"Red Friday", support troops by supporting God!

The following is a letter to the editor of my local paper- "The Brandon Sun" about a new "Red Friday" campaign, wherein certain Canadians are callling for Canadians to support our troops in Afghanistan by wearing red every Friday, the article I read said specifically the following :

"A growing Internet campaign is calling on all Canadians to voice a love for God, country and home by wearing something red every Friday."{from the "Brandon Sun" May 05/06, page 2}.

I was suspiciuos of the movites and intentions of this thing so I wrote the letter below:

{Quote;The Very Irreverand Bill"/}
Regarding "Red Friday Campaign" article{May 05/06}.

On first inspection, this campaign will seem to many to be nice and supportive of the troops. But on deeper thought, it reveals that many Canadians wish to be clones of the U.S., whom our soldiers are risking their lives and dying for in Afghanistan, when our soldiers should'nt even be there, or at least should "no longer" be there. 9/11 was 5 years ago, the Taliban was removed right after that when the U.S. sought vengeance and justice for the crime committed on 3000 innocent American civilians. However, America could've took their own vengeance and took out the Taliban on their own, they participated in that and than left it up to us to clean up their mess. Five years later our troops are still risking their lives in Afghanistan, this is no longer simply a peace keeping mission, but occupation{one that puts our soldiers lives at needless risk}, it's time for our troops to be pulled out of there.


What I find disturbing about the "Red Friday Campaign", is that it's apparently founded upon few scary things that should not be mixed together and then deceptively packaged as "troop support". These things mixed are nationalism/patriotism, war,capitalist anti-socialist/communist political extremes, and religious fanaticism. Yes, religious fanatacism. The article states that the call is for God and country. This is particularly disturbing because of a growing trend happening in Canada to become America junior or Americas clone, this all started when the Conservative gov't came into power and is planning to mess w/gay rights at some point for the religious right and we have PM Stephen Harper acting like the U.S. President, irresponsibly playing favoritism w/Judeo-Christianity and monothiesm by saying "God bless Canada" at the end of speeches and whatnot. This "Red Friday Campaign" seems to be further indication of a social-political move amongst Canadian right-wingers to mix God and patriotism, and to scapegoat our soldiers for their religious and nationalistic arrogances. Seriuisly, if I were in the army and were stationed in Afghanistan against my wil-or even willingly, I as a nontheist would find it incredibly insulting to see my country turn into U.S. Jr. in this fashion, and to have my life which is at risk there beeing used by religious nationalists to promote their God and their nationalism.


Yes, I too do support our troops, our soldiers, and like American leftists I am showing my support by rather than participating in mindless religiously fueled pseudo-patriotism campaigns using the soldiers lives to promote such, I as a supporter of our troops will say what many Americans are saying to their leaders- "Bring our troops home, out of wars that they should not be in, or at least should NO LONGER be involved in; quit risking their lives for nationalistic and western stupidities and hypocrisies" .


I would'nt be opposed to this "Red Friday" campaign if it were not for the obviuos U.S. style religious right mixed with nationalism and capitalism sentiments laced in the rhetoric. Why even include "God" in this campaign? What does the monotheistic "God" have to do w/this? If someone wants to support our troops by calling for them to be brought home{as these soldiers wives should be dooing} or even if they support the troops beeing there- that's one thing, but to throw the monotheistic "God" into the mix, this means that like in the U.S.-unless you believe in "God" you will be considered less patriotic, this rhetoric of mixing "God" in there is a precurosor to such stupidity happening. Frankly, how is this any different than saying that the call is to "Voice a love for Zeus, country and home"? There IS no difference? Keep your personal faiths to yourselves and don't act as if to imply that Canada is a christian nation and that all the troops believe in your monotheistic "God"{or any god period}? This should be a wake-up call to Canadian rationalists of various types, Canadian non-monotheists and non-theists, Canadian liberal theists, to see how the Christian right and monotheistic right wish to slowly subvert and infiltrate our nation w/their theologically based values and biases, much like has happenned in the U.S., and the ultimate end will be the same repression and demoniation of those they deem unworthy of pure equality such as "Gays, atheists/non-theists of other kinds, Witches,etc,etc" just as has happenned in the U.S. If we don't sayand do something about this subversion, history will repeat itself and the whole of North America will slowly head into the era of Christian superstition, demonizations and oppressions, once again.

If this campaign must take place, then please support our troops by calling for them to be brough home, or at least stop throwing the monotheistic "God" into the mix w/your patriotism, thereby insulting all non-theistic soldiers serving in Afgnanistan and risking their lives so you can subversevely impose theological ideas on everyone whom does'nt share those ideals{this is not what they are fighting for}, soldiers have fought and died so that we can remain a country of TRUE Freedom "of" religions and freedom FROM religions both, TRUE social/political equality. This also turns it into an "Us VS. Them" religious war of "Christians/Judeo-Christians vs. the Muslims and everyone else". Is this what we want? And do you all want a culture war of Christianity/Monotheism vs. everyone else, like the one in the U.S.? Because if this is your aim, it could ugly, so stop it before it does. Because some of us are ready to stand up to the subversion. Yes, this subversion has begun since Stephen Harpers Conservatives got into power, there is a slow and steady trend towards Americanism and towards Christian arrogance beeing shoved into uor faces socially and politically, it became especially apparent once Harper started blessing Canada at speeches in the name of Zeus...er..I mean Bible/monotheistic God; and now with this steadily growing in popularity "Red Friday" campaign mixing this same "God" with national patriotism{and implying patriotism requires a love of a Monotheistic God} and acting like it is out of love for our troops, I'm not buying it people. I'm sure these soldiers wives and families DO love their loved ones whom are risking their lives in Afgnanistan, so they should realize that our troops no longer belong there anymore and they should instead begin calling on our gov't to bring their loved ones home from needless danger, rather than keeping mainly silent about this and acting like in ordert to support our troops we must support the place and battle they are in; because frankly they DON'T belong in Afganistan anymore fighting risking their butts on behalf of America which has consistently showed itself irresponsible and unworthy of our support in the Mid-East since Bush got ahem...cough...elected.


I'm not opposed to the "Red Friday" campaign in and of itself, so long as myths and theology/religion are kept sepeate from the campaign itself, and the campaign is instead used to call on our gov't to bring the troops back home out of Afghanistan and send em to a place where the can make a better impact rather than help eventually prop up a pseudo-democratic Muslim theocracy-which WILL be the outcome, just pull them out for lifes sake, they should'nt be there anymore. I urge readers to not buy into this American style faith/christian based pseudo-patriotism. It's more about theology and nationalism than about "pure" troop/soliders support{yes, that is "part" of it, but it should be ALL that it is about, not second to theology and nationalism}.


One last thing, I want to call on all rational Canadians to call on our gov't to remove the Monotheistic Gods special privelage in our Chrater of rightss and freedoms, for so long as the opening of the Charter reads "Founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God{monotheistic} and rule of law"{w/the God supremacy part noted first and foremost"}-then the Christian/monotheistic right will always be able to seek and recieve special recognition and privelages and subvert everyone else. Frankly, what the Charter says may as well say "Founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of Zeus and rule of law"-because in both cases, it's about myth and superstition and is not based on facts.


Thank you "Brandon Sun" for printing and thank you fellow Westman residents for considering my thoughts on this matter.
As always,
In Reason:
Bill Baker
Brandon
{Unquote/}

In Reason:
The very irreverand Bill