Calgary’s Street Church Mission 7 preachers, Arthur and Derek, were fined $1,200 each for feeding homeless individuals during COVID-19, with total penalties nearing $2,500, while mosques in Toronto face no fines for loud prayer calls. Sheila Gunn Reid and Keean Bexte debate religious double standards, with Bexte calling police actions "unnecessarily harsh." Michael Moore’s Planet of the Humans documentary sparks controversy, critiquing green energy’s fossil fuel ties, as Menzies mocks Elizabeth May’s denial while questioning Moore’s motives. Pastor Henry Hildebrand’s 70-car Elmer service drew police scrutiny despite no interaction, fueling accusations of anti-Christian bias. Listeners demand accountability, with Menzies framing defiance as "no risk, no glory" against perceived systemic persecution. [Automatically generated summary]
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Welcome to Rebel Roundup, ladies and gentlemen, and the rest of you in which we look back at some of the very best commentaries of the week by your favourite rebels.
I'm your host, David Menzies.
So in Calgary, a couple of street preachers decided to help out the homeless by distributing free meals.
Sounds praiseworthy, right?
Well, not in the eyes of the Calgary Police Service, which ding those preachers with tickets for allegedly violating COVID-19 safety protocols.
Calgary's Preacher Tickets00:14:23
Kian Bexte will weigh in on this latest miscarriage of justice.
And they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
What a bet.
Sheila Gunread offers her thoughts on the new Michael Moore documentary that absolutely skewers the hypocritical green energy racket and the progressive leftists are collectively losing their minds.
Love it.
And finally, letters, we get your letters.
We get your letters every minute of every day.
And I'll share some of your responses regarding my report on the Church of God in Elmer, Ontario, which was targeted by local law enforcement for conducting a service last Sunday in which everyone remained in their vehicles in the church's parking lot.
So what was the crime?
Great question.
Those are your rebels.
Now let's round them up.
It is beginning to look like Canadian police officers are using this pandemic to specifically target those of Christian faith.
If you're practicing it, you're liable to getting a fine from a police officer in Canada of upwards of $1,200.
It's happened in Ontario.
My colleague David Menzies has covered those.
And it's also happening here in Alberta in Calgary.
Two very similar cases.
A fellow by the name of Arthur with a street church who is feeding the homeless got a ticket of $1,200 about two weeks ago.
And similarly, a fellow by the name of Derek who preaches with Street Church Mission 7 is what it's called.
He got a very similar ticket of also $1,200 for feeding the homeless.
You just can't make this stuff up.
Now, this isn't just feeding everyday homeless folks.
These are the poorest of the poor, folks who aren't even allowed to go to regular shelters because they're unruly.
This is real Christian outreach.
This is doing real good for the community, a service that nobody else is doing.
And the police are ticketing them for doing this.
You're not going to believe it.
I spoke with Derek on Skype to get his side of the story.
Derek, thanks so much for joining me today.
I really am interested to hear about your story when you were given a ticket by the Calgary police.
It's a very similar story to what we've heard from a similar church in Calgary.
We spoke with a gentleman named Arter.
And we're kind of curious, does it seem like the Calgary police are specifically following and charging Christian outreach groups in downtown Calgary?
Yeah, you know, it definitely appears that way.
And even possibly attacking Art and his church as well, because we saw some differences because we were down at the DI and the same officer who ticketed Art came, but then it didn't bother him what we were doing.
He said, you know, as long as the group doesn't get too big, you can preach and you can feed the homeless, that doesn't bother me.
Doesn't bother him?
Really?
Well, the evidence would indicate that preachers feeding the homeless really does bother that Calgary COVID-19 cop.
It bothers them a hell of a lot.
And those preachers have the tickets to prove it.
And with more on the Calgary crackdown on good deeds, is our roving reporter, Kian Becksey.
Welcome to Rebel Roundup, my friend.
Hey, David.
So, Kian, what's the deal with Calgary law enforcement coming down so hard on preachers who are conducting acts of altruism?
And by that, I mean, is there anyone behind the scenes directing the cops to act in such a heavy-handed fashion?
We're not quite sure why the cops are so obsessed with Christian outreach and Christian work in downtown Calgary.
You know, this is selfless work that they're doing.
They're risking themselves during a pandemic so that they can keep bellies full of the poorest of the poor in Calgary.
These are folks who aren't allowed in shelters.
They have nowhere to go.
They can't go to McDonald's and feed themselves with a $5 burger and they can't go to a shelter.
They are hungry.
They're starving.
And these preachers are feeding them.
They're doing literally God's work.
And whether you're religious or not, you can agree that this is work that needs to be done and nobody else will do it.
And they're doing it, but the cops have given them tickets.
In aggregate, it's almost reached $2,500 in fines.
Think about how many bellies are going to be empty because of the money that these preachers are going to have to pay.
Yeah, and you know what I found a little disturbing watching some of the footage, Kian, was just how aggressive, unnecessarily aggressive the police were.
I mean, what's driving that attitude?
Indignant.
I don't know.
I mean, everyone wants to be a tyrant during a crisis, and it really brings out the worst in people, I think.
I think they see that the rules are kind of a little bit lax, and they've been given a little bit more power and authority, and they feel good about themselves.
And it just makes them feel good to go out and hand out tickets to people who really don't deserve it.
And you know, Kian, I'm just wondering, it seems that depending on the jurisdiction, there's different measures of how these tickets are being handed out.
And by that, I mean, the last I looked, the city of Winnipeg had not issued a single fine.
They have told bylaw and law enforcement that, listen, when it comes to these COVID-19 safety precautions, we want you to warn people.
We want you to educate people.
We want you to disperse people.
But as your last arrow in the quiver, issue the fine, right?
So it's four strikes and you're out, basically.
Yet in jurisdictions like Calgary, here in Toronto, where the mayor brags about the number of citizens getting these $880 tickets, it seems that they go for the hammer right off the bat.
And I'm just wondering, why do we see this discrepancy across the nation?
I mean, it comes down to the leadership of the police forces and standing orders that they've been given.
I don't find it surprising at all that Nenshi. and John Torrey are both in the same camp of gleefully issuing tickets to Christians.
I'm sure they would have done this even without a global pandemic if they could have gotten away with it.
But now they have the cover-up to do it.
And Nahid Nenshi is going to be the first one in line to make sure that homeless people in downtown Calgary are starving and that Christian pastors have to pay fines for really no reason.
Yeah, and when you mention that there's a specific focus on Christianity, you've done two preachers.
I did the story earlier this week of the Elmer, Ontario pastor, the pastor with the Church of God that had a sermon in which people did isolate in their cars and still law enforcement went after them.
And then you contrast that, I don't know what the situation is out west, but there's several municipalities in Ontario, Keon, that are waiving the noise bylaw exemption so that empty mosques can play the call to prayers.
And a lot of people look upon this as just a religious double standard.
How do you weigh in on this?
I've heard of what's going on out there in Toronto with the, I guess, Mississauga specifically with these noise bylaws.
And I'm frankly just a little bit perturbed by it.
It's not just that, I mean, they're blasting the call to prayer into the ears of people who are trying to sleep.
It's that there's clearly that double standard between them.
Supposedly the mosques are supposed to be closed anyways.
But they're not going out there and ticketing them.
They're actually loosening the rules.
And then when it comes to Christians just sort of doing their thing in a relatively safe manner, it's not even in a religious, pushy way.
I mean, I don't consider myself ultra-religious, but these preachers downtown Calgary, they're not, you know, they're not pushing their religion.
They're not going out.
This isn't just them preaching.
They're doing good work.
They're helping the community.
So that's why I think that this is just ludicrous.
I mean, it's one thing if the police are actually issuing tickets to people who are risking the lives of others needlessly by spreading this virus to vulnerable communities.
But that's not the case here.
These people will die if they don't get food.
So Kian, exit question then.
My big concern is that when people see the police, when they see bylaw officers going after individuals, individuals who, by the way, are on hard times, whether it's the homeless in Calgary, whether it's people who have lost their job because of this Wuhan virus madness, they're going to have a lack of respect for authority.
They're going to be seen as being hard done by.
And I think, especially as the weather gets warmer, this could create civil unrest in this country.
Yeah, I don't have much to add to that.
You're absolutely right.
I think that people are not going to sit around in the nice weather when they realize that this pandemic has been a little bit more of a plandemic than a pandemic.
That's a good line.
Well, Kian, great reporting as always.
And thanks for joining me once again on Roundup.
No problem.
And that was Kian Bexty in Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, rather, where you dare not go to feed the homeless or you're going to receive a almost $1,000 ticket.
Incredible.
Keep it here, folks.
more of rubble roundup to come right after this you were very excited about michael moore's new documentary um because it does talk about the hypocrisy of green energy that it requires fossil fuel backups and that it is exceedingly toxic And it's toxic in ways that the left likes to say they care about.
Like the left likes to say that they care about children and poor people, but green energy is exceedingly toxic for children and poor people who have to live in its aftermath.
Let's talk about how the left is responding to one of their own coming out and pointing out their own hypocrisy because I saw Elizabeth May and her tweets about this.
She said the video is full of lies.
It seems as though the left is slightly losing their mind because one of their own is trying to show them the truth.
Well, it's nice to see Elizabeth May scared of her fellow American, Michael Moore, and calling them out on their nonsense.
Out of all the politicians in Canada, the biggest one who's full of bullshit is Elizabeth May.
She's all happy because she can hop on a private plane with Andrew Sheer, bragging about it like a little schoolgirl.
Oh my God, I got a private plane.
She's really not a party leader.
I mean, yes, they have three seats now.
The amount of credibility she gets for her one seat is pathetic.
But her attack on her new country, Canada, has been relentless.
Attack on the Indigenous people in Fort McMurray.
She attacks the pipelines and support.
And I would argue, I mean, I might not agree with everything Michael Moore has done, but if I was to say who possesses more intelligence, I would say Michael Moore.
Wow.
And they say that a leopard can't change its spots, eh?
That sure isn't the case when it comes to Michael Moore, who up until now was a progressives, progressive.
But with his new doc, Planet of the Humans, he takes aim at the green energy scam.
And boy, does he fire away with both guns blazing.
And the left, well, they're losing their minds over someone they see as a 21st century Benedict Arnold.
And with more on this incredible about face is Sheila Gunread.
Welcome to Rebel Roundup, my friend.
Hey, David, thanks for having me on the show.
Oh, it's a pleasure.
So, Sheila, let's cut to the chase here.
What happened?
What motivated Michael Moore to make this doc in the first place?
To be honest with you, despite the fact that he claims to be an anti-capitalist, I guess he's a socialist, probably a Marxist.
It seems like most of his movies are about anti-capitalism.
I think he figured out there's a lot of money to be made if you tell a story conservatives are that conservatives already know and that conservatives are desperate to have somebody tell.
And who better to tell this than somebody the left already venerates and loves?
And boy, they don't appreciate Michael Moore telling them the truth on the left, do they?
They're calling for him to be censored.
Climate experts want his dangerous misinformation censored.
I think maybe Michael Moore, especially with this statement, maybe he's a little more complicated than we thought he was.
I mean, and I call him as I see him.
When we go back to 1989, his very first big budget doc, Roger and me, I love that documentary.
Now, I'm not saying I necessarily agree with the premise, which was this, because General Motors started in Flint, Michigan, they owe Flint, Michigan.
You know, listen, I'm not for the idea of Flint, Michigan going into the tailspin that it went into when those plants shut down.
But the contrarian argument is, listen, capitalism by its nature is fluid.
And for whatever reason, GM decided to go elsewhere to make cars.
So we can have that debate.
Michael Moore's Green Critique00:06:44
So with this statement of going after the green energy scam, maybe, you know, Michael Moore, with the passage of time, is calling it as he sees it.
And he's becoming, by nature, a little more conservative.
What do you think?
I don't know about that.
I think that Michael Moore, by his nature, and if you look at all of his movies, even the movie you just mentioned, he has this very strong anti-capitalist view.
And I think this movie, at least when I watched it, I mean, I didn't learn a lot of things I didn't already know, but I felt like it was also very anti-capitalist, but anti-green capitalist, anti-crony green capitalist in this instance.
These people who are hiding behind greenwashing and getting government subsidies to greenwash their products while pocketing a lot of products and basically, you know, offsetting all their pollution to third world countries because out of sight, out of mind.
So I think for Michael Moore, I don't think he's becoming more conservative.
I think this is just general Michael Moore anti-capitalist movies like he normally makes.
It's just that this time he punched left at green capitalism instead of to the right towards automakers.
I think no matter what movie Michael Moore makes, he's always going to have his own particular view and see the world through his own particular lens.
And some people like it.
And now a lot of people hate it right now.
No, that's a good point, Sheila.
But I have to give credit where credit is due.
I mean, some of the footage in that doc is just absolutely fascinating.
I mean, the one that stands out to me is a reporter interviewing Al Gore and Richard Branson.
And I mean, the idea of Richard Branson being part of the green movement, he owns an airline company.
And I don't begrudge him that.
I'm happy for him.
But the idea that you're running planes around the globe and you're a green energy proponent.
But the reporter asks to Mr. Branson, do you think Mr. Gore is a prophet?
And Branson does a pregnant pause and then he says, it depends on how you spell it.
You know, P-R-O-P-H-E-T or P-R-O-F-I-T.
And then all three of them laugh like they're the puppet masters and that, you know, all the rubes out there that are actually buying this schlock.
What a joke.
I mean, I thought that was absolutely incredible footage of basically the contempt that these people have for the little people.
Yeah, it was more of a cackle than a laugh, wasn't it?
And it's funny to see the green movement losing their minds.
Like, like I mentioned, they're calling for the movie to be censored.
Experts calling for it to be censored.
Elizabeth May, Green Party leader, or whatever she is these days, like she just won't step down and go away.
She's calling for this to be censored because it contains dangerous misinformation.
Well, you brought up Al Gore just now.
You want to talk about dangerous misinformation?
He did a movie that was nothing but dangerous misinformation called An Inconvenient Truth, and they were showing it to our kids in school.
That's right.
And none of the things he foretold as a prophet or the oracle or whatever the heck he is, none of them came to fruition.
The Arctic was supposed to be ice-free by now.
I, on the other hand, don't want that movie ever censored.
I want it out there as a testament to how wrong Al Gore is and how wrong these repeated predictions are that come out of the green movement.
I want people from the green movement to watch Al Gore's movie.
I don't want it censored.
Yet, the Green movement is calling for this one somewhat honest movie to be censored.
They just don't want people to see it.
And hopefully, it has a bit of a Streisand effect.
Like, if you don't want people to see it, I'm more inclined to do things people tell me not to do.
It's just my nature.
And if you tell me not to look at something, I'm going to find it and see it.
And that's what I did with this movie.
Well, absolutely.
And, you know, Michael Moore couldn't ask for better publicity, Sheila, with all the green Mandarins just losing their minds, especially since someone they'd consider as one of their own is doing this to them.
But, you know, like I said, you know, in terms of the complicated nature of Michael Moore, I mean, of two minds.
One is that many of his documentaries, like bowling for Columbine, when he had that ridiculous visit to Toronto where he was showing how Torontonians don't lock their doors because of our gun-deficient culture, which was like ludicrous.
And when he's caught in a factual error, he says, well, that's writer's license.
But the problem is, Sheila, is that you're either making a documentary which is truthful or you're making a work of fiction.
You can't have it both ways.
And Michael Moore keeps trying to have it both ways when someone calls BS on one of his pronouncements.
But then again, I go back to 2016 and Sheila, it was Michael Moore.
I think he published a piece.
It was the five reasons why Donald Trump is going to win.
I mean, he was an early trailblazer in recognizing he wants nothing to do with Donald Trump, but he nailed it in terms of, hey, you guys, you're writing this guy off as a buffoon.
He is going to be the next president and here's why.
So again, he's, I'm having more trouble trying to slot Michael Moore into a round peg or a square peg hole.
Yeah, I think Michael Moore, I mean, he's he, for being an anti-capitalist, I think he's pretty capitalist.
He knows what's going to, he knows what's going to sell.
He sort of has his finger on the things that people want to hear.
And he's spoken to the left for a very long time.
And maybe now he sees that other half, 50% of America is a market that has been largely untapped by filmmakers telling these kinds of stories.
So why wouldn't he?
If he's a guy who likes to make money, why wouldn't he start telling the stories conservatives want to hear?
Coronavirus Cops Strike Again00:04:31
Absolutely.
You know, Sheila, we're going to have to wrap it here.
You're right.
He is a capitalist and he's a bit of a hypocrite too because I go back to Roger and Meek.
He says that GM is beholden to Flint because that's where it began.
Well, his fame was based on what happened to Flint.
He doesn't live in Flint.
I know he was approached to do a Flint documentary film festival.
And once he was told how much he'd have to kick in, it was check, please.
So, yeah, like I said, many layers of complication when it comes to this individual.
But I'm loving this documentary, that's for sure.
Sheila, thank you so much for weighing in, and you have a safe weekend, my friend.
Thanks, David.
Stay healthy.
You got it.
Bye-bye.
And that was Sheila Gunn Reed.
Somewhere in a parking lot, it would appear.
I don't know where.
Keep it here.
More of Rebel Roundup to come right after this.
David Menzies Forb Rebel News here in Elmer, Ontario.
Well, folks, the coronavirus cops have struck again.
I'm here at the Church of God and I'm with the pastor, Henry Hildebrand.
And yesterday, the police were monitoring a service that took place here because there was a congregation, but get a little bit of a congregation of people actually in the church physically.
It was people self-isolating in their cars in the parking lot.
And according to the Elmer Police Service, there's going to be hell to pay for that.
I'm going to talk to Pastor Hildebrand right now and find out what exactly happened yesterday.
Okay, Pastor Hildebrand, we're on the pulpit where you were doing a sermon yesterday at the Church of God.
And you had about, I understand, 70 cars show up.
The people who are members of this church stayed in their cars, they kept their windows rolled up.
It looked to me like social distancing was taking place, but then what happened?
Well, it was, as we had said before, that we would be here Sunday morning, and we were here, had given our people instructions, very, very instructions that they all knew what that meant.
And the instructions were followed.
We had our service here, enjoyed our service, enjoyed so much seeing each other again.
But they all stayed in their car, like I said, with their windows rolled up.
Well, the coronavirus cops strike yet again.
But what was the crime here?
Everybody was hermetically sealed in their vehicles.
There was no interaction with anyone.
They didn't even pass around the collection plate.
Bottom line, as far as I can tell, the police coming down on this church was against both the letter and the spirit of the law.
Incredible.
And here's what some of you had to say.
Veta 17 writes, What is the difference between this and people doing the same thing at Home Depot?
The answer is this, Vetta 17.
There is a far better chance that people shopping at Home Depot would contract the Wuhan virus simply because, unlike the attendees at the Church of God, they're getting out of their vehicles and going into the store.
So, in other words, the parishioners at this church are potentially being penalized for practicing enhanced safety precautions.
That's nuts.
Gavin McInnes writes, Sorry, Ontario, the Canadian government only cares about Muslims, not Christians.
You know, I don't think that is such an outrageous statement to make.
Here we have the Church of God being harassed, and my colleague Kiam Bexty has pointed out how a couple of street preachers are being fined big bucks for helping the homeless.
But on the flip side, several Canadian municipalities, including Mississauga, Ontario, are granting mosques exemptions to the noise bylaws so that the call to prayer broadcasts are allowed to be broadcast, whether the neighborhood wants to hear that groovy music or not.
Hey, to paraphrase Orwell, all religions are equal, but some are more equal than others.
George Costanza writes, looks like religious persecution to this atheist.
Aylmer police have forgotten that they are supposed to protect and serve the public, not oppress them.
Religion vs. Law Enforcement00:01:01
Seems to me that the community should band together in that community to ensure a complete personal turnover in their law enforcement.
Wow, George, when even the atheists are on board with the religious folk, you know a line has definitely been crossed big time by law enforcement.
And Michelle Pohl writes, I hope his parking lot is packed next Sunday.
Well, Michelle, your wish is very likely going to come true unless the cops set up roadblocks, that is.
The pastor tells me that the service will indeed go on this Sunday at 10.30 a.m.
And you know, I'm betting there will be an even bigger turnout as perhaps people of various faiths, or no faith at all, come out in a show of solidarity.
Stay tuned.
Well, that wraps up another edition of Rebel Roundup.
Thanks so much for joining us.
See you next week.
And hey, folks, never forget, without risk, there can be no glory.