Stumping the Sky
Anti-Abortion Group Takes to Missoula’s Skies
By Kerry McMannis, 8-29-06
It’s a peace activist! It’s a plane! No! It’s an anti-abortion campaign!A small plane trailing a giant banner crisscrossed the sky above Missoula today. The banner said, “STOP THE WAR” in large black letters. In smaller print were the words “Stop 10-week abortion” and a toll free number.
Ironically, many thought the sign was an anti-war campaign. “I was excited when I saw stop the war” said Portia Manhan of Missoula, “Then I saw the whole thing and I felt let down.”
“I was confused,” said John who asked only to be identified by his first name, “are they against the war or against abortion?”
The aircraft and the banner are owned by The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, an organization based out of Lake Forest, California. The flying billboards are making their debut in Montana this week but they have been used around the country for the last several years. The banners are likely to become a more frequent sight in Montana’s skies according to Greg Cunningham, the executive director of The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform.
“By early November people in Montana will know a whole lot more (about abortion) than they do now,” said Cunningham speaking from his home office in California. “People who have seen abortion are less likely to support it.”
The picture on the banner was even less clear than the anti-abortion message. None of the eight people interviewed for this article could make out what it portrayed.
For security reasons Cunningham would not disclose which communities in Montana are being targeted but said, “we will be using the aircraft in all population centers.” Expected campaign tools include box trucks with attached billboards, information booths on college campuses and more aerial publicity.
“Montana isn’t Connecticut,” Cunningham said. “We have a good shot at changing public opinion there.”
A similar campaign was launched two years ago in South Dakota.
[End of article]
Ironic that they'd use STOP THE WAR to draw you in, when, in all likelyhood, this group of people is probably just fine with all of our President's policies - including the war....
Comment By Brian, 8-29-06A similar (identical?) campaign went on for about a week earlier this summer in Minneapolis. Kind of fighting an uphill battle there.
Comment By Pronghorn, 8-30-06The American Taliban takes to the air...watch out, Montanans; once you lose control of your body, the veil is next. Welcome to the Theocracy!
Comment By heartlake, 9-02-06Sort of like the stunt reporting one sees on The Weather Channel during hurricane season; the intrepid weather pro standing on the wind-blown beach, complete with mic, windbreaker with the corporate logo, and lots of noise.
One also can see this when the Greenpeace fleet shows up somewhere to protest a nuke plant.
In any case, it's all about getting "news" coverage and it looks like the anti-abortion campaigners got just what they sought.
“People who have seen abortion are less likely to support it.” As long as abortion is legal, only doctors and nurses will "see" abortion. If the religious fanatics have their way, then I'm sure a lot of unlicensed quacks will see many a back alley abortion. They need to keep their religion away from my body and the laws of this country - remember...separation of church and state?
Comment By Montana, 9-06-06Here's a suggestion -
If you are offended by people shoving shocking pictures in your face, then do it right back to them!
Call up their 800 number, get website, street, and email addresses for their organization. Send some shocking pictures right back to them.
I would recommend internet classics like Goatse, Tub Girl, and Lemon Party.
(If you don't know what these are, look them up in Wikipedia - but prepare to be offended...)
It's not the end of the argument, but it would go aways toward showing them what effect they are having on Montanans.