The news that Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation halted further grants to Planned Parenthood, has walloped the circuits of the net and beyond like a firestorm. The news this a.m. is their site was flooded by so many protest complaints they had to shut it down. Will this make them changelings? I doubt it!
Komen for the Cure made its ill -fated choice when it catapulted anti-abortion zealot and wingnut Karen Handel to its vice-presidency. The fallout was then expected, and all that was needed was a ruse or excuse to fall back on. It came when the Repuke House commenced "investigations" (can you say, Witch hunts) into Planned Parenthood - an organization which provides nearly 170,000 mammograms and other health tests each year -mainly to poor women. "Komen for the Cure', meanwhile, is mainly a middle class white lady redoubt which has many corporate and Republican-conservo affiliations. Given the pretext of an "investigation" by a derelict political party that represents the last gasp of the Old Confederacy, Komen argued that it "could no longer provide grants to any organization under investigation".
Convenient! Well, now the Komen piper has to be paid, for allowing itself to be so politicized, and hijacked by the wingnut, freak nut wackos. Most progressives now have pulled their support for Komen and are piling the money into Planned Parenthood. Even on salon.com this morning, many commentators of the threads observed though they could not afford it, they would donate $100 or $200 to Planned Paenthood.
This is not so much a big deal for me, as I was never that enamored of Komen's pink parades, and corporate outlook, so never gave that much. Maybe $5 or so if that. My wife was the usual contributor, and now she has even backed off, appalled that the anti-abortionist Right can have such sway over an organization putatively for the benefit of all women. Well, so much for that.
Komen for the Cure made its ill -fated choice when it catapulted anti-abortion zealot and wingnut Karen Handel to its vice-presidency. The fallout was then expected, and all that was needed was a ruse or excuse to fall back on. It came when the Repuke House commenced "investigations" (can you say, Witch hunts) into Planned Parenthood - an organization which provides nearly 170,000 mammograms and other health tests each year -mainly to poor women. "Komen for the Cure', meanwhile, is mainly a middle class white lady redoubt which has many corporate and Republican-conservo affiliations. Given the pretext of an "investigation" by a derelict political party that represents the last gasp of the Old Confederacy, Komen argued that it "could no longer provide grants to any organization under investigation".
Convenient! Well, now the Komen piper has to be paid, for allowing itself to be so politicized, and hijacked by the wingnut, freak nut wackos. Most progressives now have pulled their support for Komen and are piling the money into Planned Parenthood. Even on salon.com this morning, many commentators of the threads observed though they could not afford it, they would donate $100 or $200 to Planned Paenthood.
This is not so much a big deal for me, as I was never that enamored of Komen's pink parades, and corporate outlook, so never gave that much. Maybe $5 or so if that. My wife was the usual contributor, and now she has even backed off, appalled that the anti-abortionist Right can have such sway over an organization putatively for the benefit of all women. Well, so much for that.
But this is exactly how politics continues to poison our whole nexus as a civilized society, dividing us each from the other. In this case, Komen had to know in advance how this would play out and the blowback they'd get. If they didn't know, or underestimated it, they've no idea how polarized the nation is today and how one false move- say even denying funding to an organization they ought to be working in league with - can hurt them in turn.
Maybe this will be worth it if it serves as a cautionary tale for other organizations that might be tempted to either elect wingnut wackos to their top offices, or deny funding to groups like Planned Parenthood that provide essential health and screening services for the poorest.
Maybe this will be worth it if it serves as a cautionary tale for other organizations that might be tempted to either elect wingnut wackos to their top offices, or deny funding to groups like Planned Parenthood that provide essential health and screening services for the poorest.
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Update: The latest word is that Komen Foundation has repealed its decision This is good and applauded, but the blog stays up just in case any of their more militant reich wing supporters push them to do it again! In any case, as editorials in both The Denver Post and Wall Street Journal have noted, 'Komen for the Cure' has made absolutely NO promises to fund PP programs in the future and indeed leaves the issue of said funding open to "review" each year. Lip service, anyone?
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