Posted on 12/05/2005 4:54:18 AM PST by Liz
Following comments made on today’s “Focus on the Family” radio broadcast regarding the organization’s decision to end its banking relationship with Wells Fargo, Focus President and CEO Jim Daly issued the following statement: “Focus on the Family has elected to end its banking relationship with Wells Fargo, motivated primarily by the bank’s ongoing efforts to advance the radical homosexual agenda. These efforts are in direct opposition to the underlying principles and purpose of Focus, and thus a decision of conscience had to be made, and a stand taken.
Earlier this year we learned that Wells Fargo gave a matching gift to a pro-homosexual group to enable it to raise more money to fight organizations like our own. As one of Wells Fargo’s customers, we objected, and we received no satisfactory resolution from the bank’s corporate office.
The homosexual group’s web page said this: “Incredible news: Wells Fargo has offered to help support GLAAD’s fight for equality against the Anti-Gay industry by matching your tax-deductible contribution dollar for dollar.”
We realize that if we dealt only with companies that reflect our Christian values we would have a hard time doing business with Corporate America. That said, when our bank allows proceeds from our business to be used to impede our work, we must object, even if it inconveniences us in our professional relationships.
We at Focus on the Family respect the worth and dignity of every human being. We are not attacking the gay individual, nor are we singling out Wells Fargo employees for censure. We had the opportunity to work with many Wells Fargo staff while in relationship with the bank, and we know firsthand the good job they do. However, we feel that the aggressive agenda of the homosexual movement and its activists is harmful to families, and we believe it is time to stand up and fight that. Our decision is not personal, but principled, and we trust our constituents and others will respect it.”
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For more information, contact Lisa Anderson at (719) 548-5883 or publicity@family.org.
See my post #60.
Your bias is noted as is your opinion and theory... I remain unmoved still -regardless your continuing pleas...
See my post #60. I've tried to bring clarity to this situation, and your antagonistic bias is muddying your thinking.
What's with this "nice little secret" nastiness, joesbucks? Your antiChristian bias, as I said, is muddying your thoughts and causing you to be a very bitter man.
FOF moved to First National Bank of Omaha. Since you question FOF's motives about their move, I suggest that you dig up dirt on their new bank and then post it to FR. Dobson said that First National Bank of Omaha has been directed by 5 generations of Christians. Go check them out to see if they are like all of the other big banks and give out money to pro-gay groups. You have made your accusations. Now back them up.
Find a local bank that is more receptive to the concerns of the community in which it is located.
I don't agree with everything FotF says or does, but they hardly need any publicity.
Hey, he's been posting here a long time. Just because he is suspicious of Focus doesn't mean he should be hit with the homosexual stick.
I couldn't agree more.
I thanked you for providing the background. And I'm not here to trash Focus, but rather help expose the rest of the story.
However, when I first read this, as noted in my posts, I knew that most banks who could handle the complex tranactions that FOF required would be large banks that market themselves to many constituants of various lifestyle standards. Also, having come from a company that over the past several years has various diversity statements, outreaches and interal policies (such as same sex partner or significant other insurance) and programs, I know that virtually any bank that Focus would have to deal with is likely doing the same.
While there may be degrees, the fact remains that these institutions do support many things that conservatives and Christians in particular have discomfort in supporting. Yet these companies, despite the clout of social conservatives and believers, support those with the uncomfortable agendas both with policies and financial support.
Your information provided a glimpse of what was a driving motivator. It appears that through either being approached by or through self initiative, Focus began looking at best practices with regard to baking. Streamlining and debottlenecking the process and cost savings were a driving factor. Frankly, it appears there were some that have had their lives disrupted by the savings within the Focus organization through the loss of jobs. While no one with any type of heart wants to see job losses, we should all hope and pray that those who have been displaced will find suitable and similar employment in the short term. Unfortunately for those hurt, it is sometimes necessary to reduce the workforce in order to stregthen the business. Hopefully this was the case.
All of the above being said, including my overall agreement with Focus on the Family's various outreaches, it does appear that this decision was driven as much if not more by the dollars and cents rather than the philosophical reasons of denying business to a company that supports those with an agenda we disagree with. The press statement mentions nothing of the work First Omaha can do for Focus that was not being provided by Wells Fargo nor does it address the internal and external cost savings.
In doing some searches on First Omaha, it appears they've offended few if any in the gay community. Believe me, if they were not supportive through whatever initiative or outreach, the gay community would be boycotting and issuing all types of press statements. If nothing else, the gay community is very vocal. My google search revealed no outcries. So they must be at minimal be keeping the gay community happy.
Let's face it, Focus was a little less than honest with the press release.
Bottom line, if I haven't told you the whole truth, have I really told you the truth?
I know nothing of the bank they moved to, but I suspect they are not as large. THus, the moneys involved in running FOTF will have a greater influence where they are a bigger fish in the pond.
When the $10million(I have no idea what the real amount is, just made it up for the sake the example) of FOTF is at Wells Fargo, and FOTF states that supporting homo agenda is something they would like Wells Fargo to stop, or they will take their money elsewhere, it matters no more than my threatening to take my bank account from my local if they support the homo agenda.
"In doing some searches on First Omaha, it appears they've offended few if any in the gay community. Believe me, if they were not supportive through whatever initiative or outreach, the gay community would be boycotting and issuing all types of press statements. If nothing else, the gay community is very vocal. My google search revealed no outcries. So they must be at minimal be keeping the gay community happy."
Nonsense.
I suspect the homo crowd will be doing as much as it can now that FOTF has announced its move. I suspect that the Omaha bank was just flying under the gaydar until now.
FOTF is indeed mindful of how they spend money. They want to be good stewards of the money contributed by their constituents. One of the things FOTF considers when evaluating financial institutions is indeed how they might be able to help save the organization money, thus carrying out its mission of serving families more effectively and efficiently. This is true.
But again, the stated reason for leaving Wells Fargo is the true reason. Your cynicism is unjustified.
You asked, "Bottom line, if I haven't told you the whole truth, have I really told you the truth?" The answer is that it depends. I know what the budget is for Focus on the Family. But I'm not going to tell you what it is. While I haven't told you "the whole truth" about FOTF's financial arrangements, I have "told you the truth."
Again, just because an organization is Christian doesn't mean that it is innately deceptive about its finances and about the way it runs business. There really is no "rest of the story" to "expose."
I'm frankly not impressed by your distrusting FOTF and your mission to be the investigative journalist....
whoopee!
Are you saying that the driving factor initially was to deny business to Wells Fargo and in the process they found an organization to do the work for less money, less needed staff, more effeciaten a clear and over time large cost savings and sans the support of an unpleasant agenda?
Or vice versa
I'm surprised it took them this long. Wells Fargo has embraced pro-abortion causes for quite some time.
The Knights of Columbus in Southern California pulled all of their accounts from Wells Fargo three years ago because of their pro-abortion causes. I can't believe FOTF didn't hear about that. So...yeah...what took them so long?
It just seems like it would be just as easy to read his other posts BEFORE you tried to smear his reputation.
FOF is behind the curve. I did this three years ago.
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