Groups state goals plainly on their websites, accusations of communism daft
A new Red Scare seems to be stirring in the Cowichan Valley after a few letters to the editor red baited local environmental groups as “communist”. Diane Moen seems think that anyone active in the community who wants ecological and economic stability is some sort of communist with nefarious motives. She and other locals who agree with her do not seem to know what communism is except from what they may have heard from Cold War propaganda.
A common tactic used by anti-communists is to claim that there is some sort of hidden agenda. Ms. Moen asks for transparency from these groups, yet the aims and goals of Transition Cowichan and One Cowichan are clearly stated on their websites. One Cowichan wants to promote citizen engagement, local ecosystems, and First Nations culture among other things. While these do sound progressive, none of this screams “Marxist” or “communist” to me. Has the political discourse shifted so far to the right that anyone left of conservative is deserving of some sort of McCarthyist witch hunt?
While they are concerned that a portion of their tax money is going to Cowichan Housing Association (mandated to reduce homelessness and provide affordable housing to local residents), none of them seem concerned about the millions of provincial taxpayer money going to corporate projects such as Site C, LNG, and fish farms that are harming B.C.’s ecosystems.
Why is Ms. Moen and other anti-communist locals so concerned about the Transition Network and not something more explicitly socialist? Did they forget that five years ago we had a candidate run for the Marxist-Leninist Party? I have to agree with Robert T. Rock’s response that Diane Moen and Perry Foster’s letters are quite daft.
James Chumsa
North Cowichan
