Plans for a certain iteration of the trucker convoy protest model in the United States didn’t exactly get off to a promising start this week. Bob Bolus, a trucker company owner from Pennsylvania, planned on leading a convoy of truckers from the area of his business to the area of Washington, D.C., with the kick-off of their journey scheduled for this Wednesday — and as of soon after the venture was slated to begin, just one 18-wheeler (driven by Bolus himself) had shown up, according to reporter Julio-César Chávez. He shared the full breakdown of vehicles that were participating in Bolus’s convoy as of just after 11:30 a.m. on the East Coast this Wednesday, and in total, about eight were apparently there. Besides Bolus’s 18-wheeler, there were five pickup trucks, one SUV, and one sedan, per that reporter’s handy recap.
It's not shocking. Trump's been a big fan of Putin for a long time — recall his 2013 trip to Moscow & "you think our country's so innocent?" excuse-making. He sought Russian help & signed a letter of intent to build in Moscow during his campaign. Putin is what he wishes he was. https://t.co/Te7RMFP03a
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 23, 2022
The trucker convoy protest idea is drawn (at least most recently) from recent events in Canada, where individuals involved in the effort there had essentially occupied Ottawa in protest of COVID-19-related restrictions in the country. Arrests eventually drove a dispersal (of sorts) of the protest presence — and now U.S. individuals are launching similar efforts. Bolus said that members of his convoy are “not coming there just to starve them… We’re going to choke you like a boa constrictor and you’ll have nothing.” Bolus added that his convoy would be “leaving lanes open for emergency vehicles, and… sending a message to the people in D.C. that you voted for these people.” Although there was still time for additional vehicles to join the endeavor, eight vehicles aren’t exactly well-poised to “choke” the capital “like a boa constrictor.” Convoys — including Bolus’s — have been planned adjacent to Biden’s upcoming State of the Union address, scheduled for March 1.
I’m not sure why anyone is surprised Trump supports Putin over the United States. He has tried to undermine democracy at every opportunity since 2016, culminating with a blatant effort to overturn a free and fair election. Those who support him oppose democracy.
— Daniel Goldman (@danielsgoldman) February 23, 2022
Another U.S. convoy was set to begin its journey to D.C. from a Southern California stadium. Mike Landis, an organizer involved in that effort, claimed that the “fact is we have a government that tries to push us around… At this moment, we are living without our Constitution. Our Constitution means nothing right now” — which is nonsense. Bolus’s comments weren’t more promising; recently, he added that this “is America… you took our freedom, you took our rights, you gave it to the illegals. You took our freedom and our rights and turned them around and you gave it to the [Black Lives Matter protesters] to burn buildings and not get prosecuted. The laws don’t apply to them.” There is no government conspiracy to provide undue additional rights to undocumented immigrants or violent demonstrators or any other group — the notion that Democratic leaders have somehow accepted violence from certain protest groups is, quite simply, ridiculous.
Organizer just told me the plan is to drive down to Harrisburg and then keep going to DC
Current lineup:
8 vehicles-1 18 wheeler, driven by Bob Bolus
5 pickup trucks
1 SUV
1 sedan pic.twitter.com/8Aubv4hY1o
— Julio-César Chávez (@JulioCesrChavez) February 23, 2022
