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COVID-19

In a world ruled by fear, where do we turn?

Published

5 years ago

9 minute read

It has been said that there are no atheists in fox holes.

During any time of armed conflict, that adage is true, whether it was WWI, WWII, the Vietnamese Conflict, the Boer War, Afghanistan, the Gulf War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Peloponnesian Wars or the Crusades.

After studying history, I believe that our modern age is not the first to use disinformation and media spin to control and direct populations.

Umberto Eco, in his novel the Prague Cemetery, writes of a late 19th Century spin doctor/document forger who reimagines historic documents to either support or discredit governments and individuals for personal gain.  The ‘writer’ is without loyalty, morals and scruples and is a master manipulator who counts human lives and friendship as the cost of business.  Under his master hand, his employers direct him to sabotage, murder and ruin men of good character and intent.

I had thought that my re-reading of this tome was coincidental, but the more I dig into the 400 plus page novel I realized that Eco could be writing about the world of today, not the 1870s or 1890s.

While I have not read the Art of War, I can imagine that the tactics recommended in that classic work are also topical.

The conclusion that is obvious and easy to reach is that the games that the politicians have been playing  are not new, nor are their techniques modern.  It is only the method that we handle the misinformation and sleight of hand that is different.  The internet with Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have merely accelerated the pace and penetration of deception.

That said, I will not discuss the minutiae of the Covid 19 narrative, but only to say that those behind the scenes will either be seen as guilty of government over reach and medical over reaction, or the architects of a new tomorrow.

Either way, the consequences of decisions made by governments and medical organizations does not change one immutable fact.

I will re-state my original theses.

There are no atheists in our pandemic present.

I believe that God is in control, and that he does not allow anything out of His will to occur to allow those created in His image to turn to Him in humility for redemption.

If we accept the basic tenet that we have  been created by an omniscient God, and that our days are indeed numbered no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in, then we can logically and faithfully state a few things.

  1. If our days are numbered, then it does not matter what we do.  He knows when we will be called home, pandemic or not.
  2. All authority is God given, to governments, presidents, prime ministers, premiers and mayors, so IF our rulers are God fearing, they will act reverently and responsibly. IF they do not and are not God fearing, then they will be removed and the results of their sinful decisions will come to them on the day of their judgement.  It is not the role of any leader to BE God to their country, but to SERVE God…if we presume to act as God and see ourselves as all powerful and all wise, we will be shown to be fools and earn the reward for our arrogance.
  3. We are told numerous times in the Bible that we as sinners (no matter what circumstance led us there) can call on the Lord and he will redeem us according to His everlasting love. (Psalm 107)  So, in the midst of pandemic, floods, war or conflict, God will save us in his wisdom according to His great will.
  4. Free will gets us in trouble. As King David found with Bathsheba, yet David was redeemed by God and through that, his lineage was honored.  Those medical researchers who have developed those venomous viruses we have been threatened by will face judgement at the throne of God.  If we make good choices, then our world will benefit from our knowledge, not reel in death.
  5. God is in control. He has the victory (see the last chapter of Revelation).  We are to live IN victory and give Him the glory and honor of a well lived life.

 

That all said, if we do not accept the tenet that we have been created by an omniscient God, then our present state could be one of depression, anger, violence and fear.  Any one of these negative outcomes lead to extremism movements and an incredibly unhealthy mental and moral state.   That is what we have seen over the last year with riots in the US and Canada, with demonstrations we once thought impossible, with historic monuments being defaced and destroyed and even professional sports bowing to social movements rooted in Communism.

 

While all these scenarios carry on, those who see beyond the headlines and conflicts, it is obvious that we are in the midst of a major spiritual battle.  Our world view tells us that we are to fear, to hide, to mask up and physical distance and to remember that ‘we are in this together,’ and that ‘we will get through this together.’

 

ON the other side of the theological coin, God is in control and we are not to stop living and love as we have been taught to.  We are not to live in fear but rather live knowing that it is only through faith, hope and love that mankind has any future.

 

In short:  Fear and sin leads to death and Faith leads to life everlasting.

Jesus taking the hand of Peter in the middle of the lake.

When we are faced with uncertainty, we need to realize that that we are powerless without God.  Covid19, heart attack, cancer, emphysema and other potentially fatal ailments along with sin and the results of sin will not take us away from the Love of God.  His grace for forgiveness is eternal.

 

The difficulty that we, as modern day citizens struggle with is the battle between media messages that lead us to believe that a vaccine and more governmental intervention (regulations) will save us.  Their economic policies will save our businesses and livelihood.

 

That is the lie, only God CAN (and will) deliver us from evil and bless those who honour and revere Him.  We have to choose to live in the promises of God, not the lies of man.

As men and women of God, we need to rest and trust underneath the pinion feathers of our mighty Eagle and see the world through the eyes of Jesus, not through eyes tainted by fear and faithlessness.

 

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Tim Lasiuta is a Red Deer writer, entrepreneur and communicator. He has interests in history and the future for our country.

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Canadian veteran challenges conviction for guarding War Memorial during Freedom Convoy

Published on October 23, 2025

By

From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

When the convoy first came to Ottawa, allegations were floated that the memorial had been desecrated. After learning of this, Evely quickly organized a group of veterans to stand guard around the clock to protect the area.

A Canadian veteran appealed to the Ontario courts after he was convicted for organizing a guard around the National War Memorial during the Freedom Convoy.

In an October press release, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) announced that an appeal has been filed in the Ontario Court of Appeals on behalf of Master Warrant Officer (Ret’d) Jeffrey Evely over his conviction for mischief and obstructing police while on his way to guard the Ottawa War Memorial during the 2022 Freedom Convoy.

“By locking down large sections of downtown Ottawa, the police were effectively preventing all civilians from accessing public areas and greatly exceeded their powers under the common law,” constitutional lawyer Chris Fleury explained.

“This case raises issues that have implications for protests across the province and the country. We are hopeful that the Ontario Court of Appeal will agree and grant leave to appeal,” he added.

The appeal argues that police overstepped their authority in their response to the 2022 protest of COVID mandates. Police actions at the time included locking down the Ottawa core, establishing checkpoints, and arresting protesters.

In September 2024, Everly was convicted of mischief and obstruction after his involvement in the 2022 Freedom Convoy, which protested COVID mandates by gathering Canadians in front of Parliament in Ottawa.

As LifeSiteNews previously reported, when the convoy first came to Ottawa, allegations were floated that the memorial had been desecrated. After learning of this, Evely quickly organized a group of veterans to stand guard around the clock to protect the area.

However, under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s use of the Emergencies Act, many parts of downtown Ottawa were blocked to the public, and a vigilant police force roamed the streets.

It was during this time that Evely was arrested for entering a closed off section of downtown Ottawa during the early hours of February 19, 2022. He had been on his way to take the 4:25 a.m. shift protecting the Ottawa War Memorial.

He was forcibly pushed to the ground, landing face first. The veteran was then arrested and charged with mischief and obstructing police.

At the time, the use of the EA was justified by claims that the protest was “violent,” a claim that has still gone unsubstantiated.

In fact, videos of the protest against COVID regulations and shot mandates show Canadians from across the country gathering outside Parliament engaged in dancing, street hockey, and other family-friendly activities.

Indeed, the only acts of violence caught on video were carried out against the protesters after the Trudeau government directed police to end the protest. One such video showed an elderly women being trampled by a police horse.

While the officers’ actions were originally sanctioned under the EA, Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley ruled that Trudeau was “not justified” in invoking the EA, forcing Crown prosecutors to adopt a different strategy.

Now, Crown prosecutors allege that the common law granted police the authority to stop and detain Evely, regardless of the EA.

However, Evely and his lawyers have challenged this argument under section 9 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, insisting that his “arrest and detention were arbitrary.”

Earlier this month, Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber were sentenced to 18-month house arrest after a harrowing 25-month trial process. Many have condemned the sentence, warning it amounts to “political persecution” of those who stand up to the Liberal government.

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COVID-19

Freedom Convoy leader Tamara Lich says ‘I am not to leave the house’ while serving sentence

Published on October 18, 2025

By

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

‘I was hoping to be able to drop off and pick up my grandsons from school, but apparently that request will have to go to a judge’

Freedom Convoy leader Tamara Lich detailed her restrictive house arrest conditions, revealing she is “not” able to leave her house or even pick up her grandkids from school without permission from the state.

Lich wrote in a X post on Wednesday that this past Tuesday was her first meeting with her probation officer, whom she described as “fair and efficient,” adding that she was handed the conditions set out by the judge.

“I was hoping to be able to drop off and pick up my grandsons from school, but apparently that request will have to go to a judge under a variation application, so we’ll just leave everything as is for now,” she wrote.

Lich noted that she has another interview with her probation officer next week to “assess the level of risk I pose to re-offend.”

“It sounds like it’ll basically be a questionnaire to assess my mental state and any dangers I may pose to society,” she said.

While it is common for those on house arrest to have to ask for permission to leave their house, sometimes arrangements can be made otherwise.

On October 7, Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey sentenced Lich and Chris Barber to 18 months’ house arrest after being convicted earlier in the year convicted of “mischief.”

Lich was given 18 months less time already spent in custody, amounting to 15 1/2 months.

As reported by LifeSiteNews, the Canadian government was hoping to put Lich in jail for no less than seven years and Barber for eight years for their roles in the 2022 protests against COVID mandates.

Lich said that her probation officer “informed me of the consequences should I breach these conditions, and I am not to leave the house, even for the approved ‘necessities of life’ without contacting her to let her know where I’ll be and for how long,” she wrote.

“She will then provide a letter stating I have been granted permission to be out in society. I’m to have my papers on my person at all times and ready to produce should I be pulled over or seen by law enforcement out and about.”

Lich said that the probation officer did print a letter “before I left, so I could stop at the optometrist and dentist offices on my way home.”

She said that her official release date is January 21, 2027, which she said amounts to “1,799 days after my initial arrest.”

As reported by LifeSiteNews, Lich, reflecting on her recent house arrest verdict, said she has no “remorse” and will not “apologize” for leading a movement that demanded an end to all COVID mandates.

LifeSiteNews reported that Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre offered his thoughts on the sentencing, wishing them a “peaceful” life while stopping short of blasting the sentence as his fellow MPs did.

In early 2022, the Freedom Convoy saw thousands of Canadians from coast to coast come to Ottawa to demand an end to COVID mandates in all forms. Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, Trudeau’s government enacted the never-before-used Emergencies Act (EA) on February 14, 2022.

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