The threat

Each month or so, comes a threat to kill me. Sometimes Dorothy is named, too. The dog has also been mentioned. Poor Cody.

The messages are posted on the blog, and I ghost them. It’s Internet talk – the brave, bold, empty words of cowardly and anonymous heroes. Long ago it became apparent that publishing their drivel would only embolden these sad, angry folk. I took the bullying as an inevitable consequence of running a free site.

It’s been interesting that people on the left and the right lose it equally when they come here.

Days ago I wrote of property rights and recent political incursions on freedom. In doing so I reminded readers that while some people, sadly, lack homes, we all have the ability to make choices. Every personal tragedy is not the government’s fault.

In response, this was posted: “Inform yourself, Garth, before parroting callous conservative tropes that lead to an increased incidence of violent attacks on the homeless by a-holes in Ram pickups. Your rhetoric leads to the Kristi Noems of the world [the US politician shot her 14-month-old dog, and a goat] to move from puppies and billy goats to picking off the downtrodden instead of helping them.”

So, this blog encourages shooting the homeless. Nice.

That poster is now banned. So was the guy (Joe) whose ‘F-Trudeau’ diatribes since the weekend were crude, violent and extreme. But he went the extra mile. On Monday night he started calling my home. Long, obscenity-laden messages were left, direct and explicit.

In part: “I’ve got way more money than you, just so you know. So get the f*** out. Stop f***ing lying to the people. I will bring a blog out and I will crush your little bitch ass.”

Five minutes later: “Yeah, so I’m sitting here with PP. You know, Poilievre. I donated like a hundred thousand dollars to their campaign and you are a Liberal mother***er. So he can’t say anything on choice. Go f*** yourself f***ing Turner you f***ing leftist piece of shit. Die or we’re gonna make you f***ing hurt, okay? He can’t say these things. I’ll do it for him because I’m a business person with millions and I will f***ing end you, mother***er. You will f***ing die.”

Well, he called on his private line. It wasn’t too hard to find out who he is, where he’s from, his business name, hie email and location. (Powell River, BC, by the way.)

A key question is what in our society is causing this? Never in my life have I seen such political extremism. It wasn’t there during the intense debate about US-Canada free trade, the introduction of the GST, the threat of Quebec separation or in the depths of the last recession.

Is the answer simply that social media has turned every zealot into an influencer? As the mainstream media withers and dies, blogs, X, Insta, FB, Telegram and other platforms have become powerful and far-reaching, allowing people (and their bots) to be heard as never before. Without filters or credentials, every voice has an equal volume and weight. People who would never matter a decade ago now command the stage.

We’re losing shared experiences, too. In the past we all watched the six o’clock news and read the morning paper. Reporters, editors and broadcasters gathered and organized news. There was a consensus view of things. We got a common baseline of information. But that’s gone.

Surveys show most – especially the young – glean all their news from their phones, via TikTok or Instagram. Compounding the effect is the weird battle between Ottawa and the likes of Meta, which stripped Canadian media outlets off online platforms. We get dumber than ever. More concentrated and myopic in our views. We design personal news feeds that strain out the unwanted and constantly reinforce our own views, prejudices and perceptions of life.

Then along comes a Trump. More than any one person on earth, his campaign against the ‘fake news’’ of the mainstream media has helped destroy everything from the Los Angeles Times to the Halifax Chronicle-Herald. US newspapers have been dying at the rate of two a week – stripped of ad revenues by the tech giants but also abandoned by readers as they are labeled unbelievable and unauthentic.

Trump and his disciples in Canada have helped craft the battle between freedom and woke. It’s everywhere now. From drag shows to trans in the military to abortion rights, China, Zelensky, Gaza, clean needle exchanges, monetary policy, washroom usage and government overreach. Everything’s a fight. Everyone has a social media account. Everybody shouts.

In this environment the middle is endangered ground. Those who know the world is neither black nor white, who try to see both sides and value the good around us, are bullied, cajoled, shamed or threatened. They’re forced to choose an extreme. If they refuse, they pay.

And they hope this is but a phase in our journey together.

I’m not calling the RCMP about Mr. Powell River. He’s probably a puffball. I will turn my cheek. Once.

About the picture: This cemetery seems an appropriate backdrop. It’s probably Cody’s favourite place, for an abundance of juicy squirrels and brown rabbits. It also contains the remains of locals who fought Americans in the War of 1812, along with their Indigenous allies, amid earthen fortifications from the conflict. The Yanks burned the town surrounding this place to the ground in 1813. In return, Upper Canadians and British sailors torched the US seat of government in Washington in August of 1814. The presidential mansion was later repaired and repainted, becoming known afterwards as the White House.

To be in touch or to send a picture of your beast, email to ‘[email protected]’.