The AFA believes that the Girl's Inc. "I Can" band leads to dead fetuses and wanton dykery.
A short while back the bible-beaters were up in arms over American
Girl dolls, and the line's affiliation with Girls Incorporated, which
helps young, underprivileged young women build a sense of self-respect
and self-determination. The problem is that Girls Inc. also teaches
girls about their bodies, health and sexuality. The big siren went off
in AmTalibanland.
The all-too-familiar bigots at the American Family Association ran a petition campaign with this message spamming out to American Girl President Ellen Brothers and Mattel Chairman Bob Eckert. (Mattel owns American Girl):
I have been made aware of your cash donation and continuing proceeds through the "I Can" bracelet to Girls Inc.
I feel American Girl and Mattel has made a tragic mistake in
partnering with Girls Incorporated, a pro-abortion, pro-lesbian
advocacy group.
After viewing the Girls Inc. website, I am convinced your financial
support for them will cause a lot of American Girl fans and consumers
to abandon their longtime loyalty and faithfulness to your company.
I implore you to reconsider your partnership with Girls Inc. and let
me know of your decision. Your response to my concerns will greatly
affect how I choose to do business with American Girl and Mattel in the
future.
Well, which road did Mattel take -- the Kraft
path ("screw you" AmTaliban"), maybe? No, like Ford, Mattel caved in to
the bible beaters. (CBS):
That
was until the Wiesners found out that the American Girl company donates
money to an organization called Girls Incorporated, which offers
support to underprivileged girls. Girls Inc. also endorses Roe v. Wade
- the right to abortion and it promotes acceptance of homosexuality.
It's an association that families like the Wiesners are protesting with
their wallets.
"This year, we're not going to buy any of the products for Christmas," Wiesner says bluntly.
...American Girl, which just launched its first ever major ad campaign in its 20-year history, released a statement saying it is "profoundly disappointed that certain groups have chosen to misconstrue American Girl's purely altruistic efforts."
Also Mattel, the maker of the doll has decided it will not renew its partnership with Girls Inc.which runs out this year.
I can almost guarantee you that Mattel won't do a mea culpa in the end as the automaker did. Joyce M. Roch, President of Girls, Inc., responded to the controversy on its site.
Recently,
our mission to help girls develop their self-esteem and self-reliance
has become the target of false, inflammatory statements from people who
are pursuing a narrow political agenda.
Girls Incorporated stands on its long positive history. The
millions of lives we have touched speak for who we are and our values.
Thanks to all of you who believe in our mission of inspiring girls to
be strong, smart, and bold. Together, we will continue to work to help
all girls realize their potential.
"In addition, since 1992 Girls Inc. has provided over $1.8 million
in college scholarships to girls who have become leaders in all walks
of life and has played a crucial role in advancing girls' rights
through supporting legislation such as Title IX and the Violence
Against Women Act. Recently, our mission to help girls develop their
self-esteem and self-reliance has become the target of false,
inflammatory statements from people who are pursuing a narrow political
agenda."
I have to agree with Senator Barack Obama
-- this is silly. These people are boycotting American Girl because
Girls Inc. wants to see women succeed outside of the home. Women can be
whatever they want! Organizations like Girls Inc. don't need to
encourage women to be homemakers -- there have been hundreds of years
of encouragement ingrained into our culture. And the "Christian"
churches advocate baby-making and homemaking more than enough.
What
I find dangerous in all this is that these "Christians" are trying to
co-opt "feminism." I'm a glutton for punishment, so sometimes I listen
to Relevant Radio
-- the "orthodox" Catholic talk radio station. They've talked about how
we should view women in light of the gifts God has given them. (Which
is code word for uteruses.) They argue this is the new feminism --
respecting women for who/what they really
-- or rather, what God made them (i.e. baby-factories). Unsaid in all
of it is the view that God created women to be mothers. The consistent
absence of a discussion of what God created women to be is incredibly
conspicuous.
Bin Laden Niece in Glamour Shots The niece of Osama Bin Laden has posed for provocative photographs for an American magazine.
Wafah Dufour, an aspiring musician and model, is the daughter of the al-Qaeda leader's half-brother Yeslam.
She appears stripped to ostrich feather lingerie, and in a bubble bath, in photos for American GQ magazine.
US-born, she says she is an American, and distances
herself from her uncle. "Everyone relates me to that man, and I have
nothing to do with him," she says.
Ms Dufour, 26, took her mother's maiden name after the events of 11 September 2001.
She lived in Saudi Arabia, where Bin Laden is from, until she was 10, before moving on to Geneva and back to the US.
'Like any New Yorker'
She says she never sees any of the extended Bin Laden clan, including her father.
"There are 400 other people related to him, but they are
all in Saudi Arabia, so nobody's going to get tarred with it. I'm the
only one here," she said.
Her father and Osama Bin Laden are among more than 50
children fathered by Mohammed Bin Laden, a Yemeni immigrant to Saudi
Arabia, and construction magnate.
Ms Dufour was in Geneva when the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US, masterminded by her uncle, were launched.
She said: "I was freaking out, crying hysterically,
watching this in horror. I was like 'Somebody's bombing my city, and I
wanna go home!'"
"I was born in the States, and I want people to know I'm
American, and I want people to understand that I'm like anyone in New
York. For me, it's home," she said.
A short while back the bible-beaters were up in arms over American
Girl dolls, and the line's affiliation with Girls Incorporated, which
helps young, underprivileged young women build a sense of self-respect
and self-determination. The problem is that Girls Inc. also teaches
girls about their bodies, health and sexuality. The big siren went off
in AmTalibanland.
Wafah Dufour, an aspiring musician and model, is the daughter of the al-Qaeda leader's half-brother Yeslam.
