Communiqué from the Resistance

Dear Editor,

Canada is involved in an immoral and unjust war in Afghanistan. Our politicians are lying to us. The priorities for the placement of Canadian troops are corrupt. The UN has not legitimized this war. The resources attributed to war reflect the priorities of war profiteers. Most Canadians are not in support of the war. Many Canadian soldiers are from working class families, one reason that they take this job is to pay for their education. In 1919 the returning soldiers of the Canadian military recognized their rightful position in solidarity with the working class, and they operated on the side of the striking workers, but times have changed. War profiteering is killing us all. Is there no profit from promoting peace? From stopping genocide? The Canadian military is not being sent to Darfur, despite the humanitarian urgency of the situation. Purportedly, Canada is not applying the military to this continuing crisis because our troops are spread too thinly in Afghanistan. The War on Terror is destructive. This war is sowing the seeds of dissension for generations to come. The military enacts a disproportionate effect on the poor owing to the the destabilization of governments for the expansion of transnational markets. The resistance to Exercise Charging Bison believes Canada should be involved in neither Afghanistan nor Haiti (nor embedded with American troops in Iraq). We do not want Canadian troops dying in immoral and unjust wars! The resistance to Exercise Charging Bison began many months ago, when citizens of Winnipeg first saw the news that the operation would be conducted. The Charter, not the military, gives us our rights. We do not want soldiers, or anybody else, to be brainwashed or obey authorities without question. Internationally, there are many ways to address humanitarian concerns (poverty and deprivation, for example) and security. Militarism is not an appropriate response. The more viable alternatives, which are less expensive, involve the enabling of community based nonviolent groups. We question the legitimacy of the coverage given Exercise Charging Bison. Wasn't Winnipeg signatory to World Mayors For Peace? Where was the mayor on May Day? We object to the constant referal by the mainstream media to the resistance as uninformed. We chose public action because of the importance of these issues, and the lack of public consultation and accessible information. Sincerely, The Resistance to Charging Bison