OK, something just does not add up.

1. Target, for whatever reasons (Liability and insurance premiums come to mind. And Target's stated reason, that too many other good charities wanted the opportunity to solicit as well seems completely plausible.),has decided not to permit the Salvation Army to man their kettles at the stores' entrances.

2. While disappointed, the Salvation Army accepts Target's decision as a business choice. It makes plans for where it might be able to locate some of those ousted kettles, and otherwise gets on with its own business.

3. Other religious groups, not in any way related to the Salvation Army, have called for a boycott against Target. Even though they were not a part of the decision, or affected by the decision (unless some of them were among the other charities whose efforts may have been the cause of the decision), they are outraged that Target exercised its freedom and defended its property rights.

4. Since, in the opinion of these other Christian organizations, Target does not have the ability to make independent decisions in its own interests, it must have been forced to bar the Salvation army's kettles. Since the Salvation Army is a Christian organization, it must have been an anti-Christian organization that forced Target to oust them. It had to be the homosexuals.

5. But what specifically did the homosexuals have against the Salvation Army? The Army does not get involved in politics. The only thing in its public image is its charitable work. Of course, when directly asked, they do express the belief that homosexual acts are a sin, but they don't go out of their way to promote that viewpoint.

6. That has to be what the homosexuals want: to get into the Salvation Army organization and divert the Christmas donations. So they are doing what they can to extort an opening into the organization for militant homosexuals.

On the other hand....

7. As a religious organization, the Salvation army is exempt (by the "free exercise" clause of the First Amendment) from anti-discrimination laws. As a movement seeking protection of its own rights, the "gay rights" movement and most of its GLBT activist organization are sensitive to the rights of others.

8. Only one organization has tried to change the Salvation Army's policy on gays within its organization, and that only by a polite protest, dropping notes in the kettles along with the donations.

So, who loses and who wins in the boycott?

9. Target loses money and goodwill.

10. The Salvation Army loses goodwill and reputation. No one will remember the organizations that called for the boycott. They will just remember that the salvation army was involved.

11. The GLBT community, which is in an uncomfortable position to begin with and are being demonized.

12. The general public loses, especially if Target goes out of business or if the Christian groups convince them to vote for the passage of "anti-special-rights" laws that deprive everyone of essential rights.

13. The boycotters lose time and money finding and patronizing alternative stores. They lose even more money, albeit willingly, responding to the Christian Organizations fundraising drive to defeat the evil influence of the rich and determined homosexual lobby.

14. The Christian organizations win the satisfaction of fighting the homosexual devil. They win increased donations. They win political power and influence.

I actually know people who are boycotting stores that *permit* Salvation Army ringers now. Something about how creepy they are, or having been hit on them in the past. I don't think that people are going to stop shopping at Target anytime soon.

Espeically not when there's one a good five minute walk away from my house.

I went into a local krogers and they had 2 bell ringers there. Since they had two different kinds of bells the interferrence was quite irritating to my already unpleasant sinus headache.

I know I wouldnt be upset if more stores got rid of the ringers and some of the other groups that linger outside the door and range from politely talking to you (VFW and VFW Aux come to mind) to those who almost mug you (boy/girl scouts and some religious groups).

When I go shopping I power shop. I go in know what I want and get out as quickly as possible most of the time. But this whole deal with target hasnt changed my feelings on them and if I need to go in there and get something I'll still do so.

Isn't this stuff fake? I remember the same exact "boycott" going on last year and how it got debunked. Anyone checked Snopes?

I also find it highly unlikely Target is being controlled by "homosexuals". IIRC, Target and Target's parent company contribute considerable amounts to the Republicans.

Not that gays and Republicans are completely without crossover, but I highly doubt Target's suddenly been taken over by the Log Cabin Repubs.

Tom, the link didn't work for me. I got a registration page. What's this about gays and the SA? What, do they not let them work for them, or something? They don't let them into their stores?

Snopes does report that Target has indeed banned the Salvation Army. This is a new entry on the site. However, no mention is made of a boycott of Target because of the SA ban.

I'm getting a registration page now, too. I guess the story expired and the Washington Post doesn't archive, or changes the filename when they do.

In any case, the story was about the call of a boycott of Target by four fundamentalist activist groups. It reported their claim that Target bowed to pressure from homosexual activists to "punish" the Salvation Army for their supposed homophobia.

The Post article also reported the facts: That Target had indeed withdrawn the special permission it had previously extended toward the Salvation Army, and the reasons.

They interviewed a spokesperson for the SA, which accepts Target's explanation, and does not approve of the boycott.

The connection to "homosexual activists" is entirely in the minds of those calling for the boycott. I thought I was clear about that by the tongue-in-cheek tone of points 4 through 6 and thier refutation in points 7 and 8.

Target has NO honor!

No, the ones with no honor are the fundamentalists stirring up trouble for no other reason than that they can not only get away with it but profit by it. They are worse than Ferengis.

While I can't update the link to the Washington Post article, I found another article to link to. This has mostly the same facts, and even includes a quote from an interview that the Post had conducted.

Maj. George Hood, a spokesman for The Salvation Army, says the boycott "puts us in a weird position," because the charity does not support the boycott.


"We do not want to be the facilitator or be the source of any boycotts of Target or any negative assault against Target," Hood told the Washington Post. "They've made a business decision that we have to respect and move on."

-----

"It's wrong to kick them out," said Tim Wildmon of the American Family Association in a quote published in the Washington Post. "It wouldn't surprise me if homosexual groups are behind this," he added.

My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular.
~Adlai Stevenson, speech, Detroit, 1952

Ah, the AFA. Always an insightful quote.

Now, I don't particularly LIKE Target's decision but I do understand where they're coming from. And if they do play fair and not have any groups, then I have no real objection (now, if they specifically targeted religious groups, I would have a problem). And it's not like the SA has nowhere else to go, plenty of other stores let them do their work and I think most people are appreciative of the many charitable deeds the SA does.

So, no, I don't plan on boycotting Target. Why don't these groups put all the time and effort they put into boycotting something and go out and raise money for the SA?

I doubt that many people will be boycotting Target. Most seem to ignore the Salvation Army ringers anyway.

I tend to ignore them, not because I don't care, but because when I give to charity (and I do), I do it at a time and place of my choosing. Generally, when I'm shopping, I'm in a totally different frame of mind, and probably don't have any cash (at Target) anyways.

No problem for me. I always miss the Target

I thought this was a counter-union thing?