From several days ago, while reporting on having their legal idiocy regarding the constitutionality of "COVID jails" kicked to the curb, Rebel commander and Obergruppenfuhrer Ezra Levant openly admitted:
"not completely unexpected?" This is a far cry from Rebel's typically shrieking hyperbole about a shocking, appalling travesty of justice, or what have you.
This was followed by Alberta bureau chief and Miss Red Deer Farm Implement of 2009 Sheila Gunn Reid making the same tepid concession regarding the case of cafe owner Chris Scott:
If one didn't know better, one might think that the legal powerhouses behind all of this crowdfunding knew from the beginning that they were on shaky ground, but when you have a following with bulging wallets and minimal critical thinking ability, well ... you can finish that train of thought.
2 comments:
I think the only thing "bulging" in their followers isn't their wallets ... the details are left to the readers' imagination ...
There's a closed, self-contained little fiscal ecosystem at work here. I think I now understand how it works:
- Rebel sucks up cash, either directly or through the "Democracy Fund", which issues charitable receipts
- Democracy fund issues grants to the Rebel. I would speculate the money is doled out under several agreements, each focused on one of the "Fund's" four objectives. For example, staffing and salaries could be funded under Objective 2; the newly promoted/hired millennials become are "learning" media skills, the old farts are now "mentors" providing "professional development". This would allows for multiple, smaller grants, avoiding the appearance of a single slush-fund style contribution.
- Once Rebel operating costs and salaries are covered, I would guess that lawyers cherry pick the cases they're going to take on. I would imagine criteria for case election include profile (obviously "pastors" willing to squawk, writhe and otherwise play the public martyr would be a priority), winnability (fairly sure they looks for easy wins on procedural grounds, like any ambulance chaser, in order to build up their roster of "victories", and profit margin (I imagine the number of cases they take on is calculated on the basis of how much free cash is available to ensure their required margin of profit on time for the case).
This is all just speculation, of course. Normally a massive fundraising effort like this would publish funding targets, progress toward those targets, ACTUAL outcomes and outputs achieved, and a breakdown of where the money actually went. Until the Rebel adopts some ethical fundraising principles and a little transparency, we're all in the dark.
The one thing that remains opaque to me is the identify of the major donors. The Rebel's readership seems to consist of not-very-bright trailer park denizens, retirees, and basement dwelling trolls - not the most prosperous target market. And of course, Ezra has strong and old ties to the oil and tobacco industries, and to the various Paleo-conservative pustules in the provincial and federal parties. But I can't figure out what any of them have to gain by channeling money through donations to the Rebel, unless it's the tax write-off - and they'd get more PR mileage (PLUS the charitable receipt) for a contribution to a bona fide charity.
Theories??
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