- Reaction score
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Below I have reprinted my response to an article in the Vancouver Province about the disbanding of a native "warrior" society that has come into the news for having 14 rifles and 10000 rounds of ammunition seized by local police. The West Coast Warrior society was formed to teach traditional skills like hunting and fishing (good so far) and to promote activism. Political activism is generally a positive force, but combined with weapons becomes a destabilizing force called terrorism, and is a problem for more than just Muslim youth. Canadians have the belief that terrorism is someone else's problem, but the conditions necessary for the recruitment of young terrorists are present here in Canada, and it is only a matter of time before the growing acceptance of terrorism as a way of focusing world attention draws someone to try it here.
Begin open letter:
Hail,
I am writing in response to your article on the disbanding of the West Coast Warrior Society (Aug5/05). I have watched the development of this story with some interest as I am head of a similar warrior society (Fryd) for the Heathen Freehold of BC. The mission of reclaiming the ancient warrior tradition of your ancestors, and instilling its virtues in those youth who are drawn to the warriors ways in a modern society that leaves no place for the warrior born save that of the street thug, is one that the native West Coast Warriors and the Heathen Freehold share. Unfocused aggression often leads to self-destructive and criminal behaviour, focused aggression is expressed as ambition, determination and drive. Through the teaching of the warrior ways of our ancestors, you can take those youth who are drawn to a warrior calling, and teach them how to make the aggression, the competitive fires within them into a force that can not only drive them to accomplish their own goals, but inspire others to do so as well.
The greatest danger of a warrior society, and the greatest risk posed by untrained young warriors in our society, is that it is easier to use the anger of the conflicted young warriors on someone else, than it is to teach them to turn that anger into something else. Teaching weapon skills and political activism under the same roof is dangerous, and leads to turning the young warriors into self destructive tools (i.e. Muslim suicide bombers), rather than self directing leaders. In Canada, the use of force is restricted to the Crown and its agents, political change is brought about by our elected representatives and the judgement of our Supreme Court. In this country we do not make political change with force of arms. I was a soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces for many years, and the Canadian Forces have spent years (and blood) in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa trying to clean up the mess that politics by gun leave behind. The West Coast Warrior society set about to do something positive for their warrior youth, but did so in a way that left those youth open to exploitation by those who would use them as tools, rather than develop them as people.
When cowards run from death,
it is life they escape
Begin open letter:
Hail,
I am writing in response to your article on the disbanding of the West Coast Warrior Society (Aug5/05). I have watched the development of this story with some interest as I am head of a similar warrior society (Fryd) for the Heathen Freehold of BC. The mission of reclaiming the ancient warrior tradition of your ancestors, and instilling its virtues in those youth who are drawn to the warriors ways in a modern society that leaves no place for the warrior born save that of the street thug, is one that the native West Coast Warriors and the Heathen Freehold share. Unfocused aggression often leads to self-destructive and criminal behaviour, focused aggression is expressed as ambition, determination and drive. Through the teaching of the warrior ways of our ancestors, you can take those youth who are drawn to a warrior calling, and teach them how to make the aggression, the competitive fires within them into a force that can not only drive them to accomplish their own goals, but inspire others to do so as well.
The greatest danger of a warrior society, and the greatest risk posed by untrained young warriors in our society, is that it is easier to use the anger of the conflicted young warriors on someone else, than it is to teach them to turn that anger into something else. Teaching weapon skills and political activism under the same roof is dangerous, and leads to turning the young warriors into self destructive tools (i.e. Muslim suicide bombers), rather than self directing leaders. In Canada, the use of force is restricted to the Crown and its agents, political change is brought about by our elected representatives and the judgement of our Supreme Court. In this country we do not make political change with force of arms. I was a soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces for many years, and the Canadian Forces have spent years (and blood) in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa trying to clean up the mess that politics by gun leave behind. The West Coast Warrior society set about to do something positive for their warrior youth, but did so in a way that left those youth open to exploitation by those who would use them as tools, rather than develop them as people.
When cowards run from death,
it is life they escape
