Greg Sargent points out that Komen’s reversal statement gives itself lots of wiggle room to cut Planned Parenthood in the future. Komen also has no intention of firing anyone for the debacle.
The anti-reproductive rights site LifeNews is telling its Fetus People readership that
Austin Ruse, the president of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, who has been very closely following the Komen decision-making process, told LifeNews that the statement is not really a change in position but he says the sentence “We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities†is “troubling†for pro-life advocates.
“This represents nothing new. We have known and have reported that they are continuing five grants through 2012. This is a reference to that. The second clause about eligibility is certainly true. Any group can apply for anything. It does not mean they are going to get anything,†Ruse told LifeNews.
“What this is is an effort to get the mafia off of their backs. As James Taranto said in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, this is a classic shakedown operation. Give us money or we will destroy you. This is Komen’s attempt to save their organization, which we should know is in peril. Our side should know that nothing has changed.â€
The above is via Google cache; LifeNews is offline at the moment.
As I just said in the prior post, beware of allowing Dominionist Christians anywhere near your midst.
They don’t give a flying f*ck for YOUR cause.
And they’ll think nothing of using yours to further THEIRS.
As a matter of fact, they especially enjoy using something legitimate, altering it, and then using it as a springboard to further their heartless lunacy.
I have watched this for the last couple of days. This is the Glenn Beck scenario. We “got” Beck by making his brand toxic for advertisers. Komen went after Planned Parenthood with only a flimsy exccuse for cover. They wanted this to be a semi-public smackdown of PP for the GOP base in an election year. Komen completely misread how people would react. In a matter of days, they made the pink ribbon symbol toxic for corporate sponsors. The Glenn Beck scenario accomplished in days rather than months. Maha mentioned that Komen may find it hard to get the toothpaste back in the tube. I suspect the damage, in terms of corporate sponsorship, is going to be brutal.
The big donors will do some advertising polls, and if the ‘warm fuzzy’ of the pink ribbon is gone, so are the bucks. Some one else will have to step up in terms of research. I am in favor of that. But for the moment, the crackdown was brutal, but it wasn’t Planned Parenthood who got hitch-slapped. And the lesson is there – loud and clear- for anyone who would consider using their authority in business or a Non-profit to advanced a personal agenda. The internet can mobilize FAST and the heat can be intense.
Kudos to all the liberal blogs – blogger – commenters – people who sent emails and signed internet petitions. This win for women’s rights is YOUR victory.
Yeah, SGK can backpedal like mad and I still will never trust them again, for reasons only beginning with the awful PP decision. As was noted in an earlier post’s comment thread, SGK has degenerated into a “professional charity” (if it was ever anything else). The fact that its founder has ties to the GW Bush administration speaks volumes to me… the Bushies’ one skill was profiting personally from human misery (9/11, war, Katrina). Finally, yesterday on TV SGK’s founder came across as a harpy if ever I saw one (and I was a huge fan of Jason and the Argonauts as a kid, so I know from harpies).
So: pink ribbons, so over with.
beware of allowing Dominionist Christians anywhere near your midst.
And even more so, your nether regions!
It is being revealed elsewhere that Ari Fleischer was involved with Komen’s decision; and, that he was hired just for that. Any charitable group who hires W groupies deserves what it gets.
If any one needs a clearer reason to understand why most of the Framers/founders of this country established it to be a pluralistic society, the last at least 50 years of what happens when religion/religious beliefs worm their way into our political system should be clear by now.
In a pluralistic society government is under no obligation to accommodate religions or religious beliefs. (I remember when “under God” was inserted into the Pledge thinking it’s got to be all down hill from now on. How right I was.) ‘Accommodation’ seemed harmless when, in fact, it was the magic sesame that opened the door wide to those who would make religious beliefs dominate political and social decisions. As it is, we no longer are living in a pluralistic society.
Felicity, I remember having the same thought about the change to the Pledge. Very well put!