Last Wednesday, a day after CBC TV’s nightly news program, The National, aired a segment about right-wing Christians infiltrating the government, party representatives fired out a press memo accusing the national broadcaster of waging a culture war against the Tories. The news story was pegged to the release of a new book, Marci McDonald’s The Armageddon Factor: The Rise of Christian Nationalism in Canada (Random House Canada), which discusses the Conservatives’ ties to evangelicals and the Christian nationalist movement.
“Last night’s dominant CBC story – a full eight minutes in length – featured an attack on the religious affiliation of some Government members and supporters,” reads the memo. “Apparently the CBC thinks it newsworthy that some Conservative Ministers and MPs practise their faith. Even more scandalous, some members of the Prime Minister’s Office go to church!”
Though the memo never mentions the book or its author by name, McDonald, a former bureau chief for Maclean’s in Paris and Washington, feels it was a slight to her as much as to the network. But, she says, because her book is a work of independent journalism, it would have looked too suspicious to point a finger at her.
“Indirectly, I guess the intention was to intimidate me. I can’t imagine they were thrilled at my book,” says McDonald, who first read about the memo on the blog of Globe and Mailcolumnist and Ottawa correspondent Jane Taber. “It’s hard to take on just straight reportage without asserting that there’s something wrong…. I think it was convenient they could hit at the CBC.”
While not having been an activist for gay rights, I’ve observed the chronology for the same length of time as Tom Warner. I’m sure we had similar backgrounds , with me being from Manitoba.I went west to Vancouver , & also lived in California for 8 1/2 years(San Diego).The fact that there’s been such a reaction by the usual variants of the religious right to the book & author ; shows that she hit a raw nerve , & has the colossal gall to tell things that are , …well , ….truthful.As a less than articulate commoner, I’ve found that nothing gets me turfed from Conservative religious websites quicker than pointing out ( with respectful rhetoric , mind you)that it is self evident that their opposition to same-sex marriage has had little to do with nuptials & everything to do with their entrenched opposition to our very existence.Their endeavors , after all; predate SSM by decades.The marriage thing simply gave them a more diplomatic vehicle in which to shelter their unfettered hatred & bigotry.It’s so much easier, I’d imagine; to rant & rave ancient verses from their policy & procedure manual aka the bible ; than go out & feed the hungry, house the homeless , care for the indigent , & possibly soil the new carpeting in the split level in Calgary or Abbotsford.I believe that Marci Macdonald has done a great service to ; not any particular segment of Canadians , but to the vast majority of us who live a good life with patriotism, a work ethic, the milk of human kindness, & who aren’t toe tapping while awaiting the rapture. Having lived on the west coast for so many years; I’ve thought it might be a good idea to spend some time in a deeply religious community & start a new environmental group.I’d call it -Save the Mosquito.
It’s kind of sad. We must respect each other in order to have our rights. Thanks for the info about this.