February 2, 2002 - Nothing in the history of Forces Canada has generated the reaction as the Flag controversy. Those of us who volunteer and put in hours every day fighting for not only smokers rights, but for simple human decency, and for the minimal values of civilized behavior, had no idea the controversy the act of removing the Canadian Flag would unleash. Quite frankly I personally believe that the geniuses at Heritage Canada were not prepared for the uproar either. Our goal at Forces Canada is to do the best we can to stand up for rights that are basic in a civilized society - and not getting into a pissing contest with the skunks at the Federal Government.

For the record there are some 550,000 Internet sites displaying the Canadian Flag. Only Forces Canada was harassed to the point of removing it. The Federal Government has legions spreading propaganda about various aspects about smoking. Forces Canada with our limited recourses and due to the heroic efforts of a few volunteers has countered every one of their claims with mountains of empirically documented scientific data and legal judgements where the rules of evidence apply. Is there one claim about smoking from the Government of Canada that has one iota of truth?

Nothing: not smoking being"ADDICTIVE" (under conventional definitions as a mood altering intoxicant), not the 45,000 "PREMATURE" deaths every year for "Smoking Related" (anyone who ever had a cigarette who dies at the average age of 77) causes, an endless collection of bogus second-hand smoke claims.

None of it.

We at Forces Canada have done nothing but tell you the truth - and supplied the voluminous evidence to back it up. We have never encouraged anyone to smoke. However, we feel that consenting adults should have certain rights free of calculated harassment for consuming a legal product. We receive no Tobacco funding. We are all volunteers who give our time freely for a cause we deeply believe in.

Many have criticized Pat Hagen (The President of Forces Canada - and a good friend) for refusing to play Joan of Arc over the flag issue. Believe me, the anti-smoking groups would love nothing better than to divert our attention from smokers rights into a Quixotic quest to restore the Canadian flag to our site. We have a war to fight. The flag business was a minor battle in that war. For those of you who don't follow politics closely, this was just the latest stunt from Culture and Heritage Minister (and Hamilton, Ontario's revenge on Canada) Ms. Shelia Copps. Although many of you may associate the positive act of Shelia in passing out Canadian flags before the referendum in Montreal a few years ago - there is another side of Shelia.

As Culture Minister Shelia Copps' department spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to finance a graphic, hard-core pornographic movie entitled,"Bubbles Galore." As a contribution to Canadian Culture. Bubbles Galore a couple of years ago was broadcast on the Showtime channel. One of the "actresses" in Shelia's magnificent masterpiece described what they were doing as "making a f… film." After that $750,000 rousing success, Shelia turned her attention to the world of art. Culture Canada (or whatever they call Shelia's slush fund) next bestowed a six figure grant to Winnipeg "ARTIST SM" Dianne Thorneycroft for her exhibit of (I couldn't possibly make this up) 6 (count 'em) dead, rotting, rabbit carcasses. Ms. Thorneycraft then went on to receive further 6 figure grant money for her exhibition of hard-core SM pictures for a gallery show in Ottawa. It was "Hertiage Canada" (a division of Shelia Inc.) that made FORCES Canada remove the flag. Thank You Hamilton, Ontario, for giving the rest of us the irreplaceable Shelia Copps. While we are not in support of this kind of "art" financed with public money, if the government burns to throw money away, it is better wasted in porno stuff than it is in a socially destructive campaign of lies and hatred against classes of citizens such as smokers.

In Nazi Germany, Hitler had to pass a law outlawing the ridiculing of anti-smoking activists. In Canada they just make those who question the latest pronouncement from the Shelia Copps, Allan Rock, and the rest of the prize packages Ontario imposed on Canada - remove its flag. What a relief that we can all say we live in a normal, decent, civilized country.

Thank You Ontario.

Warren Klass (President Forces Manitoba)

Winnipeg