Leftist billionaire investor George Soros has been bankrolling liberal Catholic groups that support abortion. Soros’s Open Society Institute has given money to Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and may also be funding Catholics United. Both are “in the pocket of the Democratic party,” say critics. Soros has also supported Catholics for Choice.
Hollywood – the industry often criticized for its role in funneling sex, violence and profanity into American society and overseas – was deeply involved in the effort to defeat Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that banned same-sex “marriage” in California. Brad Pitt, Stephen Spielberg, George Lucas, Ellen DeGeneres, Bridget Fonda, Melissa Etheridge, Mary J. Blige and others were among financial contributors to the unsuccessful defeat effort. Others, such as Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell, Anjelica Huston and Christina Aguilera, spoke prominently in favour of it.
On the corporate side, Google and Apple stepped forth to announce their opposition to Proposition 8. The latter donated $100,000 to try to kill the measure.
Home Depot in the U.S. agreed to put “more Christmas” into its marketing after concerns were expressed by the American Family Association. “We are adjusting our website to make ‘Christmas’ more prominent,” said a Home Depot spokesperson in an e-mail.
However, Gap Inc, which owns Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy, said it had no plans to alter its “holiday” advertising, despite concerns expressed by Focus on the Family over its “Christmas-offensive” and “Christmas-negligent” position. Costco, Office Depot and Staples also made the AFA’s “naughty” list of anti-Christmas retailers.
Time magazine recently ran a feature article on, “The gay mafia that’s redefining liberal politics.” It listed some key monetary benefactors of the homosexual agenda in the U.S.: David Bohnett, who sold Geo-Cities to Yahoo! for $5 billion; Timothy Gill, a tech multi-millionaire; James Hormel, grandson of George, who founded the famous meat company; Jon Stryker, the billionaire grandson of the founder of medical-technology giant Stryker Corp.; and Henry van Ameringen, whose father started an import company that later became International Flavours & Fragrances.
Pepsi in the U.S. – which also owns Frito Lay, Tropicana, Gatorade and Quaker and has a long tradition of financial support for homosexual groups – has given a million dollars during the past two years to organizations that promote homosexuality. The company also forces its employees to attend “sexual orientation” and “gender identity/expression” classes.
The eHarmony.com dating website caved in to a New Jersey “sexual orientation” complaint and agreed to expand its services to serve homosexuals. The site was founded by born-again Christian Neil Clark Warren, who used to be associated with Focus on the Family.
Furniture retailer IKEA’s Polish ad campaign featured 12 portraits of “families” that promote a “new model of living together.” Among those depicted were “Ian and Steve,” described as “two sister souls.” The ad additionally told consumers: “Family life is changing … Welcome to the new era.”
The Hewlett Foundation, associated with computer company Hewlett-Packard, gave the most of $125 million in new grants – $32 million -to organizations addressing population issues, especially “family planning” and AIDS prevention worldwide. The International Planned Parenthood Federation received more than $8 million for its “work.” Campaign Life Coalition national president Jim Hughes is encouraging Canadians not to buy their computer printer ink cartridges from the company.
Canadian mining entrepreneur Frank Giustra is among the top donors to Bill Clinton’s private foundation, having given between $10 million and $25 million to the pro-abortion ex-president’s organization thus far. The William J. Clinton Foundation has garnered some half-billion dollars in donations in all for projects such as Clinton’s presidential library.
The U.S. Campbell’s Soup Company purchased a pair of two-page advertisement spreads in The Advocate, one of the U.S.’s leading homosexual magazines, including one that highlighted a lesbian couple and their son. “This holiday season, serve a special meal, no matter the size and structure of your family,” the ad stated.
U.S mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are reported to have poured money into homosexual causes just before they hurtled to their financial ruin. Their largest single gifts to gay causes came in the year before their collapse.
One positive fallout of investment manager Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme is the fact that several pro-abortion rights groups and projects have been deprived of funding. The Picower Foundation, which significantly funded “reproductive rights-related litigation and legal advocacy,” was forced to close in December. The Centre for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union are among the losers.