Trying not to get too politically offensive
In general, I hate the inflammatory nature of US politics. There is so much name calling and vilifying, it's sad and frustrating. I can understand that not all my friends believe what I believe (and vice versa). I try to respect their point of view, because I respect them as people and I know that they don't make their choices lightly. I like to believe I generally succeed in this. However, I wish people would stop negatively characterizing people/organizations based on one move they don't agree with. Lately I've noticed quite a few posts of Facebook (where I REALLY try not to put out emotionally charged political statements) regarding the the Susan G Komen foundation not awarding Planned Parenthood a grant. I know from Elaine's work that you constantly have to reapply for grants, and just because you've received them in the past, you cannot bank on them in the future. But anyway...
If I have this right, SGK put in place new rules which will prevent PP from receiving $680k in future grants because of "new criteria that bars them from giving money to organizations that are under investigation". This also eliminates another 2,000 organizations, but only PP is currently receiving grant money. There is speculation that this shift is due to the Vice President of SGK not wanting to support an organization that provides abortion services. Also, this grant money was not used for abortions, but breast health issues.
I think that is a succinct recitation of the facts without my own personal spin, but I could be wrong.
The FB poster then urges people to stop donating all money to the Susan G Komen foundation. Sounds a bit like throwing the baby our with the bathwater to me. How about, if you're so incensed, you donate money to Planned Parenthood, instead of negating all the good work they accomplish by mudslinging? Or how about, the next time you do something I don't like, I put up a giant sign on Facebook (in all capitals, no less) that says what a bad person you are? I try to reserve that for the *actual* bad people.
C'mon people. You're better than that.
Also, I don't like the precedent it sets of the public dictating the exact format in which an organization spends its money. This article does a good job of broad brushing where the money goes. That $680k is going to be redistributed to other areas related to Breast Cancer. If I donated to SGK for breast cancer work, I am trusting that they will spend the money as they see fit because they are much more knowledgeable about it than I am. Otherwise, I would have donated to something else.
**update, SGK has decided to give PP the grant after the mudslinging. Can't decide if that was a worthwhile move on their part because it's not really a big deal to them, or if they caved. We all know how I feel about people forcing me to do things I don't want to do. The spiteful part of me says that they caved. :) **
If I have this right, SGK put in place new rules which will prevent PP from receiving $680k in future grants because of "new criteria that bars them from giving money to organizations that are under investigation". This also eliminates another 2,000 organizations, but only PP is currently receiving grant money. There is speculation that this shift is due to the Vice President of SGK not wanting to support an organization that provides abortion services. Also, this grant money was not used for abortions, but breast health issues.
I think that is a succinct recitation of the facts without my own personal spin, but I could be wrong.
The FB poster then urges people to stop donating all money to the Susan G Komen foundation. Sounds a bit like throwing the baby our with the bathwater to me. How about, if you're so incensed, you donate money to Planned Parenthood, instead of negating all the good work they accomplish by mudslinging? Or how about, the next time you do something I don't like, I put up a giant sign on Facebook (in all capitals, no less) that says what a bad person you are? I try to reserve that for the *actual* bad people.
C'mon people. You're better than that.
Also, I don't like the precedent it sets of the public dictating the exact format in which an organization spends its money. This article does a good job of broad brushing where the money goes. That $680k is going to be redistributed to other areas related to Breast Cancer. If I donated to SGK for breast cancer work, I am trusting that they will spend the money as they see fit because they are much more knowledgeable about it than I am. Otherwise, I would have donated to something else.
**update, SGK has decided to give PP the grant after the mudslinging. Can't decide if that was a worthwhile move on their part because it's not really a big deal to them, or if they caved. We all know how I feel about people forcing me to do things I don't want to do. The spiteful part of me says that they caved. :) **
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