American Girl interrupted

Many of my friends and readers think I loathe conservatives, so I want to set the record straight. I loathe irresponsible, boorish advocacy groups that lack common sense and self-control, and if way too many of those groups happen to be manned by right-wing nut-jobs, well that's just coincidental.\nCase in point: The Mississippi-based American Family Association and the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League. According to a Saturday Washington Post article, "Groups Threaten to Boycott American Girl," the two organizations are doing exactly as the headline suggests. \nThe American Girl doll line is essentially an alternative to the puerile, big-breasted model of unattainable beauty known as Barbie; she promotes patriotism, chastity, education, strength and puppies. I suspect if they ever came out with an American Woman line, she would endorse fiscal responsibility, state's rights and Bruce Springsteen. So why would the AFA and similar groups boycott American Girl?\nAccording to the article, the advocacy groups are upset about a partnership between American Girl and a nonprofit organization called Girls Inc. (formerly Girls Club of America), whose mission is to "inspire girls to be strong, smart and bold." Seventy cents of every "I Can" wristband sale is donated to Girls Inc. to "support educational and empowerment programs." \nBut the AFA and the Pro-Life Action League have uncovered a dark side of Girls Inc. According to the AFA Web site, Girls Inc. supports "abortion and a girl's right to abort an unwanted baby." Moreover, the company "supports contraceptives" and "offers resources encouraging lesbian and bi-sexual lifestyles."\nOh, the horror! The horror!\nThis is totally ridiculous. You want to know what else Girl Inc. supports? According to its Web site, since 1992, Girls Inc. has donated "$1.8 million in college scholarships to girls who have become leaders in all walks of life." I guess it's no surprise the AFA denounces higher education. Everyone knows college is where women become carpet-munching lesbians.\nAs for American Girl and its owner, Mattel, those heathens actually had the nerve to make a "cash donation of $100,000 to the American Red Cross," along with "a donation of several thousand toys worth up to $1 million to relief organizations in the (Katrina-devastated) area," according to a Sept. 1 press release. \nGroups like the AFA, run by narrow-minded ideologues, turn everything into niggling political debates. Organizations like Girls Inc. teach girls to be responsible women. Responsible women have responsible sex. Responsible sex means fewer abortions. These political advocacy groups ignore reality and see the world as a giant leftist conspiracy to turn women into banned-book-reading, sex-craved, militant feminists who have abortions just for the hell of it.\nIt's dejecting, if not alarming, how few advocacy groups advocate anything of any value to the public. By boycotting American Girl (and by association, Girls Inc. and Mattel), the AFA does so much more harm than good for young women. The headline really says it all, doesn't it? Don't boycott Nike sweatshops, SUVs or Wal-Mart -- boycott American Girl.