The petition
ATTENTION: UPDATE: This morning, June 6, 2007, it was revealed by a call into the Oriental Trading Company order center in NE, that a communication was issued to call center representatives today to stop selling the product line, according to one call center representative. The Oriental Trading Company has discontinued selling the offensive items of the “Soldier of God” product line from all sales avenues. We would like to thank both the Oriental Trading Company and the people who signed this petition for being participants to peace and for working together on a compromise that shows respect to all participants.
To Oriental Trading Company,
We, the undersigned, are a diverse collective from all faiths and ethnicities, who believe in peace and respect among all of the world's people. We have come together in signing this petition to make a statement to The Oriental Trading Company, that we are offended and disappointed by their choice to design and sell a line of products that encourage arrogance, bigotry, extremism and war.
The Oriental Trading Company, acquired by The Carlyle Group in 2006, also in the same year released a product line called "Soldier of God", a collection of toys and novelties designed for young children that combine military paraphernalia with the Christian faith.
The Oriental Trading Company is the nationâ's largest direct marketer of party supplies, novelties, toys, children's arts and crafts, school supplies, home decor and giftware. They mail 300 million catalogues annually and have more than 18 million customers worldwide.
We, the undersigned, believe that The Oriental Trading Company is acting irresponsibly and unethically by creating and selling a product line that militarizes faith. At this time of conflict, the encouragement of kids to wage God's battle against the unconverted encourages and facilitates bigotry and intolerance.
No child should be taught to associate military service personnel with a particular religion by toys that imply such. These products try to make war seem acceptable, and that God agrees with it.
By creating this product line and selling it, the Oriental Trading Company is aiding extremist mentality by bringing offensive extremist toys to the mainstream and supplying an unsavory market with toys that facilitate an unsavory agenda. It never benefits children to indoctrinate them for war. It encourages them to form adversarial relationships with people who are perceived as being different.
The Christian concept of being a Soldier of God is being one who struggles toward righteousness, stands for justice and strives to be a better contributor to what is good in this world. The job of a soldier in the military is a sometimes filthy, immoral, murderous and unjust position. Linking God to the military is morally degrading. Linking God to the military in children's toys is even more so.
We ask the Oriental Trading Company to reconsider their "Soldier of God"product line. We ask them to demilitarize the product line by removing military references from the "Soldier of God" slogan. We ask them to remove Crusaderreferences and swords from their product line. We ask them not to create and supply products that market war with religion to children.
We believe that Oriental Trading Company sets a poor example by offering toys like these. There are no Jewish or Muslim retailers in the nation who combine militarism with faith and then target those products to children.
We, the undersigned, object to any attempt by any corporation of any faith to create and distribute products that combine religion and war. We find it incongruous that any religious retailer promotes war-like objects or anything that does not promote peace and mercy among all people
If we teach our children war, they will grow up to fight, but if we give them peace they will learn to share it.
After an article was distributed through OpEdNews.com the Oriental Trading Company had pulled all of the images from their website.
The OpEdNews article was released on May 23, 2007 and was the first article to appear off of the Google "news" search when entering "Oriental Trading Company" as the search criteria.
By May 24, 2007, Oriental Trading Company had pulled 30 of the 32 images in the "Soldier of God" product line from its website. However, the company is currently still taking orders from customers for the products. Their removal of online images of the product line served only to hide what they are selling from the general public. Yet the Oriental Trading Company continues to make the items available to the 18 million people who subscribe to their catalogue, or anyone wanting to buy the products via their call center. The problem still remains. They are still selling the offensive product line and they are supplying the market who seeks to implement it on the children for whom these items are bought.
We ask the Oriental Trading Company, owned by The Carlyle Group, to stop and make a moral decision that is in the best interest of everyone. There should be no place for products like these, among people who value mutual respect, equality and peace.
After signing this petition, please contact the Oriental Trading Company to complain. Include the following e-mail addresses:
Geri Michelic, Corporate Communications Manager: GMichelic@oriental.com
Molly Starky: mstarkey@oriental.com
Corporate HR: corporatehr@oriental.com
Cheri Zerwinski: Czerwinski@oriental.com
orders@oriental.com
You can copy and paste the addresses into your address field:
GMichelic@oriental.com, mstarkey@oriental.com, corporatehr@oriental.com, Czerwinski@oriental.com, orders@oriental.com
You may also call in to the company and complain by asking to be transferred to Geri Michelic's voice mail.
Geri Michelic: 402-596-2401
Note: (Many of the ideas and text within this petition was inspired by and taken from many different individuals who had spoken out against the product line in the article that was released May 23, 2007 from OpEdNews. The ideas and positions taken from sources in the article doesn't necessarily mean that those sources endorse this petition, unless they have actually signed the petition.)
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