Red Envelope Day
by Motte Brown on 04/08/2009 at 10:42 AM
In January, an ordinary guy named Christ Otto had a vision of flooding the White House with empty red envelopes representing the millions of children who've died in abortions. So he emailed a few of his friends asking them to join him in the effort. Then, amazingly, his idea went viral on the Internet and led to an organized mailing event (I received two invitations on Facebook).
Another ordinary guy named Brian Potter ran with the idea and created redenvelopeday.com. Red Envelope Day was March 31st, the day when millions of red envelopes were to be mailed to the White House with this simple message written on the outside, "This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception."
The ultimate goal of this symbolic gesture is to change the president's heart on abortion. Otto writes, "This is a message to [the president] that God hears the cry of innocent blood." Time will tell if it has its desired effect on the president. But according to a report from World Net Daily, at least his vision of flooding the White House was realized.
The White House mail office has confirmed it received a "deluge" of as many as 2.25 million red envelopes symbolizing the empty promise of lives snuffed out in abortion in a massive campaign that was larger than most White House mailing movements in the last 35 years.
White House mail worker "Steve" has handled letters for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. for more than three decades. Every single package and letter destined for the White House goes through his office.
Asked if he has seen a flood of red envelopes bound for the White House, Steve chuckled.
"Uh, yes," he said emphatically. "Believe me, they made it here."
Steve said while Obama has been occupied in Europe, his administration has noticed millions of red envelopes on behalf of aborted children.
"Quite frankly, there was definitely a deluge of mail coming through," he laughed. "I had to handle them all."
"I've been here 35 years, so I've seen presidents come and go," Steve told WND. "This campaign ranks up there with the big ones."
Despite its success, Otto doesn't expect any media coverage. And other than this report from WND, I haven't seen any. One of my colleagues quipped that had it been a green envelope day to raise awareness about the environment, it probably would have been picked up by every major news outlet in America.
So what now? Otto believes a revival is coming to America. So he has established a "center of prayer in Boston." Given the overwhelming response to Red Envelope Day, maybe he's right.
1. IMO said the following at 10:50 AM on Apr 8:
I wish I heard about this earlier!
2. Alex C. said the following at 11:45 AM on Apr 8:
I wish I'd heard sooner too! I'd have sent one. And its sucks that its not being covered by the media (yet at least).
3. Lore said the following at 11:53 AM on Apr 8:
There was definitely a mixed reaction to the Red Envelope Day around here. Many were concerned that we were wasting money on a frivolous gesture that would yield little results. And perhaps they were right in the results aspect. Perhaps this administration will only chuckle at the deluge and say "They're at it again." But I'm convinced it's one of many ways we can tap the government on the collective shoulder and say "We're still here." We're still here, helping unwed mothers, holding silent protests, keeping the conversation going on campuses and in churches, AND spending fifty cents to make a statement.
Our church sent out over 1000. WND is the only media source I've seen even mention the envelopes. Your co-worker is right, though, if they were green there would have been a bigger nod from the media.
Well, if they were green and recycled and recyclable.
4. Keith said the following at 11:57 AM on Apr 8:
I wonder what he will tell his own girls if they find all the red envelopes sent to him and they ask him what they are for.....
5. Nicole (from Boston) said the following at 12:04 PM on Apr 8:
I hope he's right about revival!! We certainly need it!! I'm so glad that so many envelopes were mailed. Hopefully, they make a statement...despite being summarily ignored by the media at large.
And what is this "prayer center in Boston" of which you speak??
6. BDB said the following at 12:36 PM on Apr 8:
Well, it's not really too late. This is the US Postal system we're talking about. It takes a week for things to get across the country. (I mailed mine early.) I'm sure if you mailed one today, it would get there soon enough.
7. Cassandra said the following at 12:52 PM on Apr 8:
I know a lot of Christians that would point to the "waste of money" (I personally spent $1.42) and "we should be using that money on the poor, or we should be saving the trees...) A lot of times people point to other issues when we're trying to make a statement about one particular issue. There are so many great logicians on this blog, does anyone know if there's a specific logical fallacy we can categorize that under?
8. rushncap said the following at 1:12 PM on Apr 8:
Well, I'm sure the Post Office appreciates the added business. They're in the red (ha ha!), you know, and 2.25 million letters will surely help with that. I doubt there is much of an impact beyond that, however.
9. Adam said the following at 1:12 PM on Apr 8:
Interesting idea - it's somewhat similar in a way to Bound4Life. I've heard of "tape sieges" where groups of believers will gather outside of clinics, schools & so on with red life tape on their mouths. It's a silent prayer meeting. There are things that can be done, but most importantly is prayer. Every Saturday night the young adults at the church I attend pray for life before the meeting starts.
10. BDB said the following at 1:12 PM on Apr 8:
Cassandra, I think they are committing a Nirvana Fallacy.
Here's a list.
11. Tiffany said the following at 1:32 PM on Apr 8:
Sorry, Keith: The White House mail room isn't actually in the White House.
12. Saidahwk said the following at 1:55 PM on Apr 8:
I didn't realize how huge this was. I did it, but I didn't look into it that much. Wow. God bless America.
13. Cassandra said the following at 2:03 PM on Apr 8:
BDB, you are my favorite person today. Thank you.
14. Heidi Marie said the following at 2:31 PM on Apr 8:
Yeah, a bunch of people at my school sent envelopes. I did. I figured that it couldn't hurt anything. Even if it doesn't really help a lot, it's something I could do.
15. Cassandra said the following at 2:33 PM on Apr 8:
"One of my colleagues quipped that had it been a green envelope day to raise awareness about the environment, it probably would have been picked up by every major news outlet in America."
Your coworker may be right. But it would hardly be necessary to send those envelopes in, since being "green" is so incredibly trendy. I reached my personal limit with the trendiness of the green movement when NBC turned their logo green for a couple weeks last year.
I don't have any problems with people who want to protect the environment, and I know I'm not saying anything new here, but what the (expletive) is wrong with our world when we can talk all day long about saving trees but it's suddenly hush-hush and uncool and intolerant to save HUMAN BEINGS? Sorry for the rant, but that's why I sent in my red envelope. I was really hoping some media would pick it up somewhere, besides WND which is written off as right wing wing-nut. 2 million is an awful lot of envelopes.
16. 'Guerite ~ BoldLion said the following at 3:49 PM on Apr 8:
I did send mine red envelopes on that special day! I also did post this on my facebook and invited my friends and family and my wonderful Church family to be part of this Red Envelopes Day.
It is sad that the media didn't want to make a big news about this. I am not that surprise. I guess the best media is to have a blog to mention about this case for other to read and to share to other.
It is never too late to send red envelope to the President. I do pray that Lord Willing, he will have a change of heart about the abortion that is killing the baby.
We all need to continue to be Bold as a Lion to send a letter to the President of the USA.
Thank you all for sending him a letter!
Hungry to eat His Word,
'Guerite ~ BoldLion
(PS. I am posting this post to my blog so that other will know more about it too.)
17. BDB said the following at 4:16 PM on Apr 8:
Aw, thanks Cassandra. I'd actually never heard of a Nirvana Fallacy before today, but it's in wikipedia, so it must be true!
18. Sara said the following at 5:35 PM on Apr 8:
Cassandra, you could say it's a 'red herring' fallacy, or simply say it's a matter of choosing the lesser evil.
You could also say that the red envelope people could have acted in a more environmentally-friendly way!
The nirvana fallacy could be used against you, too: in an ideal world, sending a million red envelopes would have an impact on policy, but in reality, petitions and the like often don't. By contrast, a million red envelope's worth of trees and dyes and labor is 100% guaranteed to do some damage.
From taking logic, I'm more and more agreeing with people who say that logic is less a good way to get to the bottom of who's right, and more a matter of finding out who's the best at using argumentative tools: witness how a high-powered lawyer can sometimes stretch the law, or how your logically-minded friends can sometimes make a great case that you can't refute, and yet that you're pretty sure is wrong...
19. farmer Tom said the following at 9:26 PM on Apr 8:
First I've heard about the red envelope thing, but then no one has ever accused me of being in the loop, loopy yes, in the loop, not so much.
Too bad BHO will never see any of them, and possibly never even hear about it, since so much of what any President hears comes only after being filtered through layers of staff and advisors.
20. beatrice81 said the following at 9:57 PM on Apr 8:
I dunno. When you launch a political campaign against the president, but hardly anyone knows about it, it's not covered by the media, and the president is away on a whirlwind world tour across several continents -- you can't really call your campaign effective or successful.
Was probably good for the envelope companies and the stamp sellers, tho.
21. Boston Matt said the following at 7:23 AM on Apr 9:
Lore- you are completely right!
I wish I had known more about this as well. We could have made it bigger but Lore hits the head on the nail. It needs to be a part of a larger campaign. However, this is an amazing aspect of it! Let's grow it!
22. Charlotte C. said the following at 7:33 AM on Apr 9:
Wow... that many envelopes?
:(
I hope the message gets through to the White House.
23. Lisa said the following at 9:04 AM on Apr 9:
Jesus did not call us to control outcomes, he said,"Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me." So we are to serve the unborn, serve the pregnant woman, serve the physician, serve those in positions of authority--with the intent to bless Jesus and further his kingdom. Over 2 million red envelopes sent--what a fragrant offering to God the Father.
24. Cassandra said the following at 10:18 AM on Apr 9:
Sara #18 "The nirvana fallacy could be used against you, too: in an ideal world, sending a million red envelopes would have an impact on policy, but in reality, petitions and the like often don't. By contrast, a million red envelope's worth of trees and dyes and labor is 100% guaranteed to do some damage."
It's been 12 years since I took Logic, but I'm a little lost as to what you meant by the Nirvana fallacy could be used against me. That paragraph sounds like a reiteration of what I said above, that people would criticize sending red envelopes because of environmental impact.
"Cassandra, you could say it's a 'red herring' fallacy, or simply say it's a matter of choosing the lesser evil."
The red herring fallacy makes sense, since in adressing the issue of bringing attention to the loss of life caused by abortion, people are changing the topic of discussion to the environment (or the poor, etc). Thank you!
25. IMO said the following at 10:19 AM on Apr 9:
beatrice81,
I think Lisa puts it perfectly.
You're probably one who sees the glass half empty.
26. Rebecca said the following at 12:39 PM on Apr 9:
Honestly I don't really understand the point of this. Not that I'm criticizing those who took part in this event, but I think that for the administration, 2.25 million red envelopes simply represents 2.25 million red envelopes sent by thousands of angry Christians. If we can see any political repurcussions of this day, then thanks be to God, but in the meantime, we should focus our efforts on preventing abortion in our own communities areas of influence, and not just sit around waiting for a piece of legislation that realistically probably isn't going to happen. Not that we can't pray for it anyway.
27. BDB said the following at 1:09 PM on Apr 9:
Remember that William Wilberforce proposed acts to Parliament to eliminate slavery every year for 20 years - without success. I don't think it is necessary for each person to send 100 envelopes. But sending an envelope a year is a good reminder that there are those who believe, even if they're not a majority.
I found one calculation that suggests 2.25 million envelopes is equal to 118 trees.
I'm happy to plant a few trees to compensate. In fact, I have 18 trees in my yard.
28. Christ Otto said the following at 1:36 PM on Apr 9:
Thanks for your post Motte.
Some of the mainstream media is starting to hear, and I am going on the "Mancow Show" tomorrow at 7:35 EDT.
29. Motte Brown said the following at 3:13 PM on Apr 9:
Thanks for the update Christ.
30. Veronica said the following at 3:47 PM on Apr 9:
I think it's awesome they received so many. My family sent one. I know that Obama will take no regard to it but at least he will know how many people, or get an idea of how many people are simply outraged and disgusted by his outlook on killing an unborn child.
31. Jonathan Sarfati, Ph.D. said the following at 2:15 AM on Apr 10:
Cassandra, it could also be called the Judas fallacy (John 12). And what a travesty that so many people care more about trees than unborn babies. But should we be surprised? See ‘Plants rights’? The latest evolutionary absurdity.
32. fishy said the following at 9:05 AM on Apr 10:
People need to stand up for what is right regardless of the consequences. It is a time to stand up for what you believe in. Bad things only happen because the good people in the world become bystanders and stop standing up for what is morally correct. If you can make a difference even to one person then you have done the right thing, regardless of whether it is in your community or if it is just a piece of legislation.
33. Cassandra said the following at 10:25 AM on Apr 10:
Dr. Sarfati #31
Cassandra, it could also be called the Judas fallacy (John 12).
HA! Good point.
Interesting article, thanks for posting. I remember in a secular forum several years ago following Hurricane Katrina I posted questioning all the money people were spending to rescue animals when so many people were homeless and dying, and they ate me alive. I realized that it's the monotheistic worldview that says that humans have more inherent worth than plants or animals and that human life has lost a lot of ground in the public discourse. It's tragic to see how human life has been systematically downgraded. It feels sinister.
34. Brena said the following at 10:46 PM on Apr 13:
More than one million red envelopes were sent by mail to the president may be small compared to the amount of people in the world. I am actually encourage because one to two million is a lot. I'm not surprised its not on the media. I considerate more on the postive side.
35. Jonathan Sarfati, Ph.D. said the following at 12:52 AM on Apr 15:
Christian pro-life apologist Randall Terry made an astute comment about CINO [Catholic In Name Only] universities who honour him despite supporting anti-Catholic policies, e.g. Notre Dame and Georgetown:
“Georgetown’s attitude seems to be: Germany’s leaders built great roads in the 1930s, they helped save the banks, and they rebuilt the economy. Let’s focus on their economy - not that whole genocide thing.”
It reminds me of all the churchians who voted for Obama despite his horrible pro-abortion record and love for infanticide. Their attitude is: yeah, he is not very pro-life, and might be responsible for millions more babies being torn apart in ther mothers' wombs without anaesthetic, but he is trying to reach out to others, and bring hope and change, and be tolerant, support the poor, and…
36. Kassie D. said the following at 12:01 AM on Apr 17:
I was honored to take part in Red Envelope Day and saw at least four benefits:
1. Raised Awareness
The concept of Red Envelope Day intrigued me. One envelope - one life that is gone, forever. It brought the issue of abortion to the forefront of my mind, as I am sure it did for the millions of people who produced or processed the envelopes on their way to the White House.
2. Vested Interest
By finding, designing, producing, and mailing several red envelopes, I made an investment of time, creativity and money in the pro-life cause. Because of my investment, I feel a stronger connection to the pro-life movement. This is a Biblical principle from Matthew 6:21, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." It was a great introduction to the world of issue advocacy for many, especially children.
3. Stronger Community
As I promoted this project through emails, personal discussion and social networking sites, I was able to discover a shared passion with fellow pro-lifers. Through our interaction, valuable relationships were formed or strengthened. It may have been the beginnings of a network for future activity and advocacy.
4. Statement Made
By mailing in a red envelope, over 2 million people made their voice heard on an important issue. Maybe not as loudly or as publicly as they wished, but they made their voices heard. They did something, which is infinitely better than nothing. The statement was made and I hope it will lead to even stronger and more effective statements in the future.
37. Sherrie said the following at 7:08 PM on Apr 17:
It's NEVER too late to send your red envelope....NEVER! Let's keep them going...don't stop...