You are a parent, involved in what your kids are doing and paying close attention to what they consume. You listen to an audio story your 10 year old is listening to and you write the company that produced it because you are concerned about characterizations and plot.

A while back, I overheard my 10-year-old son listening to a Focus on the Family dramatic CD story. We killed our TV years ago, so we read a lot, and also listen to books on CD. The Focus juvenile dramatic series is of high technical quality, though starkly black and white in its portrayal of moral themes.

As I listened to this particular story, I heard one of the “good” characters attempt to place a wire tap on a “bad” character’s business telephone line. Later, this same “good” character secretly records one of the bad guy’s conversations. (as an aside, the “bad guy’s” vocal inflections and line of work was imo {ed: imo. in my opinion} an attempt by FOF to portray a homosexual character.)

Anyway, as we know, wiretapping is a felony crime. I explained to my son that good people do not attempt to wire tap and secretly record other peoples’ private conversations. I wrote to FOF with my concerns that this CD should probably be edited or taken off the market. How many parents want their kids to be taught that felonious activity is cause-justified?

Dad, who blogs at microclesia gets this response.

FOF replied to my letter by speaking around the issue, denying the issue, and dismissing my concerns as “unwarranted” and “alarmist.”

Oh.
So much for family values.

Focus on the Family got some attention this week when four Dobson employees added their signatures to a letter to the US National Association of Evangelicals demanding (again) that Rev. Richard Cizik, NAE  Vice President for Governmental Affairs 

Story here.
Dr. James Dobson had demanded Cizik be fired last year for endorsing Dan Gilgoff’s book: The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America Are Winning the Culture War.

National Public Radio has an interview with Dan Gilgoff about The Jesus Machine.

Kevin Kallaugher - The Economist: Trouble in the Family
Kathryn Joyce - The Revealer: Cannibals and Heretics

Focus on the Family has managed to get itself some media attention for it’s public political bullying tactics this week.
Is it any surprise the parent company doesn’t mind patronizing and alienating it’s consumer base?

Hey, lets not forget parents, Dr. Dobson told congressional leaders Spongebob Squarepants was gay. Is it a surprise when his employees scold and dismiss you too?

I commend John La Grou, consumer, dad and blogger for speaking up, and teaching his son a crime is a crime. I don’t think his concerns are unwarranted or alarmist, and I’m sorry to see he was patronized for thinking.

via: achievable ends