January 2010 Archives

A while back I made a donation or two to the USO.

Now, I know that nonprofits try to eke out a little extra revenue by renting their lists to other organizations. However, I was careless and didn't make sure to request that they not share my name. As a result, my name is apparently being shopped to every right-wing outfit out there. Thanks for the Reagan Ranch calendar, guys! I'm not going to be able to chip in on the cost of transforming it into a shrine or whatever, but best of luck to you!

One of my favorite pieces of mail, though, came from Republican house leader John Boehner. It features a rather unflattering photo of Nancy Pelosi, whose "radical liberal agenda cannot be allowed to go unchallenged."

The letter is four pages in length, and I will spare you the whole thing, but page three is of some interest, as I think it reveals the Republican's party's true agenda.

When I am Speaker of the House, my Republican colleagues and I will listen to the concerns of men and women like you, and we will fight for programs and policies with your best interests

in mind...We will curb government spending and eliminate wasteful programs...

...That means we will not raise your taxes - please do not forget that every tax bill must originate in the House...

...We will strengthen border security, end the "catch and release" of illegal immigrants and guarantee our sovereignty by stopping out-of-control illegal immigration.

All pretty standard Republican lines, yes? Well, here's where it gets interesting:

... We will implement an "all of the above" energy policy that creates jobs, lowers coasts, and ensures we are free from dependence on foreign sources by drilling for oil here at home...

Lowers... coasts?

Oh my goodness... the Republicans must be planning to push California into the ocean! And the other godless liberal coastal states too. Can't say I'm surprised!

Oh sure, it COULD be an innocent typo. But I think it reveals their NEFARIOUS PLOT!

And honestly, if I can spell "nefarious" correctly... can't the Republicans be bothered to get a simple word like "costs" right? Gee, maybe I should donate to poor Boehner's campaign, just so he can afford to hire a proofreader. Sniff.

(P.S. I realize that the word "boner" has double meanings and considering that I'm talking about a Republican here, can easily be misinterpreted...)

(P.P.S. Links to the fundraising letter can be found here: Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4)

So, I haven't been blogging much lately, as is pretty obvious. Life with a three-year-old doesn't give me a lot of energy or time, plus the news lately has been pretty disheartening (although how about that iPad!)

But instead of writing about the iPad (oh, how I want one) or how I have been upgrading my netbook to Ubuntu, or what I thought of Obama's State of the Union speech tonight, I'm going to talk about a subject I don't normally pay much attention to: the Superbowl. Or in particular, the ads on the Superbowl. 

OK, one in particular. 

For those who haven't been living under a rock (or trapped with a three-year-old) up-and-coming football star Tim Tebow, winner of the Heisman Trophy, is the star of a pro-life ad by Focus on the Family, the ultra-conservative religious group.

Funded by the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, the 30-second ad is expected to recount the story of Pam Tebow's pregnancy in 1987. After getting sick during a mission trip to the Philippines, she ignored a recommendation by doctors to abort her fifth child. She later gave birth to Tim, who won the 2007 Heisman Trophy and helped his Florida team win two BCS championships.

Well, gosh. That story sure has a happy ending! She wanted to have her baby, she got to have her baby, and she survived to tell the tale. Plus, award-winning hotshot college athlete: bonus!

 Those who have seen the ad describe it as "uplifting."

That's not how everybody sees it.

"This ad is frankly offensive, " said Erin Matson, the Action Vice President of the National Organization for Women, speaking of the Tebow commercial. "It is hate masquerading as love. It sends a message that abortion is always a mistake."

"Frankly offensive" doesn't even begin to adequately describe it.

CBS is frantically tapdancing to justify this one. 

"We have for some time moderated our approach to advocacy submissions after it became apparent that our stance did not reflect public sentiment or industry norms," said spokesman Dana McClintock. "In fact, most media outlets have accepted advocacy ads for some time."

He said CBS "will continue to consider responsibly produced ads from all groups for the few remaining spots in Super Bowl XLIV."

In 2004, CBS was criticized by many liberal organizations for rejecting an ad by the United Church of Christ highlighting the UCC's welcoming stance toward gays and others who might feel shunned by more conservative churches.

Gee, it might have been nice if they had been concerned about money sentiment and norms a few years earlier?

So we've talked about the circumstances. What about the ad itself? Like I said, nice story with a happy ending. It's nice when a woman who really didn't want to have an abortion is able to avoid having one. Everybody loves hearing about medical miracles. Any parent who has worried about how their kid is going to turn out, especially if there were medical challenges during the pregnancy or in early life, might well take comfort in hearing a story like this. I can see how the Focus on the Family folks would have thought this would be a good "wedge" story to use to get their message across.

But what's the message, really? Ignore your doctors? Imperil your health? Take a chance and just hope and pray it will turn out OK? 

Focus on the Family ignores the fact that in poll after poll, however ambivalent Americans feel about abortion, they generally agree on at least one thing: if there's any time when abortion is justified, it's when the mother's health or life is in danger. 

"I asked God for a preacher, and he gave me a quarterback," Tebow's father is quoted as saying. But many parents have prayed just as hard over their pregnancies or their children, and bad things still happen. What's the message for them? They just didn't try hard enough? 

I'm trying out a new "mixtape" service. Here's a mix I just made for some friends in December...