Economic Terriorism and Frank VanderSloot

Is it economic terrorism as Bill O' Reilly asked on his Fox News show, or is it just your normal run-of-the-mill vicious political character assassination?  You decide for yourself after reading this blog.  I promised to tell the truth and not be contentious.  I didn't say that what I write won't be controversial.  This post is one of those.  After all, it is my blog, so my thoughts and opinions are just that.

I heard and saw on The O'Reilly Factor show on May 14th that a businessman, Frank VanderSloot, who  was named on an Obama re-election website along with seven others, was one of  "a group of wealthy individuals with less-than-reputable records.  Quite a few have been on the wrong side of the law, others have made profits at the expense of so many Americans, and still others are donating to help ensure Romney puts beneficial policies in place for them."  (Keeping GOP Honest.com: Behind the curtain)

Frank VanderSloot is the founder and CEO of Melaleuca, a wellness-product company based in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and a contributor to Restore our Future, the Super PAC that supports Mitt Romney.  For this contribution to the Romney campaign and other attempts to defend his beliefs in the past, he has been branded by "Keeping GOP Honest" as "litigious, combative, and a bitter foe of the gay rights movement."  VamderSloot claimed on the Factor show that the first while after he was listed on Obama's website, he lost some 200 Melaleuca customers before he started fighting back against the false charges with conference calls and a personal response on the Internet (Frank VanderSloot Responds.com).  He wrote: "Melaleuca employs over 3,000 people worldwide.  And thousands more rely on us to send them a check in support of their independent businesses each month.  Damage to Melaleuca results in damage to their lives also.  When we defend our company, we are also defending them and their income.  We agree that we need to do that fairly and responsibly."

It is easy to find why so many false charges by those supporting Obama were made against VanderSloot.  A short study on the Internet of his past and present activism includes the following:

• He is accused of being a billionare bully.  He states, "I fear my financial status has been greatly exaggerated.  I do own a majority interest in Melaleuca" which would have to be sold, and he states flatly, "I'm not selling."
• His business is accused of being a MLM/pyramid scheme which he says it is not.  "In Melaleuca's case there is no investment and no getting others to invest.  We do pay commissions to those who have referred customers based on what those customers purchase. ...And there's no way for customers to lose either when they're buying high-quality products at grocery store prices.  Customers just order the products they use every month directly from the factory."
• He is accused of "outing" a gay man, Peter Zukerman, a former reporter for the Idaho Falls Post-Register.  Mr. Zuckerman wrote a series of articles "exposing the sex abuse scandal" in respect to Boy Scout and LDS Church leaders in the area.  The following was published by Melaleuca in the Post-Register on June 5, 2005:  "Much has been said on a local radio station and throughout the community, speculating that the Boy Scout's position of not letting gay men be Scout Leaders, and the LDS Church's position that marriage should be between a man and a woman may have caused Zuckerman to attack the scouts and the LDS Church through his journalism.  We think it would be very unfair for anyone to conclude that is what is behind Zuckerman's motives.  It would be wrong to do.  The only known facts are, that for whatever reason, Zuckerman chose to weave a story that unfairly, and without merit paints Scout leaders and church leaders to appear unscrupulous, and blame them for the molestation of little children.  That too, is wrong, and the editors of the Post-Register should not have allowed it." 
• He was accused of spending "big bucks" in 1999 on ads in an effort to force Idaho Public TV to cancel a publicly-funded movie that was favorable to the gay and lesbian lifestyle to be shown to school children.  He was successful only in getting the show moved to a later time period on the PBS station.
• He is accused of being anti-gay but states in his response: "Our company has thousands of gay customers, independent marketing executives, and employees.  I believe they feel welcome and valued.  I believe that people deserve freedom, respect, and privacy in their own lives.  I believe that gay people should have the same freedoms and rights as any other individual." 
• His wife made a $100,000 donation to help defeat the Proposition 8 gay marriage referendum in California.

I cannot believe the injustice and intolerance that has been heaped on this man, his family and his business.  He does not deserve it.  Is there no longer a place for religious freedom in this country where a person can support moral beliefs and issues?  How about freedom of speech?  Are we to be condemned for supporting and contributing to presidential candidates that others do not support?  Are we to be vilified and condemned as being on the wrong side of the law,  less-than reputable, litigious, combative, and a bitter foe of any kind of movement or cause--religious, moral or political--that we feel strongly about?  

I am reminded of a quote from Matthew 5:10-12:  "Blessed [happy]  are ye which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed [happy] are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven."

(See also: Wall Street Journal: Kim Strassel: The President Has a List, April 26, 2012; Strassel: Trolling for Dirt on the President's List, May 10, 2012.) 

Note: I have never used any Melaleuca product nor have I had anything to do with Melaleuca in a business sense.  I do believe the products must be good to be so successful.