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Is Dr. Dobson Aware What Focus on the Family Is Doing in Massachusetts In His Name? I personally received two more mailings from James Dobson yesterday. Everyone knows that Margaret Marshall should not be a source for Focus on the Family to raise even more money. That is not Dobson's style. What is going on? The problem is obviously that a professional fundraiser has been let loose. The fundraiser is doing his job and using every opportunity to make money, even the dangerous ruling of Margaret Marshall. The question really is who is running Focus? Dobson cannot be approving all these mailings that have his signature under them. One of the mailings I received yesterday was a single-spaced, two-page "Urgent Memo" under Dobson's signature. I am sure he never wrote or approved that. Dr. Dobson would be very unhappy if he realized what's happening, with the use of his name, to his beloved Focus organization, which has done so much good in the world. Yesterday, my wife, Sally, ordered eight copies of a Focus tape by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs on how "respect" is what husbands are seeking from wives. The needs of husbands are totally different from the needs of women is the message. This is only a speck of the myriad good things that Focus is doing. But it is a mammoth organization. Who's minding the store? His friends say that it's not Dr. Dobson. Dobson has always said that when the money stops coming in, he will simply pullback and make-do with what is provided. We have all heard him make that statement many times. Focus is now into big money-raising schemes. Problems Started with Stroke in 1998 James Dobson had a serious stroke and a miraculous recovery in June 1998. His doctor obviously told him and his wife at that time that he must slow down and not do everything himself. The heart problem occurred soon after he started a new, monumental program - to enter politics in a big way and change Washington. He even traveled there to face down the power structure. It caused massive amounts of stress. That was not his type of work. He should continue to do what he did well and let someone else run the political part of the movement - without his help or supervision. His friends know he's attempted to slow down because they are no longer able to converse with him. There is a gatekeeper, Thomas Minnery, who appears to control the entire organization. It was easy to say that Dobson would just cutback when the money started to dwindle, but when the reality sets in, most people would hesitate to terminate any of the more than 1,000 employees that Focus has out in Colorado Springs. It would not be easy to cut Bill, or Mary or John with his four children. Most people would start to run Focus as another business and hire fundraisers. When I receive two mailings in the same day, it is obvious that that is what is happening at Focus. In addition, the handlers co-opted the Family Research Council as another source of income earlier this year when they terminated Atty. Ken Connor and made that organization into another Focus satellite. Earlier this month, FRC sent a message across the country that they were "strategizing with allies in Massachusetts," and were requesting "prayers and financial support" which are "so vital over the next few months." There are always good groups out there hunting for essential dollars that are necessary to stay in operation. What is ethical is often debatable but it is clearly not ethical to use a crisis as an opportunity to make money. Where Were the National Groups When They Were Needed? It's always easy to dump on someone who is doing an excellent job and to inquire why they are not doing more. That happens to me now and then, so I know the feeling. But consider this. The homosexual advocates established and funded the five (5) lawyers who are now in Boston under the name of Gay and Lesbian Advocates & Defenders. That group has eleven other employees, including paralegals and fundraisers in Boston, with an estimated budget of $1 million. It is not a part-time effort for them. That is all they do. And they are not the only homosexual group working in our state. It was difficult for us to see all that was happening. It took someone with a broader outlook to see where we were heading. In other words, Focus and many others on a national level were sound asleep while they were assuring us that they had everything under control. They still tell us that, don't they? But it is distressingly obvious that they don't have this under control. If we stop and wait for them to act, everything in Massachusetts will collapse and we will surely lose. We don't blame them, but it is time to stop and assess where we are. We desperately need two or three independent, national organizations that will work strictly on the issue of marriage. They must be independent allies such as are present in the homosexual world. We can't put all our dreams into one organization where the leader may have a stroke or some other calamity. We must have allied organizations that are separate. Almost everything out there today has a tie with Focus. That is a tribute to Focus but it also shows a big ego to believe that they must continue to control the entire movement. We all know that is impossible because death comes to every man, including Dr. Dobson. He apparently knew that but did not contemplate that he could have a stroke before he was ready. Those national groups must be secular organizations.
There are many libertarians and others who see families as the source
of a strong society. Although this is important to the religious,
it is just as important to the secular. All the family organizations
today are religious or semi-religious. We cannot stop and convert
everyone into becoming a Christian or an Orthodox Jew before getting
them active in protecting marriage. Our national groups, including Focus, have been asleep for years. We thought they were protecting us. They thought they could do this as a part time endeavor even though they could see the opposition building a huge infrastructure. I am not aware what is happening beyond our state. Is the opposition so well organized everywhere? Does anyone know the answer? What Now? Obviously, no one in Massachusetts desires to hurt Focus in any way. They are much too valuable to our entire nation. But they cannot come in and attempt to dominate us little people. We "little people" have not done badly so far in fighting the enemy. We defeated them last year against fantastic odds and forced them to violate the state Constitution. As a result of our efforts, the President of the Senate says we destroyed his candidacy for Governor last year in the primary. His opponent in the primary lost in the general election for the same reason. But when we had them on the ropes, the tiny Focus satellite went flying back to Colorado for more instructions from someone and never returned to the battlefield. We will be revealing on January 5, 2004 some exciting and wonderful news that will energize everyone across the country. This is not the time to wail and moan. We will be rejoicing if we stick together. If Focus continues to go its own way and sees this problem as an excellent way to raise more money for Focus, it will be sad. But hopefully we will win in Massachusetts anyway. |
