Sunday, February 1, 2009

Here I am on my soapbox again...

I got an email today that has my dander up.

Here is what I received:

NBC rejects Super Bowl ad because it contains pro-life message

30-second ad features ultrasound pictures from a baby in its mother's womb

January 30, 2009



NBC television has rejected a pro-life advertisement which Catholicvote.org
bought for a slot in the Super Bowl because the ad contains a pro-life
message. The 30-second ad features ultrasound pictures from a baby in its
mother's womb. There is nothing either graphic or political and the word
abortion is not even used. In fact, no words are spoken, only graphics that
appear on-screen. Yet, the message is extremely powerful. You can view the
ad here. http://www.onenewsnow.com/Blog/Default.aspx?id=404524



Take Action!
E-mail your comments to NBC
https://secure.afa.net/afa/activism/TakeAction.asp?id=343
As of the time of this alert, NBC had not sold out all their ad slots, so
there is still time for them to reconsider.

In addition to sending an e-mail, please call NBC Entertainment at
818-840-4444. Tell the operator that you want to urge NBC to reconsider
airing the Super Bowl ad produced by Catholicvote.org.

Thank you for caring enough to get involved. If you feel our efforts are
worthy of support, would you consider making a small tax-deductible
contribution to help us continue?
https://donate.afa.net/default.aspx


Sincerely,

Donald E. Wildmon,
Founder and Chairman
American Family Association
(gifts are tax-deductible)


First off, I worked for General Electric for eight years. When I first joined the company, it was a fabulous company for which to work. They were very focused on the family and family values. Employees weren't numbers, they were people. The company actually invested in it's people.

Then "Uncle Jack", the great Jack Welch, stepped down. The company went to hell in a hat basket almost immediately. When I no longer worked for GE, it was as if a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders in many ways. That NBC (owned by General Electric) pulled this ad is really not surprising to me. It just didn't fit their liberal, "make as much money as possible and to hell with what's right", mentality.

Beyond that, it's so distressing to me what does and doesn't make it onto television. We have advertisements that are pro sex and teach our kids about using condoms.We air liquor ads using handsome men and beautiful women in lovely surroundings and then in wee small print write,"Drink Responsibly". MADD ("Mothers Against Drunk Driving") are finally coming on but their money doesn't come as easily as large corporation marketing budgets so the ratio of liquor to MADD ads is not equal by any means. We show advertisements for plastic surgeons that talk about breast enhancement, liposuction and other body "fixes" as if to say, "Gee if you're not happy with your body, we'll just help you make a 'Better' one." What does that teach our young people about self esteem and body image? We show movie advertisements that show men and women in suggestive situations. We show all this on television beginning at 8 o'clock, sometimes earlier depending on the channel, but we refuse to air a ProLife advertisement? Are you kidding me?

Please don't misunderstand. I'm all for a woman's right to choose. But just as smokers have a right to smoke, so do non smokers have their right to a smoke free dinner. While women do have the right to choose to terminate a pregnancy or carry it to term, what happens to the rights of others, Pro-Lifers and the unborn? Do they not also have the right to be heard or to be advocated?

Beer ads will most certainly be featured during the SuperBowl (Budweiser ads are always a SB favorite) but where are our priorities? The dancers during half time, as well as the cheerleaders, will be wearing tiny provocative costumes or "uniforms" and will strut their stuff in all kinds of sexual ways. We will be promoting all manner of provocative things. But we won't be promoting the very Deity that put us all here. The one being that gave us all the ability to choose, the ability to think, the ability to see, hear, learn, to have bodies that we have honed into amazingly athleltic football machines. He is the one who created us to make the best of our world for His children (young and old). We have removed God from everything and I'm sick of watching Him get shoved further and further into the background. Pretty soon it will be illegal to say His name... GOD GOD GOD! I thank Him that I have the right to choose to keep GOD in my life!

I'm not trying to be subversive, overly controversial or start arguments among my friends, but, as we are moving forward in some sort of "era of change", are we also now saying we really do NOT have an equal voice? That not ALL people are allowed their freedom to voice their opinions just as they are free to choose? I'm sick of the garbage they are showing on television during family hours. I'm tired of turning on television and hearing foul language. I'm sick of seeing people having sex on television at the 8 o'clock hour (even implied). I'm sick of hearing the innuendos. I'm sick of seeing teenagers french kissing each other and having to turn channels quickly so my eight year old actually gets to have a childhood without learning all about this stuff WAY too quickly. As if they are not getting WAY too much information in school already. (Yeah - my second grader is learning too much too soon. Isn't that my job? I did a good job with my older two - I think I'm capable of doing the same with my little one.) I'm sick of not being able to share some quality time with my family just like we did when we were young. How many of you remember gathering around the television on Sunday Nights watching Disney? How many of you remember watching Mutual of Omaho's Wild Kingdom. We can't even watch Animal Planet without seeing animals mating. Yeah it's nature but honestly, do we have to watch them during family hour?

I had my older boys involved in sports when they were young. I was appalled when I heard my then 9 year old's football coach scream out, "If I see you do that again I'll break your EFFING arm G**dammit!" All because the child didn't tackle his friend, on an opposing side, but stepped aside and let him go. I attended Youth Baseball and Youth Soccer leagues as well for mine and for friend's children. Parents on the sidelines were cussing, the coaches were heard cussing. It's disgusting!

Seems like the only good, clean times we can have with out kids involve turning off the "boob tube" and making our own fun. Game night, hiking, scouting, church activities, parks, school related things and getting together with our friends to have playdates and dinners is about the only thing we can do to promote clean family fun. Video games have foul language and promote violence, movies are often not as clean as they lead to public to believe. We really have become such a degenerative society.

I can only imagine the tears God must spill over what has become of the beauty He created so long ago.

Yeah - another soapbox subject for me - climbing down now...

2 comments:

Loreluca said...

I am for a woman's right to chose. Chose to use a condom. Chose not to have sex. Chose to take the pill. Sorry, but the whole story about "it's my body" doesn't stand a leg with me. If the baby you are carying is part of your body, why give birth to it? just keep it inside if it's your body.
Nope, that is a human life. Chose to be careful. And even then, if your protection fails, chose to be responsible and accountable for your actions.
As fo the not wanting to air the ad... it's not surprising at all. Anything remotely decent and noble has to be banned from TV. Give me gore, sex and a "good time", but nothing that makes me think. Sad, really.

Lissa Ballard said...

I agree with you Paula. I just can't make that decision for others. However, in the cases of rape and incest, I can't say that I'm not for a woman's right to choose to terminate. It's just not for me to say.

My choice is yours - choose to be careful - choose to be abstinate - or CHOOSE TO BE RESPONSIBLE. It's really that simple isn't it...