Consider a Boycott of Microsoft Software

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Greg_McPherran:

And yes doing a new OS is where my talents could serve the kingdom of God. What’s wrong with that? Everything I have written is for the name of Jesus our Lord and Savior. I am not here to debate. I am here to work with and for God to change the world. Anyone want to help me?

What’s wrong with that? Well for appearances alone, it looks like you are takeing the pro-life side and calling for a boycott of a competitor of yours to further your gain as you also want to offer an alternative.

You might be sincere in this but for appearances sake you appear to be taking the high road for the wrong reasons.

To avoid this I would say do one or the other. Call for a boycott of Microsoft or call for a new OS that you want to be the lead on. It just doesn’t look right to do both.

And again, Bill Gates has billions. Individual people boycotting Microsoft will not hurt him, even if every corporation out there stopped using Microsoft (which will never happen) it still wouldn’t affect him.

You must be realistic. And what about your health insurance, when will you drop that?

 

[Greg_McPherran]

ByzCath:

Well for appearances alone, it looks like you are takeing the pro-life side and calling for a boycott of a competitor of yours to further your gain as you also want to offer an alternative.

You might be sincere in this but for appearances sake you appear to be taking the high road for the wrong reasons.

To avoid this I would say do one or the other. Call for a boycott of Microsoft or call for a new OS that you want to be the lead on. It just doesn’t look right to do both.

And again, Bill Gates has billions. Individual people boycotting Microsoft will not hurt him, even if every corporation out there stopped using Microsoft (which will never happen) it still wouldn’t affect him.

You must be realistic. And what about your health insurance, when will you drop that?

Software is my profession and I am also a Catholic. So I try to connect my values with my profession - that’s a good thing not a bad thing.

The Gates Foundation gave millions to organizations that are aborting children. There is a Catholic Values mutual fund. Does that mean they are using Catholics to make money? I don’t care if they make money as long as they are also supporting my values. I don’t care if Microsoft makes money, but Bill Gates’ Foundation is not supporting our values - in fact they’re helping kill unborn children.

I try to avoid health insurance that covers abortions.

If all Catholics voted pro-life we could probably solve these problems and the world would probably get the message. We have a huge number of Catholics in this country, we should be able to make a difference.

My advice: vote pro-life and consider what the Gates Foundation is doing.

God Bless you.

 

[Stylteralmaldo]

ByzCath:

…You must be realistic. And what about your health insurance, when will you drop that?

Actually, I will not work for a company that allows its insurance to pay for abortions. I suppose this is my way of boycotting a potential employer. Grant it, it does limit my ability to make money, however for me, it’s a requirement. If we all did this, abortion-supporting employers would have a hard time finding a workforce.

In the same way I will not vote for a pro-abortion candidate. That does not mean I’ll vote for the Republican, but it does disqualify the pro-abortion candidate (generally the Democrat).

I’ll “consider” the boycott, and make an informed decision once I have as many facts to make one.

 

[Greg_McPherran]

I support you and I encourage you.

 

[bonaventura]

I wonder if the parable of the Unjust Steward applies here. It was in the sunday mass readings this week at the latin mass I attend.

Jesus says “the children of this generation are more wise than the children of the light”. This is one of the harder parables I think, to understand, but let us consider this:

(1) I have seen many pro-choice abortion-rights activists who will not only personally boycott any product or person, or company, that they can tie in any way to the right to life or anti-abortion position, personally, but they will also avoid doing business, and in any way they can, advance their own cause. Shall we do any less?

(2) If it causes you personal inconvenience to avoid buying products from a company because they support abortion, or they have foundations which donate money to abortion rights related groups, should that stop us? If we know this, don’t we become culpable if we act unwisely in this matter?

Regards,

Warren
Toronto Canada

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Stylteralmaldo:

Actually, I will not work for a company that allows its insurance to pay for abortions. I suppose this is my way of boycotting a potential employer. Grant it, it does limit my ability to make money, however for me, it’s a requirement. If we all did this, abortion-supporting employers would have a hard time finding a workforce.

While this is a laudable idea, it can’t work here in New York state. The state mandates what health insurance must cover, contraception is one of those things. As the pill is an abortifacient, insurance pays for it. I am unsure if they madate that coverage covers abortions but I wouldn’t be surprised.

Now you say you wouldn’t work for a company that allows its insurance to pay for abortions, but do you take health care from health insurance companies who have plans (even one that you aren’t part of) that pay for abortions and birth control, if you do then you are supporting that company who supports abortion so there is little difference.

In the same way I will not vote for a pro-abortion candidate. That does not mean I’ll vote for the Republican, but it does disqualify the pro-abortion candidate (generally the Democrat).

This is exactly the way I vote.

I’ll “consider” the boycott, and make an informed decision once I have as many facts to make one.

Same here, the day that there is a new OS with as much support and as many other software products that work with it then I will also support the boycott.

 

[Brendan]

As a matter of fact, Melinda Gates is a practicing Catholic.

Bill Gates Sr (Bill’s father) was the operating officer for the foundation. He was also a Planned Parenthood supporter.

Melinda disagreed with his decisions and took a more active role in the foundation in early 2003. She was hesitant to do so prior as she viewed her role as being home with the children.

All the reports you gave were from prior to that date.

So, if you could show some information past that date, I might be willing to listen a bit more.

Until then, I’m going to look at the donations Microsoft made to Focus Hope (a Catholic org that trains the poor for high tech jobs here in Detroit) and the computers and software they donated to the inner-city Catholic High Schools here.

One other point of note. The CEO of Microsoft, Steve Balmer grew up in the neighborhood that Focus Hope in now located at. He’s been a huge supporter of it.

 

[cassman]

Naphali:

Now I am more than happy to boycott Microsoft because it takes unfair advantage of small business competetors in a monopolistic sort of way, but this has absolutely nothing to do with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

So are you willing to boycott because it takes advantage of small business, but not because they support Planned Parenthood?

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

cassman:

So are you willing to boycott because it takes advantage of small business, but not because they support Planned Parenthood?

No one has said that Microsoft supports Planned Parenthood.

What has been said is that the Gates Foundation, a separate entitiy, supports abortion.

 

[Greg_McPherran]

Brendan:

Melinda disagreed with his decisions and took a more active role in the foundation in early 2003. She was hesitant to do so prior as she viewed her role as being home with the children.

All the reports you gave were from prior to that date.

So, if you could show some information past that date, I might be willing to listen a bit more.

10 Million Dollars in 2004 to:

psiwash.org/news/0404b.html

It looks like Melinda has caused a shift from surgical abortion towards contraception, some abortifacients, and some promotion of abstinence. She has had an impact. Perhaps she is doing the best she can in this pagan world. She should put her foot down and support HIV cure and vaccines, abstinence, and human dignity education (as well as the other good things, food, water, medicine, etc.) Pray for her to accept no compromise.

gatesfoundation.org/GlobalHealth/HIVAIDSTB/HIVAIDS/Grants/Grant-30167.htm

Obviously, promotion of abstinence is good. However, the contraception and abortifacients are not good.

I also praise Melinda and the foundation for the good they do and they are helping many.

However, contraception and abortifacients are still a problem. It may sound important, but for one unborn child to be able to implant to his own mom’s womb, it’s still very important. For the sin of contraception against Jesus it’s still not good. A big problem here in America and throughout the world is that women are treated too much like objects to be used and discarded. Even some priests today who seem to accept contraception seem to miss this aspect.

There are many Catholic web sites that have also called for a boycott of Microsoft. I’m not saying whether to boycott - I am saying make an intelligent decision. Perhaps at least contact the Gates foundation. We need to spread God’s word. We need to be spreading Christianity throughout these regions instead of spreading condoms and abortifacients.

Greg

 

[Servant1]

Greg_McPherran:

I hear what everyone is saying but we need to get the message out that killing the unborn is not acceptable. Refusing financial support is a great way to do this.

Yes, I looked for good Christians on the Microsoft web-site. What I found is a Merck executive on the Microsoft Board of Directors!! Merck is another company to watch!!!
priestsforlife.org/news/infonet/Infonet03-03-27.htm#merck
christianity.com/partner/Article_Display_Page/0,PTID4211|CHID102753|CIID212998,00.html

Note how Merck is also associated with the Gates foundation and the children are singing songs about condoms!!!
catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=1091

Don’t Vote Democratic:
catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=1603

For SOME companies, refusing financial support makes a statement. If everyone in the entire planet who disagrees with abortion withheld their purchases of Microsoft products, it would never amount to a dopr in the ocean to that company. Meantime, Microsoft products power the vast majority of the computers in the world that are used by organizations supporting Catholic enterprises and beliefs and even websites like this one. It’s not going to affcte them one way or another. SO bring down Microsoft with this great outpouring of social conscience and don’t buy their products. Then who’ll support the products that make even this website run?

A touch of reality here. Don Quixote nobly jousted at windmills. If jousting at windmills fulfills yo, then go for it. But from the standpoint of reality, learn to pick your battles.

 

[Greg_McPherran]

Besides the OS there are alternatives:

OpenOffice instead of MS Office
Macromedia instead of Frontpage
Java, PHP, Perl etc. instead of .NET (still trying to decide this one myself).
…
…
…
etc.

 

[justLaura]

Greg_McPherran:

So you are saying that we can tolerate abortion as long as we’re doing some good things!!??

Yep. Just as you can vote for the person who overall is doing more for the plight of the disease-ridden third world in 10 years than our church has done in 2 millennia.

It’s exactly for cases like this that single-issue condemnation falls way…way…WAY short of reality. I think you can make an excellent case for the Gates’ supporting a culture of life.

Kudos to them!

 

[Greg_McPherran]

justLaura:

Yep.

Should we expect the unborn child to accept that his/her life is expendable for the sake of some good deeds?

I am going to post this line of reasoning to the apologists (that abortion is tolerable as long as we are doing other good to save lives). I will let you know the answer.

 

[Stylteralmaldo]

ByzCath:

…it can’t work here in New York state. The state mandates what health insurance must cover, contraception is one of those things. As the pill is an abortifacient, insurance pays for it…

…do you take health care from health insurance companies who have plans (even one that you aren’t part of) that pay for abortions and birth control, if you do then you are supporting that company who supports abortion so there is little difference…

(1) You don’t have to live in New York. However, it might be better that you are in New York if you can help change the way they view heath care. I’ll tell you this much, I have scratched New York off of my list of possible places to relocate if need be.

(2) I admit that I do not know if our health insurance carrier offers plans to other employers that allow abortions.

If all insurers support abortion, I may have to do without insurance coverage all-together. Doing without health insurance may be risky if one of our family members gets sick. However, if we all boycott health insurance carriers that provide abortion services, they’ll stop accepting it as an option. I have not prayed yet on this possibility (although I am only assuming right now that our carrier provides abortion to others even though they do not provide it for our plan).

This may sound like a crazy idea, but at what point does abortion really matter enough to us all to take drastic measures for correcting the major wrong of the murder of innocence?

 

[Greg_McPherran]

You are a hero and an inspiration to us all! May God strengthen all of us.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

quote=Stylteralmaldo You don’t have to live in New York. However, it might be better that you are in New York if you can help change the way they view heath care. I’ll tell you this much, I have scratched New York off of my list of possible places to relocate if need be.

[/quote]

Currently I have to. This is where my work is, but when I get a chance I am out of here.

Actually just today I have mailed in my application to the priesthood for the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma, this is the Eparchy that covers most of the Mid-West, where I really want to be.

(2) I admit that I do not know if our health insurance carrier offers plans to other employers that allow abortions.

If all insurers support abortion, I may have to do without insurance coverage all-together. Doing without health insurance may be risky if one of our family members gets sick. However, if we all boycott health insurance carriers that provide abortion services, they’ll stop accepting it as an option. I have not prayed yet on this possibility (although I am only assuming right now that our carrier provides abortion to others even though they do not provide it for our plan).

True, I may be cynical, but I do not think enough people will do so as they do not what to be bothered. This is human nature, part of our fallen state.

Greg has suggested a few replacements for Microsoft products but I would caution you on those. Before replacing Microsoft products with anything make sure that what you are using as the replacment doesn’t have the same issues involved as those you are replacing.

 

[prolifepc]

Please visit ProLifePC.com - This website talks about boycotting Microsoft Products because of Microsoft’s and the Bill and Melinda Gates’ Foundation support of Planned Parenthood. It also mentions an article where Bill Gates officially states that his father was once head of Planned Parenthood.

 

[goofyjim]

How many times must we be told we have to boycott something or else face the consequences? I will not boycott Microsoft anymore than Starbucks, or Ford, or Target, etc, etc. etc.