Susan Komen for the Cure to cut funds to Planned Parenthood

[Nordic]

When holier-than-thou right-wingers take over an organization, money tends to get diverted into ..... well, other things. Like the pockets of the right wingers.

This organization should be audited immediately.

[Grizzly]

Komen: A study in how to ruin a brand in 48 hours. Guidestar.org ratings for Komen slump to 1 out of 5 stars.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/02/1060974/-Komen-supporters-jumping-ship-on-Guidestarorg

Guidestar.org is an extraordinarily important resource for nonprofits. Prospective donors, if they're smart, check out a nonprofit at guidestar.org before even considering giving a donation.

So I wandered over there this evening, and logged in to see what might be going on with Susan G. Komen Foundation. Well, it looks like some now-former supporters found Guidestar just like I did. The Personal Reviews section, which I honestly did not know existed before today, exploded in the last two days, and brought SGK's rating down to one star out of five. Not very good for such a "high class" organization!

Over the squiggle and into the comments...

From some of the comments, it looks like people have been uncomfortable with SGK's marketing, suppression of science research, and pushing small groups around over copyright and trademark. This Planned Parenthood thing has just finally pushed them over the edge.

I'm done with the Komen Foundation. The fact they have cut off funding of breast exams in Planned Parenthood facilities shows a disregard for women. No more money, not even pocket change. I'll now donate to Planned Parenthood.

They are losing their passionate supporters:

I have participated in seven Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day Walks, walking 420 miles and raising over $20K. Now that it's cutting off funds to Planned Parenthood -- funds used for vital breast exams for low-income women who have few other options for gynecological care --I am finished with this organization. Caving in to political pressure by anti-choice groups contradicts the Komen's Foundation alleged mission statement. My money and time will go to Planned Parenthood and other organizations truly looking out for women's interests rather than those of political organizations, religious organizations and pharmaceutical companies.

They have lost Republicans:

I used to donate to SGK but since they defunded planned parenthood i no longer will. I am a Republican and I still think what they did was work against the cure not for it.

People will support true breast cancer research:

Former volunteer. Won't participate again in fundraising or supporting other fundraisers. Pulling support out from under low-income women for political reasons is unconscionable. I will find other organizations that use my time and money with more true commitment to ending cancer.

The SGK era could be over:

I have been a supporter of the Komen Foundation since the 1990's. Nancy Brinker and I are both University of Illinois alumna. Our paths have crossed in several venues. I wish the Komen Foundation had the courage to stand up for women's health. That was the original mission of this wonderful, nonpolitical organization. It has lost its way. And unfortunately, it has lost all its courage. I think Planned Parenthood will benefit financially from this event. That is the good news. The bad news is a good organization has changed its core mission by failing to be honest about its changing its mission and engaging in politics. It will ultimately be a bad decision for Ms. Brinker. Look at the Avon Foundation and their Avon Walk, if you wish to fight those horrible disease with your donations. I will.

All in all, I think this will be a disaster for SGK. I looked through 11 pages of comments and did not see a single positive one. SGK seem to have become a foundation of, by and for the 1%. The 99% aren't buying it any more.

5:00 AM PT: Thank you for the recommends! I posted and went to bed, then woke up atop the list. I'll join the discussion after I get some coffee in me.

[sunny]

Komen Also Stops Funding Embryonic Stem Cell Research Centers

In addition to stopping funding for the Planned Parenthood abortion business, Komen for the Cure has also quietly stopped funding embryonic stem cell research centers, another concern for pro-life advocates.

As LifeNews reported last July, Karen Malec of the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer spent time examining Komen’s 990 Forms for the IRS for 2010 and she found that Komen has active relationships with at least five research groups or educational facilities that engage in embryonic stem cell research, which requires the destruction of unborn children in their earliest days for stem cells that have yet to help any patients.

The return showed donations from Komen totaling $3.75 million to Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, $4.5 million to the University of Kansas Medical Center, $1 million to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, $1 million to the Society for Women’s Health Research, and $600,000 to Yale University. All of them have embryonic stem cell research programs.

On November 30, 2011, Komen quietly added a new statement to its web site stating that it does not support embryonic stem cell research but supports the kinds that do not involve the destruction of human life.

“Komen supports research on the isolation, derivation, production, and testing of stem cells that are capable of producing all or almost all of the cell types of the developing body and may result in improved understanding of or treatments for breast cancer, but are derived without creating a human embryo or destroying a human embryo,” Komen says. “A priority in our research funding is to quickly find and deliver effective treatments, especially for the most lethal forms of breast cancer, while seeking effective preventive strategies, enhanced screening methodologies, and solutions to disparities in breast cancer outcomes for diverse women.” Link

[sunny]

Komen's $7.5 Million Grant to Penn State Appears to Violate New Policy

Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which recently announced that it is ending grants to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screening because of a controversial investigation launched by an anti-abortion Republican congressman, currently funds cancer research at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center to the tune of $7.5 million. Like Planned Parenthood, Penn State is currently the subject of a federal government investigation, and like the Planned Parenthood grant, the Penn State grant appears to violate a new internal rule at Komen that bans grants to organizations that are under investigation by federal, state, or local governments. But so far, only the Planned Parenthood grants appear to have been cancelled.

An internal Komen memo written by President Elizabeth Thompson and obtained by Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic states that if "an applicant or its affiliates" is under investigation "for financial or administrative improprieties by local, state or federal authorities," then "the applicant will be ineligible to receive a grant." Penn State, the Pennsylvania university that the Hershey center is affiliated with, is currently under investigation by the federal government over the sexual assault scandal involving former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, who has been indicted on multiple counts of sexual abuse of children. In 2008, the Komen foundation awarded a five-year, $7.5 million grant to the Hershey center to study treatments that could reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, university officials are required to "issue a timely warning if a reported crime represents a threat to the campus community." The Department of Education announced that it was investigating Penn State over possible Clery Act violations last November, and a Penn State spokesperson told Mother Jones that the investigation is ongoing. The Komen foundation has not yet responded to a request for comment.

More at link.

[Allegro]

.
Some biscuit crumbs from the wonderful worlds of wikipedia.

((1)) Susan G. Komen for the Cure was founded and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

((2)) Susan G. Komen organization has been criticized for its use of donor funds, as well as its choice of sponsor affiliations and its role in commercial cause marketing.

Cause marketing or cause-related marketing refers to a type of marketing involving the cooperative efforts of a "for profit" business and a non-profit organization for mutual benefit. The term is sometimes used more broadly and generally to refer to any type of marketing effort for social and other charitable causes, including in-house marketing efforts by non-profit organizations. Cause marketing differs from corporate giving (philanthropy) as the latter generally involves a specific donation that is tax deductible, while cause marketing is a marketing relationship not necessarily based on a donation.

((3)) Who is Karen Handel? Karen C. Handel (born April 18, 1962) is an American politician, and Senior vice president of public policy for Komen.

She served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Vice-President Dan Quayle's wife, Marilyn, where she worked to promote breast cancer awareness and research.

In 2002, Handel was named Deputy Chief of Staff by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue [a Baptist who on the steps of the State Capitol prayed for rain in November 2007], where she served as a policy advisor and supervised constituent services, the Governor's Mansion, and general administration services.

She served as Secretary of State of Georgia from 2007 until January 2010.

In the Republican Gubernatorial run-off on August 10, 2010, Handel received the endorsement of former Republican 2008 Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Handel also received the endorsements of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.

In April 2011, Ms. Handel was appointed senior vice president of public policy at breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure ("Komen"). In this position she is responsible for leading the organization’s federal and state advocacy efforts, including management of Advocacy Alliance.


At the end of January 2012, Komen stated it will cut ties with the women's health organization Planned Parenthood. The organization attributed the decision to a newly adopted policy not to fund organizations under investigation by a government agency. The House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee in September 2011 initiated an investigation into Planned Parenthood’s usage of federal funds which are precluded from financing the organization's abortion services.

Media reports postulated that Handel, who had advocated defunding Planned Parenthood in her gubernatorial campaign, and pressure from anti-abortion groups played major roles in this move. On February 2, 2012, Jeffrey Goldberg reported in The Atlantic that "three sources with direct knowledge of the Komen decision-making process told me that the rule was adopted in order to create an excuse to cut-off Planned Parenthood." Goldberg further reports that his sources indicated "The decision to create a rule that would cut funding to Planned Parenthood, according to these sources, was driven by the organization's new senior vice-president for public policy, Karen Handel, a former gubernatorial candidate from Georgia who is staunchly anti-abortion and who has said that since she is 'pro-life, I do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood.'"

[Nordic]

Sounds like she should just advocate faith-healing and nothing else.

She has no business at this place.

[Allegro]

.
Several links in the original.

_________________
Komen Foundation ousted their Democratic lobbyist
just before hiring Karen Handel

It wasn’t until 2008 that the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, a 501(c)3, founded the Susan G. Komen For The Cure Advocacy Alliance, a 501(c)4 non-profit that, under IRS rules, can spend unlimited donor funds on lobbying. It’s that arm of the Komen Foundation that former Secretary of State and failed gubernatorial candidate Karen Handel (R-GA) was hired to run in April 2011, despite being once investigated for issuing voter ID regulations that the Department of Justice determined to be discriminatory against non-white voters. She’d been serving “as a consultant” to the organization since January 2011.

Before Handel’s hiring, Komen’s lobbying shop was staunchly Democratic — from its head to its hired guns, former Democratic aides did most of the heavy lifting on everything from the breast cancer stamp to breast cancer research to its advocacy on the health care bill. And when their lead lobbyist, former Democratic staffer Jennifer Luray, quietly left in 2010, she took with her a six-figure severance package not in keeping with an employee that just found a new job.

At the time Handel was hired as a consultant — shortly after Luray left — Handel told the local magazine Northside Woman that Komen was her first and only client, and that her role was to “[work] with [the affiliates] to make sure they are as strong as they can be,” adding, “we’re making sure there’s a good relationship between the national group and the affiliate group [sic].” She told the Atlanta Trend last year, “Everybody understands that budgets are really, really tight in virtually every state. And that means that every program, no matter how worthwhile, is on the table to be scrutinized.” That would seem to belie Komen Foundation President Nancy Brinker’s assertion today that Handel wasn’t involved in the decision to end most affiliates’ grants to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings, let alone her assertion that none of their decisions were “political.”

Interestingly, before Brinker took the reins of the organization itself and Handel came on board, Komen’s lobbyists had typically leaned to the left, especially since the Advocacy Alliance opened. Though everyone from lobbying powerhouse Patton Boggs to smaller shops like Foley Hoag (a law-firm based practice headed by former Kennedy aide Nick Littlefield) got money from the Komen Foundation to do what limited lobbying is allowed under their tax-exempt status, launching the Advocacy Alliance in 2008 allowed Komen to hire former Democratic aide Heather Podesta’s lobbying firm to represent them alongside its other long-term lobbying firms.

Finally, in 2009, Komen hired Jennifer Luray to run its advocacy shop directly and be their top lobbyist in Washington. Luray, who holds a Master of Arts in public policy from Harvard, spent three years working for noted women’s health advocate Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) before moving to the Clinton White House as the Deputy Assistant to the President in Office of Women’s Initiatives and Outreach, after which she joined the staff of Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD). When picked to head Komen’s political arm, she was working as a lobbyist for Abbott Pharmaceuticals, a drug and device company that, among its many products, offers a breast cancer screening protocol.

But, according to lobbying disclosure records filed with the House of Representatives, Luray ended her tenure as a lobbyist with Komen in the third quarter of 2010, joining pharmaceutical device manufacturers Becton, Dickinson & Co. instead. IRS filings by Komen indicate she was given a $134,000 severance package upon her departure, which was almost a full year’s salary.

Savvy observers might recall that one of the women who accused Herman Cain of sexual harassment during his tenure at the National Restaurant Association also got a year’s salary, equivalent to $35,000 — and a non-disclosure agreement prohibiting her from discussing the matter. Neither Luray nor the members of the Komen Advocacy Alliance Board responded to inquiries by press time. But American League of Lobbyists president Howard Marlowe told Raw Story that “usually [severance packages] don’t last that long,” even when people are offered them.

It was in the third quarter of 2010 — August 10, 2010 — that Handel lost her run-off election to current Governor Nathan Deal (R-GA) [a Baptist]. Handel, who worked for former Vice President Dan Quayle’s wife Marilyn, had done some lobbying for KMPG and public relations for other private companies, had been in state government since early in the decade. By January 2011, she was a consultant to Komen, though not yet a registered lobbyist. Her salary remains undisclosed and, since Handel was hired after the end of their fiscal year, Komen’s tax returns — of which there are three, for the parent foundation, the affiliate organization and the advocacy group — don’t yet reflect her pay. Their tax year ends on March 31, 2012, and last years returns weren’t filed until December 2011.

[Laodicean]

Susan G. Komen Foundation Promotes Pink Guns Following Planned Parenthood Controversy

The backlash against the Susan G. Komen Foundation that followed the group’s controversial decision to defund Planned Parenthood has been stunning, a goodwill implosion on social media the likes of which have not been seen probably ever.

Komen is the pink-ribbon breast cancer charity- in the past decade or so, the month of October has largely been coated in pink to raise “awareness” for breast cancer, and it was up until this week a relatively safe group with which to align. But all that changed when Komen- in a fairly baldfaced political move against abortion- pulled funding for breast cancer services from Planned Parenthood clinics. And while a small number of supporters have lauded the decision on sites like Facebook and Twitter, the decision has been far more loudly and completely decried by women and Planned Parenthood supporters and senators and pretty much everyone else.

It’s undeniable that the few that support the decision skew conservative, while the Planned Parenthood supporters are far more frequently liberal, which is why some other news unearthed about Komen and what it finds acceptable is riling people even more- the organization has partnered with a company selling pink-topped handguns. Aside from abortion, guns are probably the most divisive issue in the United States, and stacked together, it certainly seems Komen has aligned firmly with only one half of America. (And as a strong supporter of gun rights, I do find it a bit weird that a charity ostensibly dedicated to saving lives would promote a product for which the main purpose is taking them.)

A post over on Daily Kos quotes a recent press release about the Komen-endorsed pink handgun:

Discount Gun Sales is proud to team up with the Susan B. Koman Foundation to offer the Walther P-22 Hope Edition in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A portion of each P-22 Hope Edition will be donated to the Seattle Branch of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

The P-22 Hope Edition has an exclusive DuraCoat Pink slide in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month. Utilizing the same reliable controls and firing mechanism that has made the Walther P-22 America’s top selling handgun, the Hope Edition will be a limited production pistol offered exclusively through Discount Gun Sales.

http://www.inquisitr.com/190169/susan-g ... ntroversy/

[Aldebaran]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/fe ... parenthood
Susan G Komen in U-turn over Planned Parenthood funding cut
Nancy Brinker, cancer charity's CEO, apologises for 'recent decisions' and says Komen will honour exisiting grants

Ed Pilkington and Saabira Chaudhuri in New York
guardian.co.uk, Friday 3 February 2012 12.12 EST

America's largest breast cancer advocacy group has been forced to make a self-abasing retraction of its plan to cut funding for Planned Parenthood following a huge outcry against the decision.

Susan G Komen for the Cure, a Dallas-based organisation, has announced that it will honour existing grants to Planned Parenthood and allow the organisation to continue to apply for future funding – a U-turn from its earlier decision to cut its annual $650,000 provision.

Nancy Brinker, who set up Komen as a pledge to her dying sister to work to end breast cancer in the US, together with the foundation's board of directors, put out a statement in which they apologised to the American public "for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives".

Although the statement insisted that the move to sever Planned Parenthood's funding had not been political in nature, the board did admit that it had left itself open to the charge that it was vulnerable to political persuasion within America's highly-charged debate over abortion. It said that it would amend a new rule under which the funding cut had taken place to make clear that political considerations had no place in its decision making.

"We do not want our mission marred or affected by politics – anyone's politics," the statement said.

The newly-adopted rule under which Komen made its controversial decision to cut ties with Planned Parenthood, the largest reproductive and sexual health service provider in the US, stated that no body should be funded should it be under official investigation. Planned Parenthood is indeed under congressional investigation – the problem, though, is that the investigation was launched against it by overtly politically motivated individuals who are opposed to abortion. The organisation is a favourite target of anti-abortion lobbies because sum of its clinics offer abortions.

In a statement, Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood's president, described the support she had received since Tuesday as astonishing and "a testament to our nation's compassion and sincerity".

She said: "In recent weeks, the treasured relationship between the Susan G Komen for the Cure Foundation and Planned Parenthood has been challenged, and we are now heartened that we can continue to work in partnership toward our shared commitment to breast health for the most underserved women.

"We are enormously grateful that the Komen Foundation has clarified its grantmaking criteria, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Komen partners, leaders and volunteers. What these past few days have demonstrated is the deep resolve all Americans share in the fight against cancer, and we honor those who are at the helm of this battle."

There have been suggestions that Komen's new rule was pushed through the foundation by the organisation's recently appointed senior manager for public policy, Karen Handel, who had been quoted as saying: "I am staunchly and unequivocally pro-life … Let me be clear: since I am pro-life, I do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood."

Komen's statement leaves some room for ambivalence. Though it says that existing funding for Planned Parenthood will be reinstated, it puts a question mark over future funding by saying only that the group will continue to have "eligibility to apply for future grants".

Whether those applications will be received favourably is left unresolved.

Komen's fund-cutting decision prompted an intense outpouring of criticism for the foundation, matched by support for Planned Parenthood. Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, led the charge, pledging $1 for every equivalent dollar donated to Planned Parenthood up to a total of $250,000.

In addition, $400,000 was raised online from 6,000 donors in the first 24 hours after the announcement. Within hours of the controversy breaking, the $650,000 cut had been more than compensated.

Prominent individuals associated with Komen also resigned in protest, including the group's top health official, Mollie Williams, the executive director of its Los Angeles chapter, Deb Anthony. A member of its medical advisory board, Dr Kathy Plesser, had also announced that she would resign if the decision were not reversed.

Komen hopes that its policy reversal will now temper the storm that has raged around it. "It is our hope and we belive it is time for everyone involved to pause, slow down and reflect," its statement says.

© 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

[Simulist]

Susan G. Komen Foundation Promotes Pink Guns Following Planned Parenthood Controversy

Why don't they just go for broke, and promote pink coat hangers?

[Laodicean]

Susan G. Komen Foundation Promotes Pink Guns Following Planned Parenthood Controversy

Why don't they just go for broke, and promote pink coat hangers?

You get those too if you buy two guns. A free pack of "Hello Kitty" stickers for the kids too.

[sunny]

disgrace for the cure
By Erin Gloria Ryan
Feb 3, 2012 11:30 AM


Breaking: Komen Reverses Decision on Planned Parenthood Funding, Is Still Likely Full of Shit

After public outcry, irreparable brand damage, and some embarrassing executive doubletalk, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has just announced that they're reinstating funding to Planned Parenthood. But don't think for a second that this means they're free from a political agenda.

The organization released the following statement,

We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives.


The events of this week have been deeply unsettling for our supporters, partners and friends and all of us at Susan G. Komen. We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood. They were not.


Our original desire was to fulfill our fiduciary duty to our donors by not funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation. We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair.


Our only goal for our granting process is to support women and families in the fight against breast cancer. Amending our criteria will ensure that politics has no place in our grant process. We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities.


It is our hope and we believe it is time for everyone involved to pause, slow down and reflect on how grants can most effectively and directly be administered without controversies that hurt the cause of women. We urge everyone who has participated in this conversation across the country over the last few days to help us move past this issue. We do not want our mission marred or affected by politics - anyone's politics.


Starting this afternoon, we will have calls with our network and key supporters to refocus our attention on our mission and get back to doing our work. We ask for the public's understanding and patience as we gather our Komen affiliates from around the country to determine how to move forward in the best interests of the women and people we serve.


We extend our deepest thanks for the outpouring of support we have received from so many in the past few days and we sincerely hope that these changes will be welcomed by those who have expressed their concern.

That's all well and good, but they're still lying. Although they've restored funding to Planned Parenthood, they've only done it after a category 5 shitstorm threatened to completely taint the brand. They're not sorry they pulled funding to satisfy a political vendetta; they're sorry they got called out on it, and I'm not sure that their brand isn't already tainted. Komen blatantly, obviously, and deliberately targeted Planned Parenthood. Their board room is still staffed with conservative donors and at least one vocal anti-choice politician. They're still a conservative political organization masquerading as a feel-goodery for people who just want to help cure cancer.


Women aren't stupid, though, despite the fact that the Komen foundation seems to think we are. Supporters of the organization are owed much more than a statement about how "hurt" Nancy Brinker and company are by the accusations that they're a political organization. They're owed evidence that Komen hasn't already evolved into a political instrument. And no such evidence exists. Link

[sunny]

Komen caves, kinda, but still refusing to approve Planned Parenthood’s funding next year
By John Aravosis on 2/03/2012 12:02:00 PM


The Susan G. Komen foundation caved today. Kinda. They issued a statement apologizing for the mess they created this week when they cut funding for Planned Parenthood breast exams for poor women, seemingly under pressure from far right politicos and anti-choice groups. But Komen's apology is slightly lacking. And according to their own CEO last night, they still can't approve future grants from Planned Parenthood. Unless she was lying.

In the apology Komen says that they'll continue Planned Parenthood's current funding, and they're changing their "no investigations" rule to say that it must be a criminal investigation, and conclusive. Okay, but the current funding wasn't at issue. Komen had always said they'd continue the current funding, so that's a red herring. The issue is next year's funding, which Komen just turned down. And on that account, Komen now says this:

We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities.

Preserve their ability to apply? What, Komen won't go to Planned Parenthood and steal all the pens so PPFA can't apply again in the future? They could always try to apply again. That's not the point.

If Komen is serious, they can simply approve the application Planned Parenthood has already submitted. Yes, they turned it down once, supposedly because of the now-old rule about investigations. Fine. If the rule is gone, then approve the grant.

Of course, it's even more complicated because of a video statement Komen CEO, Republican donor, and former Bush appointee, Nancy Brinker issued last night claiming that the right-wing congressional investigation had nothing to do with the decision to turn down Planned Parenthood's grant. Rather, Brinker now says Komen turned PPFA down because Komen no longer funds pass-through grants. So if that's the case, then changing Komen's investigations-rule won't change a thing. They'll still turn down Planned Parenthood again next time because of the supposed pass-through grant. Unless of course, Nancy Brinker was lying last night. So which is it?

The only way that Komen can get out of this mess is by approving Planned Parenthood's grant now. Komen has the application, they killed it for political reasons, and they got caught. And then to add insult to injury, Brinker concocted a new story last night.

If Komen really wants to do penance, they'll approve PPFA's grant now.

UPDATE: This statement from a right-wing Catholic group pretty much sums things up correctly:

“This represents nothing new. We have known and have reported that they are continuing five grants through 2012. This is a reference to that. The second clause about eligibility is certainly true. Any group can apply for anything. It does not mean they are going to get anything,” Ruse told LifeNews.

“What this is is an effort to get the mafia off of their backs. As James Taranto said in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, this is a classic shakedown operation. Give us money or we will destroy you. This is Komen’s attempt to save their organization, which we should know is in peril. Our side should know that nothing has changed.”

Bottom line: Komen cut funding for Planned Parenthood, it is facing massive revolt from its chapters and tremendous opposition from Planned Parenthood and the media, and it appears to be leaving the door open for potential grants — not that they will necessarily happen beyond the ones previously approved prior to the decision — to please both sides.

Now that Planned Parenthood has issued a statement embracing Komen, and apparently accepting the "apology," the battle is over. I'm just not entirely sure that Planned Parenthood won. Komen should approve next year's grant now.

As for the Race for the Cure, we now know what Komen really is. And I don't know about you, but I don't give money to organizations that do David Vitter's bidding. Link

[Allegro]

.
REFER David Vitter in the bottom paragraph in the above article.

What's to know about David Vitter, a Roman Catholic?

Louisiana Family Forum earmark: In September, 2007, Vitter earmarked $100,000 in federal money for a Christian group, the Louisiana Family Forum, known for challenging evolution by means of "teaching the controversy" which promotes intelligent design. According to Vitter, the earmark was "to develop a plan to promote better science education". Though the Louisiana Family Forum is largely forbidden from political activity due to its tax-exempt status, The Times-Picayune alleged the group had close ties with Vitter. However, they have criticized Vitter for his support of Rudy Giuliani.

On October 17, 2007, the liberal organization People For the American Way, along with several other groups asked the Senate to remove the earmark. Vitter later withdrew it.

_________________
Louisiana Family Forum

Louisiana Family Forum (LFF) is a social conservative non-profit advocacy group based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The organization supports Louisiana's covenant marriage law and opposes abortion and same-sex marriage. The group's stated mission is to "persuasively present biblical principles in the centers of influence on issues affecting the family through research, communication and networking." According to its website, the group "maintains a close working relationship with Focus on the Family and Family Research Council" and is part of a network of individual state Family Policy Councils.

_________________
Focus on the Family

Focus on the Family (FOTF, or FotF) is an American evangelical Christian tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s. A component of the American Christian right, it is active in promoting interdenominational work toward its views on social conservative public policy. Focus on the Family is also currently the primary sponsor for Phil Vischer's JellyTelly.

Focus on the Family's stated mission is "nurturing and defending the God-ordained institution of the family and promoting biblical truths worldwide." Some of the core promotional activities of the organization include a daily radio broadcast by Dobson and his colleagues, providing free resources and family counseling according to Focus on the Family views, and publishing a variety of magazines, videos, and audio recordings. The organization also produces specialized programs for targeted audiences, such as Adventures in Odyssey for children, dramas, and Family Minute with James Dobson. Both Focus on the Family and Adventures in Odyssey are broadcast on Trans World Radio in the UK.

_________________
Family Research Council

The Family Research Council (FRC) is a conservative or right-wing Christian group and lobbying organization formed in the United States in 1981 by James Dobson. It was fully incorporated in 1983. In the late 1980s, FRC officially became a division of Dobson's main organization, Focus on the Family, but after an administrative separation, FRC officially became an independent entity in 1992. The function of FRC is to promote what it considers to be traditional family values, by advocating and lobbying for socially conservative policies. It advocates against LGBT rights, abortion, divorce, embryonic stem-cell research, the theory that global warming is the result of human activity, and pornography. The FRC is affiliated with a 501(c)(4) lobbying PAC known as FRC Action. Tony Perkins is the current president of FRC. The organization has been involved in the politics of social policy, notably in controversy concerning its position on homosexuality.

_________________
REFER: The Prosperity Gospel | Prosperity Theology; The Family; Dominion Theology | Reconstructionism; The Joshua Project | 1040 Window; Christian Fundamentalism; Christian Evangelism

[wetland]

Check out the new Canadian documentary Pink Ribbons, Inc

http://www.nfb.ca/playlist/pink_ribbons_inc/