A polite abortionist is still an abortionist.
A communist who donates to charities and feeds the poor is still a communist.
An activist homosexual who declares he’s more equal than others? Somehow I don’t feel the need to hand him more money to continue his struggle.
This is why people in places of influence often have someone in charge of “PR” - public relations. Their job is to keep you from saying something incredibly stupid and damaging, like Mr. Cook here.
The fact of the matter is that anyone here, on this forum or out in life, can say anything stupid they want. And so can Cook. I don’t have to buy into other people’s stupid ideas (and I see a lot of them around here, too ... :-) ...), but they do have the right to voice their opinion in our society, and they have the right to personally lobby for whatever idea it is that they have ... as I do.
BUT ... all that has absolutely nothing to do with the gasoline I buy or the grocery store I go to, or the coffeemaker I use, or the brand of TV I have at home, or all the other products I get (along with services, too).
So, I don’t care how much “influence” someone else has, because it’s not going to get me thinking any different about my own ideas, and it’s not going to affect what products or services I get, because I’m going to get what I like for myself!