So it turns out I'm on the 'call to action' email list of the American Family Association.
This brings me no end of amusement as I daily open my email inbox to find Don "Satan's Little Helper" Wildmon telling me what products and people I should be boycotting today, and providing me with a handy little link to a form with which to email advertisers, TV affiliates, journalists, etc.
It makes me queazy, but at the same time it riles me up enough to do battle - and the thing about Wildmon's handy mass-email form is this: it comes in real handy for emailing SUPPORT to the people he wants us to boycott.
Today's target? NBC, for daring to put out a TV show called The Book of Daniel, which deals with a priest just struggling to get by in this crazy mixed up world. They've already convinced one weak-kneed affiliate to ditch the show (or so they claim - we know from the Ford episode recently that the AFA can't be trusted to tell the truth), so we're starting this counter-action from behind the 8-ball.
Below you'll find Wildmon's call to arms, and a link. Your mission, friends, is to use that link, for good, not evil.
NBC Affiliate says "NO" to The Book of Daniel - Other local affiliates bombarded with phone calls, having second thoughts about carrying the program.
Terre Haute, Indiana, NBC affiliate WTWO has become the first station to announce that it will not carry the anti-Christian program The Book of Daniel. We urge you to call your local NBC affiliate and ask them to join WTWO in not carrying the program. Please call today and ask others to call. The phone calls do make a difference!
[...]
AFA has also learned that NBC is having trouble securing sponsors for the program. It appears that NBC will be forced to fill the available ad spots with "distressed merchandise" ads which are sold at pennies on the dollar of the going rate, and with "make good" ads which bring in no money to the network.
Please call local companies which advertise on your NBC affiliate and ask the local advertisers in a nice way to cancel their advertising on the local affiliate if it carries the program.
It is time to make our voice heard at NBC that we will not long remain silent about their anti-Christian bigotry. Here is what NBC considers to be a positive portrayal of Christians and Christianity:
* The program's main characters include Daniel Webster, a drug-addicted Episcopal priest; his alcoholic wife; his son, a 23-year-old homosexual Republican; his daughter, a 16-year-old drug dealer; a 16-year-old adopted son who is having sex with the bishop's daughter; his lesbian secretary who is sleeping with his sister-in-law; and a very unconventional white-robed, bearded Jesus who talks to the priest.
* It is written by Jack Kenny, a practicing homosexual who describes himself as being "in Catholic recovery," and is interested in Buddhist teachings about reincarnation and isn't sure exactly how he defines God and/or Jesus. "I don't necessarily know that all the myth surrounding him (Jesus) is true," he said.
Finally, join nearly 500,000 individuals who have already emailed NBC about their anti-Christian bigotry. Click here to send your email. PLEASE FORWARD TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS! WE CAN WIN THIS BATTLE IF WE ALL WILL GET INVOLVED!
We can win this battle if we all get involved. That's true. WE can win this battle if we all get involved.
Look, I don't know if the Book of Daniel is good TV or not. It's not on my list of must-see shows this season, and to be honest it sounds a little ho-hum for my tastes. But here's the thing:
FUCK YOU if you think you can supress free expression just because it doesn't gel with your particular viewpoint.
FUCK YOU if you think it's right to boycott a show you haven't even seen.
FUCK YOU if you think 'anti-Christian bigotry' is wrong, but 'pro-Christian bigotry' is perfectly acceptable.
I urge all good human beings, Christian or otherwise, to use Satan's Little Helper's email link above, wipe out the AFA-approved message in the form, and replace it with the following:
SUBJECT: Thank you for supporting The Book of Daniel!
Dear NBC Affiliate,
I just wanted to write you and tell you that I think it's outstanding that you're standing behind your new show, The Book of Daniel. Groundbreaking TV that isn't afraid to push the envelope is EXACTLY what America needs right now, and your decision to stand by this series in the face of religious fundamentalist bigotry is something that I wanted to take a moment to salute.
I shall be watching The Book of Daniel, and I shall be taking note of the advertisers, because they too should be applauded for embracing the American values of free speech and expression. In thanks, I will do my best to consider their products and services when making my buying decisions.
God bless America, be they Christian, atheist, gay, straight or otherwise. And God bless you.
The email form is HERE. Do your duty as a progressive, and utilize the AFA's own system to defeat it.
FREEP THE AFA!