Why Worry About Poverty, War, or the Economy?
When you've got holidays and homosexuals

We are living in an unprecedented time in the history of humankind. Technology is lengthing life, shortening distances, and expanding productivity. The repercussions of all three are gigantic -- affecting all areas of activity. Questions loom in such vital areas as allocation of resources, roles for displaced workers, and terrorism. It seems to me that both the right and the left have too often focused on "sound and fury signifying nothing." Two examples from today's WP. The first concerns the president's greeting cards, which do not say "Merry Christmas." Below are excerpts from 'Holiday' Cards Ring Hollow :

"This clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture," said William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

Bush "claims to be a born-again, evangelical Christian. But he sure doesn't act like one," said Joseph Farah, editor of the conservative Web site WorldNetDaily.com. "I threw out my White House card as soon as I got it."

[ . . . . ]

One of the generals on the pro-Christmas side is Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association in Tupelo, Miss. "Sometimes it's hard to tell whether this is sinister -- it's the purging of Christ from Christmas -- or whether it's just political correctness run amok," he said. "I think in the case of the White House, it's just political correctness."

Wildmon does not give retailers the same benefit of the doubt. This year, he has called for a consumer boycott of Target stores because the chain issued a holiday advertising circular that did not mention Christmas. Last year, he aimed a similar boycott at Macy's Inc., which averted a repeat this December by proclaiming "Merry Christmas" in its advertising and in-store displays.

The second example concerns the continuing assault on homosexuality by so-called Christians, this time against Ford for its personnel and advertising policies. Ford Pulls Some Ads From Gay Press :

Ford is the latest company to be ensnared in the culture wars over homosexuality, religion and American culture. Microsoft Corp. became a target of religious groups this year for its support of a Washington state bill to ban discrimination against gays and lesbians. The company withdrew its support for the bill, saying it was not caving to pressure but wanted to avoid taking a stand on a politically sensitive issue. After protest by employees, Microsoft reinstated its support for the anti-discrimination
bill.

Ford became a target of the American Family Association in May. The association was founded in 1977 by Donald E. Wildmon, who was the pastor of a United Methodist church in Mississippi at the time. It claims to be one of the largest pro-family organizations in the country with nearly 3 million supporters. The association owns 200 radio stations under the American Family Radio name, according to its Web site. In the past, the group has targeted Walt Disney Co. for extending benefits to gay couples and criticized the Fox television series "Boston Public" for sexually oriented story lines.

One interesting aspect of both articles is the assumption that business decisions based on profitability are actually sinister attacks by people with the intent to destroy Christianity and promote immorality. Why tackle difficult issues when you can tilt with straw men?