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Gumboot Nation: No words

'This past Saturday there was a gathering that crossed the line from protest to psychological terror tactics'
roberts creek-COLUMN

My family has been in this country for quite some time and have luckily avoided the worst of the conflicts of the 20th century. My Grandpa George served in France in the First Great War and got through it unscathed. My family traces our presence in Canada back to the late 1600s but George’s mother came from a Europe on the verge of exploding. Emma Vole was my great grandmother and a Jew. I write this now on the first day of Hanukkah.
There are many reasons I write this column, to inform and entertain, to stretch my brain but ultimately to serve my community. The amount of love that my fellow citizens have for each other is why I give what I can to help make this place home. I show I care by abiding by the rules of our civil society. I stop at stop signs (there were no stoplights when I arrived in the Creek). I pay my taxes. I respect the customs and beliefs of others. (I revel in the differences we have and use every opportunity to learn more about the most interesting thing I have found in life, people.) And I defer to those who know more than I.

We live in a country where if I disagree with the rules imposed by those appointed or elected, I can protest to draw attention to what I perceive is wrong in the hopes of getting it changed. We have that right, and whether I agree with your argument or not, I will fight for your right to do so.

This past Saturday there was a gathering that crossed the line from protest to psychological terror tactics. A half a dozen people decide to show their opposition to the vaccine and mask mandates now in place, which is well within their rights. All choices bring consequences, yet these protesters believe they shouldn’t be denied access to some of the extras we enjoy as a civil society. Fine, you feel inconvenienced, sorry (not sorry), but you made your choice to ignore the best advice we have to avoid the worst of COVID, even though that choice brings the whole of society into danger and lengthens the event. The hesitancy or lack of access to the vaccine is directly responsible for variants like Omicron, thank you.

A mask shows I care about my fellow citizens. We are at the lowest number of flu cases ever, thanks to their use, so you’re welcome. If I didn’t want to give my likeness to the government, that choice would deny me the ability to drive or access the medical system, but it’s my choice. Now we come to the part where you chose to equate yourself with the suffering and mass murder of a section of the population that is still in living memory. By donning yellow Stars of David, you crossed the line from peaceful protest to the mental torture of a specific group of people, some of whom I call friend. Friends who lost whole branches of their family to the horror you so flippantly dredge up. You should be ashamed.

kellybacks@rocketmail.com