an interesting link, found via The Liberal Mind:
Choose The Blue. This site shows listings of corporations, from supermarkets to automobile manufacturers, and gives statistics about their giving (direct/indirect/employee/etc.) to the 2004 political campaigns. The breakdowns are sometimes surprising, and always enlightening, I think, to realize just how much corporations can influence the political landscape. Wal-Mart, for instance, mostly supported the Bush camp, while Starbucks was in the 'blue' Kerry camp. Here's some details from the site, which is obviously for 'blue' consuming:
We believe corporations are as important as politicians in American Politics.
You know what party a politician supports. Do you know how much support a corporation* (through its connected political action committee) and its employees (through their political contributions) put behind a political party, its candidates, and its causes?
ChooseTheBlue.com compiles information from third party sources primarily to show certain reported spending by political action committees connected with a corporation* and by that corporation's employees as political contributions, in each case related to recent federal elections. .
If each American who voted "Blue" in 2004 spends $100 in 2005 on products of a corporation that by reason of its employees' or connected political action committees' political contributions supported "Blue" over "Red," $5 billion in revenues would be shifted to "Blue" supporting corporations!
This will be noticed! Choose where you buy ... and make a difference!!!
*Please Note: Corporations are generally not allowed to and do not make direct political contributions. This website's figures may combine contributions of a corporation's (and in some cases affiliates' and subsidsiaries') connected PACs, employees, and spouses. Not every corporation has a PAC.
1 comment:
Beth:
As a religion writer for a secular newspaper when I get the time, I peruse the various religion blogs I can find links to. I can go read "Get Religion" up to the point I get nauseated enough to vomit. Other blogs, like yours, are a breath of fresh air. I also noticed that the right wing blogs get a great deal of posts. I've noticed you haven't received any, so I thought I would let you know that I have discovered your blog, I enjoy it, and will bookmark it.
I also found the "Choose the Blue" site (and there are others too) and am trying to adjust my buying habits accordingly, although its tough. Corporate America has such a stranglehold on most commodities that its difficult to be a conscientious consumer. But trying is better than doing nothing.
I appreciate your comments on Rev. Stroud. I believe it was a dark day for Methodism and Christianity in general. My wife and I visited a local and rather progressive Methodist church after we moved to Iowa. But she was uncomfortable with the modern service (she came from a LCMS background) and it went nowhere. I landed up going to church alone. I joined a UU church primarily on the issue of homosexuality. I simply can no longer sign my name to any denomination that practices bigotry.
Its difficult also for me, after a year in this beat, to continue writing on religion. The longer I hold this beat, the more I've grown to dislike the way religion is practiced in the US and what its doing to us. I have to fend off on an almost weekly basis, so many conservative Christian pastors that want to "sign me up" for their various schemes and such, politically and culturally. One even attempted to find out from another editor whether I was a "born again Christian" because he feared I was not. I think they're beginning to find out about me by degrees.
So I sit and wonder how long I can continue to be a liberal Christian covering religion at a conservative newspaper. I trust that eventually some of them will put heat on my editor (a Brethren church member) and then what may happen I don't know. Its tough for me -- I was fired from a talk radio job in Illinois for being "anti-war." I came here and was very excited about covering religion. Now its becoming difficult.
I've bent over backwards to be fair to the local conservatives to the point where a minister from that same Methodist church I spoke about above complained to me personally (about our wall-to-wall coverage of The Passion of the Christ)! Another pastor whose congregation tried to burn unholy books even told the national media to read my story because I was the only person who treated him fairly!
But as you know, its never enough for some people, especially the religious right in this country. You're either with us body and soul 100 percent or you're some kind of "enemy."
But you know, for the first time in my life I look forward to getting up on Sunday and going to church. And I don't apologize for it. What makes me upset is that the troika that writes "Get Religion" can be as conservative as they want in their blog and not have to worry about keeping their jobs but if did a blog in my own name with my own views, there would be some in this community that would try to get me fired. It's a real double standard.
But I just wanted to say that I appreciate your efforts and wanted you to know that we need more pastors like you that are willing to speak truth to power. Someday we may all have to be Neimoellers.
Merry Christmas,
Keith Gottschalk
Cedar Rapids, Ia
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