Susan G Komen ends Planned Parenthood grants

[twitchy2.0]

disgrace for the cure
By Erin Gloria Ryan
Feb 3, 2012 11:15 AM


An Accounting of Komen’s Impressive Financial Hypocrisy

Sweet jiggling breasts, has Susan G. Komen for the Cure ever painted itself into a corner. When they first announced their decision to revoke funding from Planned Parenthood, they said it was because they had a rule against giving money to organizations that were under investigation. But they give money to organizations that are under investigation all the damn time. And they certainly don't have any trouble taking money from companies that are under investigation. Let's take a tour of their hypocrisy, shall we?

Susan G. Komen For The Cure CEO Nancy Brinker has spent the last 48 hours embarking on a bizarrely prim damage control tour wherein she folds her hands in her lap and tells reporters that when they said they were stopping the flow of funds to Planned Parenthood because of a rule (that was definitely not just made up by Karen Handel so that they'd have an excuse to stop funding Planned Parenthood), what they meant was they were just trying to streamline the process and I guess that whole first press release about how they were following a rule was maybe not intended to be a factual statement. But regardless, let's take a moment to examine how, if the Handel Rule actually exists, it's been completely non-enforced.

Let's first turn to Penn State, recipient of a 5-year, $7.5 million grant courtesy of Komen. Mother Jones found that a grant was awarded to the institution in 2008, before the 2011 establishment of a rule that declares that Komen will no longer be donating funds to organizations under investigation at the local, state, or federal level. Since the federal government is currently investigating Penn State for its institutional role in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, if the "Handel Rule" were being applied uniformly, monies to Penn State's affiliated hospital should be suspended until the investigation's completion. But cash still flows to Happy Valley.

According to the charity's website, in the last year, Komen's given quite a few grants to quite a few hospitals and medical schools associated with quite a few investigations.

• They've given a grant to researchers at the University of Kansas, even though the director of the lab at the school's medical center was recently under investigation.
• Funds haven't been interrupted to the University of Texas at Austin, even though a currently pending lawsuit alleges that the school is discriminatory against Asians.
• Boston's Dana-Faber Cancer Institute is named in the investigation into the death of a former employee who ingested cyanide. Would that pass Handel Rule muster?
• Komen's also given a grant to the University of Texas Southwestern's medical center, which was under investigation at both the state and federal level as recently as last summer.
• An organ donation center managed by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, another Komen grant recipient, is currently under investigation for having an improper financial relationship with a vendor.
• They've given money to Duke University's Medical Center, even though Duke's under investigation for Title IX violations.
• A grant to the University of California at San Diego's Medical School flowed through uninterrupted, even though last summer, a recreational fencing coach there was investigated for sexual assault. (If an individual is under investigation, does that mean the entire organization should be treated as though it's under investigation? Best err on the side of caution!)
• Money's still going to the University of California at San Francisco, even though a seat belt-less shuttle bus led to the death of a professor last summer.
• And protesters who claim they were wrongly treated at the University of California-Berkeley are suing the school, which is still receiving money from Komen. Shall I go on?

And Komen's supposedly high minded (and patently false) claim that they won't give grants to organizations that are under investigation of course doesn't apply to money flowing into the organization.

• They get money from Quilted Northern, which is owned by the Koch Brothers, who have gotten in trouble with doing secret business with Iran.
• They've got a big hard on for Bank of America, Public Enemy Number 1 when it comes to fucking over the American consumer in all colors of the rainbow (especially pink!).
• Just a couple of months ago big Komen supporter Merck was forced to pay almost $1 billion to settle charges that it illegally marketed the drug Vioxx.
• Another big Komen donor is 3M which just was forced to pay $3 million to settle an age discrimination suit.
• Pink pimper Oracle was investigated last summer for violating antibribery laws while doing business in Africa.
• Just a couple of weeks ago, Federal safety regulators began investigating claims that Komen corporate buddy KitchenAid was making dishwashers that light stuff on fire.

Komen also gladly accepts money given by Ford, American Airlines, Key Bank, and Microsoft — all of which were recently under investigation. Talk about inconsistent principles.

And yet, Nancy Brinker continues her confusing damage control tour as though it will be a piece of cake to convince a skeptical public that Susan G. Komen For the Cure is not completely full of it, when it's clear that not only did they defund Planned Parenthood because of Karen Handel's rabidly anti-Planned Parenthood agenda, but they also lied about it, twice. They lied when they said that they cut Planned Parenthood out because of a rule— because they don't follow that rule in any case but the case of Planned Parenthood. And they didn't stop funding Planned Parenthood because of "streamlining," because they should have foreseen that the public backlash at the family planning provider's defunding would have resulted in untenable backlash. The conservative leadership of Susan G. Komen for the Cure severely underestimated their supporters— just because they're women who are fine with decking themselves out in pink feather boas doesn't mean they're stupid and gullible.

Maybe it would be best, for the time being, for Nancy Brinker and the rest of the Komen leadership to shut up, regroup, and speak publicly again when they've got their story straight.
An Accounting of Komen's Impressive Financial Hypocrisy

[MrsDark]

I hope people still continue to donate to PP directly. I don't trust those SGK "for the profit" bitches one bit anymore. Truthfully, never did trust them that much in the first place.

My husband in particular has been on a tear for a long time now about how corrupt SGK is and seeing this play out has been very satisfying for him.

[sluce]

Nancy Brinkman is listed as not being compensated for her work with SGK but we all know that is bullshit. I can't imagine saying I started a charity to honor my dead sister, and then making a living from it at her level. How can they justify paying the salaries they pay to their executives. I pray the backlash continues and people will begin to see what is really happening behind the pink ribbon.

[SHELLEE]

Nice Sara Palin wink, asshole.

[BBDSP]

So they made a politically motivated decision to de-fund PP and then a fiscally motivated decision to back-track. Integrity much?

[Brookie]

There is no honor among thieves.

[Laxmobster]

That gave me shivers. May all those who have that level of wealth step to the plate today.

My brother works for one of Bloomberg's companies and I just sent him that article. I told him that when he randomly sees Michael around the office to give him a big hug from all of us! Seriously, reading how much PP has been supported through this gave me shivers too.

It works! The power of speaking up and speaking out works. They are getting what they deserve and the onion is being peeled back to reveal what's really there. And it ain't pretty.

I've never really been active in such a movement and it makes me feel like my voice was heard. While I do vote and try to do my part in things I believe in, it was always half-assed, for lack of a better word. I usually just show up and vote. Maybe it's my cynicism but I always felt like my opinion would be drowned out by the politicians and moneymakers who I feel do make the rules. This time I put my money where my mouth is; I signed the petition and donated to PP. Now I'm actually looking into volunteering there too. I stand for women's rights and I'm no longer gonna sit by the sidelines.

[McJag]

Why can't I find Nancy Brinkman's salary anywhere?

$500,000 per year. I read it online this morning somewhere. I was surpised it was that low, then realized she probably get vast bonuses.

They may have rounded up- I found this ::


Susan G. Komen for the Cure - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_G._Komen_for_the_CureCached - Similar
You +1'd this publicly. Undo
Komen's younger sister, Nancy Goodman Brinker, who believed that Susan's outcome might have been ... The Komen CEO salary in 2010 was $459406 a year

[olivia]

$500,000 per year. I read it online this morning somewhere.

I wonder how much of her living expenses are covered by Komen charities. That can't be the full extent of her compensation (though that's a nice cut.) Does Brinkman travel first class on Komen's dime? How about her cars?

Hope this debacle starts a publicly disclosed audit of all Komen's money.

So glad I've never worn a pink ribbon or bought into their whole cure marketing. You almost feel guilty during Komen Month for not contributing.

[McJag]

I do think an audit is in order.

[Mel1973]

It's completely laughable going over and reading at the SGK facebook truly enjoying the comments. They are now catching it from both sides!
PP Supporters say "it's too late bitches, we've seen your true color and it ain't pink, it's green like money."
Anti Abortion nutters say "I will never give you another penny. Had I known you gave to those baby killers at PP, I never would have given you the first one! Get a backbone!"

It's awesome, they are fooooooked!

[*DIVA!]

We did it!! I don't even mind being stalked on fb by nutters!!!

[sluce]

Laxmobster - I volunteered for PP for years. I stopped about 8 years ago because my daughter was getting older and that meant her friends older sibling, and then even her friends, would be coming for services. I didn't want any of them to ever feel that they couldn't come there because I was there. I didn't feel like driving to another location. Now that she's off to college I may start again. I enjoyed being an escort to walk the young women from their cars to the office.

[BBDSP]

That's awesome, Sluce. What a great thing to do.

I have a 20-year old daughter and a 17-year old daughter. I did everything I could to encourage them to talk to me about sex and contraception, etc., but I also told them that PP was always there for them or their friends.

After this whole skirmish I am more certain than ever that PP needs and deserves my support, and I'm not going to sit by and let people bash it anymore.

[greysfang]

Well we won again, as both BofA and Netflix learned this year. And this one was important. Everyone pat yourselves on the back for doing an excellent job.

Sgk will forever be on my shitlist, well at least until they fold from lack of donations. I don't give it long.