owens@gitpyr.UUCP (Gerald Owens) (09/29/84)
This is directed to the pro-life people on the net, so you pro-choice people can skip this article. I KNOW you'll object to a lot of what's in it, merely because the assumptions are different. OK fellow pro-lifers. We have a problem, and I hope to give a solution. It's about the time of year for the United Way Campaigns where you work (at least it is for me in Atlanta). Seeing how pro-life==Born again Christians (almost), then we're in the habit of giving a lot of $$$. While looking through the campaign borchure, I noted that one group being supported was Planned Parenthood. Well, in OUR neck of the woods, they don't oppose abortions, give references for abortionists, and refuse to stock literature that attempts to give BOTH sides of the issue. Whether they actually recommend abortions is something I'm not sure about, but I know that they support it HERE as a birth control device, so I know that they present it as a viable option. Even the oppositon to equal time is bad enough. Ok, so I'm down on them. Problem. I want to give to the 60+ other organisations that our United Way supports and aren't involved with abortions at all. It seems silly not to donate just because one of their organisations supports something that I don't like. On the other hand, that "something" that they are supporting is legalized murder (to put it bluntly). Worry no further. I'm not sure how it is in other cities, but here in Atlanta, there's an option to "restrict" your donation. You must get a card stating that you wish to have your donation sent to a specific organisation, rather than divided up amongst all of them. Flip a coin, chant a prayer, or toss an n-1 sided die, n being the number of organisations your United Way is supporting, whatever, but pick ONE good organisation to restrict your donation to. (I forgot, run a random number function :-) Sure, it'd be nice to say "give to everyone EXCEPT...", but we can fight for that later. In Atlanta, the minimum restricted donation amount is $25, since it takes extra time to do the accounting for the special amount. If they get a lot of restricted donations, with the note "I'm restricting it because I don't support ..., who supports abortion.", they just might listen. One problem with this solution. The U.W. organisation might think: "Because XXX is getting more restricted donations, we can divert less money to them and divert more to Planned Parenthood (or whoever gains your ire)." I can only say that it won't be OUR money, and we WILL have made our position clear. Gerald Owens Owens@Gatech "Thousands for charity, but not one cent to the Herodians!" (think about it) P.S. to Pro-choicers I TOLD you not to read this article. Before you bawl to me or on the net, remember: You have no right to tell US what to do with OUR money, any more than any woman has the right to tell a FETUS what IT could do with IT'S life. Any mail or articles sent to deny the first while supporting the second will be considered to have come from hypocrites, and thus not worth replying to.
saquigley@watmath.UUCP (Sophie Quigley) (10/19/84)
As an atheist I have the same problem with the united way that you do as a
pro-lifer. I don't want to give to all those christian groups that will try
to convert innocent people, but I do want to give to planned parenthood, our
local house for battered women, etc....
Solution? the simplest: do not give to the united way, but instead to a few
selected charities directly. You will know FOR SURE where your money is going.
Of course this takes more work as you have to find the charities and write the
checks out yourself, but I think that the extra work is worth the effort of
being sure that your money is used the way YOU want it to be used.
There is also another advantage to using the direct route: many charities do
produce some kind of newsletter that they send their members. As far as I
know, you will not get these through the united way, but will if you donate
directly.
Sophie Quigley
...!{clyde,ihnp4,decvax}!watmath!saquigleyandrews@uiucdcsb.UUCP (10/31/84)
How many United Way groups actively "convert others" as you put it? Brad Andrews