October 30, 2006

So, I called them

I called Focus on the Family this morning. I made absolutely sure I was polite and told both of the women that I spoke with that my comments were not intended to be hostile to them personally, but that I had to voice my frustration that Dobson would embrace someone like Ann Coulter on his show.

The first woman was clearly the receptionist and she was very nice. She asked if I was on their mailing list. I said that I was not and did not want to be. She then passed me off to a woman in their correspondence department. I repeated my statement that it was inconceivable that Dobson could refer to "family values" and embrace someone as hateful as Coulter. She was also quite nice and told me that Dobson had made it clear that he doesn't agree with all of her tactics, but thinks that Coulter has been a "powerful force in the pro-life movement." I asked if that included statements like refering to Muslims as "ragheads." She said, no of course not. I said, that is just like working with a Klan member because they are anti-abortion.

I reiterated numerous times that I was not mad at her and appreciated her letting me speak my mind. But I also communicated the horror that I feel and at one point said something like, "I apologize, but I am shaking this bothers me so much. That a man like Dr. Dobson could embrace someone who makes jokes about torture--torture--is completely incompatible with the message of the Gospel." I went on to tell her that this undermines his credibility on everything.

She was very nice, and I remained nice to her--enough that she thanked me for being polite. She said this comment would be included in a report for Dobson.

Anyway...

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good for you. Good for you taking it to them instead of preaching to us here in the choir, and extra points for remaining polite and respectful.

WJB said...

Streak, I must wholeheartedly agree with Mary. It is admirable that you made an effort to voice your concerns with an organization with which you disagree. And without the cursing and swearing. I think too often people complain about issues without really addressing them. Job well done.

JMG said...

I wish I could get my argumentative writing students to take a lesson from you!

Anonymous said...

I appreciate your ability to do that, Streak. You're someone (along with WaspJerky) who seems to be able to say things eloquently and with force, while when I open my fat mouth it comes out like, "Fuck you, you fucking fuckers."

Um, not exactly what I usually am aiming for...

Streak said...

JMG, what a nice compliment, and Nicole, you made me spit out coffee!

Mike Todd said...

Way to go.