Hate group goes after Ford Motor Co.

[SLCPUNK]

By Alex Johnson
Reporter
MSNBC
Updated: 4:36 p.m. ET June 1, 2005A week after it declared victory over Walt Disney Co., a leading Christian activist group has fired another missile in its long war against companies it thinks are destroying traditional American values.

The target this time is Ford Motor Co., which Christians should boycott as ?the company which has done the most to affirm and promote the homosexual lifestyle,? the American Family Association says on a Web site it put up Monday, boycottford.com.

The AFA, the nonprofit group run by the Rev. Donald Wildmon, criticized Ford for donating money to gay-rights organizations ? Ford offers to give up to $1,000 to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination for every Jaguar and Land Rover it sells. The group also complained that Ford sponsored gay pride celebrations, advertised in gay-oriented publications and was ?redefining the definition of the family to include homosexual marriage,? Randy Sharp, the organization?s director of special projects, said Tuesday.

If anything, Ford says, the AFA is not giving it enough credit.

Marcey Evans, a spokeswoman for the company, said in an interview Wednesday that the AFA was misusing ?diversity? by treating it as a code word for ?homosexuality.? But ?to Ford, diversity is a much broader definition than simply homosexuality,? she said. ?Diversity is very important to Ford, and it goes beyond homosexuality.?

Thousands respond to call for action
Evans said it was ?too early yet to know for sure? what impact the boycott might have. ?We do know that some Ford dealers are getting calls, and we know our customer relations center is getting calls, but I don?t have a good volume,? she said.

The quantifiable impact of a boycott based on Christian principles is all but impossible to assess, but for the AFA, which has gone after scores of giant corporations for almost 30 years, they are an article of faith. By Tuesday afternoon, more than 54,000 people had signed the AFA?s online pledge to boycott Ford, Sharp said.

The organization usually starts with a letter-writing campaign, urging its members to contact executives, local franchisers and advertisers to express unhappiness with a company?s behavior. In what it considers intractable circumstances, the AFA will escalate to a formal boycott.

The campaigns are the AFA?s most visible activity by far. Through its main Web site and two affiliated sites, One Million Dads and One Million Moms, it can have a score of boycotts and letter-writing drives in play at one time.

The fight against Ford is just one of many it has going: As of Tuesday, it was calling for action against the Carl?s Jr. hamburger chain (to protest its racy new ad featuring Paris Hilton), Kraft Foods (for its sponsorship of the 2006 Gay Games), Mary Kay Cosmetics and Old Navy stores (for advertising on ABC?s prime-time soap opera ?Desperate Housewives?) and NutriSystem Inc., the weight-loss company (for airing its own salacious TV ad).

Most recently, the AFA ended a nine-year boycott of the Walt Disney Co., which it launched because of what it felt was the company?s ?attitude, arrogance and embrace of the homosexual lifestyle.?

More.........

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8047423

[MCT]

Poor ole Pinocchio and his allegorical nose...

[Jamie]

What sort of ass-holes are these people why can't they just accept that there are people out there that are different to them. IMO there are turning against the most important element of Christianity. Acceptance.

[MCT]

The dichotomy of course is that they're concurrently waving the banner of Christianity while taking a somewhat antithetical stance on their own belief system. And although it could be argued that in not fighting to uphold their belief in the very religious institution and credo that they're propagating, then their faith would mean nothing, they're still a bunch of morons.

 

[Izzy]

They are nothing short of fascists shielded by a religious shroud.

Their intolerance is shocking, religion should stay out of politics - religion in the UK is very different - religious groups over here just plant bombs in crowded streets or attack theatres that show plays they disaprove of....

[jgfnsr]

What sort of ass-holes are these people why can't they just accept that there are people out there that are different to them. IMO there are turning against the most important element of Christianity. Acceptance.

LOL!  Are you kidding?

When it comes to Christianity, there is a wide gulf between accepting the sin and tolerating the sinner.

Guys like SLCPUNK and you need to learn that.

[SLCPUNK]

What sort of ass-holes are these people why can't they just accept that there are people out there that are different to them. IMO there are turning against the most important element of Christianity. Acceptance.

Guys like SLCPUNK and you need to learn that.

I learned that you, along with many other people who call themselves Christians, are hypocrites.

Learned that a long time ago.

Thanks.

"Thou'll shall not judge".............(Unless I feel that I am right about everything)

[Walk]

Good. Ford deserves to go broke for selling bad cars. Also, they screw the stockholders by giving away money to gay groups. A corporation's primary goal should be profits, and giving extra benefits hurts this objective! They're not only acting immoral (questionable for some of you), they're making terrible business decisions (unquestionable), and they should pay for it.

That's one company I will never own stock in.

[SLCPUNK]

Good. Ford deserves to go broke for selling bad cars. Also, they screw the stockholders by giving away money to gay groups. A corporation's primary goal should be profits, and giving extra benefits hurts this objective! They're not only acting immoral (questionable for some of you), they're making terrible business decisions (unquestionable), and they should pay for it.

That's one company I will never own stock in.

Bill Gates gives millions in charities, including (gasp) gay ones. If you had bought stock in Microsoft in the first few years, you would be a millionare now.

The only objective in charity, is...charity, and the tax write offs that come with it.

In this case, they were donating to a group that works against discrimination.

There were people like you who said the same thing about blacks 40 years ago too.

BTW:

Bush cashed a check from the gay Republicans before crybabies made him return it. But he cashed the check first!!!

[Walk]

Bill Gates gives millions in charities, including (gasp) gay ones. If you had bought stock in Microsoft in the first few years, you would be a millionare now.

You're probably referring to his personal wealth, not the company's. He's only doing that for his ego.

The only objective in charity, is...charity, and the tax write offs that come with it.

The tax write off are minor compared to what can be saved if the money is simply kept. It's wrong to rip off investors by giving charities money instead of using it productively.

In this case, they were donating to a group that works against discrimination.

They were wasting investor money, end of story.

There were people like you who said the same thing about blacks 40 years ago too.

You can't compare the real struggle blacks had to go through to win civil rights to "gay rights". 

BTW:
Bush cashed a check from the gay Republicans before crybabies made him return it. But he cashed the check first!!!

It was good money that could go to a good purpose. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

[GnRNightrain]

You do realize that every corporation donates money to Charity dont you? ?Donating money increases good will, and good will increases business. ?Now whether it was smart to donate to a gay group or not is another story. ?I would suspect that some of Ford's main consumer base wouldnt be too pleased about that donation. ?

I think Michael Jordan said it best, when asked whether he would vote democrat or republican: "Im not telling, they both buy shoes." (not the actual quote, but the same substance). ?I think this is the best approach for any corporation. ?Try to alienate the least amount of people possible. ?If that means not giving any money, so be it. ?If it means donating to all, so be it.

[Walk]

Good will is a stupidly overrated concept. How about making a car worth driving? Then I might buy one.

[SLCPUNK]

You're probably referring to his personal wealth, not the company's. He's only doing that for his ego.

Uh....ok. Microsoft gives millions to charity. That is pretty well known by just about anybody who is alive. Including gay organizations.

The tax write off are minor compared to what can be saved if the money is simply kept. It's wrong to rip off investors by giving charities money instead of using it productively.

I wrote off my interest on my home and saved thousands of dollars on my income tax. This is the most simple form of a tax write off.

Tax write offs save a company money. "Just keeping it" will cost the company more money come tax time. Guess you've never written anything off on your taxes before. This is 101 type course.

They were wasting investor money, end of story.

From somebody who thinks that giving to charity is dumb compared to "holding the money" I gotta go with what a major corporation would choose. 

You can't compare the real struggle blacks had to go through to win civil rights to "gay rights". 

What do you care? You are the biggest bigot on this board. You don't like anybody:

Those who are not Christian:

"If they were all Christians, Africa would be a lot better off. Our culture is better and theirs is wrong and stupid, period."

Those who are African:
"
The point is, the inferior African culture is the problem"

Those who don't speak English:
"
The problem with other languages is that they are simply inferior to English"

But you look down on the American education system at the same time:

"American education is inadequate and teachers are stupid. "

Girls who have sex (although I guess the guy who sleeps with them is ok in your book as long as he is a Christian, who speaks english, but wasn't educated in America):

"Loose girls spread STDs"

French People:

"France isn't like much because they think they're so sophisticated."

And of course Mexicans:

"I can't see how Mexicans were able to afford CDs in the first place,"

You are a bigot and couldn't begin to tell me about anybody's "struggle" except your own. You have major issues.

It was good money that could go to a good purpose. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

So, giving to gays is bad, but it's ok to accept money from them?

Is this some Christian lesson you can teach me about?

Maybe you were paying too much attention to this class and slept though accounting 101.

[SLCPUNK]

Good will is a stupidly overrated concept. How about making a car worth driving? Then I might buy one.

You are stupidly too close to a computer keyboard.

Every major company, no matter what the product, donates money.

It is business wise.

[Walk]

Past a certain point, giving away money will never help. No matter what, Microsoft is doomed to be the evil empire of software. Ford, however, would at least have a slight chance of getting a decent reputation if their cars were found to be more reliable. They're better than the trash they put out 20 years ago, but they're still mediocre.

Giving money away might help a little bit, but making a better product is always the better choice!

[Walk]

What do you care? You are the biggest bigot on this board. You don't like anybody:

Ad hominem, hmm? I don't care, but your comparison is still bad.

Those who are not Christian:
"If they were all Christians, Africa would be a lot better off. Our culture is better and theirs is wrong and stupid, period."

That's an easy one. Everyone would be better off if we were Christian. Next.

Those who are African:
"
The point is, the inferior African culture is the problem"

Stong cultures make strong societies. If a society has a lot of problems, then the culture is to blame. All great cultures are self made (Europe, India, Egypt, China). Polygamy and cannibalism don't lead to advanced society.

Those who don't speak English:
"
The problem with other languages is that they are simply inferior to English"

English is the easiest language to learn. Ease of use is the most important part of a language. Practicality is the most important, and English is the best because it's practical. There are nearly no difficult words to pronounce in English, for example. I've taken Spanish, German, and French, so I know what I'm talking about. English is the easiest.

But you look down on the American education system at the same time:
"American education is inadequate and teachers are stupid. "

Captain of the obvious, reporting for duty!

Girls who have sex (although I guess the guy who sleeps with them is ok in your book as long as he is a Christian, who speaks english, but wasn't educated in America):
"Loose girls spread STDs"

Yes. Girls have a much easier time turning down sex than we do, because of hormones. We guys are loose by nature, girls have much more willpower. They should be more responsible about their bodies.

French People:
"France isn't like much because they think they're so sophisticated."

France DOES have a holier than thou attitude. They pushed for the EU when it benefitted them, and now they go back on it.  Then, there's the fact that some food items HAVE to come from certain regions to carry that name, even though equivalent foods made in poorer countries are just as good! It's arrogance.

And of course Mexicans:
"I can't see how Mexicans were able to afford CDs in the first place,"

That's not racist, that's reality. No one making $3 an hour spends $15 on a CD. CDs are expensive even to me, as an American!

You are a bigot and couldn't begin to tell me about anybody's "struggle" except your own. You have major issues.

You're taking all of my quotes out of context. I don't have time for this.

[Izzy]

Those who are not Christian:

"If they were all Christians, Africa would be a lot better off. Our culture is better and theirs is wrong and stupid, period."

Those who are African:
"
The point is, the inferior African culture is the problem"

Those who don't speak English:
"
The problem with other languages is that they are simply inferior to English"

But you look down on the American education system at the same time:

"American education is inadequate and teachers are stupid. "

Girls who have sex (although I guess the guy who sleeps with them is ok in your book as long as he is a Christian, who speaks english, but wasn't educated in America):

"Loose girls spread STDs"

French People:

"France isn't like much because they think they're so sophisticated."

And of course Mexicans:

"I can't see how Mexicans were able to afford CDs in the first place,"

Fuckin hell....'Walk', what are u thinking?

I have to say i'm baffled as to why jarmo hasn't asked such a blatant rascist to leave - those views are frankly sickening and shockingly ignorant

[jarmo]

It's because I don't see everything.

If you see something you think is wrong, you can always PM me or a moderator about it. Or use the "report to moderator" feature and it will be dealt with.




/jarmo

[Walk]

The quotes aren't taken with their context, and the only one that might be a little over the top is the one about Frenchies. Not all of them are arrogant, ok. Some French are not left wingers (Le Pen did well on the last election, didn't he?). That's as far as I'll go.

Axl Rose is a racist. I'm not a racist. I just pointed out the reality of culture. The big difference is, culture can change and improve, where race can't. I do believe people can change. I'm optimistic. I don't see why I have to defend myself against things I never intended. SLCpunk is taking what I said a long time ago out of context in the middle of a thread about Ford and homosexuality. It's a fallacy.

[SLCPUNK]

The quotes aren't taken with their context, and the only one that might be a little over the top is the one about Frenchies. Not all of them are arrogant, ok. Some French are not left wingers (Le Pen did well on the last election, didn't he?). That's as far as I'll go.

Axl Rose is a racist. I'm not a racist. I just pointed out the reality of culture. The big difference is, culture can change and improve, where race can't. I do believe people can change. I'm optimistic. I don't see why I have to defend myself against things I never intended. SLCpunk is taking what I said a long time ago out of context in the middle of a thread about Ford and homosexuality. It's a fallacy.

Take out of context....LOL, yea right. All anybody has to do is read what you write here to see what kind of person you are.

You claim being a Christian is what everybody should be. Yet, in the next breath, you claim that good will is overated. 

I found those quotes in 5 minutes, imagined if I really dug (wouldn't wanna waste more than 5 minutes though). Every post you say something absurdly false, ignorant, and filled with bigotry. In fact I find it very hard to believe you are serious. You condradict yourself within your own posts sometimes.

I must believe you are only trying to stir the pot and can't be for real.

[jarmo]

The quotes aren't taken with their context, and the only one that might be a little over the top is the one about Frenchies. Not all of them are arrogant, ok. Some French are not left wingers (Le Pen did well on the last election, didn't he?). That's as far as I'll go.

Who are you to call others arrogant?

Some French aren't left wingers? No shit!

I'm sure there are gun toting meat eating nazis in France too! Hard to believe, it's supposed to be full of left wingers.

Axl Rose is a racist. I'm not a racist.

Blame Axl!

I'm sure you're the most open minded person on this board!




/jarmo

[Walk]

Take out of context....LOL, yea right. All anybody has to do is read what you write here to see what kind of person you are.

You claim being a Christian is what everybody should be. Yet, in the next breath, you claim that good will is overated. 

You've certainly heard of the give a man a fish vs teach a man to fish argument. After so many times, you just can't give people anything more, or they will be weaker for it.

I found those quotes in 5 minutes, imagined if I really dug (wouldn't wanna waste more than 5 minutes though). Every post you say something absurdly false, ignorant, and filled with bigotry. In fact I find it very hard to believe you are serious. You condradict yourself within your own posts sometimes.

How about posting links to the entire thread, instead? You aren't giving the whole picture with just quotes.

I must believe you are only trying to stir the pot and can't be for real.

You're calling a Christian group a hate group, Mr. Kettle.

[Walk]

Who are you to call others arrogant?

I can back up my words. Some French claims, like the "geography" of a type of wine, are bullshit. I do use logic to explain things.

Some French aren't left wingers? No shit!

They are, unfortunately, a minority. France needs a burst of nationalism, pronto!

Blame Axl!
I'm sure you're the most open minded person on this board!

Axl isn't very open minded, either.  I'm just stalwart, like he, but most would call be stubborn. I don't care.

[SLCPUNK]

I can back up my words. Some French claims, like the "geography" of a type of wine, are bullshit. I do use logic to explain things.

haha, this should be good.

Please explain.

[Walk]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine

Well, you can go there to get educated. American wines usually go by the variety of grape used, while European wines go by region. Thus, regions like Champagne try and bully winemakers outside of that region not to use the name "Champagne", even if they make wine just as well, and with the same grapes! They do this to control the market, not to keep quality high! That's simply arrogant. They should group their wines the way we do, by the type of grape, not by the region.

They say they don't want cheap wines taking on their oh-so-holy name, but this problem is very exaggerated. They really just want to stop competition. Of course, it's not just the French who do this practice...

[SLCPUNK]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine

Well, you can go there to get educated. American wines usually go by the variety of grape used, while European wines go by region. Thus, regions like Champagne try and bully winemakers outside of that region not to use the name "Champagne", even if they make wine just as well, and with the same grapes! They do this to control the market, not to keep quality high! That's simply arrogant. They should group their wines the way we do, by the type of grape, not by the region.

They say they don't want cheap wines taking on their oh-so-holy name, but this problem is very exaggerated. They really just want to stop competition. Of course, it's not just the French who do this practice...

I know more about wine then probably 99% of most people, so spare me on the education thing.

That is just how they are classified: French by region, American by grape type. French producers have picked up on this and have begun to bottle wines for America with the grape varietal on the bottle.

You are absurd.

That is like saying the Australians are trying to fool everybody by calling their wine Shiraz instead of Syrah.

OK, give me more examples....I'd love to hear them. I'm in the mood for a good laugh.

[Walk]

If you want to laugh, you'll love this. http://home.kendra.com/mauser/YARTLTF.html 

[SLCPUNK]

Nah...your posts can hold me for the next week.

Thanks and goodnight.

[Izzy]

They are, unfortunately, a minority. France needs a burst of nationalism, pronto!

Ever heard of Jean-Marie Le Pen and his recent exploits at the polls?

[Axls Locomotive]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine

Well, you can go there to get educated. American wines usually go by the variety of grape used, while European wines go by region. Thus, regions like Champagne try and bully winemakers outside of that region not to use the name "Champagne", even if they make wine just as well, and with the same grapes! They do this to control the market, not to keep quality high! That's simply arrogant. They should group their wines the way we do, by the type of grape, not by the region.

you talk out of your arse...champagne has been named such for hundreds of years...its the name of the region, they make it there, thats why its called champagne...why should people from that region not be able to protect the name of their wine named after that region?...its not about the quality, its about the region, just like when you want real whisky, you buy it from scotland...anything else is just a copy and is inferior