LYTLE: We collected signatures for Alberta Sovereignty — here’s who actually supports Independence (and who flipped us off)

So there is to be a vote on Alberta independence. Good!I am not a complete stranger to controversial public actions, having marched with my kids and grandkids to protest COVID-19 lockdowns and other government programs I took particular exception to. But I am also not a superstar in this area. And nor was I a superstar in the recent collection of signatures for the independence referendum. Trust me, however, there have been a lot of superstars, and I was fortunate enough to work with some of them, standing on snowy, cold sidewalks, taking signatures. It was a lot of fun and was a great study of human nature.Three weekends ago, I worked with a retiree who was helping his son, who had newly purchased the family plumbing business. His description of the ownership changeover put me in mind of the scene in “A Christmas Story” when Ralphie’s dad helped him load his Red Ryder BB Gun, involuntarily mimicking Ralphie’s moves from long forgotten practice. On another weekend, I worked with a pilot who had flown jets for both the Canadian and American military. He had experience landing and taking off from aircraft carriers and had the harrowing experience of refuelling en route to wherever he was going. After his military career, he flew and taught others to fly, “anything that had two aisles” for airlines in North America and the Far East. It was a most interesting three hours.I think that all the signature collectors would agree that the sociology of the experience was the most interesting aspect of the adventure. The rule was to make every effort to establish eye contact, wave, and smile broadly at everyone who drove by. The responses to such overt friendliness varied from a honking horn to a thumbs up to a variety of middle finger gestures to something yelled out of an open window to studied efforts to not make eye contact. At first, it was awkward to smile and wave at people who almost hit curbs, so intent were they in avoiding eye contact, but then it became fun and interesting. There has been a lot of pop psychology taking place on street corners across Alberta these past few months..By my rough estimate, there were twice as many honks and thumbs up as there were middle fingers and rude comments. The middle fingers were of three varieties; the fully vertical finger was preferred by white women under 40, and the inverted middle finger was preferred by the twenty-something women. The middle finger at 3 or 9 o’clock was the choice of men of all ages. Waves and honks were most prevalent with young men in trucks, and almost all visible minorities responded positively. This was mirrored by the people who signed the petition for me. At least one third of those who signed were immigrants who described leaving their homeland to get away from what Canada had become. Another third were multigenerational Canadians under the age of 40, and the rest were a mix of old cranks like me and an assortment of men and women over 50. There is nothing scientific about any of this, obviously, but it is interesting.Due to the inclement weather, there were not many catcalls out of windows, but those that did come were generally pretty funny. In perhaps the funniest exchange we were regaled with,“Boo! You stink!”I thought that, in the world of insults, this was perhaps the lamest of all. As luck would have it, my group had a young lad who did stand-up comedy on the weekends. He disagreed with me quite strenuously, arguing that it was a brilliant slur deserving a 9.5 out of 10. He argued that it was not so much the words as the brevity of the message and use of kid-friendly language that made it effective. I was unconvinced until on another weekend someone unloaded his carefully prepared “talking points” and we could still hear him two blocks away. Our very funny comedian was right – brevity is critical..The point of all this hanging around street corners, of course, was to ensure that Albertans would have the opportunity to vote on becoming independent of Canada. Those who are no longer willing to accept the mercantilist economic and woke social principles of the Canadian federation argue that we are having our 1776 moment. “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation,” United States Declaration of Independence.There will be time enough for this conversation over the next six months, but the conversation will be founded on the notion that eleven years ago, Eastern Canada embarked on its 1789 moment by dismantling its fealty to the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God. Canada, by Liberal fiat, is no longer a nation with a unique culture, but is now a post-national state, dedicated to turning a blind eye to the burning of churches and symbolically being hoisted on the petard of “reason” and “equality.” Now it is for Albertans to abandon these Eastern Canadians to their Jacobean principles of death and sexual mutilation by a state designed to enrich only those who would lead.No, Albertans look forward to making the argument for a life-centred government that enriches the social fabric of the Alberta nation-state and fills the bank accounts of all its citizens. No doubt the slurs and insults will ramp up as tempers inflame but hopefully the quality of the insults will transcend, “Boo! You stink!”"Destruere verbis”"To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child” — Cicero

LYTLE: We collected signatures for Alberta Sovereignty — here’s who actually supports Independence (and who flipped us off)

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