A Coyne Tossed in the ...

 

I was a little startled to see Andrew Coyne absent without explanation from CBC’s latest “At Issue” segment. I had been keen in seeing his take on the last week’s truckers’ protest, given his uncharacteristic emotional outburst the previous week. I was shocked at the time—I had always respected Coyne for his failure to play rhetorical tricks, to appeal to emotions or to prejudice, always cooly and fairly analyzing the issue at hand. The Coyne I saw last week seemed someone else: grim, angry, and full of insults.

But then, almost immediately, I thought I should have expected it.

Note that the tone of the panel in general has shifted: from mocking the truckers to complaining about Trudeau and the government. They realize which way the wind is blowing. In the past, it has been notable that members of the panel never radically disagree. They seem to decide among themselves beforehand what the line will be, and during the taped segment always basically reinforce one another.

It was the same this time, and the fact that what they were saying was close to the opposite of what they were saying last week did not seem to bother the panelists. But Coyne had always been an honest guy, a man of principle. It may have been too much for him.

Especially since I suspect Coyne knowingly sold his soul to the devil last time, going along with the agreed-upon line although knowing it was wrong, although it tore at his soul. He now cannot face the cameras as he finds himself having sold out just to immediately find himself visibly on the wrong side. It would be like standing there naked, with visible boils and cankers.

He may be having an emotional crisis. Indeed, in retrospect, there are signs he was having an emotional crisis last week.

Looking again now at the last panel, Coyne’s facial expressions are disturbing. He usually smiles every now and then. Last week, he looked resolutely grim. He was oddly blinking constantly. Experts say that rapid blinking indicates someone is lying. Coyne was saying things that he knew were not true. His failure to smile showed he was not happy about what he was saying. His tone of anger was probably chanelling his own anger and inner turmoil about selling out. He also seemed to have developed a nervous tic, his head every now and then suddenly jerking in an unnatural way. Watch and decide.

I find this sad. Coyne was a good guy. He sold out, got woke, and got broke.

This is a time that tries men’s souls. Many will fail the test. Many will fall by the wayside.

This week:

Last week:

You decide...