The Great Unravelling — Why Democracy Failed, and How to Fix It.

Also available on Amazon.

An Essay by Julius Ruechel

(If you prefer an ad-free reading experience and would like to support my independent writing, this essay is also available as an e-book or in paperback on Amazon #CommissionsEarned.)

~

To the shining 'City on the Hill', in the hope that it may be renewed to inspire us all once again.

~

Introduction

"The countries concerned were compelled to abandon their tried and proven system, and replace it with the Western democratic system. Everywhere it has been implemented it has resulted in disaster and the complete antithesis of what was anticipated. The result was one man, one vote — once." 

— Ian Smith, the last prime minister of Rhodesia before it became Zimbabwe.

Universal suffrage and progressive governance (social engineering) were promoted as benevolent ways to create a fairer, more just, and kinder world. Like so many utopian fairytales designed to put an end to abusive systems of the past, these alleged solutions to the shortcomings of older hierarchical democratic systems seemed unquestionably sensible and profoundly moral — at least in theory. 

Everyone gets a voice. And those in need are given a helping hand by a government that puts its thumb on the scales if and when the need arises. Anyone in polite society who failed to enthusiastically endorse these two noble-sounding ideas clearly lacked a brain and a heart. And so, the entire post-WWII democratic foundations of the Western world have been built on these two untouchable philosophical foundations. And, by hook or by crook, the moral West immediately set out to spread their modernizing democratic update to the rest of the world.

Some of the first signs that this updated version of democracy might not live up to expectations emerged in Africa. As Rhodesia's recalcitrant prime minister Ian Smith pointed out as he tried in vain to resist the West's "update" from spreading to his country, the rapid transition to the Western democratic system immediately and invariably led to authoritarian disasters wherever it was introduced. 

Once Britain, the United States, and other Western countries adopted a policy of pressuring non-Western countries to replace their existing systems of governance with "modern, inclusive, progressive democratic systems" (in which the ballot box was suddenly thrown wide open to one and all), one country after another across the whole of the African continent was systematically plunged into a rapidly escalating spiral of violence and plunder as various communists and socialists used the ballot box to seize power, proclaim themselves as king in all but name, and then weaponized their democratic institutions in a ruthless effort to hold on to that power forever. It amounted to revolutionary regime change, facilitated by the ballot box, and was immediately followed by the entrenchment of a kleptocratic one-party state masquerading as a democracy.

I'm Back! Personal Update and Book Announcement! (Plunderers of the Earth)

Link to Amazon
#CommissionsEarned

When the world is burning, the hardest thing of all is to resist the paralyzing urge to fixate on the flames. Somewhere in between the two extremes of either burying one’s head in the sand or losing oneself in outrage at the senselessness of it all lies the middle path that is forged by focusing our energies on the things within our control.  

Even the myths passed down to us by our forefathers warn us about this — as the wicked biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were engulfed in fiery destruction, Lot and his family were saved because they kept their eyes on the path that led them away from the chaos. But as they fled, Lot's wife turned to look back at the infernal cities as they were consumed by a rain of burning sulfur and was promptly transformed into a pillar of salt.

In 2022, my wife and I put the bright lights of Ottawa in our rearview mirror and moved back to our familiar stomping grounds near the family farm in B.C.’s North Okanagan region. After ejecting the furry four-legged rodents infesting our new walls, renovating to remove all traces of their destruction, updating the building, and bringing order to all the chaos that comes with settling into a new home and a new life, I finally recovered the headspace to write. 

I expected my first writing project to keep me “offline” for a couple of months, but as the tangled threads of the story I set out to tell grew ever more complex, a few months quickly turned into two years. 

"Words From the Dead" — How to Lift Society from the Ashes of Postmodernism (plus an important book recommendation)

The Harrowing of Hell, by a follower of
Hieronymus Bosch, c. 1450-1516

One of the most destabilizing aspects of the chaos of the past few years is that the pillars of society—our democratic and academic institutions, along with our courts, media, police, doctors, corporate giants, and thought leaders—have not only been unable to resist the postmodern deconstruction of society but have become active perpetrators in a war on reality that is turning classical liberal democracy into a grotesque parody of itself. 

How did the institutions that were meant to prevent civilized society from devolving into a barbarian free-for-all become the drivers of the current descent into madness? How do we wake society from a nightmare in which nothing is sacred, freedom is blasphemy, and roosters are laying eggs... when society merely shrugs its shoulders in resignation?

It's time to take a deep dive into the myths, stories, and grand narratives that bind society together in order to understand why society is unravelling and how we can put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

A Brave New World Without Rights: Ending Mandates Does Not Strip Government of the Ability to Do This Again

There is something important missing from the conversation surrounding the end of mandates. If the mandates are simply dropped today without calling out the underlying legal and ethical fallacy that was used to justify them, government overreach will have become normalized. We will be left without the legal protections to stop them from doing this to us again. All it will take to put us back in a cage is for the government to point at the next wave, the next virus variant, or the next non-Covid emergency. We will have normalized that our rights, our freedoms, our bodily autonomy, and even access to our lives are conditional privileges, subject to opinion polls and technocratic impulses, and that they can be withdrawn again at any time, “for our safety.”

Our Side of the Story: My Autonomy is Not Negotiable, My Country Is Not An 'Opportunity for a Reset'

This essay is an urgent appeal to all the politicians, public health officials, policemen, judges, doctors, journalists, and to every single person in Canada and all around the world who continues to support mandatory public health measures, vaccine mandates, and coercion. I would like to give you a complete picture of what is at stake, from my perspective, so you can judge my concerns by my own words and not through the distorted words of our mainstream media. 

For two straight years the world has only heard your side of the debate. Please take the time to hear ours. Please recognize what you are doing, what you are breaking, the illiberal world you are creating, acknowledge the way in which you are using the pandemic as an opportunity to rewrite the economic and legal underpinnings of our society, and address the elephant in the room: are any of your heavy-handed measures actually achieving anything other than to destroy the fabric of society?

Although this essay barely scratches the surface of all that has happened, I hope it may provide an accurate overview of the enormity of what has happened over these past two years and serve as the first step towards a long-overdue conversation.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas from Nursing Home Patients Who Won't See Another One

Once again, families are being prevented from visiting loved ones in some nursing homes in Ontario - only essential workers are allowed in. Why? One of the excuses this year is that there's a shortage of rapid tests so they are unable to screen all visitors.

But why is there a shortage of rapid tests? As usual, there's more to the story than the headlines would suggest.

Democracy in America: The Devil's Bargain, the Bear in the Cage, and the Doorway to Freedom

Once upon a time there was a bear kept in captivity in a small cage. The caged and abused bear spent most of its life restlessly patrolling the perimeter of its cage. Then one day rescuers came and removed the cage. Yet the bear continued to patrol the perimeter of the cage, never stepping outside of its boundaries, which now existed only in its mind.

I used to think this was made-up story to illustrate an important psychological point. Sadly, it was a true story, and it wasn't an isolated case. On January 29th, 2021, Zenger News reported a story about another bear called Ina, which spent 20 years in a tiny cage in a zoo in Romania. In 2014 she was rescued and released onto a wildlife reserve. Seven years later, out in the woods, she still spends many days simply pacing around in a circle, which corresponds exactly to the dimensions of the no longer existent cage. The cage defined her world for so long that she cannot properly comprehend life without it.

Society is that bear. We speak the language of freedom. Yet we use government to wrap ourselves in the chains of yesteryear.

A New Tool and a New Strategy To Win Hearts and Minds — Book Announcement

Available now on Amazon in paperback, large print, hardcover, and e-book #CommissionsEarned

Other than the few rare individuals who saw through the hysteria from day one, we have all rescued ourselves from the clutches of fear by following a cookie crumb trail of our own questions back to sanity. Covid hysteria is built on a foundation of sand. Once someone begins to have doubts, the official narrative practically unravels under its own weight.

But the True Believers are doing everything they can to insulate themselves from anything that conflicts with the propaganda being peddled on the 6 o'clock news. Doubt and uncertainty are threatening and lead to uncomfortable questions about those in whom they've placed their trust. So, they are working hard to protect their information bubble, which provides them with an illusion of safety. We must work to plant seeds of doubt inside the bubble they are trying so hard to defend. 

But how do we reach the hearts and minds of friends, family members, and colleagues who put their fingers in their ears and run away, or turn on us with hostility when we begin asking uncomfortable questions? How do we get those who are enforcing the tyranny - our local police officers, local health officials, local politicians, and increasingly also employers in businesses and institutions - to confront the immorality of oppressing others? How do we get them all to look at the government's own official data to show them that there is no basis whatsoever for this medical tyranny?

A Glimmer of Hope: Crisis Brewing In the Ranks As More Police Officers Stand Up To Say "NO". Tyranny Collapses If Enough People Refuse to Participate

I recently shared the story of Constable Gilvesy's personal pushback against vaccine mandates in the Toronto Police Services. Momentum is building. Courage begets courage. Something big is brewing.

A number of active members of the Niagara Police Department have formed a group called the Niagara Regional Police United for Human Rights. They, along with some members of the Ontario Provincial Police, fire fighters, and medics are standing up against vaccine mandates in Canada on behalf of all Canadians. 

They have released the following public statement: "Niagara: We stand behind you. We stand beside you. And if you need us to, we will stand in front of you [emphasis mine]. Discrimination has no place in Niagara, Ontario, or Canada. We took an oath to uphold the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and respect everyone in this Country which thrives in diversity and inclusivity. We hear you, and we are here for ALL of you." 

They need our support.

Under the Shadow of Damocles' Sword: Forcing Employers to Put Their Fingerprints on Tyranny (an update on Constable Adrienne Gilvesy's fight against mandatory vaccination)

This post is an update on Constable Adrienne Gilvesy's fight against the Toronto Police Services' mandatory vaccination requirement. As a follow-up to the letter she sent on August 28th, which I recently published on my website (An Example of Courageous Pushback For Those Facing Vaccine Mandates in the Workplace), she has now filed an official misconduct complaint with the Toronto Police Service Professional Standards Unit against her Chief of Police, Chief James Ramer, for various provincial and criminal code offences.

If found guilty, Chief Ramer could face time in prison. And, theoretically, so could any other superior with whom she lodges her complaints if they knowingly allow a criminal injustice to continue. "Just doing my job" is not a legal defense. "Just turning a blind eye" also doesn't stand up in court when it's their job to investigate a problem. Once the complaint is filed, those with the responsibility to investigate that complaint are drawn into this fight. She is forcing everyone off the sidelines by making them decide which side of the legal line they want to stand on. This is as real as it gets.

I have reproduced her complaint (with permission) for you below. But first I'd like to take a moment to explain the enormous implications of what she is doing. If enough people follow in her footsteps, NOW, to build momentum behind what she is doing, she is creating a spark that has the potential to trigger a massive institutional crisis that pits the lower levels of our institutions against the upper crust. 

An Example of Courageous Pushback for Those Facing Vaccine Mandates in the Workplace

This letter/legal notification was sent by Police Constable Adrienne Gilvesy (a member of the Toronto Police Service) to her Chief of Police in response to mandatory vaccination and mandatory COVID testing requirements. 

I am posting it here with her permission and for your benefit. Never flinch. Be informed about the law. And call an employment lawyer. 

Adrienne, thank you for allowing me to make your letter public! I hope your courage inspires many others to take a stand for their rights. Creating an unstoppable flood begins with a single drop.

The Digital Speakeasy: Episode 1 - The Inmates Are Running the Asylum

For many of us, the past 18 months have been among the hardest of our lives. The isolation, the shunning, and the sense of betrayal as our loved ones lose themselves to this mass hysteria and as our right to think and speak freely is smothered by righteous busybodies. There is a grey filthy fog that has descended over everything.

But the human spirit does not tolerate being chained for long – it will always find new ways to carve out pockets of freedom. Sadness must give way to smiles. Isolation must give way to new beginnings. Silence must give way to the chatter of fresh voices and to the uncensored laughter that renews the soul. 

So, it’s time to revive the speakeasy, updated for the digital age.

Gambling With Our Liberty: Two New Interviews with Julius Ruechel

I recently did two interviews that I wanted to share with you, each with a very different focus:

Calling the Silent Good People (24 min): On August 16th, I was interviewed by Marta Gameiro of Pandata.org. We discussed practical hands-on solutions to wake people out of their mass hysteria, but equally important, how to motivate the silent good people who see what’s going on to break their silence (link to the interview on Odysee.com).

Struggle for Human Liberty Despite the Fear (58 min): On August 18th, I was invited onto the Dr. Peter Breggin Hour. Dr. Breggin and I had a free-wheeling conversation about the philosophical roots and historical forces that gave rise to our Western democracies and the cultural war we must wage in order to stop this authoritarian re-imagining of society (link to the interview on Brighteon.com)

The Psychology of Fear: Interview with Julius Ruechel, by Russ Cooper of the Canadian Citizens for Charter Rights & Freedoms

Major Russ Cooper (Retired) of Canadian Citizens for Charter Rights and Freedoms (C3RF) sat down with me to discuss the psychology of fear and the history of constitutional rights in Canada. We covered a broad range of topics including: 

• how to negotiate with a government that refuses to debate,

• why the government is impervious to data,

• sharing the cost of persecution,

• wild horses and the slice-by-slice strategy that tyrants use to prey on individual rights and freedoms,

• 1980 - the year that inalienable rights and freedoms in Canada became conditional upon government approval,

• societies built around individual rights vs the greater good,

• why the US Founding Fathers didn't believe in political parties, and then all joined one anyway.

The full interview is available to watch on their website (scroll down through their blog post to find the embedded video):

Roadmap to Freedom: An Interview with Julius Ruechel, by Kate Wand

A big thank you to Kate Wand for this fantastic interview!

We discussed liberty, philosophy, and politics in the context of my latest essay, The Emperor Has No Clothes, and delve into why the silent good people must break their silence in order to safeguard our liberal democracy against tyrants who prey upon our rights and freedoms. 

Julius Ruechel Interviewed by Major Russ Cooper (retired) of Canadian Citizens for Charter Rights and Freedoms

I was recently interviewed by Major Russ Cooper (retired) with Canadian Citizens For Charter Rights and Freedoms. We covered a broad range of topics including, deaths inside vs outside government-controlled settings, vaccine odds, why science has become subservient to politics, why models are appropriate as a tool for studying the past but not for forecasting the future, and the silver lining of COVID: a reawakening of public consciousness about how science is meant to work.

The full interview is available to watch on their website (scroll down through their blog post to find the embedded video):

Julius Ruechel Interviewed on the Trish Wood Podcast: The COVID Lies Exposed by the Numbers

Episode 57 of the Trish Wood Podcast: Investigative Writer Julius Ruechel

What if just about everything you believe about COVID-19 is wrong? 

Investigative Writer Julius Ruechel makes a strong case that most deadly outbreaks were institutional and the fault of governments, and that lockdowns were for nothing and worked as a misdirection.

You can listen to the full interview here, or click on the image to be taken directly to her podcast:

Julius Ruechel Interviewed by Vaccine Choice Canada: Exposing the Pandemic Lies & the Roots of CV-19 Hysteria

I was recently interviewed by Vaccine Choice Canada to discuss the deception during the Covid-19 pandemic and the broader changes happening in society that created fertile ground for the current hysteria to take root. We covered a broad range of topics including: 

• the gradual philosophical shift in the Western world from a society built around respect for individual rights to a society focused on optimizing the "greater good" for the majority at any cost,

• why we have lost the culture of restraint that used to put limits on our authoritarian natural impulses,

• why transparency, evidence, and debate no longer serve as checks and balances in both science and democracy,

• and the cultural battle that needs to be won to get society to re-embrace the values, principles, and responsibilities that underpin a free society.

You can watch the full interview on Bitchute and on Rumble, or in the embedded window below:

"Why Can’t They Just Attend Church Over Zoom?" - Sacrificing Essential Liberty to Purchase a Little Temporary Safety

Throughout the pandemic, churches have emerged as a persistent flash point between public health mandates and constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms. As time goes on, the government has turned to increasingly authoritarian measures to browbeat churches into compliance.

Yet far from sparking a public outcry, there is a disturbing consensus of opinion, repeated endlessly by politicians, the media, and the frightened public, that these pastors and their church attendees are selfish and dangerous, and have brought this authoritarian hammer on to themselves. “Why can’t they just attend Church over Zoom?”

Who's in Charge? The Rule Makers, Power Brokers, and Influencers of Lockdown Wonderland

Is this the third lockdown to end all lockdowns, or the fourth? How many layers of masks do I need to wear to buy groceries today? And why is it safe to buy a cup of coffee at Costco, but not at the coffee shop?

We no longer live in a liberal democracy grounded in evidence-based policymaking, logic, and human rights. We've fallen down some kind of rabbit hole into a hellish nonsensical Wonderland where the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the Queen of Hearts are making the rules.

We can argue at length about why this nightmare began and who nudged the ball to get the panic rolling. But the more important question at this stage of the game is: Who's in charge now, today? Who has the authority to make this nightmare stop?

To answer those questions, I'm going to take you on a little tour down the rabbit hole to show you the tangled web of rule makers, power brokers, and influencers that are propping up this never-ending Hellscape. As the layers peel away, the more bizarre the story gets. And the answers that emerge are going to make your head spin. Nothing in this Wonderland is quite as it seems.