06:16.040 That's not a crime for me to ask.

00:06:17.040 You know the question.

00:06:18.040 You know the answer.

00:06:19.040 You know everything.

00:06:20.040 No, I'm asking you for an answer.

00:06:22.040 If you don't want to answer, that's fine.

00:06:24.040 Three, three, four months.

00:06:25.040 You're embarrassed by the answer.

00:06:27.040 That's why you want to give me a ticket.

00:06:29.040 Because you're embarrassed by it.

00:06:31.040 What is there then?

00:06:34.040 What is the paper that...

00:06:35.040 That's for my lawyers.

00:06:36.040 If you're going to harass me, I'll sue you.

00:06:38.040 That's what it says.

00:06:40.040 And that's the curfew letter.

00:06:41.040 So if you want to harass me, no problem.

00:06:43.040 Go ahead.

00:06:44.040 I'll sue you.

00:06:45.040 Each and every one of you.

00:06:46.040 Okay, sir.

00:06:48.040 What is your name?

00:06:50.040 You will be able to sue me.

00:06:51.040 What's your name and badge number?

00:06:53.040 You will have this on the paper.

00:06:54.040 So why don't you give it to me?

00:06:56.040 Go back on the sidewalk.

00:06:58.040 On the sidewalk.

00:06:59.040 On the sidewalk.

00:07:00.040 On the sidewalk.

00:07:01.040 On the sidewalk.

00:07:02.040 On the sidewalk.

00:07:03.040 On the sidewalk.

00:07:05.040 On the sidewalk.

00:07:07.040 On the sidewalk.

00:07:08.040 A building.

00:07:09.040 It's the shame on you! 0.93

00:07:10.040 You want to go back and feel again?

00:07:11.040 Go! 0.95

00:07:12.040 So what's going on tonight?

00:07:13.040 You don't want to speak to me?

00:07:14.040 We're doing the job.

00:07:15.040 After that, get us a ticket.

00:07:17.040 It's impossible for you too.

00:07:18.040 Have the kids home.

00:07:19.040 Thank you!

00:07:20.040 You're going home.

00:07:21.040 I'm running home.

00:07:22.040 Thank you so much.

00:07:23.040 Go back on the sidewalk.

00:07:24.040 What?

00:07:25.040 You're going to give me-

00:07:26.040 You have no more rights.

00:07:27.040 Why are you on the street?

00:07:30.040 You could think there's a shooting or something going on, but no, it's just people walking on the street.

00:07:35.040 That's all that's going on here.

00:07:37.040 This is my shell. There's two over there.

00:07:40.040 Three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.

00:07:44.040 I don't know which one exactly is a cop.

00:07:46.040 There's like 20, 30 cops in this neighborhood.

00:07:48.040 You think there's a shooting or something going on.

00:07:51.040 But no, it's just a few Jews walking on the street or people walking on the street. 0.69

00:07:56.040 That's a big crime in Canada these days.

00:07:59.040 This is what's going on. Look, look.

00:08:01.040 Well, they moved. There were a bunch of other ones over there.

00:08:03.040 Oh, there's still one on the cover. There's one right over there.

00:08:06.040 Check them out.

00:08:07.040 They're very proud of the job they're doing, but they won't speak with me.

00:08:10.040 They're giving me a ticket for asking questions.

00:08:13.040 I have it on video. I was asking him questions.

00:08:15.040 So he's like, well, you're going to get a ticket because you asked me some questions.

00:08:19.040 This is the state of Canada. This is Quebec. This is Montreal.

00:08:23.040 This is live tonight. This is Saturday night.

00:08:26.040 This is being recorded 930 at night.

00:08:29.040 Look, people are getting tickets here for their sin, their crime.

00:08:34.040 They're walking on the street. That's their crime. 0.82

00:08:36.040 This is what's going on. This is a police state.

00:08:39.040 Yeah, that's a curfew in real life. Lots of cops chasing non-criminals around.

00:08:44.040 And with all those cops, you'd think there'd be the rule of law.

00:08:47.040 But that video sort of proves the opposite, doesn't it?

00:08:50.040 It's whatever the individual cop's temperament is at any given moment.

00:08:55.040 And in this case, they sure don't like the religious use of Montreal, do they?

00:09:00.040 I wonder how the curfew would be applied to different communities.

00:09:03.040 Let's say in Alberta, an Indian reserve.

00:09:07.040 Or a poor neighborhood where nobody has big backyards to play in.

00:09:11.040 Everyone's cooped up in a tiny apartment, so you have to go out to play.

00:09:16.040 You're going to run around in the halls of the condo.

00:09:19.040 Versus a rich community where everyone has a nice big backyard.

00:09:22.040 People even have pools or a tennis court.

00:09:25.040 So I wonder how the curfew would play out in different places.

00:09:29.040 Of course, there's no science here.

00:09:31.040 Does the virus get you at 8.01 p.m. but not at 7.59 p.m.?

00:09:37.040 Of course not.

00:09:38.040 This is conditioning. This is obedience training.

00:09:41.040 You're being taught to fetch when they say fetch and sit when they say sit.

00:09:46.040 Now, that was Quebec, that video we showed.

00:09:48.040 They had the FLQ crisis.

00:09:50.040 They had the War Measures Act, but actually that was over in a couple of months.

00:09:53.040 And there really was a terrorist group blowing things up, killing people, kidnapping people.

00:09:59.040 What's the excuse now?

00:10:02.040 Well, that's Quebec.

00:10:03.040 Maybe they're more used to the authoritarian strongman type ruler.

00:10:06.040 Bit of that Napoleon thing.

00:10:09.040 They've had their authoritarians in Quebec like Du Plessis.

00:10:13.040 But what's Alberta's excuse? Here, watch this. 1.00

00:10:15.040 I'm announcing today that starting tomorrow,

00:10:18.040 we'll be putting in new targeted COVID-19 measures in place to help protect the health system and to drive cases down.

00:10:25.040 I know that many people don't want to see additional measures.

00:10:29.040 And I know that we're all tired of this pandemic and are desperate to just move on.

00:10:34.040 Where needed, we will implement a curfew where case rates are significantly high, specifically if cases are a thousand or more per 100,000 population, and in cases where the municipal government requests it.

00:10:50.040 These restrictions are so that are in target areas where cases are highest.

00:10:56.040 If your community is not seeing high levels of spread, you won't see change.

00:11:01.040 And I know that it's been a long road.

00:11:04.040 I know many people will not want to take another step in this direction of more stringency.

00:11:09.040 But we must.

00:11:10.040 AHS and law enforcement will continue taking enforcement and issuing fines for non-compliance.

00:11:16.040 And to ensure Albertans take these fines seriously, we are adding additional backstops with stronger fine collection and actions with restrictions at registry services.

00:11:29.040 So that means if you are given a fine and you're not taking it seriously, you don't pay it, you will not be able to, for example, renew your driver's license and there will be other implications with respect to registry services.

00:11:42.040 These fines won't affect the majority of folks who are following the rules and are doing their part to keep our community safe.

00:11:49.040 But rather, this is for the people who are taking the pandemic seriously and continue to put others at risk by not following the public health orders in place.

00:11:58.040 A lot in there.

00:11:59.040 I dispute completely the assertion that nobody wants this.

00:12:02.040 That's patently false.

00:12:04.040 Not everyone is tired by this.

00:12:07.040 That's just wrong.

00:12:08.040 There are a lot of people, too many people, who are absolutely having the time of their lives.

00:12:12.040 The public health deep state is running the show.

00:12:15.040 Anonymous bureaucrats you never heard of or voted for a year and a half ago are now unrestrained tyrants on TV every night.

00:12:23.040 Parliaments are shut down or slowed down.

00:12:25.040 Courts shut down or slowed down.

00:12:27.040 But these little dictators, these public health officers, they say and do what they like.

00:12:31.040 And it's like commands sent down from Mount Olympus.

00:12:34.040 They love the celebrity, too.

00:12:35.040 I mean, I found this incredible.

00:12:37.040 But BC's public health officer, Bonnie Henry, she actually took a few hundred hours off from this emergency to write a self-serving book to cash in on her celebrity status. 1.00

00:12:47.040 Imagine that.

00:12:48.040 That is so, so gross. 0.93

00:12:50.040 The lockdownists love it. 0.96

00:12:52.040 The vaccine companies love it.

00:12:54.040 They're making billions.

00:12:56.040 The big tech giants love it.

00:12:58.040 Each new variant of this disease is a new opportunity for a new product line, a third jab, maybe a fourth.

00:13:06.040 That's not speculation.

00:13:07.040 We showed you the other day.

00:13:09.040 That's part of Pfizer's investor pitch these days.

00:13:13.040 But is it really so bad in Alberta that it does demand a curfew?

00:13:18.040 I don't know.

00:13:19.040 You be the judge.

00:13:20.040 Here's a graph taken from Alberta Health's own statistics page.

00:13:24.040 The death rate, the number of deaths per day, it was high in January, February, but it's plunged to, what, a quarter of that level?

00:13:34.040 I think just one person died yesterday.

00:13:36.040 I know it's sad when anyone dies, but people do die.

00:13:39.040 But why would there be curfews now when things actually are so much lower, so much better than just a few months ago?

00:13:47.040 The hospitalization rate, there are 151 people in intensive care units around Alberta from the virus.

00:13:53.040 That's not good.

00:13:54.040 But Alberta has 106 hospitals with thousands of beds.

00:14:00.040 106 hospitals, 151 people in intensive care.

00:14:05.040 So not quite each patient having a hospital to themselves, but pretty close for ICU patients.

00:14:12.040 The thing about curfews, I no longer have the good fortune of having my own grandparents around, 1.00

00:14:16.040 but in their golden years, the thing about grandparents, at least when they're in their 80s and 90s especially,

00:14:21.040 is that they go to bed a little earlier than young people do, and they actually don't go out quite as much.

00:14:28.040 You don't see a lot of people in their 80s and 90s just tearing up the clubs at 1am on a Saturday night.

00:14:35.040 And that's how all the victims of this disease are.

00:14:40.040 No one in Alberta under 20 has died. No one.

00:14:44.040 In fact, in the past 14 months, out of a population of 4.5 million people,

00:14:49.040 a grand total of 129 people under the age of 60 have died cumulatively in Alberta from the virus in over a year.

00:15:00.040 129 people.

00:15:03.040 Whereas 1,294 people over 80 have.

00:15:07.040 In fact, the average age of death is 81.

00:15:10.040 And this is even more important.

00:15:12.040 Of those who have died, 97% had a serious pre-existing health condition, like cancer, heart disease, stroke, dementia.

00:15:19.040 In fact, 76% of people who died from the virus had three or more.

00:15:24.040 So back to this curfew business.

00:15:27.040 If the average person who is passing away from this virus is 81,

00:15:31.040 and the average victim had not one, not two, but three or more very serious underlying health conditions,

00:15:39.040 are any of these people really out and about after 8pm just on the streets in the city?

00:15:46.040 Are they? Really?

00:15:48.040 You might see people in their 80s out and about at night.

00:15:53.040 But if they also had dementia and diabetes and cancer or stroke,

00:15:57.040 I'm sorry, I just don't think that's who's out at night.

00:16:00.040 Grabbing a midnight snack at the 24-hour diner, I don't know, going to a late movie.

00:16:05.040 I just don't think that's who's out at night.

00:16:08.040 So why a curfew?

00:16:10.040 Why punish the young and the healthy?

00:16:13.040 That's who's out at night.

00:16:14.040 And punish is the word.

00:16:16.040 Did you hear that part about the registries?

00:16:18.040 That's like license registries where you get a driver's license.

00:16:21.040 Again, lots of people in their 90s don't actually even drive anymore.

00:16:25.040 But people in their teens, 20s, and 30s sure do.

00:16:28.040 They need to, to go to work, to go to school.

00:16:31.040 The healthy need driver's license.

00:16:34.040 They will be punished now.

00:16:36.040 And the worst part of all of this is that Jason Kenney is giving that power

00:16:40.040 to the abusive, virtue-signaling mayors around Alberta.

00:16:44.040 The leftists, Nahid Nenshi and Don Iversons of the world. 0.98

00:16:48.040 They're, they're awful.

00:16:50.040 The government of Alberta put out this website,

00:16:54.040 announcing their new brutal plans.

00:16:57.040 And let me quote some excerpts.

00:16:59.040 This is from the Premier.

00:17:01.040 We have no choice but to implement these targeted measures.

00:17:04.040 Yeah, no, you, you do actually.

00:17:07.040 No other place in North America has a curfew other than Quebec.

00:17:10.040 It's bizarre to say you have no choice.

00:17:12.040 You are still the chooser, right?

00:17:14.040 You still are the decider, right?

00:17:17.040 Or is it someone else?

00:17:19.040 And so the health minister has to say,

00:17:22.040 no one person or community is to blame.

00:17:26.040 But the evidence is showing that certain areas are experiencing significantly higher spread.

00:17:32.040 Well, actually, a curfew punishes the young, especially the poor.

00:17:35.040 It does single people out.

00:17:37.040 For a disease that targets people in their 80s, 90s and 100s,

00:17:40.040 why the bizarre focus on people who just aren't involved.

00:17:45.040 And this is from the unelected health tyrant herself. 0.81

00:17:48.040 But if we can muster the strength to make it through these next few weeks.

00:17:54.040 Really, you're still saying that line, eh?

00:17:57.040 Just a couple weeks.

00:17:59.040 Just two weeks till we flatten the curve.

00:18:01.040 Just a few weeks on this second wave now.

00:18:04.040 Just a few weeks on these new variants.

00:18:06.040 Just a few weeks on this curfew.

00:18:09.040 Just a few weeks.

00:18:11.040 It's just a few years now.

00:18:14.040 Does anyone believe them anymore?

00:18:16.040 Do they believe themselves?

00:18:17.040 Look at this.

00:18:19.040 While schools remain a safe place

00:18:22.040 and are not a main driver of community spread,

00:18:25.040 in order to limit in-person interactions,

00:18:27.040 all junior and senior high school students, grade 7 and above,

00:18:30.040 shift to online learning.

00:18:31.040 Okay, you just said they're not where the disease is.

00:18:34.040 You just admitted there's no science behind it,

00:18:37.040 but you'll do it anyways.

00:18:38.040 What?

00:18:39.040 All indoor fitness activities are prohibited.

00:18:43.040 Okay, good.

00:18:44.040 Good.

00:18:45.040 Just stay home and watch Netflix and order in fast food

00:18:48.040 and don't get exercise and don't stay healthy.

00:18:50.040 I say, are there a lot of 90-year-olds going to gyms and yoga studios

00:18:54.040 and playing team sports in Alberta?

00:18:56.040 Or is this just being especially punitive?

00:19:00.040 Now, I'm not being hostile to people in their 80s and 90s.

00:19:02.040 I'm saying, if you care about them,

00:19:05.040 why are you punishing young people?

00:19:07.040 Why are you talking about curfews on young people?

00:19:08.040 How on earth does that help anyone,

00:19:10.040 including people in their 80s and 90s?

00:19:12.040 This is such a disgrace.

00:19:14.040 You know, I don't know if I mentioned it on the show yet,

00:19:16.040 but our Fight the Fines project now has 1,058 clients.

00:19:21.040 1,058.

00:19:23.040 We're helping literally more than 1,000 people across Canada

00:19:27.040 who have received lockdown tickets.

00:19:29.040 We've already won 26 cases just by lawyering up.

00:19:33.040 When the prosecutors see that there's a lawyer involved,

00:19:36.040 they drop the case because they know they'd lose.

00:19:38.040 If this curfew proceeds in Alberta

00:19:41.040 in what claims to be the freest promise,

00:19:43.040 the promise of my own birth,

00:19:44.040 I will do my best to crowdfund sufficient funds

00:19:48.040 to represent every single person

00:19:51.040 who was charged with breaking the curfew.

00:19:53.040 Literally every person.

00:19:58.040 I don't care if that's 10,000 people.

00:20:00.040 That will be my mission in life.

00:20:03.040 Stay with us for more.

00:20:05.040 I stand here tonight one day shy of the 100th day of my administration.

00:20:23.040 A hundred days since I took the oath of office

00:20:26.040 and lifted my hand off our family Bible

00:20:29.040 and inherited a nation we all did that was in crisis.

00:20:34.040 The worst pandemic in a century.

00:20:36.040 The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

00:20:39.040 The worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War.

00:20:44.040 Now, after just 100 days, I can report to the nation.

00:20:50.040 America is on the move again.

00:20:57.040 Turning peril into possibility, crisis to opportunity,

00:21:11.040 setbacks into strength.

00:21:13.040 We all know life can knock us down.

00:21:17.040 But in America, we never, ever, ever stay down.

00:21:22.040 Americans always get up. 0.99

00:21:24.040 Today, that's what we're doing.

00:21:26.040 There you have it, Joe Biden.

00:21:29.040 I can't help but notice the masks.

00:21:31.040 You know, they've all been vaccinated there.

00:21:34.040 It's just a performance.

00:21:35.040 That's the political flag they're flying, a flag of lockdownism.

00:21:40.040 Most of what he said there was just banal cliches.

00:21:44.040 Although there was one shocking thing.

00:21:46.040 He said that the January 6th attack on Capitol Hill,

00:21:50.040 by which he meant some MAGA enthusiasts, a bit of a mob,

00:21:54.040 breaking some windows and doors and muddling their way in.

00:21:58.040 I don't know if I would call that a riot.

00:22:00.040 I would call that a mob for sure.

00:22:02.040 I would call it lawless.

00:22:04.040 But the only person who was killed that day was a protester,

00:22:07.040 Ashley Babbitt.

00:22:08.040 There was one police officer who died,

00:22:11.040 but the D.C. coroner's office ruled it of natural causes.

00:22:14.040 I'm not downplaying the importance of that day.

00:22:18.040 Certainly for the media, it was the Reichstag fire.

00:22:21.040 But to call it the worst attack on the United States

00:22:24.040 since the Civil War, does nobody remember 9-11?

00:22:29.040 Or for that matter, Pearl Harbor.

00:22:32.040 Very strange, but we are in historically illiterate times

00:22:35.040 and it's very important for Joe Biden to maintain that mob

00:22:39.040 breaking into the Capitol Hill as the worst crisis in a century and a half

00:22:43.040 if he seeks to persecute, demonize, illegalize, criminalize his political opponents.

00:22:50.040 Joining us now via Skype to talk about this is our friend Benjamin Weingarten,

00:22:53.040 senior columnist at The Federalist.

00:22:55.040 He also writes for Newsweek and the Epoch Times.

00:22:58.040 And you might remember, Ben, he stayed up so late with us on election night itself.

00:23:02.040 Ben, great to see you again.

00:23:04.040 Thanks for having me.

00:23:05.040 I really appreciate it.

00:23:06.040 And your introduction was perfectly put.

00:23:09.040 What's nice you to say?

00:23:10.040 I mean, listen, I am not comfortable with people smashing their way into any parliament or congress.

00:23:17.040 But to call that the worst attack since the Civil War is wrong by any objective measure.

00:23:24.040 But the point was, it's the excuse.

00:23:28.040 It's the predicate for a lot of civil liberties squashing that he aims to do, isn't it?

00:23:34.040 Absolutely. 0.88

00:23:35.040 It was cynical, shameful, historically illiterate.

00:23:38.040 I mean, there have even been bombings of the Capitol in the past.

00:23:42.040 We don't even need to go down the rabbit hole of debunking it on a historical basis,

00:23:47.040 even though his favorite historian, Michael Beschloss, was out there saying that it was an inspired speech

00:23:53.040 and that he's absolutely right about the purported Capitol riots.

00:23:58.040 Look, all you need to do to understand that this is about narrative setting and essentially an information operation

00:24:05.040 and setting aside the merits of the fact that what occurred at the Capitol was shameless, inexcusable,

00:24:11.040 and cast a pall over and really distracted from the critical issue, which was election integrity.

00:24:16.040 And I think that's one of the reasons why Democrats have been able to skate and sort of completely shunt that aside

00:24:23.040 as they push to federalize the insanity of the election integrity eroding measures that they're trying to put forth in perpetuity.

00:24:31.040 If you look at the testimony of Merrick Garland, the attorney general, his deputies, various other senior officials in the Justice Department,

00:24:40.040 and even the day after that Biden speech, a DOJ official and an FBI official, I believe, as well,

00:24:47.040 who gave delivered testimony to the House Appropriations Committee regarding domestic violent extremism.

00:24:53.040 The preamble to pretty much every piece of testimony is that the Capitol riots is sort of the number one area

00:25:00.040 that the Justice Department is going to be focused on prosecuting as many people as possible associated with it.

00:25:05.040 And then the pursuit of the broader war on domestic violent extremism or domestic terrorism, however the administration defines it,

00:25:15.040 and whatever groups of people that encompasses.

00:25:18.040 So you know that it's about using this singular event to create a narrative of the fact that the country is suffering from a scourge of,

00:25:26.040 of course, as they would term it, right-wing extremism, domestic violent extremism,

00:25:31.040 and thus that they will use that to justify potentially turning the very rules that should have been used to go after jihadists around the world back on American citizens.

00:25:40.040 And just this week we've seen the ways in which our national security and intelligence apparatus has been abused or has been weaponized

00:25:49.040 in pursuit potentially of political adversaries when there was an opinion put down by the FISA court by the judge who presides over it,

00:25:57.040 basically saying that FBI officials accessed FISA databases to use that foreign intelligence in pursuit of domestic investigations,

00:26:07.040 including on public officials and concerning bribery and related sorts of issues.

00:26:13.040 So what does that mean? It means that there could have been far more than just the pursuit of the Trump administration

00:26:19.040 in the way of national security and intelligence officials abusing their powers to go after dissenters against their policies.

00:26:26.040 Yeah, you know, I don't have a lot of time for Senator Elizabeth Warren, but even she, a leading Democrat, 1.00

00:26:33.040 says she's uncomfortable with the prosecutorial excesses against basically unarmed crowds who came into the Capitol building once it was breached.

00:26:47.040 And again, I don't condone that. If I were there, I would not have entered into the building that was clearly broken into.

00:26:55.040 But to hold people without bail for for being part of that crowd with no violent acts committed, no weapons.

00:27:04.040 I mean, don't take it from me. I'm not an expert in these matters.

00:27:07.040 But when a hardline liberal like Senator Warren says, boy, this is off kilter, maybe maybe it's time to pay notice if she's worried about it.

00:27:17.040 Yeah. And look, there have been other leftist civil libertarians also who have said that this clearly looks like a political persecution, not justice.

00:27:27.040 And of course, the elephant in the room here is the juxtaposition of how law enforcement was used or not used to pursue cases against people last year participating in the 1619 riots who did far more substantial damage and caused substantially more bloodshed nationwide.

00:27:45.040 And the again, the juxtaposition of the extent to which law enforcement has pursued these cases, it's just staggering.

00:27:53.040 It's not even close in the comparison. And, you know, FBI Director Wray has been members of the House have tried to pin him down and sort of showing the double standard here.

00:28:03.040 And of course, you know, law enforcement won't admit to it. They say that, you know, we set aside First Amendment considerations or rather we set aside, you know, political biases and the like when we try to pursue justice.

00:28:16.040 But it's very clear that there are two standards. And really, we've seen double standards in so many instances over the last four years.

00:28:22.040 So it just strains credulity to think that it's going to come out any differently, at least my opinion, that it's going to come out any differently when the administration pursues what it's going to term right wing extremists or domestic violent extremists.

00:28:35.040 And by the way, of course, the administration has brought in to many of these senior roles, the very people who helped foist Russia, Russia gate and spy gate on us in the first place.

00:28:44.040 And shamefully and sadly, many Republicans have voted to confirm these officials.

00:28:49.040 Yeah. Well, I mean, after 9-11, there was a Patriot Act that focused on external enemies and abridged civil liberties to do so.

00:28:58.040 I think we're seeing the domestic version of the Patriot Act to extirpate the enemy within.

00:29:03.040 But the enemy is not necessarily a violent one. It's simply a political one.

00:29:07.040 I think that's a very grave problem. And I think it will slosh over into Canada, too.

00:29:12.040 But let's put that aside and talk about some other issues, because, of course, 100 days of a presidency are not just his vindictive political, you know, hygiene.

00:29:24.040 But, you know, foreign affairs, economic affairs, regulatory affairs, oil and gas, taxes, debt, pandemic lockdowns, the Middle East peace deals, trade relations, China.

00:29:39.040 I mean, there's 100 things that Trump had a very strong flavor on.

00:29:46.040 Can you give us a summary in your view? I mean, maybe it's too early to tell 100 days in.

00:29:52.040 But what are the things that are really worrying you about?

00:29:55.040 And is there anything that you would admit that you're surprised by how well it's going?

00:30:00.040 Is there anything that Biden has exceeded expectations and what are the things that do cause you worry?

00:30:07.040 I'm going to have to think about anything where he's beaten expectations.

00:30:11.040 But I'll just say that around 13 months ago, I published a piece at The Federalist where I said, don't be fooled.

00:30:19.040 The Democrat Party is Bernie Sanders's party, even if it has super superficially more moderate frontmen like Joe Biden as its leading contender at the time.

00:30:30.040 And I also wrote that book, American Ingrid, that you've been so gracious enough to feature here before, where essentially I said, look, the Democratic Party is being overtaken by its progressives.

00:30:40.040 And again, it doesn't matter if it's Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer who sit atop the party in terms of power.

00:30:46.040 They're all caving to the progressive ideology.

00:30:49.040 And I think day one of the Biden presidency really set the tone, which in part abolished the 1776 commission that the Trump administration had put in place, which was a celebration of American history and putting forth the true and accurate representation of America in education and beyond.

00:31:10.040 And the Biden administration not only did that, but also essentially imposed wokeism across every element of the executive branch of government through an executive order affirmatively advancing equity as opposed to equality.

00:31:27.040 And that executive order adopted the language of the woke so-called anti-racist and basically devoted the administration to pursuing progressive racialist, just essentially cultural Marxism throughout the institutions.

00:31:43.040 And that set the tone, I believe, for what the administration is pursuing in a whole variety of areas.

00:31:49.040 So leaving aside the pervasiveness of wokeism, which I think you see have policy implications in a number of areas.

00:31:56.040 Look, we see an orgy of taxation, spending, no rule of law except pursuing a rule by law essentially against political opponents.

00:32:08.040 Open borders, of course.

00:32:10.040 Weakness, as we've covered at length with respect to the Chinese Communist Party and beyond, which, of course, he called a competitor in that speech, not an adversary or an enemy.

00:32:18.040 They were an enemy, which is precisely what they are.

00:32:20.040 And if you don't understand, if you can't accurately describe your adversaries, then clearly you're not going to be able to come up with the policies necessary to effectively counter them.

00:32:30.040 With the Middle East, it's been a complete reversion to essentially the Obama era policies.

00:32:35.040 Maybe you could say that the pullout of Afghanistan or the planned pullout is something where maybe he's exceeding expectations.

00:32:41.040 But you see that there's a huge push back against that, just as President Trump faced as well from the establishment wings of both parties as well.

00:32:50.040 So we'll see if he ends up holding his ground in terms of the Afghanistan pullout.

00:32:54.040 But I think you're seeing across the board, essentially, it's the Obama administration 3.0, except it's far more radical because the Overton window of acceptability of progressive ideas has shifted to such a radical extent that what would have been considered radical five years ago is now or even three or two years ago is now mainstream today.

00:33:14.040 So, you know, I think some people would say that they were they'd be surprised at just how left the Biden administration has been.

00:33:22.040 But my sort of overarching thesis the entire time has been that he's essentially an empty vessel and he will sort of go on to wherever the power in his party is and the power in his party is with the progressives.

00:33:35.040 You know, I want to play a short montage of a coughing fits.

00:33:41.040 I mean, Hillary Clinton, as you know, had health issues. 1.00

00:33:44.040 In fact, she collapsed a few times.

00:33:45.040 It was a real issue in in her campaign.

00:33:49.040 Joe Biden is 78.

00:33:52.040 He has mental lapses, what some people call seniors moments sometimes.

00:34:00.040 And even just I know this is not particularly determinative of anything.

00:34:06.040 But I tell you, if this were Donald Trump with this coughing fit, it would be front page news.

00:34:11.040 Take a look at this quick.

00:34:13.040 We call it a super cut.

00:34:14.040 It's basically all the coughs in a short speech.

00:34:17.040 They look.

00:34:19.040 I'm not.

00:34:20.040 And we.

00:34:21.040 And we.

00:34:22.040 And.

00:34:23.040 And.

00:34:24.040 And.

00:34:25.040 And.

00:34:26.040 And.

00:34:27.040 And.

00:34:28.040 And most.

00:34:29.040 And.

00:34:30.040 And.

00:34:31.040 And.

00:34:32.040 And.

00:34:33.040 And.

00:34:34.040 And.

00:34:35.040 And.

00:34:36.040 And.

00:34:37.040 And.

00:34:38.040 And.

00:34:39.040 And they.

00:34:40.040 And we're working.

00:34:41.040 Thank you.

00:34:42.040 Thank you.

00:34:43.040 Thank you, Georgia.

00:34:44.040 You.

00:34:45.040 New York.

00:34:46.040 New York.

00:34:47.040 That wasn't just.

00:34:48.040 I've got a dry throat.

00:34:49.040 Give me a glass of water.

00:34:50.040 That sounded bronchial.

00:34:52.040 And.

00:34:53.040 You know.

00:34:54.040 I'm sure he'll be fine.

00:34:56.040 Um.

00:34:57.040 But.

00:34:58.040 I think.

00:34:59.040 That even if he's not fine.

00:35:01.040 They will try and keep him in office as long as possible.

00:35:05.040 Simply to have him called the president.

00:35:08.040 Kamala Harris will do the meeting of the foreign guests like I understand.

00:35:12.040 Before I think the.

00:35:13.040 Prime Minister of Japan I think came and they sent Kamala Harris instead of Joe Biden.

00:35:17.040 That's a snub by the way.

00:35:19.040 But.

00:35:20.040 I think.

00:35:21.040 They.

00:35:22.040 The fact that Biden is so clearly wobbly.

00:35:24.040 Probably doesn't disqualify him in the minds of Democrats because they say perfect.

00:35:28.040 Keep that friendly grandpa figure out there.

00:35:31.040 Yep.

00:35:32.040 That no one in the media will attack because he's so obviously frail.

00:35:36.040 He doesn't really even say anything.

00:35:38.040 He has these little aphorisms like no malarkey or you know I'm not joshing you.

00:35:43.040 Yeah.

00:35:44.040 So keep him out there saying short bursts of meaningless nothing and a smile.

00:35:48.040 Have Kamala Harris do sort of ceremonial things and then have some real power behind the throne. 1.00

00:35:54.040 Um.

00:35:55.040 Who.

00:35:56.040 You know.

00:35:57.040 Who knows who it is.

00:35:58.040 But I don't think I think they actually want Joe Biden to stay in as long as possible as a diversion as a misdirection.

00:36:07.040 Yeah.

00:36:08.040 It provides a you know putative veneer of moderation.

00:36:12.040 I mean I mean really I think that Joe Biden is the face of the the swamp in Washington DC having spent nearly 50 years there.

00:36:21.040 And the fact that he shifted so radically on so many positions is just the perfect representation of the fact that he's just gone where the political winds are.

00:36:29.040 And look he's landed in the White House as a consequence of it.

00:36:32.040 But it is kind of ironic in some ways that the Democrat Party which if you go back to the Obama years you know the aesthetics of it and the propaganda from the left is so good.

00:36:42.040 It's so compelling.

00:36:43.040 And yet here you have this guy who they can't make look good and compelling.

00:36:47.040 So instead it's sort of it was the hermetically sealed candidacy and now it's the hermetically sealed presidency and it looks weak and frail.

00:36:55.040 And then you have this speech after his first hundred days with you know people separated each by five seats and everyone's wearing masks in this insanity when they're all vaccinated in the first place.

00:37:07.040 And they tell everyone that they have to get the vaccine and yet they're afraid to take their masks off when they're all together.

00:37:12.040 There's something that is scary about it.

00:37:16.040 There's something that in a dark way is sort of laughable about it.

00:37:19.040 But I do agree with you that he's a front man.

00:37:22.040 He doesn't yeah he said I think something like you know she doesn't have a Democratic bone in his body.

00:37:29.040 I think that Joe Biden doesn't really have an ideological bone in his body at this point.

00:37:33.040 I think he is just going wherever the power behind him tells him.

00:37:37.040 And what we're seeing is not really a Biden agenda.

00:37:42.040 It's sort of like a generic woke deep state agenda at this point is the best I could characterize it.

00:37:48.040 Yeah I think that's right.

00:37:50.040 I see Samantha Power got a nomination.

00:37:53.040 I think it really is an extension of the Obama years.

00:37:57.040 Benjamin Weingarten great to see you again.

00:37:59.040 Depressing as always but nice to see you.

00:38:01.040 I appreciate it.

00:38:02.040 Hopefully we brought some levity to it.

00:38:04.040 Yeah no I'm just joking.

00:38:05.040 I mean you're just giving us cold hard facts.

00:38:08.040 Great to see you again.

00:38:09.040 And by the way as Ben mentioned his book is called American In Great.

00:38:13.040 It's the authoritative biography of Ilhan Omar.

00:38:17.040 But in so many ways it shows where the Democratic Party is going.

00:38:21.040 You can get it at the link below.

00:38:23.040 Stay with us more ahead.

00:38:24.040 On my show last night Nitro writes.

00:38:38.040 The media and governments say variants from India, South Africa, Brazil and UK are okay to say.

00:38:43.040 But saying anything about China is verboten.

00:38:45.040 Isn't that selective racism?

00:38:47.040 Hmm.

00:38:48.040 It's a good point.

00:38:49.040 And I see that Joe Biden is banning flights from India.

00:38:51.040 But he said banning flights from China was racist.

00:38:55.040 LP writes.

00:38:56.040 I think there are others who feel the same as Derek Sloan and Randy Hillier.

00:38:59.040 But they don't have the courage to speak out.

00:39:01.040 Derek has it right.

00:39:02.040 It's cowardice.

00:39:03.040 Absolutely.

00:39:04.040 But the thing is it's afraid of what?

00:39:05.040 It's not afraid of any pain or shame.

00:39:08.040 It's afraid of them not being able to run on the party ticket.

00:39:12.040 So it's really not so much cowardice as it is, I don't know, self-interest.

00:39:19.040 Putting their own interests ahead of those of their constituents.

00:39:22.040 It's cowardice.

00:39:23.040 Yeah, but they're afraid of what?

00:39:27.040 Afraid of not being able to run as a conservative.

00:39:30.040 So it's not really cowardice.

00:39:32.040 It's more selfishness.

00:39:35.040 Joy writes.

00:39:36.040 Derek Sloan is such a breath of fresh air.

00:39:38.040 Still positive despite so many knocks from the CPC.

00:39:40.040 We should all support him.

00:39:41.040 I can't help but loving the guy.

00:39:43.040 I just like him.

00:39:44.040 Anyway, I hope he stays involved in politics.

00:39:46.040 I don't know what he's going to do.

00:39:47.040 You saw I asked him.

00:39:48.040 I didn't want to prod him.

00:39:49.040 But what are you going to do?

00:39:50.040 If you can't run as a conservative, what are you going to do?

00:39:52.040 Well, I look forward to seeing one.

00:39:54.040 That's the show for today.

00:39:56.040 What a busy week.

00:39:57.040 So much going on.

00:39:58.040 We'll see you all on Monday.

00:39:59.040 Until then, on behalf of all of us here at Rebel World Headquarters,

00:40:02.040 to you at home, goodnight.

00:40:03.040 Keep fighting for freedom.

00:40:04.040 There are hundreds of people coming in!

00:40:06.040 We'll see you in our next episode.

00:40:08.040 We'll see you next when we get back over the next ministry.

00:40:09.040 We'll see you next weekend.

00:40:10.040 We'll see you next week.

00:40:11.040 We'll be right back.

Rebel News Podcast - May 01, 2021

Alberta moves from the most free province to the least free

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