The CTF decided to bring it's National Debt Clock to the Conservative Convention this past weekend to remind the Tories that they are still borrowing $1, 024 a second. While that message was warmly welcomed by a large fiscal-conservative and libertarian component of the convention, not everyone took so kindly to the friendly reminder.

Someone with a less than thick skin notified the Ottawa Police of a "suspicious vehicle" outside of the Convention Centre, setting in motion a low-speed police chase. Hijinks ensued.

The CTF was ordered by Officer Trudeau (that was actually his name) to remove the Debt Clock from the area, something that we did not comply with until a massive police flatbed showed up to tow it. Before speeding off however, police thoroughly searched the Debt Clock for bombs, sniffing it with dogs and scanning it with an assortment of Star Trek-like devices.

Caught on film, the police tow truck followed the National Debt Clock around downtown Ottawa in hot pursuit for an hour in stop-and-go traffic. Without being allowed to park quietly, the Debt Clock turned its mission to slowly circling the Convention Centre. This 1 KM/H police chase ended after an unmarked police car took over the pursuit and detained the Debt Clock for half an hour. The reason given was that the police had reports of a "suspicious vehicle." This was a suspicious cause for detainment considering that the Debt Clock had already been given a pat-down that should have allowed it through airport security.

After milling about with 3-4 officers for half-an-hour and running meaningless checks on the vehicle to ensure that the Debt Clock wasn't stolen, it was finally released. I promptly resumed circling the Convention Centre.

A similar set of events took place on the second day of the convention with the Debt Clock being detained yet again, ostensibly because it was slowing traffic. This was a curious reason for police action, considering that radical-leftists led by their new Senate page celebrity blocked entire streets off to protest the "Harper-agenda", where they burned the Prime Minister in effigy.

To the police and perhaps a few not-so-fiscally conservative convention goers, law-abiding researchers driving a Debt Clock was the real threat.