* “Canadians have the right to protest … and to make their voices heard. (But not) the right to blockade our economy, or our democracy, or our fellow citizens’ daily lives.”–Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on the “Freedom Convoy” of truckers that has obstructed and halted traffic on the Ambassador Bridge, which spans the Detroit River and links Ontario and Detroit. It began as a protest against U.S. and Canadian rules that require cross-border truckers to be fully vaccinated.
* “(Give police) the tools, the training, the funding to be partners, to be protectors.”–President Joe Biden.
* “I hope the truckers do come to America, and I hope they clog up cities.”–Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
* “Support for and opposition to public health measures often span the political spectrum. … The idea of not wearing a seat belt as a political statement, a common occurrence in the 1980s, now seems absurd.”–Erica Westly, Washington Post.
* “Civility is a symbol of the behaviors that must be revived if we’re going to make American democracy work again.”–Nicholas Goldberg, Los Angeles Times.
* “Today, more laws, caucuses, rallies and hard-right movements use the language of ‘freedom’ as a cudgel to erode democratic governance and civil rights; these laws expand the creep of authoritarianism.”–Elizabeth Anker, the author of “Ugly Freedoms.”
* “It’s very clear to me that the people fighting against Critical Race Theory have no idea what it is.”–UCF Sociology Professor Jonathan Cox.
* “We (are supposed to) forget that George Washington was a slave owner, or that Thomas Jefferson had mulatto children … and simply remember the things we regard as creditable and inspiring.”–W.E.B. Du Bois.
* “If we want to save American education, the first step should be obvious. Let teachers teach.”–Leonard Pitts, Miami Herald.
* “The most powerful advantage of money is the ability to think of things besides money. That’s what money does. It frees your mind for living.”–Tara Westover, author of the memoir “Educated.”
* “We would rather people not be in the military than place other service members at risk.”–Amy Powell, an attorney for the Department of Justice, in underscoring the government’s position that service members must take the vaccine or face discipline. She is part of a case playing out in a Tampa federal courtroom over military officers refusing the vaccine for religious reasons.
* “The notion that your teaching can consist entirely of objective facts that are themselves subject to debate makes no sense to professional historians.”–FSU associate history professor Will Hanley, a member of the American Historical Association.
* “We think Tampa is a major-league market, and we want to find a solution that makes the club economically viable in that market. … We do have a sense of urgency with respect to the Tampa situation.”–MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.
* “The real worry right now is you don’t want to be buying near the peak of the (real estate) market. But that’s where I think you’re at in Tampa.”–FAU real estate economist Ken Johnson.
* “We simply can’t arrest our way out of the problem. That doesn’t work. But you can also be assured that we will be holding the most violent offenders accountable for their actions.”–Mary O’Connor, Tampa’s new police chief.
* “This is the good stuff, guys. This is the one you fight over.”–Bill Cronin, president and CEO of the Pasco Economic Development Council, on announced plans by Amazon to build a $150 million, 500,00-square-foot distribution facility that will provide 500 new jobs.