Voices Crying in the Wilderness

Avatar photoby

[The phrase “voice crying in the wilderness” generally refers to someone who is warning others about important truths or dangers that are being ignored. -microsoft co pilot]

Attribution: Before the drama theater announcements at the G7 by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Ontario, Canada

[Graeme MacKay born in Ontario, Canada, his worked as staff editorial cartoonist for The Hamilton Spectator since 1997, earning multiple national awards and nominations, including citations from the United Nations and the Association of Canadian Cartoonists.]

💬 Add your voice: Comment on today’s post
Share

50 thoughts on “Voices Crying in the Wilderness”

  1. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/g7-kananaskis-calgary-security-alberta-canada-1.7556228

    After months of preparation, the G7 summit kicks off today in Kananaskis, Alta., a three-day summit that will see the popular wilderness destination locked down and the surrounding region play host to global leaders, media, and support teams from around the world.
    A heightened police and military presence is now in place, with security officials calling the undertaking the “largest domestic security operation” a country can take on.
    World leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Donald Trump and leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union, will attend the summit.
    Others have also been invited, including Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
    Here’s what you need to know about road closures, airport delays, protests and more as the G7 gets underway.
    Area locked down
    The summit itself is running June 15 to 17 in the remote mountain setting of Kananaskis Village. A controlled access zone has been in effect since June 10, and will remain until June 18.
    In the Calgary region, expect a heightened police and military presence. Security for the summit is being headed up by an integrated group which includes the RCMP, the Calgary Police Service, Alberta sheriffs, Alberta conservation officers and the Canadian Armed Forces.
    Those in the Calgary region can expect to see more uniforms, more military vehicles, and more aircraft in the area than usual. There will be a “no drone zone” in Calgary and Kananaskis, and the RCMP has said that unauthorized drones or aircraft will be met by RCMP or Canadian Forces aircraft and could be shot down as a last resort.
    The establishment of the controlled access zone is also affecting multiple trails, trailheads, and day use areas, with some locations closing entirely and others remaining accessible only up to the zone’s boundary.
    Locations such as Three Sisters Parkway, Mount Lougheed Viewpoint, Barrier Lake and Stoney Trail are open to that boundary, but areas including Rummel Pass Trail, Sparrowhawk Trail and the High Rockies Trail are fully closed.
    Protest zones outlined
    In anticipation of demonstrations, the RCMP and Calgary Police have established “designated demonstration zones,” including in downtown Calgary. ‘
    Another zone will be set up near the Calgary International Airport, at the Edward H. LaBorde Viewing Area.
    RCMP have said that these zones are intended to ensure minimal disruption to critical infrastructure, ensure safety of demonstrators, the public and law enforcement, while providing visible and accessible locations for peaceful assembly. Some protest groups have pushed back against the idea of “designated demonstration zones.”
    Security officials have said people have the right to assemble outside demonstration zones, but police are encouraging people to gather in those zones for safety reasons.
    Expect disruption at airport
    The Calgary Airport Authority has said it’s ready to process an average of 67,000 travellers per day through the summer, thanks in part to the G7, Rotary International Convention, and the Calgary Stampede.
    [continues]

  2. more on the critical preparations
    Attribution: Toddler high chair set up at G7 meeting 2025 by Graeme MacKay, caglecartoons.com

  3. ignore the old photo, this really is about today’s summit. guess they’re expecting similar outcome.

    The 51st G7 summit is underway in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, with leaders facing significant diplomatic challenges. From the Israel-Iran conflict to trade wars and territorial ambitions, the summit’s outcome hangs in the balance.

  4. This made me laugh. A news report that G7 leaders at this summit “want to pin down Donald Trump on his Iran strategy”. It’s like what Henry Kissinger once said about the Soviets: “Never assume they have a strategy”.

  5. https://www.thedailybeast.com/john-oliver-no-more-slippery-slopethis-is-trump-fascism/

    After multiple warnings from the president’s opponents and months of chaos from Trump’s second administration, John Oliver believes the moment has finally arrived.
    “When everyone was warning about a slippery slope to authoritarianism under Trump, this is it,” Oliver declared in his Sunday monologue on Last Week Tonight. “Because masked government agents grabbing people off the streets and deporting them without due process is authoritarianism. Sending in the military to crack down on protests against those actions is authoritarianism.”
    Last week’s escalation by Trump followed protests against ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids across Los Angeles. Last Tuesday, Trump told Army soldiers during an address at Fort Bragg that he had to deploy “thousands of National Guard troops and hundreds of marines to protect federal law enforcement from the attacks of a vicious and violent mob — and some of the radical left.” Trump claimed Los Angeles would be “burning” if not for him.
    Oliver called Trump “such a dick” for reminding Californians about “the traumatic fires that are still very much on people’s minds in L.A.,” while adding: “Also, it is just so obvious when he stops reading and starts ad-libbing. As the tone of his voice just completely changes. I honestly wonder if his speechwriters even write it in now — if there are places where his Teleprompter just says ‘Do a bitchy little vamp.’” He also roasted border Czar Tom Homan. “He looks like Homer Simpson photoshopped as a real person. He looks like someone tried to carve Andre Agassi’s head into a bar of soap. He looks like baby Harvey Weinstein.”
    Oliver noted that even the LAPD chief described the city as “nowhere near a level” for federal military backup. “Despite a lot of sensationalist news coverage, all of this was well within the city’s control,” Oliver said. “Why would you send troops if there is nothing for them to do? You’re just going to have 4,000 soldiers wandering around LA swinging by the Hollywood Walk of Fame to go, huh? Christian Slater. OK.”
    And federal estimates that sending troops to L.A. would last 60 days and cost $134 million floored Oliver. “Usually when that much is spent on something completely pointless we at least get to see one of The Avengers in it,” he joked.
    There is good news, however, according to the late night host.
    “Polls show there is mounting public outrage over all this, as did the hundreds of thousands of people in the streets this weekend,” Oliver continued. “Even in Minnesota where two state lawmakers were tragically shot on Saturday, where authorities suggested it would be safer if protesters stayed away, people showed up in large numbers anyway,” he added. “Which is honestly, the sort of thing that gives me real hope. Because we’re living through a time in American history that’ll be remembered for acts of incredible cruelty. But I hope it’ll also be remembered for acts of courage and defiance.”

  7. The magans have no memory. Not a whit nor a jot. Not an inkling of a wisp of memory.

    “Eradicate memory!” They wail as they attempt to shut down the institutions which seek to DEVELOP and nurture…..memory.

  8. and to your point Sturg, here’s a head-shaking exchange I had with one on YouTube about the elderly vet handcuffed after letting go of his walker:

    Overcast_Props
    When the marines arrested that dude, it was perfectly legal. Under small circumstances, the military can arrest civilians. In this case the guy was walking around on federal property in an area closed off and cleared by the Marines.

    Me:
    So Jan. 6 convicts are not heroes, right?

    Overcast_Props
    I never said they were but they were a lot more peaceful than the Summer of Love and the current ICE raids

  9. but thanks to the wonders of hashtags i can target our youttube vids to sensible people (such as NPR listeners) and get responses like this to my video this morning (i invited him to join us here):

    @Chris-k
    55 minutes ago
    His strategy is to use one distraction after another to keep people from figuring out that he doesn’t know what he’s doing.

    Any of you with google accounts who can comment on youtube it would be helpful to get in there and invite some of these people over here

  10. I spent The Summer of Love wondering where it was being held at.
    And then when I did find out where it was at, I was wondering why it was so far away.

  13. Leaving Sioux Falls and heading to Minnesota. One more week of this travel stuff and I’ll be back in the corral. Getting saddle-sore now.

  14. Happy travels Ivy.

    Not surprised, Sturg. He didn’t get the joke:
    Overcast_Pr0ps
    Wisconsin, Washington State, Commifornia, Florida, New Jersey, get a map and throw a dart at it and you’d be able to see there was one near the dart
    17m ago Reply

  15. Thanks, Craig.

    Much of our Trail-humor is “inside stuff” that matches our personalities. They’ll need to join to get it. (I hope they will and bring their own jokes too.)

    I thought it was pretty funny, Sturge.

  16. A decade of death and decay. Not funny.

    Playbook: “It’s 10 years to the day that Trump descended that famous golden elevator in New York’s Trump Tower and announced he was running for president. That slow ride down, that first boisterous, rambling press conference; other surreal moments that were met with shrugs of amusement at the time but can now be seen as a turning point in America’s history.”

  17. Oh Ivy that guy is pure magan, i’m just playing with him for fun, wouldn’t be welcome here. But there are others i’ve spotted on Bluesky and YouTube, even TikTok, who’d fit right in, but I can’t get them commenting. Some registered but didn’t comment. Which is why I enabled anonymous commenting, but still not working. I’ve flung the door wide open to make it easy (i can get rid of trolls in a hurry if they show up).

  18. I haven’t kept up on YouTube, Craig, with my sketchy connections in the Black Hills. It’s been fun being off the grid, but not without “political association” as we stayed in George McGovern’s cabin. Even the mags among us were appreciative. And the kids were taught some history. They have no idea what Watergate was about.

  20. The No Kings rally in n Guerneville was greats . No speeches! No leaders. Just a couple hours having a very good time. My favorite. I’m trying to get a better picture of her . About a 7 foot Man. High silver platform. A pink sequined hat. She is as carrying a sign that said. No kings just queens

  21. it’s just too easy…
    poofighter2001
    Won the popular vote and the electoral college vote. Some king
    42m ago Reply

    ME:
    so elections are only valid when you win, right?
    38s ago

  24. RR – That’s my fave. I never get tired of grumpy Bernie in mittens.

    Would the G7 have been any more productive if they had barred Felon 47 from entering the country, as is their policy?

    I hope G7 coverage brings US police state coverage along with it. The world needs to know what dangerous monsters are at the helm.

    Felon 47 will be anxious to put the birthday charade behind him. I’m sure his camera team will tweak footage for use on Fox Noise and in political ads, just like they will use the police-instigated issues at peaceful protests. Every one of the police and military who beat protesters, trampled them with horses, and fired flash-bangs and teargas at them should be charged with war crimes.

    Why is it legal to use teargas on civilians, when it’s prohibited in warfare under the Geneva Protocol?

  26. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/16/va-doctors-refuse-treat-patients

    Doctors at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals nationwide could refuse to treat unmarried veterans and Democrats under new hospital guidelines imposed following an executive order by Donald Trump.

    The new rules, obtained by the Guardian, also apply to psychologists, dentists and a host of other occupations. They have already gone into effect in at least some VA medical centers.

    Medical staff are still required to treat veterans regardless of race, color, religion and sex, and all veterans remain entitled to treatment. But individual workers are now free to decline to care for patients based on personal characteristics not explicitly prohibited by federal law.

    Language requiring healthcare professionals to care for veterans regardless of their politics and marital status has been explicitly eliminated.

    Doctors and other medical staff can also be barred from working at VA hospitals based on their marital status, political party affiliation or union activity, documents reviewed by the Guardian show. The changes also affect chiropractors, certified nurse practitioners, optometrists, podiatrists, licensed clinical social workers and speech therapists.

    As concerned as they were about the new policies themselves, medical experts were equally worried about the way they came about. Sources at multiple VA hospitals, speaking on condition of anonymity because of fear of retaliation, told the Guardian that the rule changes were imposed without consultation with the system’s doctors – a characterization the VA’s Kasperowicz did not dispute.

  27. More cutting and maiming coming in the One Big Brutal Bill: the Kill Bill.

    Cut-’em off and kill-’em now. Why wait?

  28. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/16/trump-organization-gold-phone

    Donald Trump has launched a mobile phone service and $499 gold smartphone, the latest monetization of his presidency by a family business empire now run by his sons.

    The Trump Organization unveiled Trump Mobile on Monday with a $47.45 monthly plan – both the service name and price referencing Trump as the 47th president. The company will also sell a gold-cased “T1” smartphone in September etched with the American flag.

    “We are going to be introducing an entire package of products where people can come and they can get telemedicine on their phones for one flat monthly fee, roadside assistance on their cars, unlimited texting to 100 countries around the world,” Donald Trump Jr said at the Monday morning announcement at Trump Tower in New York.

    *Hmmm, pretty sure I can already get tele-health, AAA, etc., on my phone. I

    The T1 smartphone runs Android 15 with mid-range specifications including a 6.8in display, 50MP camera and 5000mAh battery. At $499 it costs a third of the price of flagship iPhones, but appears to be marketed as a luxury device because of its gold casing. Notably, the T1 brings back the headphone jack, a feature largely abandoned by smartphone manufacturers over the years.

    On its website, Trump Mobile claims coverage matching major carriers Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, which collectively hold control of nearly the entire wireless market in the US.

    *~Yeah, sure~

    MAKE LANDLINES GREAT AGAIN!

  29. where was the trump-phone made and what’s the tariff on it?

    when we throwing this fucker in jail

  33. None of our children of maga are maga. They don’t like it. Doesn’t mean they like Dems either.

  34. it doesn’t matter who is raised what. An entire generation of children are being taught that lying, cheating, stealing, and bullying is the way to get ahead.

    and they’re not wrong

  35. did you all hear the call of DNC chair Ken Martin, whining in a dispirited tone about David Hogg undermining his authority?

    that’s the kind of person we’re pinning our hopes on

  36. All week I heard them teaching their little ones to be kind, honest and truthful. But the little ones are glued to their devices every chance they get.

  39. I had a little flashback when the tank crew waved peace sign fingers at the little crowd Saturday.
    I trained at Fort Knox, Kentucky, where the 194th Armored Brigade trained. The tank crews usually flashed the peace sign at us trainees as we marched along, chanting “Sound Off…”
    Later in San Antonio as we neared deployment overseas, the marching cadence was sung:
    “Class 116 is going to Nam
    Hurrah hurrah
    Class 116 is going to Nam, hurrah, hurrah
    Class 116 is going to Nam
    We’ll lose a leg, we’ll lose an arm

    And we’ll all be dead
    By the summer of ’71.”

  41. https://www.newsweek.com/tucker-carlson-steve-bannon-maga-trump-iran-israel-war-2086346

    Carlson Describes Fox News as ‘Propaganda’ Network
    Carlson on Monday accused his former employer, Fox News, of “turning up the propaganda hose” to feed its viewers a particular narrative.

    “What they’re doing is what they always do, which is just turning up the propaganda hose to full blast and just trying to, you know, knock elderly Fox viewers off their feet and make them submit to where you want them to,” the former prime-time Fox host told Bannon.

    *To listen to Fluffy Carlson cackling like Tom Hulce in the movie “Amadeus,”
    makes me wonder if he does that when he’s having tea with Putin, the commie weasel.

  42. DHS Confirms Predator Drones Fly Over LA Protests

    DHS posted its high-altitude surveillance on X, seemingly confirming the footage was gathered by an MQ-9 from CBP Air and Marine Operations, known colloquially as a predator drone.

    The video showed vehicles on fire, windows being smashed and what appeared to be some kind of a firecracker shot off by a protester from a corner of the street in Downtown L.A. It didn’t look like anyone was hit.

    “This is not calm. This is not peaceful,” the DHS wrote. “California politicians must call off their rioting mob.”

    The city is still in a state of “local emergency,” according to Mayor Bass, who issued a curfew on Tuesday. Hundreds were arrested that night, with charges ranging from failure to disperse and illegal possession of a firearm.

    *BS! The LAPD incited violence by being violent to peaceful protesters. Failure to disperse? LAPD corralled them and wouldn’t allow them to leave, then arrested them for violating curfew. What a waste of taxpayer dollars.

    ps – I think DOGE (or someone) is playing with the Capitol switchboard. Picks up, no longer automated to get to the intended party, sometimes no receptionist says anything, sometimes they do and disconnect you, sometimes you get through, and sometimes you get an automated message saying your number has been blocked…but call back and it’s not blocked.

  43. From CNN.

    President Donald Trump does not intend to sign a joint statement calling for de-escalation between Israel and Iran that had been drafted by G7 leaders in Canada, according to a person familiar with the matter, though officials preparing the document held out hope that he could eventually be convinced to add his name.
    The draft statement, which had been spearheaded by European officials at the summit, says Israel has a right to defend itself and that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.
    Trump’s decision not to sign on to the statement set up an immediate divide with his counterparts as the summit was getting underway in the Canadian Rockies.
    Hours before the conference was set to convene, talks were ongoing among the G7 delegations about language in the draft statement.
    European officials, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, were hoping to finalize a consensus among the leaders about the Middle East situation alongside the summit’s host, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
    But Trump, who has questioned the utility of multilateral organizations like the G7, intends for now to withhold his signature, preventing for now a show of resolve from the world’s leading democracies.
    “Under the strong leadership of President Trump, the United States is back to leading the effort to restore peace around the world. President Trump will continue to work towards ensuring Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon,” a White House official said in response to a question about Trump’s plans when it came to the joint statement.
    A senior White House official said Trump felt there was no reason at this time for him to sign on to the statement, given what he had already said publicly about the conflict between Israel and Iran. Asked whether a statement would demonstrate unity among world leaders on the issue, the senior official responded that Trump’s attendance at the summit, at the other leaders’ request, was his way of showing unity.
    A senior Canadian official said delegations representing the seven G7 leaders would continue to work on the language of the statement, and that European leaders in particular are still engaged in the hopes of reaching a consensus.
    “This is not a done deal yet, this is something that will be discussed at the leader level. We expect that the bulk of that conversation will happen in the global security session this evening. It’s too early to speculate on what will or will not come out of that conversation,” the senior Canadian official said.
    Trump told reporters Monday morning before the summit started that he believes Iran wishes to de-escalate its conflict with Israel as the skirmish between the two nations enters its fourth day.
    “Yeah,” Trump told CNN when asked if he’s seen any signals or messages from intermediaries that Iran wishes to de-escalate the conflict.
    “They’d like to talk, but they should have done that before. I had 60 days, and they had 60 days, and on the 61st day, I said, ‘We don’t have a deal.’ They have to make a deal, and it’s painful for both parties, but I’d say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk, and they should talk immediately, before it’s too late,” he said as he met with Carney.
    Trump issued a two-month ultimatum this spring for Iran to strike a nuclear deal or face consequences. On Friday — day 61 — Israel launched unprecedented strikes on Iran, targeting its nuclear program and military leaders.
    …

    Deal maker my ass. Fucking pussy.

  44. Making the intertubes is that krasnov is leaving Canada and returning to the dictator home. Questions about why are floating around. My question is if he knows where he is at anytime.

  46. lol i googled “Steve Bannon” to show someone a picture of his alcohol ravaged face, and Google has a informative blurbs that show at top of page for prominent figures when their names are queried, and for him, under “spouses” there are three women’s names and then it says (+2)

    😆

  47. Adolf is going to have the US go to war with Israel…without congressional approval, of course.

    BB – That’s why he’s leaving Canada; to get us into a war. Wish they’d keep him.

    Now he’ll never get that peace prize.

    Can we please impeach the entire administration?

  48. https://www.newsweek.com/tulsi-gabbard-iran-nuclear-weapon-2051523

    Speaking before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Gabbard stated that the intelligence community “continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003.”

    According to Gabbard, U.S. intelligence agencies believe that while Iran has expanded its uranium stockpile, it has not taken steps toward assembling a nuclear weapon. She also noted, that Iran’s enriched uranium reserves are at an extreme level for a nation without nuclear weapons, raising concerns among international observers.

    *This was less than 3 months ago.

Comments are closed.

Join the Trail Mix

Get an alert when Craig goes live, and the link when our Open Thread heats up.