The Canadian Trucker Protest Now Well And Truly Has Their Attention

After being totally ignored by the US Media, and downplayed by Canadian Media, the Truckers found a useful lever for pressure that could not be ignored:  Having slowdowns/blockades at the Blue Water and Ambassador Bridges from Ontario into Michigan.

The Detroit News: White House worried about Ambassador Bridge blockade disrupting auto production

As well they should be.  It's very cute how Psaki and the Democrats are now all publicly concerned about violent protests, when this isn;t a violent protest at all:

"We support peaceful protest, but we have concerns when those protests turn violent," Psaki said. "And certainly I think it's important for everyone in Canada and the United States to understand what the potential impact of this blockage is on workers, on the supply chain and that is where we are most focused."

Let's note the truckers themselves have not been violent, the violence has all been coming from the Ontario government side with police seizing demonstrating trucker's fuel and food and government officials making threats.

Well, both major Michigan papers are now reporting on it, and both are now accurately stating it is about the vaccination mandate for trucker cross-border travel:

The Detroit News: What to know about the traffic delays at Ambassador Bridge, trucker protest over COVID mandate

The Detroit Free Press: Truckers protest at Ambassador Bridge over COVID-19 vaccine mandates: What we know

Hilariously, the Detroit Free Press states:  

Truckers calling themselves the Freedom Convoy are opposing a Canadian mandate requiring drivers entering Canada to be fully vaccinated or face testing and quarantine requirements.

But it didn't just start this week. [emphasis added!]

Before the Ambassador Bridge was targeted, truckers also protested in Ottawa, Canada's capital. 

Seriously Freep, thanks for finally telling us that you only deigned to cover it this week and it's been going on for longer than that in Canada's capital. Sheesh, kinda important news, that.

Canada About To Further Befoul Supply Chains In A Riddiculous Own-Goal

The Detroit News: Michigan faces acute impact from Canada's refusal to let in unvaccinated US truckers

This newly implemented policy is already outdated, short-sighted, inane, and doesn't concord with "the science". 

We now know and have known for awhile now that the vaccines do not prevent transmission of Covid and variants.

As such the public health argument for requiring them to prevent spread is damn weak. Requiring them for truckers delivering goods is even weaker

We now know and have known for awhile now that the vaccines do not categorically prevent people from getting Covid even if vaccinated.

We do see statistically at least that having the vaccine does make your symptoms more mild and may result in you having no symptoms at all, and make you more able to fight off the virus. Clearly this is a good thing for the elderly, people with comorbidities etc and they do have value to that extent.

For example Tash got it, was vaccinated so relatively mild but even still categorized as feeling like her worst flu ever, she now has a lingering cough and shortness of breath.  Likely her vaccine reduced the potency of the case.  Likely also that our vaccines either prevented us from catching it from her as none of us came down with it despite being in the car with her for 5 hours after her exposure, or the vaccines gave us such a low reaction we don't even know we got it - although Ab's test came up negative for it.

As such, its very much a personal choice as to their use and the elderly and those with high risk factors ought to think carefully about getting the vaccine to protect themselves and people with lower risk factors may choose otherwise. Probably the vaccine is still a good choice to make, but again it's your body, you weigh your own risk factors and make your own informed choice.

It makes no sense now for Canada to introduce a regulation barring truckers shipping vital goods across the border unless they're vaccinated. Especially as we know the main public policy reason for the vaccine - preventing spread to others - simply isn't the case as the vaccines are currently not fully capable of doing that and even vaccinated people are picking up cases.

Expect more supply shortages in the auto industry and elsewhere due to this inane policy given our close trading ties.  The only consolation, if you can call it that,  is Canada is going to feel the effects worse than the US will as a result of this idiocy.

Chinese Toy Manufacturers Just Don't Get It

In an effort to deal with their dangerous use of lead in children's toys, the Chinese toy manufacturers decided to responsibly replace it.

With a substance that is even more harmful.

Cadmium.

The Detroit News: U.S. warns about cadmium

Federal and state watchdogs opened a new front Monday in the campaign to keep poisons out of Chinese imports, launching inquiries into high levels of cadmium in children's jewelry while Wal-Mart pulled many suspect items from its store shelves.

A day after the Associated Press documented the contamination in an investigative report, the top U.S. consumer safety regulator warned Asian manufacturers not to substitute other toxins for lead in children's charm bracelets and pendants.

Regulators and lawmakers reacted swiftly to the AP report, which found that some Chinese manufacturers have been using cadmium, sometimes at extraordinarily high levels. Congress clamped down on lead in those products in 2008, but cadmium is even more harmful.

. . .

Cadmium, which is known to cause cancer, is a soft, whitish metal that occurs naturally in soil. It's perhaps best known as half of rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries, but also is used in pigments, electroplating and plastic.

Cadmium is attractive to Chinese manufacturers because it is cheap and easy to work with. But, like lead, it can hinder brain development in the very young.

There's pretty clearly a reality disconnect in the manufacturing industry over there, and apparently no regard for end user safety.

Up next, what will the Chinese replace the Cadmium with - maybe Plutonium for an extra sparkle? After all it is a silvery colored metal and gives the kids a happy glow...