PETERS – We can all talk about freedom without the dog whistle politics
ANY COUNTRY’S FLAG should be a symbol of national unity and pride. Unfortunately, current events are chipping away at that symbolism here in Canada.
The Canadian flag has most recently been festooned upon vehicles participating in protests against vaccine mandates or pandemic restrictions or various other state impositions.
If participants co-opt the flag, that would seem to suggest their views represent the majority of Canadians.
But the flag belongs to everyone — even those who still think mandates and restrictions are probably necessary right now.
The same goes for the word ‘freedom’, which has been claimed by those same protesters — not unlike other dog-whistle terms used by fringe groups to separate the true believers from the enemy.
James Peters is the radio anchor at CFJC, coming to Kamloops in 2006. He anchors the afternoon news on B-100 and 98.3 CIFM, and contributes weekly editorials to the CFJC Evening News. He tweets regularly @Jamloops.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
This tiny planet which we live on was once a swirling ball of gas, a veritable hell. Fishing was bad, and the whole “freedom” concept hadn’t taken root. Fast forward a billion years …. to the truckers, who apparently arrived on this planet on the wings of angels carrying great stone tablets with lists of inscribed freedoms. These guys don’t seem to realise that the roads they drive on didn’t naturally evolve from the swirling ball of gas. They were build by Canadians for everyone. So why not take a shot for the team?