A local reporter was sent to small towns around her smallish city of South Bend, Indiana (part if a larger region of Michiana that still isn't big enough to have a VHF station) to gauge reaction of local businesses to a new law. Well, let me preface that, with I believe. I believe the local reporter was just looking for opinions, not sent out to incriminate someone.
What happened when she got to Walkerton, Indiana was happenstance. It was probably quite clear walking into Memories Pizza that she may get some interesting quotes, as the law was about religious freedom, and the proprietors were unabashedly Christian. She asked the questions, and the owners gave the answers. In her story she correctly reported what was said. That Memories Pizza wouldn't discriminate if someone came in for a slice, or some ice cream, but they would not cater a gay wedding.
The backlash against this local reporter is just as shocking. The story instead goes that she was sent out and went out looking for just this certain quote. She goaded these poor people in a small town pizza joint to say what they said (although almost in the same breath they say these people were standing up for their rights!) She was liberal scum, a journalistic hack.
The people at the pizza parlor received death threats, bad Yelp reviews, and someone bought a web address and made website making it look like Memories Pizza was the gayest place in the world. What of the reporter? You do not hear of her fate in conservative media, do you? She, too has received death threats. At this time, I have not seen a GoFundMe page for her pain. I have not seen any liberal talk shows saying people who have threatened that local reporter with violence are the same as ISIS. And I also have not seen any sort of apology from right wing talk shows for inciting such violence. Dana knows first hand how such things happen, she should be the first to defend this local reporter.
The way I understand it, a Dana Show contributor started a GoFundMe page in the middle of a controversy for people they had never met in the middle of an interview with them. One of the important tenants of journalism is know the answer to your question before you ask it. Oh, wait.. maybe that's law. Still, there are a lot of what ifs to worry about.
What if the owners of Memories Pizza declined the money?
What if nobody gave?
What if people gave too much?
Oh, wait. They did give too much. The goal started at $25 thousand, but when that goal came and went quickly, they upped it to $200 thousand. What was a fund to help out a pizza joint that may have to close for a week or two until this storm blows over, help fix up the place, and maybe buy that web address, wound up being a pile of money you'd get if you were a lottery winner. What was once helpful, now may become a burden. Why not stop when the first goal was reached? The second?
If I were the owners of Memories pizza, I'd be thinking twice about taking that money. If I am going to take such a stand for God, I'd have to side with the Bible on the fact that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Not to mention all the people whose lives were ruined by excessive money. It was good of Dana to get a financial planner. They give good advice:
Past winners of mega-lottery drawings and financial planners have some more sound advice: Stick to a budget, invest wisely, learn to say no and be prepared to lose friends while riding an emotional roller-coaster of joy, anxiety, guilt and distrust.Maybe the Bible knows what it is talking about here. This is money that is going to change the lives of this family forever. Quite possibly, in a way this family did not want, and did not ask for. Did Dana think about that before starting this GoFundMe campaign? It would be hard for me to turn down money like that, but I would probably pass. GoFundYourself, Dana.
I have seen conservative Christians doing something else the Bible tells them to guard against. They point to the fact that giving so much shows how good Christians are compared to the heathen Liberals. Except the bible says this is not right in the eyes of God. You are getting your reward right here, instead of in heaven. Dana will not point out this to anyone, however. Nothing hypocritical here... move along.
There is no story in a poor local reporter just doing her job. Dana will pass. There is no possibility for fundraising, because there is no outrage for threatening a reporter no matter how cute she may be. She is not standing up for her Christian rights, so she doesn't matter to anyone on the right. Really, there is nothing to see here. It would be funny if it were not so sad.
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