By Tony Gosgnach
The InterimAs we take a look at the latest goings on among corporations and organizations that put themselves forth to be “charitable” in nature, let us keep in mind the saying with which we began The Interim’s Corporate Watch feature: “Money doesn’t talk. It screams.”

American retailer Abercrombie & Fitch is learning that lesson, as it saw sales at its stores drop by eight per cent after negative reaction to its distribution of a sexually charged catalogue that one family-oriented observer labelled “filthy” and pornographic.”

You don’t have to be influential to have an impact, as proven by Naomi Harralson, a Virginia homeschool graduate now attending college. She succeeded in having a local video store stop offering X-rated videos, after working with local officials and the commonwealth attorney of Virginia to bring pressure to bear on the store.

The American Family Association is reporting a victory after the U.S. Walgreens drugstore chain agreed to stop the one-hour development of photographs containing pornographic content.

CARFAX, a major U.S. corporation, has agreed to stop sponsorship of Nip/Tuck, a program being called the most vile and disgusting ever aired on television. Bowflex and Orkin are other companies that have also ceased advertising on the program.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters of America has come under increasing scrutiny in recent months after it instituted a policy change that allows practising homosexuals to volunteer. Critics are pointing to a number of recent cases where “big brothers” were charged and/or convicted of sexually abusing their “little brothers.”

Meanwhile, incredibly, the BBBSA is being accused of rejecting a would-be “big brother” because his morals are too high. Dan Pritchett, of Washington state, says he was rejected because he is a Christian who abstains from pre-marital sex and works for a company that produces Bible software.

Focus on the Family has responded to these developments by urging individuals and corporations that donate to the United Way to exclude the BBBSA from their charitable contributions. On the Canadian side, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto has twice named a homosexual male as its “big brother of the year.”

The Drudge Report internet site says that corporate poobahs at Walt Disney Co., including chairman Michael Eisner, are troubled by the shocking nature of films emanating from Disney subsidiary Miramax, such as director Quentin Tarantino’s recent bloodfest, Kill Bill.

A number of U.S. companies, including Domino’s Pizza (no longer owned by faithful Catholic Tom Monaghan), the Ford Motor Company, Old Navy, Red Lobster, Volkswagen, General Electric Appliances, Windows Server 2003 and eBay, have come under criticism for sponsoring the new, lewd NBC television program Coupling.

American Airlines is reported to an official sponsor of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, a worldwide homosexual-activist network.

AdWeek magazine reports that IBM is about to launch an advertising campaign targeted at homosexual buyers. The ads will attempt to convince homosexuals that IBM “is as gay as they are.” Business Week magazine reports that more than 40 per cent of the U.S.’s 500 largest companies have moved away from “marriage-centric” policies. These include Merrill Lynch & Co, Bank of America and Prudential Securities Inc.

Wisconsin Right to Life has an excellent pro-life boycott website of U.S. companies, organizations and individuals that support abortion-related causes at http://www.powerweb.net/dcwrl/Boycott.htm. The data shows that some of the largest U.S. companies supporting abortion include American Express, Burger King, Ford Motor Corporation, Johnson and Johnson, Kraft, Levi-Strauss, Mazda, Nabisco, Pillsbury, Prudential, Radio Shack, Subaru and Tandy.

Celebrities listed as being advocates of pro-abortion Planned Parenthood include Ed Asner, Harry and Shari Belafonte, Tony Bennett, Matthew Brodrick, Cher, Julia Child, Phyllis Diller, Betty Ford, Sharon Gless, Whoopi Goldberg, Gregory Hines, Cyndi Lauper, Spike Lee, Norman Lear, Ali McGraw, Demi Moore, Paul Newman, Joan Osborne, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cheryl Tiegs, Kathleen Turner and Shelly Winters.

Meanwhile, Jane Fonda alone is reported to have donated $13.1 million to the pro-abortion Pro-Choice Vote group in the last three years.