Buy Girl Scout cookies!

Is there no end to what some people will politicize?

People in Waco were more than a bit taken aback after turning on a Christian radio station and hearing a community leader call for a boycott of Thin Mints and Caramel deLites.

“I encourage you to join me in abstaining from Girl Scout cookies,” John Pisciotta, director of Pro-Life Waco and an associate professor of economics at Baylor University, has been saying for two weeks in public-service announcements running around the clock on KBDE/89.9.

Pisciotta then says the Waco-based Bluebonnet Council of Girl Scouts supports Planned Parenthood’s annual sex education seminars.

The vaguely worded radio announcements are the latest and most public attempt by the group to discourage the Girl Scouts from even a casual affiliation with Planned Parenthood, an international organization that promotes reproductive freedom and provides health care services related to reproduction.

Criminy. I suppose nothing the so-called “pro-life” movement does should surprise me, but I still found myself shaking my head when I read this. On the plus side, their little tantrum seems to have had little effect.

So far, the fallout has been limited. Two of the 400 Girl Scout troops in the Bluebonnet Council’s Central Texas district have reportedly disbanded after learning of the Planned Parenthood connection.

The controversy has made for better cookie sales in Waco.

[Beth Vivio, executive director of the Bluebonnet Council of Girl Scouts] said the Girl Scouts expect to sell more than the average 432,000 boxes of cookies during the sale, which runs through February. And the Girl Scouts office has seen more calls and drop-in visitors requesting cookies.

A flurry of letters to the editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald seems to support her assessment: The pro-cookie writers outnumber the writers who favor Pro-Life Waco’s campaign.

“You (Pro-Life Waco) just made buying Girl Scout cookies a political statement,” wrote M.B. Tankersley of Woodway, “and it’s one I am not afraid to make. Thanks for the reminder that we need to support this worthy organization.”

Good for her, and good for the rest of the cookie-buying public in Central Texas. I’d already bought three boxes this year, but if another Scout comes knocking on my door, I’ll buy more.

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9 Responses to Buy Girl Scout cookies!

  1. kevin whited says:

    So it’s not political at all for a youth group to have an affiliation with a pro-abortion organization .

    But it’s political for folks who oppose abortion to point out that affiliation, and their objection to the same?

    Gee, the liberal definition of political certainly is curious!

  2. Greg V. says:

    Is there no end to what some people will politicize?

    Kuff, you have a lot of chutzpuh to write that. You politicized the date of spring break in Texas! Even though spring break is the week of March 14-18 for 85% of the state (and some districts have spring break over March 2, 2004), you stated that Democrats wanted to move the primary from March 9 to March 2 to get it out of spring break.

    You have refused to acknowledge your statements were factually inaccurate. But that leaves more objective minds to wonder if (1) You think Democrats are stupid and don’t know when spring break is or (2) Democrats were actually truthful (which you deny) when they said they wanted to move the primary to March 2 to participate in Super Tuesday, a purely political motivation. Remember, you have scorned political motivations as reasons to set the primary date.

    Don’t cast stones, and don’t accuse others of politicizing non-political issues. You have a huge log in your own eye.

  3. Greg, for the last time, all I did was quote someone else – a Republican, mind you – about the date of spring break. Go read it here and see for yourself. Either you have reading comprehension issues, or you have no business criticizing anyone else’s honesty.

  4. hope says:

    As a lifelong Girl Scout, I am pleased to hear about this. 🙂

  5. phein says:

    Remind all your readers down there in Texas — and everywhere else, too, for that matter — that not only are Girl Scout Cookies good and good for you, 50% of the purchase price is deductible from your Federal income taxes as a charitable deduction (right down there on your Schedule A, pardner).

  6. Greg V. says:

    Kuff,

    You are intentionally misleading your readers. You know and have known for some time that the overwhelming majority of students will have spring break the week of March 14-18. Readers of the post that you linked to would have no idea of the truth.

    You intentionally have misled your readers to attack your political opponents. Why should Tom DeLay pay for the marginal costs of holding elections in darkened schoolhouses on March 9 when school will be in session. The schools will be open and students attending on March 9. Your post leaves the opposite impression.

    You intentionally have misled your readers in thinking that Democrats changed the primary date in order to get it out of spring break. Since it wasn’t in spring break to begin with, this argument is not truthful. I think Democrats are much smarter than what you give them credit for. Most Democrats (although not those who may read your blog) know when spring break is. The truth is Democrats wanted the change in the primary date for a purely political reason — to participate in Super Tuesday. That is a legitimate reason. Just as the purely political reason Republicans had for changing it back — to get new Congressional districts.

  7. Another DUMB@$$ AWARD wiener

    Is there no end to what some people will politicize? Girl Scout cookie boycott urged: Anti-abortion group says Scouts support Planned Parenthood DUMB@$$ AWARD wiener #69: John Pisciotta This foisted an adult conversation on a bunch of little innocent g…

  8. Another DUMB@$$ AWARD wiener

    Is there no end to what some people will politicize? Girl Scout cookie boycott urged: Anti-abortion group says Scouts support Planned Parenthood DUMB@$$ AWARD wiener #69: John Pisciotta This foisted an adult conversation on a bunch of little innocent g…

  9. John B says:

    “Is there no end to what some people will politicize?”

    Uhhh…Pot, meet Kettle.

    “Good for her, and good for the rest of the cookie-buying public in Central Texas. I’d already bought three boxes this year, but if another Scout comes knocking on my door, I’ll buy more.”

    Your supple logic is impressive.

    And here I was thinking you were pretty level-headed for a liberal.

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