It is an opinion piece, nothing more.

Spot on,

Murray
Regarding the differences between the US and the other "free democracies" that he says don't have the birthright freedoms of Americans, it really does not matter what the guiding principles are if the implementation leads to the same endpoint. That is the basis behind statements on political ideologies that say even a benevolent dictatorship can be a good system.

The freedoms and rights of Canadians are not in practice much different than in the US. We can object and speak out against our leaders -- we do it every day; and we put our feelings into action every e******n cycle. The writer of the piece at least acknowledges that the majority of Canadians did not support the truckers, they were pleased that the PM took the action he did, and even admonished him for not acting sooner. That is because that action was in the best interests of the country, not the interests of the vocal minority. And the role of government is to protect the nation as a whole. People are in general apathetic, and the ones who speak out most loudly are usually a small subset of the country. If the government reacted by caving to every outcry, no matter how outlandish or selfish it is, then we would not have a country run by an elected government, but rather a country ruled by mobs.

I always admired Americans for their leadership in, and defence of, democracy... until the system allowed a person like Trump to rise to the top. He undermined democracy while claiming to defend it; he trashed t***h and honesty while lying daily to the nation; he thwarted law and order because he believe he is above the law; and Americans fell for the ruse hook, line and sinker.

There are many Americans who are now (in the post-Trump era) speaking out about how fragile your democracy is, and how it could be lost to an autocratic or dictatorial government. The Righteous Right claim that the Demonic Democrats are pushing the country in that direction, while the Dems are saying that the Repubs are undermining democracy. The Repubs fight back saying America is NOT a democracy, but a democratic republic. Nuances and semantics aside, YOU are a Democracy just like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Britain, France, Germany... The people of the country get to elect their government by majority v**e, and the government is charged with doing what is best for the nation. That means for the majority, not the minority. And the government needs to, and should, act when necessary to protect the country. In the case of the trucker protest, mask and v*****e mandates were seen as a way to curb the spread of C***D; and shutting down the protest was a way of stopping a few thousand individuals from hijacking the economy of not only Canada but also the US by closing the border.

Prior to Trump taking office America WAS "The Greatest Country in the World." If the US can once again become Number 1 in the world for Democracy, Freedom, Economy, Defence, Education, S&T,... then I will once again think more highly of the land beneath mine. All I can say right now is that if Canada is "American Exceptionalism" then I am happy to be Canadian right now.

This site is inclusive of all photographers at all levels. As a result, a significant portion of the members lack experience and have relatively undeveloped photography skills. That includes how to get the best from their camera, the elements of good composition, an understanding of exposure, and how to use light. For some people, more experience will not result in significantly better photographs. They simply lack the eye for it.

The fact that some people post images they are proud of that may be subpar according to the standards of more experienced photographers is not an issue for me. Many people with good equipment believe that is all that is needed to take good photographs. They will either learn from experience over time or they will not. I don't view it as my job to criticize their work and force my views or opinions upon them unless they ask for it.

Mediocre images often get praise from equally inexperienced photographers . That is a side effect of the inclusiveness of this site. I try to provide helpful criticism when it is requested and ignore what I perceive as poorly crafted images when it is not.